Haizaki never would admit it, but he was scared. Three men were cornering him, and demanding his wallet while pointing a knife at him. Great, absolutely fantastic.

"This is ridiculous, I'm 11! How much money do they think I have for fuck's sake!" He sighs. It's not like he has an option, so he reached for his wallet and was about to pass it when something happened: a basketball appeared from nowhere and somehow, the three adults were now on the floor.

He couldn't understand what had just happened, but he didn't have time to think about it when something grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the corner. Soon he was running with that strange force still tugging him along, and he ran until he reached a park. He heard someone panting. It was just right next to him, yet when he looked there was nobody near, which scared him even more than being assaulted. Then he heard a soft voice speaking to him, causing him to look again and freak out. One second he was alone but the next, there was a child about 2 years younger than him with light blue hair and eyes the same colour.

He couldn't help himself, he yelled. Thank god they were alone. The other kid smiled and said with his soft and calm voice, "Hi, sorry to scare you, are you okay?"

Haizaki was panting, not from the run but from fear. He was sweating, pale, and his heart rate was too quick for his liking. Yet he nodded like he was fine, even knowing the other kid won't buy the lie.

And sure enough his nod was received with a sceptical glance, but he kid just shrugged and didn't press the matter.

Then Haizaki's brain joined the dots and understood. "You threw that basketball! You were the one who made me run!" He had saved him, just because.

"Actually, I didn't throw it, I smashed it into his head." He said bluntly.

"You smashed a basketball into his head." Repeated Haizaki, with disbelief. This kid who looked like a little wind would throw him had just rescued him. "You must have strength in your arms then." He grabbed the kid's arms. They weren't muscular, but weren't frail either. "What, do you know how to fight?" He asked curiously.

"I don't like fighting, violence is bad. But yes, my parents made sure I could defend myself before they let me go outside without them." Deadpanned Kuroko. Haizaki couldn't help it, he just burst laughing.

"So what was what you just did? Wasn't that violence?"

"It was an emergency, I'm currently working on other means of defence."

"Like what?"

"Pressure points." Says the kid bluntly. Haizaki laughs.

"What's your name kid?" He asks, and for a moment the other kid scowled.

"I think we're the same age so please don't call me kid, unless you would like the same." He said coldly.

"What? I'm 11, there's no way you're my age!" Replied a confused Haizaki.

"In a few weeks I'll be 11" Replied the kid in the same tone. Haizaki couldn't believe it, but decided to believe him.

"Okay, I'm Haizaki Shougo, what's your name?" He asked again, casually putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, nice to meet you." Said the other kid while he made a little bow.

Haizaki smiled and said, "Nice to meet you too. And now bye, Tetsuya." Waved Haizaki as he walked out of the park.

That was in December. Now they were in April, and it was the start of middle school.

They were in the classroom and the teacher hadn't arrived yet. Haizaki was looking out the window when someone spoke right next to him, where he could've sworn was empty, but the voice sounded again and Shougo had a strange deja vu. Then something clicked in his head, that kid! He looked and sure enough, it was Kuroko Tetsuya standing next to him. Nobody would stand near him since he was wearing the uniform incorrectly and had piercings, but Tetsuya did. He was willingly talking to him again.

Haizaki smiled at him but didn't say anything, so Tetsuya spoke again. "It's nice to see you again Haizaki-kun, it looks like we're in the same class."

"Yeah, it's nice to see you." Haizaki replied, still smiling. "So what will you do here? Will you join a club?" He asked out of boredom and curiosity.

"I'll join the basketball club."

"Oh right, you like basketball. But this school is really competitive, you know? Are you sure you want to join the club? You always can just play with someone casually."

"I have a promise with a friend." Replied Tetsuya, and then he told Haizaki all about his friendship with Ogiwara and the promise they made.

Haizaki listened to the story like it was the new romcom of the year. This dude was so… pure. Usually he just ignored kids like him, but there was something around Kuroko Tetsuya that he simply couldn't ignore, so he just nodded at the story and commented on how cheesy it all was.

Tetsuya just gave him a little smile and said, "Haizaki-kun, would you like to join the basketball club with me?"

He was about to say no, because he really didn't want to, but in fact, since that incident he had started to play basketball and he was pretty good at it. And something about Tetsuya's eyes made him nod anyways. It wasn't innocent hope or something like that, it was something else, something he couldn't describe.

They both passed the test and Tetsuya was put into the third string while he got into the first. Right then he decided basketball - or life, for that matter - wasn't fair. He didn't really care about the sport but he got into the first string at once while Tetsuya, who loved the sport, got placed into the last one, not even bench warming.

The weeks passed and they fell into a comfortable routine. They would have lunch together and then part ways at their different gyms. Tetsuya told Haizaki everything about Aomine and Haizaki filled him in on what he was like in practice. He also shared information about other players from the first string, because he wanted Tetsuya to be prepared when he finally reached the first string.

They played together sometimes so he knew how utterly terrible Tetsuya was, but he just knew Tetsuya would find a way to reach him - the first string, he could see it in his eyes.

That's why when Tetsuya came back from talking with the third string coach, Haizaki worried. His eyes were lifeless and he didn't answer his call. So he just took Tetsuya's arm and pulled him out of the classroom before the teacher arrived. They went to outside of the building and into what was supposed to be Haizaki's secret hiding place for when he skipped classes. "What happened?" He asked.

Tetsuya looked at Haizaki as tears started to fall from his eyes. Haizaki's eyes widened, he didn't know what to do. It must have be evident because after a moment Tetsuya was laughing at his face. Haizaki preferred that expression a thousand times more and tried to keep still in the pose that amused the other so much and made him smile. Tetsuya beamed at him. For a second everything was perfect, then Tetsuya told Haizaki about what the coach had said and Haizaki felt his blood boil. Rage expanded through his body like fire, he couldn't believe that what that fucking old shit had said to his friend, how dare he. "I'm going to kill him!" He nearly screamed. Tetsuya's eyes widened, he had expected Haizaki to be mad, but not quite with so much intensity. He watched the other run to the building with alarm, he really seemed capable of beating the teacher.

He tried to stop him but for once Haizaki was having none of it. He was about to enter the building when something made him froze.

"Shougo!" Shougo, not Haizaki-kun like he always called him, or even Shougo-kun, just his name. It was the first time Tetsuya had said his first name, even when Haizaki always called him by his first name. And that simple word felt like an irresistible charm, he couldn't move. "Shougo," Then there it was again, more calm this time. Haizaki turned around slowly to see that sure enough, it had been Tetsuya who had just said his name.

He couldn't think so he just blurted, "What?"

"Thank you, but please don't get yourself into trouble because of me." Said Tetsuya with a sad smile on his face.

Just like that, all the rage abandoned him. He couldn't make Tetsuya feel even worse by getting himself into trouble on his behalf. Also that would probably cause his own expulsion and then, who would be at his side? He let out a big sigh and nodded.

Then Akashi spoke with Tetsuya and he sounded so full of life, his eyes were bright again. But Haizaki was wary because he didn't like the redhead one bit. He smiled at Tetsuya nonetheless and he smiled in return.

Haizaki was the one who saw Tetsuya working so hard to make a new style. It was him who saw the first failed attempts until Tetsuya did something he wasn't expecting: he learned magic. Haizaki couldn't see how that would help, but enjoyed Tetsuya's tricks nothenless.

And he was the one who Tetsuya used to practice his passes. The firsts ones were good, but after a particularly strong pass that would one day be known as Ignite Pass, Haizaki was sure Tetsuya had made it, he finally had reached him. They smiled at each other and a strange sensation ran through their bodies. Tetsuya was happy because of the promise of course, but he also felt something else. There was something that stirred inside him when Haizaki-kun watched him with those eyes. Was he proud of him? Suddenly he felt more confident, he could do anything. He just needed Haizaki to keep looking at him like that.

They feigned not knowing each other because Haizaki didn't want his reputation to fall over Tetsuya's shoulders too. Tetsuya said he didn't care, but Haizaki insisted so Tetsuya obliged. It was weird at first, but then it was fun so they keep doing it.

Then Kise arrived, and both Haizaki and Tetsuya spend a lot of time complaining about him. Everything was fine, but then Akashi was captain and he decided to make Haizaki quit the club. Haizaki was mad, but that didn't stop him from picking up the subtle threats Akashi had made. He was pretty good at noticing details since he hung out with Tetsuya so often.

He screamed and screamed in his house while Tetsuya just watched him with concern. He knew something had happened with Akashi, but this was just too much. It was true that Tetsuya couldn't contain Haizaki all the time, so he still fought and sometimes he skipped practice or was late to matches but still, this was too much. Tetsuya felt like a failure, like he wasn't enough to take care of Haizaki.

This was the first indicator that something was off.

Then the day came when Haizaki didn't follow him to practice like always. Tetsuya had already started when he heard that Haizaki was about to burn his tennis shoes, and went to see him.

Haizaki was about to throw them into the fire when he heard Tetsuya voice. "Haizaki-kun, please don't. I know you can't be on the team anymore, but we still can play sometimes. Please don't quit basketball because of this," He pleaded.

Haizaki saw red and before he knew it he was spilling all his secrets to Tetsuya. "I never cared about stupid basketball! It was always about you! I joined at this fucking club just because you said so, remember!? You were the reason I've been playing all this time!" Tetsuya's eyes were wide, he was flushed at the idea of someone like Haizaki doing things just because of him.

"You… played all this time just because of me?" Repeated Tetsuya in disbelief. Haizaki realized what he had just said and blushed bright red, he stuttered before closing his mouth and accepted the reality. he nodded before Tetsuya's gaze. "Why?" Asked Tetsuya, he was astonished.

There it was again. If something like this had happened with anyone else, he would had fled. But he couldn't do that with Tetsuya, what was worse, he felt the need to be honest with him. To bare himself completely and tell him everything, even how he looked at him sometimes. So he just resigned himself and let out a big sigh. "I… I don't know why, but I can't say no to you. There's something that makes me want to tell you everything, to just let you think and take care of everything…ah fuck." He couldn't help it, he threw his shoes to the floor and turned around so he was showing Tetsuya his back.

Tetsuya felt a panging in his gut at the confession, he could feel a weird sensation. Haizaki- no, Shougo's words had make him think in everytime he felt the need to take care of Shougo, in how the other listened to him and how good that felt, the times he had dreamed with the other…

"Look at me, Shougo." He said with a strangely calm voice.

Shougo couldn't resist. Before he knew what he was doing he had turned around and was then looking Tetsuya in the eyes.

"You…do you like me?" Asked Tetsuya. Haizaki couldn't help but nod. "I like you too." Tetsuya confessed. Shougo's eyes widened, he hadn't expected this.

There was an awkward silence where neither of them knew what to do next, until Shougo couldn't stand it and asked,"So… what now?"

"Would you like to… try to be something?" Asked Tetsuya.

Shougo noded, and that said they closed their distance and kissed.

Thanks to my amazing beta Darkwoods!