Alright, second Shawn Mendes inspired song in a row. This is ridiculous… This fic is inspired (and pretty heavily influenced) by Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes. Please let me know if you enjoyed it!

Just wiping his hands dry in the kitchen, Kagami almost jumps when he hears a tentative knocking on the door. Stuffing the towel into the handle of his stove, he wipes his palms on his basketball shorts before twisting the doorknob to see who's on the other side when he suddenly finds a much smaller person squeezing their arms around his waist and smushing their face into the space between his shoulder and his neck. Once the shock was gone it was easy to recognise the cyan blue locks of hair. Wrapping his arms around the slender boy and lifting him up, he closes the door and locks it before carrying the boy to the couch. He knew whatever it was is bad, Kuroko was distant, he would never hug Kagami normally. Seating himself, he props one leg on the couch as if to recline and the other off the side to make room for Kuroko between his legs so he wouldn't have to jostle the boy too much. Once they were situated, Kagami begins carding his fingers through the soft, powdery blue tendrils of hair while his other hand rubs circles into the shadow's back, hoping to comfort him. After a while, he opened his mouth to speak, about to ask what was going on when a sudden, soft sob causes the blunet's body to shudder the slightest bit. He doesn't pause his hands, but he lowers his head to hum quietly into the boy's ear.

They stay like this for a while, Tetsuya crying into Kagami's chest as Taiga transitioned into soft, slow, singing. The song was English and Kuroko appreciated that, it was like background noise, like a babbling brook, and the rumbling in the taller boy's chest was soothing too. Kagami was always so warm and gentle despite his harsh, hot-headed attitude on court. He always seemed to know what Kuroko needed.

The redhead sang softly, hoping that Kuroko could somehow understand, at least what he meant by the words he was singing. "I won't lie to you. I know he's just not right for you." In this moment he was glad he kept up on American music, this song was perhaps the most accurate he could find for the situation he found himself in. He sang slower though, than when the song was played on the radio. "And you can tell me if I'm off but I see it on your face when you say he's the one that you want. And you're spending all your time in this wrong situation and anytime you want it to stop I know I can treat you better than he can. And any boy like you deserves a gentleman." He changed the lyrics just slightly to match Kuroko's gender, but otherwise left it. "Tell me why are we wasting time on all your wasted crying when you should be with me instead? I know I can treat you better. Better than he can."

Kagami paused to shift their position just slightly so that if they fell asleep Kuroko wouldn't wake with a sore neck. "I'll stop time for you the second you say you'd like me to. I just wanna give you the loving that you're missing. Baby, just to wake up with you would be everything I need and this could be so different. Tell me what you want to do." Kagami moved his head to nuzzle the blue haired basketball player just the smallest bit closer, tightening his hold on the boy's waist to warm him just a bit more. "'Cause I know I can treat you better than he can, and any boy like you deserves a gentleman. Tell me why are we wasting time on all your wasted crying when you should be with me instead? I know I can treat you better. Better than he can. Better than he can."

Kagami presses his lips oh-so-gently against the top of Kuroko's head as he continues. "Give me a sign. Take my hand, we'll be fine. Promise I won't let you down, just know that you don't have to do this alone. Promise I'll never let you down." Kagami let out a heavy sigh, knowing that despite the sincerity of his words Kuroko wouldn't understand. "'Cause I know I can treat you better than he can, and any boy like you deserves a gentleman. Tell me why are we wasting time on all your wasted crying when you should be with me instead? I know I can treat you better. Better than he can. Better than he can. Better than he can." Finishing the song, Kagami presses his lips gently to the top of Kuroko's head. The shuddering had stopped, his breathing had evened out. He wasn't asleep, not yet.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kagami offers, wanting to help as much as he could but he only got a shake of Kuroko's head in the negative. "Alright, you know you can tell me whenever though, right?" With a nod Kuroko snuggles closer into the redhead's embrace. "Wanna go to bed?" After a moment's pause, there's a nod and Kagami easily lifts the boy back up into his arms, carrying him to his bed. "Alright, go on to sleep alright? You're probably exhausted." After getting the both of them situated into the blankets, Kagami pulls the shorter teen back into his embrace with one arm under the smaller boy's head as a makeshift pillow and the other around his waist. He can feel the gentle breaths pushing from Kuroko's nose as his lips pressed against the exposed skin.

"Kagami-kun… I'm sorry." Kuroko's voice is quiet, he sounds shaky and broken as Kagami stroked his hand up and down Kuroko's side.

"Why are you apologising?" Kagami wasn't overly surprised, the boy always felt as though he was burdening everyone else despite his many attempts to get Kuroko to see that it was alright to ask for help when he needed it.

"I'm not being fair to you. I know how you feel but I always end up coming to you to cheer me up when Seijuurou upsets me." This was new, something that had never come up before.

"Wh-what?" Kagami wasn't sure how else to respond.

"I'm sorry Kagami-kun but I love him..." Before Kagami could think of a response to these words, there was a soft sound of snoring as the blunet fell into sleep. With a sigh, Kagami just burrows his nose into the light blue strands of hair, breathing in Kuroko's scent as he too fell asleep.