Fandom: Kuroko no Basket
Rating: K+
Pairing: Kagami Taiga x Kise Ryouta [KagaKise]
Warning: Boy/Boy. Possible OOC. Grammatical and spelling mistakes. Cliché. Fluff. Un-beta'd. Redundant. Rushed ending.
Word Count: 3402 words
A/N: I seem to be exploring pairings other than AoKise lately! It's surprisingly to see how much I have uploaded this past month, but now my "short" fics are complete (unless some of you have requests for me? ouo), and I will be returning back to my long fics. I have about four long fics (not all AoKise!) that I have planned; one is in the writing process at the moment. But... I'm also reverting back to my gaming self, and I will be playing DC Universe with my sister and her boyfriend again so don't expect me to post in the next couple weeks LOL. Anyways, returning back to the topic, this fic was rather cute to write! I'm not too satisfied with the ending though... OTL.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket. Clearly belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.
Dedication: Requested by Banri bb! I really hope you enjoy this T_T Thank you for always supporting me; I love you lots! Sorry it's not my best work OTL. As for the rest of my readers, please enjoy this fic, and remember to review and favourite! I love reading what you all think of my work :)

Summary: Kise wants to learn how to cook and who better to teach him than Kagami? Little does the Seirin ace know, the copy cat has a plan up his sleeve.

"Kagamicchi, teach me how to cook!"

The reaction the two-toned-haired individual across from the blonde had was absolutely priceless. Kagami's red eyes were full of shock, wide, and the fork he held in his dominant hand froze as he tried to process Kise's words.

It took a few silent moments, but the slightly taller male resumed his motions, stuffing his mouth full of his homemade spaghetti. He took a few more seconds to chew and swallow his food, leaving the blonde wondering and anticipating for his answer; Kise's puppy dog look was in full force then, as he leaned forward, pouting his lips for a better effect.

A defeated sigh escaped Kagami's lips as he ran his fingers through his hair—Kise leaned even closer, and Kagami could have sworn the male's honey brown eyes were sparkling. "Fine! But I'm a strict teacher."

Kise smiled brightly, causing Kagami's heart to skip a beat momentarily. "Thanks, Kagamicchi! I can't wait!"

A small smile crept on the latter's face as he stuffed another fork full of food in his mouth, "No problem. But if I can ask, what's with the sudden interest in cooking?"

Kise's smile shifted to a sly smirk, "Who knows~?"

- Love in the Kitchen -
AzaleaLura

Thus, Kagami became Kise's private teacher. The two would meet at the bus station on the weekend and make their way towards Kagami's apartment. Since they often met after Kise's late photo sessions, the blonde would stay over for the night once they finished their lesson.

Today's lesson plan was a simple omelette rice. Kise was fairly obedient when it came to following instructions—something Kagami never thought the blonde would do well in; honestly, he didn't expect any of the Generation of Miracles to obey orders well. They were all prideful, arrogant-

"Ne, Kagamicchi! Am I doing it right?"

The male snapped out of his thoughts as he directed his gaze towards the blonde who was currently holding the whisked egg bowl in his hand, hovering over an empty frying pan. Quickly, Kagami ran over to his side, the sizzling of the oil in the pan echoing in his ears as he grabbed Kise's hand and poured the egg mixture into the pan. He lifted the pan, swirling the mixture around the pan so it would be evenly distributed before letting it sit. "Idiot! Don't burn the oil."

Kise chuckled, muttering a soft meaningless apology, as he watched Kagami turn the heat down as soon as the egg mixture was half solidified. Kagami effortlessly put the grated cheese and fried rice mixture on the egg, and the blonde couldn't keep his eyes off the chef, admiringly watching from a short distance as the male continued to take charge in the kitchen.

Eventually, Kagami noticed his staring, and frowned, keeping his crimson eyes focused on Kise, as his free hand reached for the spatula on the counter and he broke his eye contact with the blonde for a moment to both sides of the egg towards the middle and lifted the pan slightly to the side so the omelette could slide towards the edge. Soon enough, he settled the omelette onto the empty plate and left the pan on the stove.

His eyes shifted back to Kise, and he arched his eyebrows, before gesturing the blonde to take his position in the kitchen, and the blonde hesitantly walked over. There was a confused look on the boy's face—his unique eyebrows knitted close together, his eyes with a stunned glimmer, his nose scrunched up, and finally, his lips shaped in a small frown.

"I hope you were watching me make the first one, since you're going to make your own now."

Kise pouted, his amber eyes shimmering into that of the puppy dog look Kagami was powerless over, but he remained strong, pushing the blonde closer to the stove and handed him the second bowl of whisked egg mixture before leaning against the counter.

Kagami shook his head meekly, crossing his arms, "You were the one who wanted to learn how to cook. Come on. I'm sure your copying skills aren't specialized just for sports." There was a taunting smirk on the boy's lips, as if he was challenging Kise's copying ability, and for some reason, the blonde couldn't help but feel rather teased by the power forward.

A cunning smirk appeared on Kise's lips as he accepted the challenge, the playful sparkle in his eyes as he applied a generous layer of oil on the pan before using an oil-soaked paper towel and spread the thick liquid over the pan for a complete coat. Following Kagami's demonstration earlier, he poured the egg mixture into the pan, and waited.

And waited. And waited.

He blinked once, twice, before cocking his head to the side, "Eh? Why isn't it cooking...?"

Behind him, there was a stifled laugh and he averted his gaze from the uncooked egg to Kagami, who was covering his mouth with his hand and holding a strong grip on the counter to keep himself steady from laughing aloud. This confused Kise even further, as he pouted once again.

"Kagamicchi! This isn't funny! What am I doing wrong?!"

The boy seized his laughter, making his way over to the blonde where he reached over to switch the temperature from zero to high, "Remember to check if the stove is on before cooking, idiot."

Heat immediately rushed up to Kise's cheeks as he watched the egg mixture begin to cook. He had been so occupied watching Kagami cook and attempting to show him how efficient his copying skills were, he completely forgot to check if the stove was even on! The blush on his cheeks brightened as he realized how silly he must have looked then, not even realizing the basics to the omelette, and wanted to hide somewhere far, far away, until a warm hand rested on the top of his head. He looked over to the side, where Kagami took his place on the counter, and noticed the large smile on the other's face; his hand caressing through his blonde locks as if attempting to cheer him up for his mistake.

"It was a beginner's mistake, don't worry about it. Keep cooking, or else the egg will burn." And Kise was about to continue before a muffled chuckle escaped out of Kagami's lips. "But you have to admit, that was pretty funny."

Just when Kise thought the male was comforting him, he just had to say that last sentence, sending the heat rushing back in the blonde's cheek as he weakly shoved Kagami's hand off his head, and waved his fist towards Kagami as an attempt to stop the laughter.

"Kagamicchi! No, it wasn't!"

There was another soft chuckle before the male nodded, shielding himself from Kise's wild punches, "Fine, fine, it wasn't. Now, turn down the heat and add the cheese and rice on already!"

Within a month, Kise learned various dishes, with the occasional playful reminder from Kagami, relating back to the incident with the stove. It wasn't anything hurtful, just tiny reminders to look at his surroundings and well, make sure everything he needed was on. There was a mischievous tint in his fiery red eyes, and anyone could tell the power forward was recalling the day when they made the omelette rice.

Kise smiled, as he stirred the uncooked rice in the saucepan before reaching over to turn the knob back to boiling temperature and waited. A quiet moment passed and he reduced the heat, letting the rice simmer in the pan, covered, for another fifteen minutes. This task was now becoming easy for him.

When he first started, he didn't even know how to cook rice, which left Kagami rather concerned since he wondered just what the small forward did to cook meals, but then Kise explained his sisters often cooked. His mind was usually occupied with work or basketball so his sisters took the job of cooking. It was after Kise explained this that Kagami thought the blonde wanted to learn how to cook for his own personal benefit, so he could survive without the help of his sisters, or perhaps he wanted to learn the hardships of the kitchen. To be honest, he could care less—if Kise didn't want to explain why, then he wouldn't pry.

However, he was shocked to see how determined the blonde was to cook, and how dedicated he was to learn. For some reason, seeing Kise grin happily at his successful dishes, or even watching the blonde's eyes sparkle at his cooking skills, left a heartwarming feeling in his chest, and he couldn't help but smile.

He must really love his sisters.

Kise glanced over towards Kagami, in which the power forward motioned the blonde to continue making the rest of the dishes, handing him a large skillet. Today's dish was rather simple; a spring herb rice recipe, but Kise needed to finish cooking the vegetables before adding it to the rice.

He didn't pay much attention to Kise after handing him the skillet—the blonde had gotten the essence of cooking vegetables; really, it wasn't a difficult task. Stirring the onion in hot oil and butter for a few minutes before adding the celery, mushrooms, and a tad bit of salt and pepper—he could do it with his eyes closed.

So his mind returned back to Kise and his family; to how much he truly cherished his siblings; to spoil them with a handmade meal by him; and to show them how independent he was. Judging from Kise's stories, his parents were rarely home, working overseas for business conferences, so his sisters had to look after him. Since he was the youngest, his sisters felt obligated to protect him; to ensure their innocent little brother was safe; maybe he didn't want to be a nuisance anymore.

A frown was on the male's face as he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms and focusing his eyes on nothing significant. Now he was making assumptions, something he didn't often do, but his mind had drifted into various thoughts about Kise's sudden determination to cook on its own. He wanted to mentally smack some sense into his brain.

It wasn't any of his business to pry into Kise's personal life. Whatever the blonde wanted to do, it was his decision, and Kagami couldn't be bothered by anything related to the boy. His eyes briefly shifted to Kise before returning back to staring blankly at the empty counter across from him.

Why was he so curious with Kise?

Before he had time to make any possible explanations, there was a soft yelp beside him, and he hurriedly rushed over to Kise where he saw the blonde clutching his finger tightly. From a glimpse, he could tell the blonde had burnt himself, and he sighed, exhaling loudly as he grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the sink. After turning it on cold, he wrapped his fingers around Kise's injured one, and brought it towards the water where the blonde winced at the sudden cold temperature.

"It's okay, Kagamicchi! It's just a small-"

"Idiot. Burns aren't something to lightly brush off."

Silence engulfed the two then, as they remained in close contact with one another—Kagami right behind Kise as he continued to support Kise's burnt finger in the running cold water. His heart beat rather quickly, as heat rushed up his cheeks, suddenly aware of the short distance between him and Kise. A couple weeks ago, he may not have cared, nor would he have taken account of how close he was from the blonde.

He had done this numerous times, where he would hold Kise's hand, and teach him how to properly break an egg or how to spread the oil evenly on the pan. He never realized but unconsciously, he had reacted this way, where his hands would move on their own and somehow – somehow – he would find himself behind Kise, watching and making teasing remarks or just guiding him on certain cooking techniques.

Remembering these actions, he flushed an even brighter red, still deep in thought until Kise said, "Kagamicchi… I think I'm alright now… It doesn't seem to be swelling or stinging anymore…"

Immediately, Kagami backed away from the blonde, turning his body so Kise couldn't see the blush on his cheeks. He could feel the blonde's amber eyes watching him, watching and possibly furrowing his eyebrows in confusion as he tried to understand Kagami's sudden reaction.

"Deal with the food before it burns…" was all he could mumble out, still unable to look at the blonde, but he motioned his hand towards the food, signalling Kise. There was a moment of hesitation, of silence, before he heard soft footsteps brush past him and the sounds of the stoves shifting.

He excused himself from the kitchen momentarily, after Kise assured him he would be all right without his supervision and retreated back to the living room where he was able to think in peace.

But all he could hear was his heart beating viciously against his chest.

The next few weeks passed by with some tension between the two—mainly from Kagami, as he couldn't control his emotions after the incident weeks ago back when they were making the spring herb rice. Although Kise remained the same, smiling brightly every time he came over; his honey-brown eyes excited and eager to learn a new recipe.

However, no matter how much he tried to disregard the thoughts in his mind, they would return when he thought about Kise. Maybe it was because he was aware of certain feelings towards the blonde, but now he was becoming more perceptive of the blonde's movements. Sometimes, he would catch Kise's eyes staring at him while he was stirring the ingredients in the pot or notice the blonde open and close his mouth, as if he was going to say something but retreat and focus his attention back to cooking.

Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn that those honey-brown eyes would sometimes have a strange sparkle in them but he couldn't quite specify what his eyes were trying to tell him.

His tolerance was slowly deteriorating then, as he broadened his assumptions into thinking Kise was no longer doing this for his sisters, but doing it for him. It may have been arrogant to think such thoughts but there was something in the blonde's eyes, something in the blonde's movements whenever they were close, to trigger such thoughts.

When Kagami snuck behind him, to show him how to properly stir the ingredients in the pot, or reach over to turn the knob while Kise was too absorbed in his cooking, he would catch the blonde smiling at him, catch the blonde's eyes with that same sparkle. Those actions sent his heart racing, and he wanted to believe that Kise did this all for him; that Kise wanted these cooking lessons so they could spend more time together; that Kise liked him.

But he couldn't rely on simple assumptions. He had to find the courage to finally ask, and today, it seemed like the day.

He approached Kise, grabbing the spoon from behind and slipping it out of the blonde's grasp before spinning the small forward around so the two's eyes could come into contact. "It's been bugging me, but why—why the sudden urge to cook?"

Kise looked at him, his amber eyes shocked at the question before he directed his gaze towards the floor, the usual courage in the blonde no longer present; as if he was nervous to admit his true intentions to Kagami. The power forward could only wait, but he could feel his heart skip a beat as Kise took longer and longer to respond—this was encouraging; this could only mean he liked him too, but wasn't sure, right?

However, the words that escaped Kise's lips caused Kagami to lose his resolve and he could only remain speechless. He loosened his hold on the blonde, his hand slipping from the tight grip he had on his shirt as it fell back to his side. Like Kise, he casted his eyes downwards, and he chuckled at himself, mentally slapping the silly thoughts out of his mind.

"I did it for my sisters, of course."

Why didn't he just stick to his first assumption? Why did his mind have to drift into hormonal gears? Why in the world did he think Kise was attracted to someone like him, a guy?

There was a soft chuckle, as he patted Kise's head, turning the male back to his cooking and mumbled a quiet apology; he didn't mean to interrupt his cooking; he just wanted to confirm his thoughts.

He just hoped Kise would like him back; that all this time, Kise had only been thinking about him.

How selfish did he have to be? How conceited was he to think someone liked him?

Instantly, he turned around, excusing himself from the kitchen before he felt slender fingers wrap around his wrist—those slender fingers. His heart skipped a beat, but he tried his best to calm down; he couldn't hope for the best; couldn't hope that Kise was going to take back his words; couldn't hope that Kise would say that was a cover-up—that he really liked him.

"Kagamicchi, did you-" Kise stopped for a second, as if rephrasing his thoughts before releasing his hold on Kagami and mumbled, "Did you think I wanted to learn how to cook so we could spend more time together?"

There was a lump in Kagami's throat, unable to provide him the strength to respond to Kise's question, he didn't have to since the blonde immediately continued, catching the power forward off guard. The next three words that left Kise's mouth left Kagami stunned, but not speechless where he felt a pang of disappoint. No, this time, he hadn't expected it would turn out like this; that Kise would have a hidden motive.

"Because you're right…"

Slowly, the two-toned-haired male turned around, where he met Kise's gaze, and there was that same sparkle in his eyes; this time, with a tint of regret. Kise stared at him, waiting, as if he was expecting the power forward to say something in return but there was just silence, and he sighed, placing the spoon on the table and brushed past Kagami.

"I'm sorry for taking up all your time, Kagamicchi. I just- I just really like you, and I know how much you like cooking so I used it as an excuse and…" He trailed off then, muttering out an apology. "I won't trouble you anymore with the lessons." Kise turned around briefly, a sorrowful smile on his lips as he said, "But I really enjoyed spending time with you. Thank you, Kagamicchi."

The blonde headed towards the door before he felt calloused fingers wrap around his wrist. This time, it was Kagami's turn to hold him back, and the power forward brought the boy into his arms, embracing him tightly as he nuzzled his face into the nape of the blonde's neck, causing Kise to squirm under the soft touch.

"Idiot, if you liked me, you could have just said so."

Kise smiled, his eyes shining and glistening brightly, as he nodded his head several times, before wrapping his arms around Kagami's neck and kissing him softly on the lips. There was a sudden sound of water boiling loudly, and the two focused their attention back to the kitchen where water was seeping out of the pot.

Almost instantly, Kagami broke their embrace and dunked the pot into the sink to let it cool under cold water, while Kise turned off the stove and the two locked eyes - both their eyes wide and mouth agape at the incident - before chuckling at the mess they made. Kagami approached Kise, embracing him tightly, "Damn it, Kise. Your silly mistakes are starting to affect me."

Kise grinned, as he wrapped his arms around the power forward's neck, chuckling before leaning closer where their lips brushed against each other's; the sparkle rather bright in his amber eyes that Kagami finally understood the meaning to now.

The glistening sparkle in those honey-brown eyes were filled with nothing but pure affection.