Bet you didn't expect me to be back so soon! After a year's break, the writing bug is really hitting me hard. Enjoy :)

Chapter 15

"O-oi! Tetsu! Wait up, you bastard!"

Damn it, since when did his naturally unathletic friend get so fast? Aomine managed to catch up with Kuroko outside the concert hall. He swiped at the other boy's shoulder and roughly turned him around to face him. Kuroko kept his head down, refusing to look at taller male and shrugged futilely at the tight grip on his arm. Aomine retaliated by placing his free hand on his other shoulder, effectively trapping Kuroko.

"Let me go."

"No. Not until you tell me what the hell happened in there!"

Silence greeted Aomine's shouted demand. The ace stared intently down at his shadow in confusion. One moment they were bantering like they had since middle school, and the next everything had gone to hell.

"You can't stay quiet forever, Tetsu." Aomine emphasised his statement with a gentle shake to the other boy.

Kuroko bit at his trembling lower lip, and resolutely maintained his silence.

Aomine sighed, his friend had always been the definition of stubbornness, "At least look at me."

The Seirin player shook his head jerkily, keeping his hair in front of his eyes. The stalemate lasted for a few more minutes. A few minutes that felt like an eternity to Aomine. His heart dropped a little with every second that passed, the stone in his stomach grew heavier, and cold dread was seeping into his peripheries.

Aomine gave in.

He released his hold on Kuroko to run his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Fine, don't talk. Just- just listen. Please.

"I don't get you. Sure, today hadn't gone as I had planned, or rather as those bastards had planned. From the damn bicycle to the stupid park, and then us skipping lunch and having next to nothing for dinner, and to top it off, the concert was boring as fuck. I get that you're probably hungry, tired, and, "Aomine swallowed thickly, "Disappointed. But I thought we were having fun despite everything. We were talking. Finally. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't uncomfortable, it was like Teiko days again. And then you up and leave me alone with those stuffy assholes in there, and what am I supposed to think Tetsu?!

"I'll tell you. I think that maybe you've given up on me. That you've gotten sick of dealing with stupid Ahomine. Ahomine who screws up everyone and everything he touches. That I'm not good enough; wasn't and never will be, for you. That maybe you're better off without my constant attempts at re-inserting myself into your life…

"That maybe I made you hate me so much that you left your friends and everything familiar to spend your last weeks at Teiko alone." He clenched his fists, "That you'll never forgive me for being such a selfish and stupid asshole! Hell, you won't even look at me!"

Aomine spun around and paced a few steps before coming to a standstill. His shoulders slumped and in a defeated whisper he revealed his biggest fear, "That maybe you'll turn your back on me for good this time. And there's absolutely nothing I can do to stop you – not that I have the right. Not anymore."

He hadn't meant to reveal all of that to Tetsu. He had just been so desperate to get through to his former shadow, and now, it was over. He scrubbed roughly at his face, lightly surprised by the slight moisture on his cheeks.

"Aomine-kun."

The tall teen started a little at the proximity of the voice. A soft tug to the back of his shirt broke through his resolve and he huffed bitterly and steeled himself for the goodbye Tetsu was undoubtedly trying to force on him.

What he hadn't expected was for a full strength ignite pass kai to his midsection. The strength in the punch sent him stumbling back a few paces. Bewildered, he looked up at Tetsu while clutching his stomach, completely winded and speechless.

The shorter basketball player was glaring at him, with a wild look in his tear glazed eyes.

"You idiot! You bloody idiot!"

Aomine started at the curse word. Tetsu never swore. Ever.

A laugh tinged with hysteria burst from the phantom. Aomine was starting to worry, and was just opening his mouth to say so when he was interrupted.

"No!" Kuroko swiped at the distance between the two males, "You've had your say. Now you listen to me Aomine Daiki!"

As Kuroko took a steadying breath, Aomine could only gape at his shadow. He had never seen him so angry before. The memory of him warning Hanamiya of Tetsu's fury was at the forefront of his mind as Kuroko began to speak.

"First of all, I would like to reiterate: you are a fool. A stupid blind fool. Do you think that everything I've done in the past year, joining Seirin, provoking each and every one of the Generation of Miracles, and pushing Kagami-kun to the edge of mental and physical exhaustion was for my own entertainment?

"It was for you, Daiki! Everything was for you!"

Aomine's eyes widened.

"Every action and word I spoke in the past months have been to achieve one goal. To reignite your passion for basketball – for life. I'm weak. I know and accept that. I could never have done it on myself, become a player strong enough to stand toe to toe with you on court. I had to find someone who was untouched by the influence and knowledge of the Generation of Miracles, someone who had just as much passion as you had shown in Teiko. To do that, I had to distance myself, find a temporary light to take the spot you voluntarily vacated. But that was it! Kagami-kun was a substitute, he was never meant to be my partner forever. He's not my light. I was reserving that position for one person."

Blue eyes the colour of winter held his in an intense stare as he stated with absolute certainty, "You, Daiki. It's always been you. Since the moment you found me practicing late into the night in that abandoned gym, I've been yours. You've owned me, heart, body, and soul. So if you even think for a second that I'm letting you go, or giving up on you, or whatever rubbish you were spouting off earlier, you're even more of an imbecile than I know you to be."

"I walked out earlier because I had thought that when you said you knew it wouldn't work you were referring to us. That we would never work. Although, from what you've said, I now have to assume you were in fact talking about the plans Momoi-san and the other's have cooked up," a wry smile quirked his mouth.

Kuroko's tone and eyes softened as he continue, "You don't need to say the words for me to know that you regret our last days at Teiko. You don't need to apologise, I've already forgiven you. From the moment you held the ball with the same spark in your eyes as two years ago, you were forgiven. Everything I have worked towards was more than worth it to see you laugh on the court." He paused, steeling himself, "I love you. I always thou-"

Kuroko never got to finish his sentence. He found himself being wrapped in strong arms that were currently squeezing all the air from his lungs. He tentatively lifted his own to circle his light's waist, a delighted smile slowly forming on his face.

"Fuck," Aomine mumbled into Tetsu's hair, "Fuck, fuck, fuck. I really screwed up didn't I?"

"Hn. Don't you always?"

"Shut it Tetsu."

"It doesn't matter anyways. I'll always be here to pick up the pieces."

The two blunettes relaxed fully into the embrace, their bodies moulding together like they were made for each other. Two parts to a whole. Light and shadow.

"Tetsu?"

"Yes, Aomine-kun."

"I think I preferred Daiki."

Kuroko flushed. He could hear the smirk in his voice and retaliated with a fond pinch to Aomine's hip. He felt his light huff a soft chuckle into his hair before continuing, slightly nervous, "Can we try this again tomorrow? A d-date, I mean. A proper one. I-if you want to that is…"

Kuroko pulled away slightly to smile up at Aomine, "I'd like that."

The tanned male grinned back before leaning in to capture his lips. He hesitated before he made contact. Framing Tetsu's face with his hands, he rested their foreheads together, and making sure to hold the other's gaze, he stated clearly, "I love you too, Tetsu."

They stood there beaming at each other like idiots before drifting towards the other simultaneously. They tasted each other slowly and deliberately, savouring the moment. It was different to their first kiss, and while that had been perfect in its own way, this one held no secrets. It was soft and brimming with the feelings that they had just committed to each other.

Satisfaction gleamed in heterochromatic eyes. He turned away from the scene of a tall male yelling at his smaller companion. He would give them their privacy.

He knew his former teammates ("Friends" insisted an exasperated voice in his head, that sounded suspiciously similar to his boyfriend) – fine. He knew his friends well. They were both stubborn to a fault and without a push, supplied so helpfully by their captain, they might have gotten together, even dated for a while, but eventually all the unspoken and hidden things would eat away at them and their relationship. His method got all of this out of the way while providing him with entertainment and a particularly delicious boyfriend.

Akashi flashed a wicked smile into the night. His plan was well on the way to completion, he deserved a treat.

'I wonder if Taiga is still awake.'

I hope that satisfied the Aokuro fans out there! Stay tuned, there is still a few more chapters before I'm done with this story.