Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the storyline and cover image. All applied materials belong to their respective owners.

Warning: Female Kuroko.

- VALENTINE FEVER -

胸の中 忘れた花も

Even the forgotten flower in my heart

春の風に吹かれ 揺れては

Sways in the spring breeze

今花を咲かせる

And blooms now

February 14th, Valentine's Day.

Stating the obvious, it was indeed an important day for both genders.

Unpopular guys had it hard and were forced to sulk because girls didn't approach them? Midorima had to scoff at that. Valentine's Day in his dictionary was defined as annual madness where rabid girls would kill to have their avid fantasies fulfilled.

The green-haired shooting guard had woken up much earlier than usual and went to school to brace himself. Or rather, if he could be honest to himself, he was looking for a place to hide. It might not be the best option, but rooftop seemed fine for now. At least he could observe things from above. Oha-Asa predicted Cancers had a high chance to experience a mentally shocking event today. Thus, he had been gripping his lucky item of the day like his life was on the line. Ironically, it was a roll of red ribbon with white hearts motif. Midorima wistfully hoped whatever would happen, it wouldn't be too scarring.

An hour later, a certain blond was forced to do a marathon around the school ground thanks to his ridiculous number of fans from all over the prefecture chasing him, all the while proclaiming their undying love.

Some not-so-subtle ones shouted, "Kise-kun! I'd die happily if you could give me any piece of your clothing in return!"

There was also, "Kise-kun, shirts off, please!"

Plus, "Stupid! He's better off naked!"

Aren't they mixing up the definition of being a model and an exhibitionist?! – Kise exasperated.

His golden orbs darted wildly for a safe place to hide, only to spot a familiar tanned male yawning widely.

The blond tackled the taller male in no time, "Aominecchiiiii! Help me!" Pale fingers tugged at Aomine's tie, squeezing the life out of him. "You've got to save me!"

The Ace coughed vigorously for air, "Let go! C- Can't breathe, dumbass! What the heck is your problem?!"

The model shifted his hold to broad shoulders, shaking the irritated male frantically, "Emergency call! Hide me!"

Aomine swore he saw stars for a moment, "The hell are you–"

"Hey, look! It's Aomine-kun!" one of the girl exclaimed.

"Chance! We'll strip him too after we're done with Kise-kun!" another shrilly voice piped in.

Strip?

Aomine was literally dumbstruck. Did he hear the girl correctly?

"I bet his abs is sexy! I want to strip him off his uniform!"

Shit! They were actually serious about striping him?!

"Aominecchiiii! If you don't run now, you'll lose your last bit of chastity soon!"

His sapphire eyes dilated. "Kiseeee!" He growled at the figure that was already running a few meters ahead of him.

Aomine quickly got up and followed the blond. Both teens ran full speed ahead. They silently thanked their tyrant of a captain who constantly threatened them to do extra practice. They ran past the spacious school field, turned at several intersections and avoided bumping into other students with swift reflexes, occasionally almost kissed the concrete wall in their attempts.

"A- Aominecchi! W- We have to find somewhere to hide!" the blond suggested through labored breath.

"The gym! Akashi should be there already!" Aomine replied immediately.

"Right!"

The Ace and copycat player hastened their pace, eager to reach the gym as soon as possible. Neither of them realized their godly speed had caused the girls to lose sight of them.

At the same time, Midorima, who had been observing the foolish duo with a long sigh, glanced at his watch.

Classes would start in ten minutes. It would be wise to go downstairs now.

A tanned hand and pale one pushed open the door to the gym in unison, stumbling forward haphazardly before slamming the door closed. For a blissful moment, both slid down to the dust-free floor, trying hard to catch their breath without saying anything to each other.

Aomine was the first to break the silence, "Oi, Kise! You'd better have a good explanation!"

"Hah… Hah…" Kise panted harshly, "I don't know them. R- Really…"

The power forward yelled, "Don't give me that! They're your fans, aren't they?!"

Kise huffed, "They aren't Teiko's students. Wait… Does that mean I'm way too irresistible– Ow! What was that for!?"

"Die, you narcissistic bastard," Aomine hissed in response.

"You're so mean, Aominecchi!" the model faked a hurtful mien. "By the way, I don't see Akashicchi anywhere."

Sapphire eyes scanned the whole gym. Aside from them, it was void of living beings. "Weird… Akashi usually devises our practice menu here before classes start."

As if on cue, the gym door burst open. "Ara~ Mine-chin, Kise-chin, what're you guys doing here?"

They blinked at the intruder.

"Murasakicchi! Good morning! We were escaping from–"

"Aphrodisiac-induced fans," the Ace finished for him.

"Aph– What?" On second thought, Kise felt he really did not want to find out how his idol knew the word.

"Mine-chin, Kise-chin, did you see Aka-chin?" the purple head munched on his chips, clearly not interested in the duo.

"Nope. We thought he'd be here." Aomine heaved up onto his feet and readjusted his bag over his right shoulder.

"Hm~ Ditch class?"

Aomine snorted, "Akashi? Ditching class? Nah… He must be somewhere on the school ground."

"Running away from his fangirls?" Kise deduced.

"Like you're one to talk!" the tanned player snapped.

"Aomine, Kise, Murasakibara, it's time for classes. Get going, will you?" an annoyed voice quipped from the entrance.

The addressed trio steered their eyes to the green-haired teen.

"Pray tell, Midorima, why the hell are you here then?"

The green head narrowed his eyes, "The teacher will bug me about your whereabouts when class starts. I simply don't want to be lumped with your sorts."

Aomine mumbled, "Tsk! Busybody four-eye," to which he earned a murderous glare.

"Mido-chin, did you see Aka-chin?" Murasakibara asked as they walked out of the gym, headed for their respective classes.

"No, I didn't." Now that he thought about it, he had been (hiding) at school since early in the morning. It was definitely strange that he did not see any sign of Akashi at all.

"Hm~ I wonder where Aka-chin is~" Murasakibara persisted.

"Hey, hey, should we check out Akashicchi's class?" Kise suggested gleefully. "We might find out Akashicchi's affair from his classmates! Viva Valentine!"

The other three dipped into silence, weighing their choices carefully. One wrong step and they could kiss their peaceful life goodbye.

"I will have to refu–"

"Yep, sounds good. Let's go!" Aomine slung an arm around Kise's shoulder. "Blackmail material, anyone?" he grinned mischievously.

"Aka-chin will get mad~" Murasakibara warned to deaf ears.

"Midorimacchi~" Kise tried to grab the green-haired male's attention who was still rooted to his spot. "What's your lucky item today?"

Midorima eyed him warily before thrusting his roll of red ribbon for the blond to see.

The chatty model scooted closer to the item, gave his two cents, "Oh, pretty ribbon~" then snatched it away in a blink of an eye.

"Wha–" the poor vice-captain was perplexed.

"Midorimacchi has to catch me if he wants the ribbon back!" the blond dashed off with lightning speed towards the sliding doors of the main building.

"You imbecile copycat–!" Midorima was soon hot on his heels.

"That idiot!" Aomine clucked his tongue, following suit. Murasakibara sluggishly strolled after them.

Baby blue eyes observed the scene with a blank stare from afar, face devoid of emotion.

The four members of Generation of Miracles made a perfect picture of running train. Each compartment had different color light bulbs on top. It looked… comical.

A soft sigh escaped a certain red head's lips. "They never changed."

"It will be troublesome if they do, Sei-kun." The person beside him deadpanned.

Akashi chuckled lightly at the feedback, "Indeed."

Varying shades of hair popped out from the side Akashi's class door, peeking inside the redhead's classroom. Their plan to stay as inconspicuous as possible was proven in vain. If anything, they stood out like sore thumbs with their uncommon heights and colorful sets of hair.

Some girls unabashedly took snapshots of the popular Generation of Miracles. With Kise in the odd group, the frequency of clicks and flashes increased significantly. Though, said model was too engrossed in his mission to pay much attention. Thanks to Midorima's deadly glare, the lunatic fangirls were kept at bay. He was still rather miffed at the blond. Kise had thrown the roll of ribbon back to him when they almost reached their captain's class. Now that he was here, might as well go along with the stupid plan.

"Eh~ Akashicchi isn't here either." Kise whined. "Wow… That's one mountain of chocolates on Akashicchi's desk," he noted in awe. "And they are all in blazing red wrappings!"

"Maybe Aka-chin will share them~" the purple haired male pondered, his violet eyes sparkled at the sight of beautifully wrapped chocolates.

"No way in hell that strike-A dude will ditch class!" Aomine exclaimed.

Midorima stiffened at the Ace's statement. How he hated the fact he never won against Akashi in academic ranking. His anger flared visibly, emitting ominous aura to nearby students. The girls ceased their snapshots session completely.

"Mido-chin is mad~" Murasakibara appointed.

"Midorimacchi–"

"Ryota," Kise flinched, "Daiki", Aomine straightened up abruptly from his crouching position, "Shintaro", the green-haired teen paled a few shades, all anger forgotten, "Atsushi", the center almost dropped his snack.

"I inquire your reason for being here."

They are so dead!

Kise gulped, "Good morning, Akashicchi… We're just… Uh…"

"Aka-chin~ Today is Valentine's Day~" the tallest of them clued in, as if that answered everything.

Akashi was quiet for a few seconds, assessing the whole situation with a cool head. "You are all here to investigate my romantic interest," Akashi stated calmly. "I am flattered."

Three of them gaped disbelievingly at their captain, minus a certain purple haired center.

How in the world–?!

"I will have to express my gratitude for your concern." The temperature around them dropped drastically at the red head's tone.

"I– It's fine, Akashicchi!" the blond stammered. "Ah! L– Look at the time! We've got to go to our classes! Please excuse us!"

After a sharp ninety-degree bow from the blond, three of the Generation of Miracles bolted from the class. Akashi's amused eyes stared at their retreating forms before turning to the purple haired teen. "Atsushi, take those with you," he instructed.

Murasakibara happily complied with his captain's order. He shoved the chocolates into some bags a kind girl offered him when she saw him struggling with the amount. "Thank you," he said to the girl. "Later then, Aka-chin~"

Akashi nodded his consent before entering his class with a small smile, which did not go unnoticed by the purple head.

The classes went smoothly until lunch break. As teammates, it had been a daily routine for them to gather during lunch. Kise was the first to arrive in the cafeteria and sat at their usual table with his meal. A drowsy Aomine settled in his seat across the blond a few minutes later.

"Man… I'm sleepy…" Aomine grumbled. "Kise, get me set A meal."

"Ehhh~ Go get it yourself, Aominecchi!" the blond retorted, fingers busy typing messages on his phone.

"Aomine, move your lazy ass and get your own meal," Midorima scolded and took his seat beside Aomine's.

The Ace muttered darkly under his breath before standing up, proceeding to the counter.

Kise decided to entertain the green haired shooting guard. "Midorimacchi, how many chocolates did you get?"

"It's none of your business, Kise."

"No fun~ And here I thought Midorimacchi were quite popular~" Kise taunted.

"…" Midorima pushed his glasses upwards. "Forty…"

"For real?!" Kise blurted.

Somehow, the spontaneous blond irked him. "What's with that response?"

"Ah, my bad. I was just–"

"Kise-chin~ move a bit~"

"Wha–"

Kise stared wide-eyed at boxes of chocolates Murasakibara just dropped onto their table. There were at least twenty boxes of them. "Murasakicchi, where did those come from?" the model asked. "Wait… Aren't those the ones we saw earlier? Akashicchi's chocolates?"

The purple head nodded. "Aka-chin gave them to me. These aren't even a third of them. I can't bring them all here~" He pouted while the other two gaped at the elaboration.

"Oh, Murasa–" Aomine paused. "What the hell?! Move those damn chocolates! I'm getting sick just by looking at them!"

"Don't worry, Mine-chin~ They'll be gone by the time you're done with lunch~"

That's not the problem here though! The other three screamed inwardly.

"Best luck to your personal dentist, Murasakibara…" Aomine cringed at the accumulated sweets.

"Speaking of Akashi, where is he, Murasakibara?" Midorima asked.

"Hm~ Aka-chin said he won't come to lunch with us today~" He started to peel off the chocolate's wrappings.

Kise sipped his orange juice, "Isn't Akashicchi kind of suspicious today?"

"Tsk. That dude always does things as he pleases," Aomine complained.

"Hmph. Don't let it get to you. He's that type of person," Midorima defended.

Murasakibara plopped a heart-shaped chocolate into his mouth. "Aka-chin is in a good mood today~"

Midorima choked on his sweet red-bean soup. "H– How did you know?" He suddenly recalled Oha-Asa's premonition.

"Hm~ Aka-chin smiled to no one in particular this morning~"

This time, both Kise and Aomine choked on their food.

"O– Oi, that's not funny…"

"No, no, no… That must be your imagination, Murasakicchi." Kise waved his hand in dismissal.

"I saw it with my own eyes…" the big baby of the group pouted.

They dropped the topic altogether since none of them could comprehend what Akashi was up to. They ate in silence, each mulling over the matter and struggling with their curiosity.

Midorima was anxious.

Today's classes almost finished, but there was still no sign of anything spectacular as Oha-Asa warned this morning. Perhaps he was lucky and avoided the danger?

Then how should he explain this anxiety?

It frustrated him to no end. He felt the answer was supposedly obvious to him but he had no clue what it actually was. His captain's strange behavior today did not help much with his predicament. Akashi never skipped devising the team's training menu, never arrived last amongst the elite members. He was also never one to smile to no one in particular like some sort of a love-stricken teen.

Wait… Love?

No, that could not be it….

… Or could it?

…

Don't tell me it's…

Midorima gasped as realization dawned on him.

That must be it! The fact that Akashi gladly dumped all his chocolates to Murasakibara without even bothering to check who they were from was the key to the mystery!

Akashi got some reward from someone special on this Valentine's Day!

If that were true, it would explain everything.

Someone brightened up his day. And that person was not one of those pathetic beings who left those chocolates on his desk. In addition, Akashi arrived later than usual today and he was in a good mood.

Those conditions were too coincidental to happen on Valentine's Day.

He needed one last proof to establish his point.

Basketball practice.

"We are done with today's practice. You are dismissed," Akashi announced approximately an hour earlier than their usual schedule.

First and second strings players welcomed the leniency with much zeal. Akashi saw most of the boys' eyes gleamed with anticipation and excitement. He could fathom their reaction. They were not the only ones with someone waiting for them after all. From the corner of his eyes, Akashi could sense some bewildered stares stabbing at his back.

Right, he had not told them anything yet. Not that he had the intention to do so anyway.

Akashi collected his stuff and went on his way, leaving no room for any of the four regulars to strike up a conversation.

Midorima was stunned.

Although he had no solid proof yet, his hunch was about eighty-percent accurate so far. He still could not believe it. No, he refused to admit it.

Akashi got himself a girlfriend?

No, no, no… That was too bizarre to believe…

But still, it seems plausible in this case…

"Midorimacchi, are you okay? You've been spacing off for a minute there," Kise said.

"I figured it out," Midorima announced.

"Huh? What're you on about?" the Ace asked.

"He has got one." The green-haired male provided.

Kise and Aomine blinked owlishly at their vice-captain, wondering if he were a screw loose in the brain.

Murasakibara hummed at the revelation as if he had been expecting it all along before walking out the gym.

"Eh? He? One?" the model frowned.

"Akashi," Midorima clarified.

Aomine and Kise's eyes widened at the mentioned name. Everything clicked in their mind instantly.

"That can't be true…" Kise shook his head. "This is Akashicchi we're talking about! … Is there even a girl who could attract his attention?"

"Well, big boobs are promising," Aomine nodded sagely at his own comment.

"Aominecchi! You haven't even seen the girl yet!" Kise scolded. "Besides, Akashicchi isn't that shallow!"

Aomine looked ready to counter Kise but Midorima interrupted. "Anyway," he adjusted his glasses, "Akashi should be meeting her after this. Hence our practice session ended earlier."

"Now isn't the time to stand still then! I want to see Akashicchi's girlfriend!" Kise wailed then scurried away with determination burning in his eyes.

The Ace and the shooting guard stared awkwardly at each other, contemplating their choices.

"Aren't you curious, Midorima?" Aomine started. "This girl conquered that Akashi, you know?"

"Hmph," Midorima harrumphed, "Same goes to you, Ahomine."

"You bet I'll see the girl with my own eyes," Aomine sneered. "Just to make sure such a girl exist in the first place." He was not going to let this chance go. Surely Akashi's girlfriend must be a beauty, right?

"Aominecchi! Midorimacchi! I just saw Akashicchi headed for the main building!" Kise informed from the doorway.

Aomine jogged to the doorway. "You sure he wasn't headed for the main gates?"

"See it for yourself, Aominecchi!" Kise pointed at the direction their captain took.

"Oi, oi. Seriously? The chick is from our school?"

"I know, right?! And to think we didn't have the faintest clue until now! Akashicchi is so cunning~!"

Midorima sighed at Kise's antics. "You'd better watch your choice of words, Kise. If Akashi heard of it…"

The blond clamped his mouth shut with both palms.

"They'll be going through the main gates on their way home," Midorima continued.

"Why don't we just follow Akashi?" Aomine furrowed his brows.

"And risk ten years of my life span? No, thank you," Midorima rejected.

Kise kept his eyes on the door where the red haired male disappeared to. "Shouldn't we take cover soon? They might be coming out any minute now."

Aomine grabbed both his and Kise's stuff from the floor. "Suit yourself, Midorima."

The vice-captain absolutely did not want to be the last one to find out about Akashi's secret. Even those two idiots dared to pry into the sensitive issue. He did not see any reason why he should back down now that his curiosity went beyond healthy level.

Three of them stealthily departed immediately to have a look at this so-called girl. There were not many places that could hide their obnoxious figures. They agreed to make use of nearby trees that stood tall with little buds of plum blossoms on the branches. Aomine and Kise shared a tree just so they could discuss this mysterious girl. Midorima chose the other tree right beside theirs, proclaiming he did not want to catch their idiotic germs.

"Ah, Akashicchi!"

Their eyes were soon glued to where a mop of spiky red hair emerged from the sliding doors, completely alone.

Kise blinked. "I don't see any girl…"

Aomine scoffed. "I had my doubts from the beginning, just so you know."

Midorima stayed silent, his emerald eyes squinted in concentration. "Akashi is talking to someone," he declared. "And he's not on his phone."

"Uwah! Midorimacchi is right! But it doesn't make sense! Who's Akachicchi talking to?"

Aomine scrutinized the red head's surrounding with heightened focus. "I think I see… blue? Long… in light blue color…" he murmured. "Teiko's blazer… Teal colored uniform…" The Ace strained his sapphire eyes. "Black skirt… Holy shit! There's a girl!"

"Now that Aominecchi mentioned it…" Kise gasped, "There she is!"

"Tsk! It's hard to see her face from here," Aomine grunted. "More importantly, she is way too flat! Is she a walking plank or something?"

"Aominecchi! That's rude!" Kise rebuked. "Akashicchi must have seen something in her, not just her physical assets!"

"Heh… Really?" Aomine drawled, his interest dimmed.

"They're coming closer," Midorima alarmed.

True to the warning, they could see Akashi and the girl more clearly. Pity, the shortened distance did not help much since it left about six meters between their positions. And how Aomine could see the girl's size earlier was beyond Kise. With the distance, they could make out the pair's gestures, but not the girl's face.

Akashi walked side by side with a long haired girl who had waited for him in the library. His firm digits secured her thin ones. Both walked in comfortable silence towards the main gates.

"Sei-kun looks happy."

Akashi smiled at her remark. "I am truly flattered they have so much interest in us."

"I did not know trees could emit puffs of cold breaths," she pointed out after a keen look to her right side.

The point guard's smile widened, "Oh? It seems like nothing ever goes past your observation."

"Sei-kun is the only exception," she countered. "Though in this case, I'd have to say Sei-kun did it on purpose."

Akashi chuckled, much to the horror of the three spies. "Well, I would be troubled if I were that easy to read. Was I too lenient for once?"

The girl sank her fingers deeper in his possession. "Pardon my rudeness. I do not think Sei-kun is lenient to them, not during practice. But I know Sei-kun is considerate enough to give them hints." She tightened her grip, "And I like Sei-kun the way he is."

Akashi halted his step, his hold on the girl stayed firm.

"Sei-kun?" she stopped a step in front of him.

The captain pulled her closer, trapping her flushed against his toned body. "As I thought, you are harmful to my self-control."

The girl blinked innocently, still unresponsive to the red head's advancement. "It was not my intention to test Sei-kun's self-control."

Akashi leaned down, closing the gap between them inch by inch. "You are aware we have an audience, are you not?"

Her attention shifted to the red head's lips for a fleeting second, "Should we stop then?"

Akashi lifted his hand to the nape of her neck, "I never intended to stop," and guided her lips to meet his.

The light blue haired girl's eyelids fluttered closed as his soft lips teased hers with small kisses.

"Thank you for the chocolates," he murmured softly in between kisses.

She could feel her poker face slid off the surface. Her fingers clutched onto the end of his jersey. She almost prevented him from retracting his lips. "You're welcome, Sei-kun."

"We should not entertain them more than this," Akashi's husky voice reverberated in her ears. "Both of us have a dinner to attend. We should make haste."

She decided she liked the emphasis on the word "both".

Aomine, Kise and Midorima stood frozen on their spots after the couple finally left the school ground.

Kise cracked the silence with a shriek. "OH MY GOD!"

Aomine did not blink his eyes ever since the show their captain graced them. He rubbed his eyes dumbly.

"Oh. My. God. Akashicchi is… He is… Oh. My. God–" The model kept chanting his mantra as if he were warding off some evil incarnates.

Midorima was speechless. What Oha-Asa predicted came true in the end. It had been a shocking event to his mentality and sense of perception. How was he supposed to react to this side of his captain? Never in his lifetime had he ever imagined Akashi to be the first one to bloom. Kise was much more plausible than him in any way. And that public display of affection! Midorima was sure Akashi threw a sideway superior glance at them when he took his time showing off!

"So the chick is real…" Aomine regained his composure. "As expected of Akashi. The first one to step into adulthood… I wonder how far they've gone…" He rubbed his chin absently.

"Aominecchi, you pervert! This is not the time to fantasize! Poor soul of a young maiden is being held captive!" Kise exaggerated. "Oh. My– Ow!" He felt a hard smack on the back of his head.

"You're annoying, Kise. Try to repeat it again and I'll tape your mouth," Midorima threatened, his eyes glinted evilly behind the glasses.

"But, Akashicchi is–"

"Shut up, dumbass." Aomine walked out of their hiding. "I'm going home. Go ask Akashi directly tomorrow."

"Eh~?! Aominecchi, wait!" Kise fell into his step with Midorima trailing behind the duo. "Aominecchi should come as well! I don't want to face Akashicchi alone…" he shuddered.

"Like hell I will!" Aomine protested. "Besides, I'm not interested in a plank anyway."

"Aominecchi~!"

Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day! This one-shot was originally written to portray how a relationship between Akashi and Kuroko would turn out without making them too out of character (which I'm sure I failed horribly) OTL

Thank you for reading this piece. It was supposed to be a chaptered-story but I guessed this worked just fine?

By the way, who would you give your chocolate to? XD