Okay, so this is my Christmas gift for my KnB readers (especially my AkaKuro readers who wanted AkaKuro content from me lmao). I've actually posted this in Tumblr a year ago for a KnB exchange gift party (my giftee never claimed it though...), but I've just been lazy in cross-posting this to FFNet and AO3 because I finished in January. Anyways, hope you enjoy this oneshot and my first attempt at writing Akashi~

(also feel free to drop by my Tumblr if you're bored)

Of Handcuffs and Candlelight

When Seijuurou woke up, he hadn't expected to feel so cold. After all, it was always in his habit—ever since he could remember things—to properly bundle up when sleeping, as his body temperature was quite sensitive. And so he couldn't help shivering and being confused as he groggily turned on his… bed?

Seijuurou blinked away the last of his sleepiness and observed his surroundings. There was a scent of jasmine in the air. The scenery outside his window was dark and the room was dimly lit, so it was safe to assume that it was past sundown. It seems that he was currently in the bedroom of his own apartment, after several moments of calculation—and this was his bed; he couldn't mistake the fluffy-lumpy-ness of the pillows for any other than his own—but for some reason, the place didn't look like his usual bedroom. The walls were decorated with festive red berries, the floor had ribbons, clothes, and gift wrappers strewn all over it, the ceiling had red and green balloons stuck floating up there, and—were those real burning candles on his dresser?

God, maybe this was just a dream. The pounding in his head still hadn't gone away and he felt sore all over. The redhead was about to sit up when something held his wrists back and made him flop back on the mattress. What on earth…? Seijuurou stared blankly at the object tied on him.

It was a handcuff.

Seijuurou turned to his other wrist.

Another handcuff.

Hours later, the Akashi heir would deny that he had broken into a cold sweat at that precise moment.

Seijuurou tried desperately to reign in his growing panic at the situation. It wasn't unusual for him to feel the emotion—there were several instances in his young life in which the redhead encountered it like any average person—so it was fairly easy to keep his cool, but the strangeness of his current position planted dread in him. Why was he handcuffed to his own bed? Why was his head pounding so hard? And why were there Christmas decorations inside his room?

Calm yourself, big brother.

Despite the pain, Seijuurou couldn't help lifting his eyes heavenward at the sound of the familiar inner voice. Thank you for stating the obvious.

I am merely trying to help, said the voice similar to his matter-of-factly. Your anxiety will not be of aid in ridding those cuffs, after all.

"I know," muttered Seijuurou dejectedly, testing how far his hands could reach his side tables. They succeeded, but not by a large margin—Seijuurou could only touch the edges of the furniture, and even that strained the metal against his wrists. Damn queen-sized bed.

His head still hurt, but the rest of his body was awake enough to start moving. Gingerly, he tried to retract his legs, but found something tugging them back. Seijuurou craned his neck to see what it was, and almost whined a curse when he did.

Two pieces of rope—handkerchiefs?—were the culprits.

Am I really a prisoner of my own home right now?

I do believe so, yes. But fear not. It would seem that this is a gift for you.

Seijuurou frowned, fighting the urge to tug at the handkerchiefs restraining his feet. And just how is this a gift, little brother?

Look down at yourself.

When Seijuurou did, he couldn't help but gape. No wonder he was shivering—he was clad in just his boxers!

Hands and feet chained to the bed, semi-nakedness, dim lighting in a bedroom… Surely you can see where this is going, brother.

The pounding in Seijuurou's head worsened into dizziness as he flopped back down on the pillows. Oh, good lord… He shut his eyes close and groaned in frustration. I'm going to be violated. In my own apartment.

Oh, will you—can you please refrain from jumping to conclusions? We are not going to be raped.

The conviction in his other self's voice made Seijuurou's eyes slowly open and his body relax against the downy mattress. Sometimes, his "little brother" was actually a good ki—

Not while I'm awake and there's a fountain pen by our alarm clock.

Dual red orbs stared blankly at the balloon-covered ceiling. After a beat, Seijuurou sighed in resignation. Never mind.

What? It's a viable idea, isn't it? snapped his brother, sounding affronted. Hearing his tone almost made Seijuurou chuckle in tired fondness. More often than not, he still found himself amazed at the fact that the other voice residing inside him had gradually fleshed out into a real identity during the past four years, since Seijuurou's return to the surface, by just becoming more talkative and open as the days pass. "Little brother", as he'd come to address him—since they both agreed on that fateful match against America that they weren't truly separate from each other to ever need different names—was nothing if not virtually his twin in almost every aspect. They both loved their hobbies, which stayed the same, and the same intelligence and determination they poured into everything they did was never lost even if they switch places.

Funnily enough, his brother rarely desired to take over these days. Seijuurou had always offered, since they were sharing the same body and he also had a right to use it, but the heterochromatic-eyed version of himself found no incentive in doing so. It would seem that after their first defeat, a huge part of their soul had been freed and comforted and his brother no longer felt trapped under all that pressure. He was content enough to watch most of the time. And Seijuurou quickly found that he liked getting to know his other self better throughout these years. He had even gotten used to his "extreme" tendencies. But still…

Can we please not discuss this right now? groaned the monochromatic-eyed Seijuurou. My head still feels like it was split into two and I am really not in the mood to talk you down about maiming whoever did this with a writing tool.

Fortunately, his other self opted to grumble a petulant response and otherwise let him be. Now, to figure out what happened to him before all of this and how he got this hangover—

Brother, you didn't get drunk.

Seijuurou blinked in confusion. "What?" What do you mean? If I'm not, then what is this pain?

"You're finally awake."

The familiar voice both froze the redhead's breath and quickened his pulse. He could even feel his other self's pleasant surprise. Attraction truly was a strange phenomenon—just a small reminder of how mortal and imperfect Akashi Seijuurou actually was, no matter how much he had to delude himself into thinking the opposite for the sake of coping up with his harsh and strict life.

Seijuurou turned to the window, where a door leading to a small balcony was placed next to and the door to the bathroom stood. Out of the dim shadows and dark-colored curtains emerged one Kuroko Tetsuya, with his signature pale-blue hair, matching eyes, and that soft, creamy-looking skin.

A heartbeat later, the redhead realized that he had noticed the other young man's pallor more clearly because of his state of undress.

Brother, are you sure we're not drunk? Or high? Or dreaming? asked Seijuurou almost desperately, trying not to ogle at the low-riding shorts on Kuroko's hips—how the glow of the candles casted such tantalizing planes on his skin.

I am quite certain. Besides, if Tetsuya wanted to seduce us, he would not want us to forget that he did, would he?

Despite the gravity of the situation, a tingling spark shot through Seijuurou's nerves.

Tetsuya didn't know whether to laugh or jump in joy. The fact that he was right here—in Akashi-kun's apartment, with him and Akashi-kun in only their underwear—was a beautiful miracle, alright. A Christmas Miracle that almost made him weep.

And what's even better was that they were all alone!

Several resounding thuds and dull yells suddenly echoed from behind the door to the rest of the apartment.

Well, not exactly.

He watched as Akashi start at the sounds and stare confusedly at the door. Tetsuya had to stop himself from inwardly squealing. That cute frown and pure-looking red eyes were just too much for his heart.

"Kuroko, what is going on?" asked Akashi hesitantly, glancing at him. Suddenly, a shiver passed through his half-naked form and the action snapped Tetsuya out of his reverie.

"Ah, forgive me. You must've been freezing." The blunette hurried to cover his redheaded friend's body—much to his dismay—with a blanket and a comforter. He then placed the back of his hand against the other's neck. Understandably, Akashi flinched and tried to move away.

"You're cold," remarked the redhead, wincing.

"No, you're just hot."

Akashi's eyes widened.

"I mean, warm," corrected Tetsuya hurriedly, relieved that his voice hadn't wavered from its usual monotonous tone. "You're warm. Not surprising since you have a fever."

Now Akashi looked even more surprised. "A fever? When? How?"

"Just this morning. We let ourselves in to start preparing for the party, but when we decided to check on you, we found you burning up with fever. So I watched over you while the others did my part." Admitting what he did the whole day felt quite embarrassing, but the blunette also wanted to let Akashi know that he was the one who did the job.

He watched as Akashi frowned some more, until finally, his expression settled into one of discernment. Tetsuya couldn't help smiling softly. It looked like he was speaking to his other self once again. The blunette was really glad that Akashi's senses had been dulled by his fever, otherwise, he wouldn't get away with his incessant staring. Akashi didn't even notice that Tetsuya was watching him the whole time he was awake. Who would've thought that leaving Akashi Seijuurou to his own devices would be that adorable?

"How did I get sick, though…?" mumbled the redhead, staring up at the ceiling.

"I believe it's because you overexerted yourself yesterday at our game."

Akashi turned to him. "Our game?"

"You don't remember?" asked Tetsuya, surprised.

The redhead shook his head. "Everything's still quite hazy and my head is throbbing. What happened?"

At the question, Tetsuya had to look away from those glossy red eyes. He sat down on the bed next to Akashi. "We lost a bet to Takao-kun, so we had to play one basketball game while cross-dressing." Powder-blue orbs sneaked a glance at the corner of his eye and Tetsuya found himself blinking at the image of Akashi Seijuurou looking away to the side, with a bit of dark color dusting his cheeks. The blunette couldn't ascertain it because of the dimness, but he was sure the redhead was actually blushing.

And now, the thought was making him blush.

"Ah…" began Akashi, clearing his throat. "Now I remember. And the cold had most likely seeped into me because of our outfits, yes?"

Tetsuya nodded, looking at anything besides the other young man. "Yes, I believe so. The game had left you exhausted and more vulnerable to sickness. We shouldn't have let Akashi-kun linger any further after it ended."

"It's alright," waved off the redhead. "Unless you think I'm still sick and can't join the party tonight…?"

Tetsuya then let himself fully observe the other. He couldn't tell much about Akashi's pallor—again, due to the lighting—but he seemed to be okay now, judging from his steady breathing and lack of sweat. "It seems you're fit to join the gift exchange, at least."

"That's good," sighed the redhead. "Now, I have a few questions." At Tetsuya's nod, he continued. "First, what happened to my room?"

Tetsuya had to chuckle at that. "Aomine-kun, Kise-kun, and Kagami-kun made a mess of the decorations, so they decided to dump all the extra decor and trash here for now."

"They're going to regret that. Did they put those candles there?"

"No, I did, but they're from Momoi-san. The scent is nice, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I must remember to thank her. Why am I only in my boxers?"

"I had to give you a sponge bath a while ago. I'm really sorry I hadn't immediately tucked you in. I accidentally spilled juice on my clothes after I had just finished on you so I had to take a bath first. I was hoping the air would help stabilize your body temperature while I was away."

"It's no big deal," said Akashi, glancing away with that darkness in his cheeks once again. "But now that brings us to the main questions."

"Which are?"

This time, Akashi looked dead-serious at him. "Why am I tied to my bed and when am I going to be released?"

Despite the entrancing glow of Akashi's eyes, the slight pout of the redhead's lips caught Tetsuya's attention more and before he knew it, he was laughing mirthfully at the image.

Akashi's frown deepened. "Really, Kuroko, you were actually going to let me suffer in this position for several more minutes? My wrists are hurting already."

Tetsuya laughed some more, before starting to climb onto the lap of a startled Akashi. "You're tied to the bed," answered the blunette as he sobered up, "because I wanted it so, and you're going to be released when I want you to be."

… Good god…

I told you this was a gift.

Beneath his nonchalant demeanor, Tetsuya was panicking. He was on Akashi-kun's lap—covered by the comforter, unfortunately, but still—and he was actually starting his attack on the redhead right now. So far, Akashi was undoubtedly shocked and there was no trace of disgust or horror in his expression. In fact, he seemed almost pleased…

The blunette had to swallow at the piercing gaze he was given.

"You did this?" asked Akashi, his voice lowering. Tetsuya felt like he might shiver at the reverberation it evoked.

"Yes, since it's about time you stop running from me and start talking," replied Tetsuya, eyes hard with warning.

But Akashi looked away. "What are you talking about? And why are you naked?"

"Three months ago, Akashi-kun. Three months ago, you kissed me on the mouth while I was asleep." At the mention of it, the redhead's eyes flickered and his brows slightly creased.

"And yes, I hadn't actually been sleeping that time," he added when Akashi was about to reply.

"So?" said Akashi after a while, at a loss with what to say.

"So what does it mean?" countered Tetsuya.

For a time, both of them were silent. The muted noise from outside the bedroom did little to interrupt their individual reveries. Midorima could be heard lecturing Kise and Takao on the finer points of gift-wrapping. Momoi's voice echoed as she reprimanded Aomine about him drinking so early in the evening. Kagami and Murasakibara were bickering about the cake while Himuro acted as the referee. The other guests were laughing and shouting about something, and both of them knew that Akashi's apartment was packed with people tonight.

"It means I like you."

Tetsuya whipped his head up to meet Akashi's eyes, softened by the candlelight and lamplight.

"You haven't given up on me in high school, Kuroko," continued the redhead, smiling softly. "And even after that, year after year, you would continue to reach out to me. I'm not quite sure when it all started but once we had graduated, I already knew what I was feeling for you."

"So then…" Tetsuya could feel his heart beating faster. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Akashi's eyes looked up at the ceiling. "Because it's not easy being with me. If I told you what I felt, what would happen to us?"

"That doesn't sound like the Akashi-kun I know of," teased the blunette softly.

Akashi stared back at him with apprehensive eyes. "If we got together, then what about my father?"

Tetsuya fell silent at that. He had a point. While he knew that Akashi-kun was mostly free from the pressure of being perfect in his father's eyes now, he still can't escape the duties of an heir. The redhead can hide here in his apartment all he wants—wanting to be free from his father's presence was the reason why Akashi bought this place for college—but he still can't ignore that his father controls a part of his life. And while Akashi-kun is not yet his own man, with his own money and own successes, he has no choice but to answer to the older Akashi.

"Then I'll just have to prove to him that I'll be invaluable to you and to him."

Akashi's eyes widened. "Kuroko, that's—"

"I like you, too, Akashi-kun."

When the redhead couldn't reply just yet, Tetsuya surged on. "I can't offer much right now and we're still a bit young, but I'm going to work hard so that I can prove myself to you and to the world that I can proudly stand beside you. Because I like you, Akashi-kun, and I want this, and if you want this, too, then why can't we try this?"

Akashi was still staring by the time the words escaped Tetsuya. All he had left to say was that, "Don't you ever just want to take a leap of faith and see where it lands you?"

It took a while but slowly, Akashi's serious expression morphed and he started smiling. "Taking the jump doesn't sound so bad every now and then."

Tetsuya couldn't help but return the expression as his heart swelled. They stared at each other's eyes—magenta red and powder blue—studying their reflections in them. The blunette didn't know who started moving first, but before he knew it, he was inches closer to the redhead. He put his hands against Akashi's covered chest and leaned ever closer towards his face.

"Kurokocchi, we're gonna eat now! Is Akashicchi okay now?"

The knocks and muffled shout startled the two young men on the bed, and they both stared at the door in the process. Tetsuya was cursing his blonde ex-teammate for ruining the moment.

"Oi, don't shout. He might still be sleeping," said Kagami's voice in response to Kise's.

"He's taking a while, though. Ya think he's doing something to Akashi already?" commented Aomine jokingly, joining the two.

"Like what, you idiot?" Now that was Midorima.

"Taking pictures of Aka-chin, maybe? He doesn't usually get sick. This is Kuro-chin's chance." And now there's Murasakibara, with a bit of crunching in his words.

"Guys, stop crowding here. You're going to wake Akashi-kun up!" scolded Momoi in a furious whisper.

"If I open this door and you are all still next to it, I will kick you out."

Tetsuya flinched at the loud commanding voice, turning to Akashi to find his left eye yellow-gold instead of the usual red. Then, a sudden scampering of feet sounded off behind the door, accompanied by nervous bickering.

The heterochromatic-eyed Akashi huffed. "Honestly, they have no tact." Strangely, the action made Tetsuya chuckle and out of fondness, he couldn't help kissing the other's cheek. It surprised Akashi, but he quickly leaned forward and the last thing Tetsuya's sight noticed was the gold shifting to red.

Dry lips slid against his, but the blunette could care less about its texture. What mattered the most in that exact moment was that, after months of pining and wishing and making himself more visible in Akashi-kun's eyes, he was finally right here in his arms.

A clinking of metal and creaking of the bed called his attention and Tetsuya opened his eyes to find the redhead fluttering his at the same time. "So… do you have any immediate plans of releasing me yet?" asked Akashi in a suggestive, playful tone.

The blunette blinked and looked up to see that other's wrists were still in cuffs.

Well… almost in his arms.

"And really, why are you half-naked?"

He laughed softly at Akashi's slight pout. Did the redhead even realize that he was pouting? "Well, I was hoping to have my way with you as punishment for letting me wait all those years…" confessed Tetsuya with a wicked glint in his eyes. To his credit, Akashi-kun's brows raised a fraction, surprised at his boldness, and he dared to ogle at his undressed form. "But seeing as people are still around us, I guess this game can wait."

Akashi, with his head clear, was finally feeling himself back in his element. "But what if you can't chain me next time?" he asked with a smirk.

Tetsuya leaned over and rubbed his nose against Akashi's, resting his forehead against his. "You'll let me catch you, since I'm your Christmas gift," he whispered, his heart swelling in happiness.

It swelled even more when the redhead captured his lips once again.

No fair, big brother! I was the one who scared them away.

Shut up and wait for your turn.

Seijuurou sighed in relief as the last of his guests finally left the building and the Christmas party was officially over. Looking around, he was glad that he had guilt-tripped them into cleaning his apartment.

You should've let me do it. They would've moved faster, I'm sure.

Cut them some slack. You're too frightening, brother.

He walked around to check all rooms—sweet, sweet freedom after being tied to his own bed—and soon enough, found himself standing in front of his bedroom. He had let Kuroko sleep inside since he had been kind enough to take care of him while he was sick.

Technically, he did that because he was scheming something…

Details, details. Just go already. You know you've been impatient to see him since we left the bedroom.

Steeling himself and lightly squeezing the wrapped box he had in hand, Seijuurou opened the door. The room was still in the same mess—albeit no more trash on the floor—and the same dimness and jasmine scent in the air, but this time, there was something different on his bed.

Or rather, a certain half-naked someone who was clearly wide awake and smiling coyly at him.

Seijuurou suddenly remembered all the times someone in his party had looked at him and Kuroko with a smile or a meaningful look during the past few hours. He couldn't say he was bothered much about it. In fact, it gave him a sense of peace and security knowing that they really were friends who cared about him.

"So, are you ready for your gift, Akashi-kun?" asked Kuroko, twirling those damn handcuffs.

Seijuurou chuckled and crawled onto the bed until he was kneeling atop the blunette's form. He couldn't help smirking mischievously when Kuroko gasped softly at him.

"If you're ready for mine, Tetsuya."

End

Bonus:

"H-Honestly… A-Akashi-kun… you'd… mmmn… do… well to l-learn… ahh … p-patience…"

"I've have enough of that in the past four years I've let my idiot other self wait for the 'right moment'. Now let me have my kiss."

And to think that you had been planning to stab our little perpetrator here with a fountain pen…

Don't worry, brother. We can stab him with something else as revenge for looking far too delectable in that game's maid outfit yesterday.

… Huh. Something to consider.

How do they say it again? "Pretty please"?

Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year~! ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ

(i'm so sorry i'm slow don't worry GHSR is still alive OTL)

((but also i'm YOI trash now so expect fics))