black-黒

The sun is skimming the horizon as Kuroko sits down beside her, two vanilla shakes in hand. Wordlessly, he holds one out to her.

"You didn't have to, you know." She tilts her head at him.

"I wanted you to have one. They're nice," he says, simply, so she accepts it from him.

Aida doesn't have much a sweet tooth, but when she'd heard Kagami teasing Kuroko about his vanilla shakes, Aida had asked what they tasted like. Kuroko promised he would buy her one, and he'd made good on that offer when he'd popped up behind her in the fast-food joint and accidentally made her drop her lemonade.

She brings the straw to her lips, and is surprised when the taste hits her tongue. It's a lot nicer than she would have thought; sweet in a subtle way. It doesn't compare to chocolate or strawberry in terms of sweetness, but Aida prefers this taste. Kuroko smiles inwardly, eyes softening, and Aida realises that if Kuroko were a food, he would almost certainly be this.

"I hope this is okay," he says.

"More than okay. I think I've found my new favourite drink!" she tells him, and almost unnoticeably, Kuroko lights up.

Silence reigns while Aida absentmindedly sucks on her milkshake, watching Kuroko's reflection in the window. His blue hair and pale skin cast a contrast against the slowly darkening sky.

"Aida-san." Kuroko calls her and she looks at him quickly, and for a second her eyes scan him.

He's under average, even for a normal boy, nothing next to his giant, talented friends. But Aida can see past that; if she knows someone well enough, she can look into their heart. The analysis confirms it; Kuroko Tetsuya is possibly the nicest person she knows.

No wonder she's in love with him, she thinks, finally admitting it.

Kuroko calls her name again, and she snaps out of her reverie only to look straight into his blue eyes, and she's gone again, like a foolish schoolgirl with a silly crush.

"Aida-san," he says, sounding worried, and he snaps his fingers in front of her eyes.

"Huh?" Aida reels back."I-I'm sorry, I just...got distracted."

"That's fine," he says. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"I am now." She smiles at him and she wonders if she's imagining the faint blush colouring his cheeks.

"Um, Kuroko-kun?"

"Yes, senpai?" He looks so trusting her heart constricts.

"Do you mind if I..." She can't say it, she can't.

But somehow, Kuroko understands, Kuroko always does, and he takes the top off his milkshake and pushes it towards her. "Please share it with me, Riko-san."

She plucks the straw out of her one, plops it into the shake, and begins to drink.

If either Kuroko or Aida were in any way aware of the world outside each other, they would have noticed some of their teammates observing their 'date.'

Koganei pops up above his seat to watch, and forcefully Kagami pushes him back down. "Stay down, cat-face!"

"But~" Koganei whimpers. "I can't see~"

"You don't need to," Izuki observes. "You can almost feel the puppy love in the air."

Tsuchida sighs nostalgically. "Ah, reminds me of myself and Keiko in the early days..."

Mitobe simply looks worriedly at his friends, silently emanating waves of disapproval. He had been opposed to it, but had gotten dragged along anyways, which was the rule rather than the exception in poor Mitobe's life.

The first years celebrate quietly.

"Finally!" grins Furihata.

"Go get 'em, Kuroko!" says Kawahara.

"Way to go, Coach!" claps Fukuda.

In their own little world, the milk shake finished, Aida and Kuroko stare at each other awkwardly. "Tetsuya-kun-"

"Riko-san, please be quiet." Before she knows it, Kuroko has planted a chaste kiss on her chapped lips and left in his invisible fashion.

Aida slumps back and touches her lips.

Kagami falls out of his seat.

And that is how Aida Riko and Kuroko Tetsuya initiate their awkward, stuttering yet destined courtship.

Vermilion, goldenrod, viridian, cerulean, lavender, peach and ebony;

Aida Riko knows them all.

asdf WE'RE DONE.

This took me about a day, on and off to write. It's one of the longest things I've ever written!

Please, review, even if it's just to yell at me for my hideously out of character Aida and my terrible handling of same-sex love.

Thank you all! ~Gryfo