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Here You are :: chapter 22

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"Do you have any idea how much I missed this?" asked the Rakuzan captain.

Kuroko laid next to Akashi on king sized bed. Akashi had one arm under his head while the other arm wrapped Kuroko's lithe shoulders. The teal-haired boy rested his head on Akashi's chest, staring throughout the window. Its curtain was opened and Tokyo's autumn skyline came in perfect view. Akashi absentmindedly stroked Kuroko's hair.

"Hmm..." Kuroko hummed, "I missed you too."

Akashi smiled and resumed his hand movement. He pulled Kuroko closer, feeling the smaller boy's body warmth beside him. Having Kuroko on his arms brought such tranquility. He could drop all his masks. He was not the top student, strict basketball captain, or sole heir of one prominent family. He was a mere boy who madly in love with Kuroko Tetsuya. He did not know when he had started to develop this kind of feeling toward the boy. Had it been in middle school? Or during their short encounter in the Winter Cup before they had faced each other on the court? After his first ever defeat? Or between Kuroko's sobs while he had clung to him desperately after the game had ended?

There was so much possibility, so many ways for Akashi to fall in love with Kuroko. Nevertheless, he always knew that Kuroko had somehow caught his attention. He had won Akashi's affection since a long time ago and Akashi had admitted that he had been in a denial in equally long time. He had denied his feeling toward Kuroko, throwing it away carelessly. He had hurt Kuroko in middle school, yes and he felt ashamed of it. That was why he could tolerate Kagami's hostility and accusing eyes every time the two red heads met on or outside the court. But he loved Kuroko more than anything. He did not care if people out there disapproved their relationship. He endured his grandfather's and father's distasted tone every time they mentioned Kuroko's name. Hell, they could throw him all the animosity and he did not care.

"When will you go back to Kyoto?" Kuroko asked in whisper.

"Tomorrow evening," answered Akashi—much to his own disappointment. It would have been nice if he also lived in Tokyo. Lately, he had to constantly remind himself that he had been the one who had decided to move to Kyoto. "Tetsuya," he called out.

"Yes?"

"What are you thinking about future?"

Kuroko looked at him with blank look but Akashi had known him enough to recognize the boy's bewildered expression. He slowly got up from his position and sat on the bed. Akashi's elegant fingers caressed his left cheek and Kuroko held his breath, staring at the red haired boy. "Future?" Kuroko asked back.

"Yes, future," Akashi said, "For example, are you going to university?"

His boyfriend gave him a slight nod.

"Here?" Akashi asked again with a smile on his face.

"I think so. I haven't given any thought about that..." Kuroko trailed off as Akashi placed a kiss on his lips. He blinked. "Why did you ask?"

Akashi cupped Kuroko's face with his two hands then stroked his thumbs over his boyfriend's cheeks. "I'm thinking to attend university in Tokyo..." And he heard Kuroko mumbled something about University of Tokyo's faculty of law. "Yes, yes...you are correct. I'm aiming for their law school, but that's not the issue here."

Kuroko tilted his head. "And the issue is..."

"I would like to move together with you, Tetsuya."

His boyfriend did not say anything. He kept staring at Akashi as if he was about to grow second head. They stayed silent for a while and Akashi swore he could hear people wailing police siren from far away. Kuroko finally drew a breath. "You want us to live together?" The boy looked so dumbfounded that Akashi had to suppress his smirk.

"Yes, I would like us to live together," said Akashi, "That...if you don't mind dealing with my hectic schedule and my obsession over shogi and scis—" He was stopped by a kiss then suddenly he was sprawled on bed with Kuroko on top of him. The Rakuzan captain was startled and could not say any word when he saw passion on Kuroko's light blue eyes. "I take it as a yes?"

That night they made love until morning and Kuroko said 'I love you' over and over again as Akashi entered his body gently.

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It was a cold day in early winter and the basketball club members were groaning and complaining about the broken heater. Hayama Koutarou stood as far as possible from the entrance. He still had his jacket and scarf wrapped around his neck. "T-this is unforgiveable!" he whined between clattering teeth, "W-why t-the hell the heater got broken in winter! Give me back my summer!"

"Shuddup, Hayama!" cried collective voices around the indoor basketball court.

And that was the scene Akashi stepped into as he entered the court. Contrary to what the students of other schools believed, Rakuzan basketball club had some funny, hilarious moments during their practice. Like today when Hayama chased some terrified first year members—who had happened to accidentally mention how annoying Hayama was in loud voice—around the court which only ended up by him crashing into Nebuya Eikichi's huge body.

"Oi, Hayama! Stop fooling around!" Nebuya barked.

Hayama sent him a glare.

"Oi, Akashi! The heater is broken! Can we cancel today's practice?" asked Nebuya while doing his usual stretching exercise which included his so-called special 'muscle-stretching technique' that other people could not even make sense of.

"I'll ask the school caretaker to replace the heater system," said Akashi, "Alright, line up everyone!"

"Yes, Captain!"

In the middle of practice, Mibuchi Reo tapped Akashi's shoulder and said, "Have you had any idea for our school anniversary, Sei-chan?"

"What anniversary?" Akashi asked back with one eyebrow arched. He was finally used to how Mibuchi address him. The red head did not like people using the suffix '-chan' after his name, especially his first name. It made him felt like a little kid. He had tried to make Mibuchi stop calling him 'Sei-chan' but the upper classman had always shrugged it off. So, Akashi was stuck with 'Sei-chan' and of course he did not allow other club members to call him like that unless that person wanted to suffer throughout high school.

"The anniversary!" Mibuchi said with offended expression, "Our school seventy sixth anniversary!"

"Oh, you mean the school festival next April?"

Mibuchi sighed. "Sei-chan, how could you forget such important date? We have to make preparation for our performance. Other clubs have already discussed their own performance. I think tennis club will do kabuki for this year."

"They always do kabuki every year," Akashi corrected.

"And the volley club will always perform small orchestra," added Nebuya.

Somehow he and Hayama had ended up standing slightly behind Mibuchi. "What's the point? We always do same thing over and over again for our school anniversary," said Hayama, stretching his hands, "Boring."

Mibuchi hummed. "But I want us to do something different this year, not something Shakespeare-ish..."

"Yeah, I kinda agree with you Reo-nee," Hayama sneered, "I don't understand why people still read something like that, well except that creepy guy from Sei—"

Nebuya smacked his head. "Oi! You are talking about Akashi's boyfriend here!" He glanced at Akashi who was looking at them in such strict expression although Nebuya could see a slight hint of amusement on it.

"Ooow, what the hell!" Hayama rubbed the back of his head. "But that guy is creepy! Seriously! What kind of person suddenly appears in front of others like a freakin' ghost is?!"

"My boyfriend." Akashi emphasized as he sent a rarely-seen smile to Hayama.

Hayama paled while Nebuya and Mibuchi exchanged a look. They knew their captain had a tendency to show his boyfriend off in front of the team. Last summer, Akashi had purposely brought Kuroko to join a practice with his team. He had sent a murdering glare to every person in the gym who had had stared at Kuroko more than three seconds. Finally, Mibuchi clapped his hands. "Well, well...we still have plenty time until school festival. So, if anybody has an idea, just tell me okay. Oh, and Hayama, please stop acting like kindergarten kid during the practice. It's time for you to act more like a high school student."

"Yes, yes, Reo-nee..." Hayama waved his hands carelessly. "But, seriously, we will have graduated by the time the festival held. Yet you're still going to help for the preparation?"

"But I have nothing to do until graduation," Mibuchi replied. He had been accepted to Kyoto University through recommendation. He did not need to take anymore test except for high school final examination, and his friends were sure Mibuchi would pass with flying color. After all, among the third year members, Mibuchi was the smartest.

Actually, it was only Hayama who needed to take university entrance examination since Nebuya had secured basketball scholarship from Kyoto University. Hayama had decided not to study in university in Kyoto. He was going to a private university in Tokyo where Mayuzumi Chihiro currently studied at. It also brought a gossip among the Rakuzan basketball club members whether Hayama was going to study there because of his own interest or... Well, nobody could ignore those phone calls and text messages that had kept Hayama's phone vibrating after three months in row, right? They would not forget how funny Hayama's expression had been as Nebuya had snatched his phone and read all the text messages then shouted in disbelief "holy shit Mayuzumi calls you Ko-chan?!". That was...pretty much the story of how the Rakuzan basketball club had found out that their small forward dated—"No, we're not dating; we are only good friends!" "That's what we call a denial." "Shut up, Reo-nee!"—the former phantom player.

Akashi looked at his three teammates who were still debating about the school anniversary. Soon he had to find replacement for his seniors. They got some really great players among the second and first year members but Akashi could not help but think no one was able to replace each of his seniors' basketball ability. And, to be honest, he would miss their company.

"So, what about you, Sei-chan? You're going to be in third year soon. Any university in mind?" asked Mibuchi.

"The University of Tokyo's faculty of law," answered Akashi swiftly, ignoring the snort from both Nebuya and Hayama.

Mibuchi nodded. "I think it will suit you, Sei-chan. Will Kuroko-kun also attend university in Tokyo?"

"Definitely." Akashi smiled smugly.

Hayama shivered. "Dammit, Akashi, stop smiling like that! People will freak out."

"Now, now, Hayama, don't be such a rude person," said Mibuchi, "I think Sei-chan is happy because he finally can live in the same city with Kuroko-kun. Long distance relationship is very challenging, isn't it, Sei-chan?"

Akashi shot him a look. "I think we should focus on the practice."

With that, his seniors went back to the court and Akashi continued to observe the practice.

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Akashi did not understand why non-Christian people in Japan had to celebrate Christmas.

The concept of Christmas itself was so weird in Japan that Akashi found it unnecessary to be a part of such vague celebration. Yet, his mother held Christmas party at their main house in Tokyo every year. While his mother thought the Christmas party as a way to socialize with high-class society, both his father and grandfather saw the annual occasion as an opportunity to expand their political influence. For one Akashi Seijuurou, Christmas party was some kind of nightmarish state where he needed to keep smiling to entertain spoiled rich girls and older women who pompously showed off their exquisite jewelry.

"What?" His mother gasped and looked at him in such horror—such an exaggerating expression.

Akashi nodded solemnly. "Yes, I have something else to do on Christmas Eve. Therefore, regrettably, I am unable to attend the party."

They were sitting on the living room of Akashi Family main house. His mother had been keen to describe the detail of Christmas party, from the catering to tree decoration. She had said something about importing the Christmas ornament from England but Akashi had paid a little attention. "But, Sei-chan," his mother complained, "It's a once a year occasion! The family's friends are also coming."

"Mother," Akashi explained, "It's not that I would skip the Christmas party every year from now on."

"I know, but—"

"You've been carefree lately, Seijuurou."

The mother and son turned their head toward the door. "Grandfather." Akashi spoke up first, just in time his mother was about to say something. "I thought you were at lunch with your friends. How was it?" By 'friends', he meant 'ministry officials and other political elites' because Akashi knew his grandfather simply did not do 'casual lunch with friends'.

Ignoring his grandson's question, he continued, "I heard from your father that you also did not attend the gathering in Kyoto last month even though he had already emphasized its importance."

"I believed my presence would not be significant." Akashi reasoned. "I'm neither a member of any political party or a pers—"

"You had a…ah, yes basketball match that day," his grandfather cut the sentence off in cold tone, "Seijuurou, why are you still involved in pointless extracurricular activity?"

"As I have promised you, Grandfather, I'm going to stop playing basketball after next year's Winter Cup," answered Akashi swiftly. Normal teenager would flinch involuntary under those harsh words and cold eyes, but Akashi had been raised in very strict family with no room to make any mistake.

"I know, Seijuurou. Do you think because I'm already over sixty, I will not remember what you have told me two years ago?"

"I did not mean to offend you, Grandfather."

The two men of Akashi family looked at each other, completely forgot the woman who was staring at them warily from the sofa. Akashi's mother unconsciously hitched on her breath. Even though she had been part of this old family for about nineteen years, she sometimes could not help but cringed whenever the Akashi men began to throw a row. She wondered why she had ended up marrying an Akashi. The intense atmosphere was ended by one last glare from the older man before he exited the room. Akashi's mother sighed in relief.

"I'm going out now," said Akashi as he stood up. "I'm going to stay with my friend until Christmas. I'll see you later, Mother."

Akashi's mother had not had any chance to ask which friend his son had mentioned because the boy stepped out of the room as fast as his grandfather had been. She pulled her lips into thin line, thinking how similar Akashi men were. She glanced at the clock and remembered that she had to recheck the catering for Christmas party then accompanied his husband to a gathering with a member of parliament whose name she had already forgotten.

Outside, Akashi closed the gate behind and walked to bus stop nearby. He did not bother to inform his father about his attention to not attend Christmas party. He had enough with his grandfather who seemed to plan to pry into the boy's personal life until the end of the world. Dealing with another Akashi would only make him lose his temper. Akashi checked the bus schedule after he had reached the bus stop. The next bus came in five minutes. Good. He did not want to spend anywhere near his house for next two days. The first thing he had on his mind now was getting away as soon as possible.

Akashi inhaled deeply. Just another thirty minutes and he would finally see Kuroko.

.

"You still look exhausted," commented Kuroko.

"Do I?"

Kuroko nodded and ran his fingers on Akashi's head. They were lounging on sofa, watching television and snuggling under warm blanket. The condo was illuminated by soft light from table lamps on living area. Akashi, for once, was grateful that his mother had insisted to buy him this condo. It had become his safe house where he could do anything he wanted.

"Did something happen yesterday? You were somehow restless when we met at station."

"Ah…" Akashi paused. "My grandfather. He said I was too carefree lately, but I guessed he just wanted me to entertain the guests during Christmas party. Yes, entertaining guests for him means making more connection to political elites and lawyer community."

The smaller boy shifted a little. He withdrew his fingers from Akashi's red hair. "I'm sorry…"

Akashi raised an eyebrow, frowning. "For what?"

"You should have just canceled our plan, Seijuurou-kun. It's obvious your grandfath—"

A finger was placed on Kuroko's mouth, stopping him immediately. Akashi's other hand caressed Kuroko's side as he spoke, "There's nothing to apologize, Tetsuya. My grandfather is an old, stubborn man who thinks everything in this world has to go according his way. Besides, you are not the person he doesn't like."

Kuroko did not say anything in return.

" Hey." Akashi sat up. He pulled Kuroko's onto his lap and buried his nose on Kuroko's nape. "I'm sorry for ruining the mood. It's Christmas Eve after all. You did say that we're not allowed to think too hard around holiday, hmm? I was also looking forward to spend Christmas Eve with you. To think we can spend it by—" Akashi placed another butterfly kiss on Kuroko's nape. "—this and—" His lips move to nibble Kuroko's reddened earlobe. "—this too…"

"Seijuurou-kun, you are tickling me." Kuroko protested to no avail. Akashi's hand travelled under Kuroko's shirt, pulling it off in one gentle yet swift movement. Kuroko gasped as his skin connected with slightly chilly air. Akashi did not stop. After throwing Kuroko's shirt and sweater carelessly onto the floor, he drew circle around Kuroko's sensitive nipples with index fingers, teasing it lightly but enough to earn delicious moan from his lover. Kuroko squirmed then arched his back when Akashi pinched his nipples. "Sei…juurou-kun..." He breathed heavily. "S-stop please…"

Akashi smirked, pinching the nipples once again. "You want to me stop? Really?"

The only answer Akashi got was a louder, desperate moan.

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Kagami grumbled as Aomine and Kise invaded his spacious living room. He had not expected any company for tonight, especially on Christmas Eve. Well, Kagami did not celebrate Christmas but growing up in the States his family had adopted the tradition. He decorated his living room with small Christmas tree completed by colorful ornaments and an angel on top of it. He had even baked Christmas gingerbread. But this! Two loud, oversized teenagers who currently were demanding for more roasted chicken and baked potato simply made his plan for Christmas Eve ruined.

"Hei, Kagamicchi, let's open the champagne!" said Kise, easily swinging the bottle of champagne on his hand which both Aomine and Kagami still had no idea where it had come from.

"Oi, Kise! That's dangerous!" Aomine dodged from the swinging. "Kagami, gimme the panna cotta!"

"How did you know I have panna cotta?"

"Stupid, I saw it on the fridge when I put my beer. By the way, get me the beer too," said Aomine lazily, "Kise, stop bouncing like an idiot. Open the bottle already!"

"Kagamicchi, open the bottle!"

"I'm not your fuckin' maid!" The Seirin student snapped, "What the hell are you doing at my place in the first place?!"

"Huh? We're here for Christmas, of course," he said with a slightly teasing tone, "Besides, Kurokocchi told me you always celebrate Christmas even though I didn't expect you to have Christmas tree…" The blond snickered.

Aomine grinned. "And Tetsu told us you gonna cook too."

The only reply that came from Kagami was a grunt. He threw Kise a bottle opener which landed perfectly on Kise's lap. The boy grinned and dramatically opened the champagne with a loud pop. "Merry Christmas, guys!" cried Kise.

Kagami could only grimace when Kise poured the champagne to the glasses and passed it to the other two boys. He recognized the champagne brand as Dom Perignon and Kagami almost choked on the drink while Aomine gulped the champagne down like water. Kise scowled at Aomine, saying that the Touou's power forward had no manner at all. Aomine did not look bothered at all by the champagne brand. Kagami had a good guess that Aomine had somewhat drunk the same brand before. How the heck a high school student could get access to Dom Perignon was…dubious.

"Last time I drank this champagne was after the Winter Cup," said Aomine, cutting Kagami's thoughts.

"Yup!" Kise cradled his glass. "You stole it from Akashi's cabinet."

"Damn Akashi and his alcohol collection." Aomine smirked, amused.

This time, Kagami coughed loudly. "What the hell! You had drinking party after the Winter Cup?! A bunch of underage students had a drinking party?! You drank Dom Perignon?!"

Aomine clicked his tongue. "Bakagami, it's not a big deal. Underage drinking isn't illegal as long as nobody's harmed or caught red-handed."

"Wha—"

"Besides, it was not only Dom Perignon! Akashi also had James Bond champagne!" Kise nodded with pensive expression.

"I don't understa—"

"And enormous collection of liqueur," Aomine added, "Not to forget…that was the first time Satsuki and Midorima tried smoking too. Man, we were so lucky that Akashi owned that huge condo or people would have known how loud we were."

Kagami was utterly gobsmacked. He could not picture the underage, former Teikou basketball team members and its manager had gotten wasted at a party in Akashi Seijuurou's lavish residence. Well, he could depict Kise and Aomine partying but…Kuroko, Midorima, and the Giant Murasakibara? Oh, gods, no… There was no way Kuroko and Midorima would join for wild dancing or smoking—wait, Kuroko had not smoked, right?! His pure, innocent Kuroko Tetsuya with that huge light blue orbs… Hold on a sec! His Kuroko Tetsuya?! Since when had he added the 'his' before 'Kuroko Tetsuya'?

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Glancing at the clock on coffee table, Akashi mused how fast the time flew. It was already nine fifteen at night and he had made love with Kuroko for hours until they had been left sated. Kuroko was currently lying on carpet—still naked and sweaty from previous activity. The boy stared at the ceilings as if it was the most interesting thing on the Earth. He was only distracted when Akashi kissed his lips slowly. Kuroko automatically initiated the second kiss.

"I can't wait to move back to Tokyo," Akashi murmured as he pressed his forehead on Kuroko's.

Suddenly, Kuroko went still. He looked up to meet Akashi's eyes and gulped. His face grew anxious. "Seijuurou-kun, I think... I need to tell you something."

.

They were about to enjoy the third glass of champagne when Kise's cell phone rang. He stared at the screen with quizzical look before answering, "Kurokocchi?"

"Kise-kun." They heard Kuroko's voice through speaker phone. Aomine stopped drinking the hurriedly scooted closer as Kagami sat down a little bit behind Kise. "I… Where are you now, Kise-kun?"

Kise exchanged a glance with Aomine then the dark skinned boy nodded. "We are at Kagamicchi's place," said Kise in his usual cheerful, carefree tone, "You're right, Kurokocchi. Kagami cooked! He even got Christmas tree here!"

"We?" Kuroko asked. Somehow he sounded so meek. Although the boy kept speaking in such monotonous way, Kagami only needed three second to realize that his friend's voice was wavering. There was definitely something wrong with Kuroko although the boy did not want to admit it—yet. The tree basketball players looked at each other, and Kise lifted his right palm up to stop Kagami from making any comment. Kagami grunted in protest but in the end he obliged half-heartedly.

In the meantime, Aomine decided to speak. "Oi, Tetsu! I'm here too. We are planning to annoy Bakagami throughout the night! Care to join us?"

If the air was not this heavy, Kagami would have smacked Aomine right on the back of his head.

"That's okay, Aomine-kun. I don't want to—"

"You gotta see Kagami's Christmas tree, Tetsu," Aomine cut off, "He also decorated the living room in green and red! How lame is that? I think he silently hopes Santa Claus will pay a visit tonight."

Kagami sputtered. "Oi, Ahomine—ugh, whatever!"

"I see," was the only reply coming from Kuroko. He paused for a moment that felt like forever for other three teenagers. "I'll…uh, I'll be there soon?"

Kise grinned. "We'll be waiting."

Later that night, Kagami sat on the edge of the bed. Kuroko was under the thick blanket, sleeping soundly but under the bedroom's dim light Kagami could see his friend's puffy eyes. His jaws clenched as he remembered how Kuroko had showed up in his apartment several hours ago. The boy had looked distressed with red eyes and swollen lips. Their eyes had not met until Kise had practically engulfed the shorter boy in big hug. Kuroko instantly rested his chin on Kise's shoulder and his gaze had flickered back and forth between Kagami and Aomine. The red head had been taken aback by the tiredness behind those light-blue orbs. Kuroko had allowed Kise to drag him to sofa. He had only nodded slightly when Kagami had asked him whether the boy had eaten. After that, they had settled down in awkward silence. They had exchanged the champagne with hot cinnamon tea, watching TV absentmindedly as Kuroko had slowly dozed off.

Then Kagami had led his teammate to master bedroom and let him sleep on his bed.

Kuroko had not said any word but a muffled 'thank you' before completely surrendering himself to the world of dream.

"So," Kise broke the silence as soon as Kagami entered the living room, "what was that?"

"I have no idea," said Kagami, scratching his scalp in frustration, "You better ask your former captain. Yesterday Kuroko told me he was going to spend Christmas with Akashi."

"What?" Aomine frowned. "You think this has something to do with Akashi?"

Kagami did not answer and stomped to the kitchen to grab the champagne.

.

Takao Kazunari planned to spend his Christmas by watching DVD and reading comic magazines. So, when his little sister found him laying on his stomach under kotatsu blanket with comic on his hand, she was not surprised. Takao loved kotatsu and he would always spend hours under its blanket. "Nii-san, your friend's waiting at the entrance," she said, stomping on Takao's back.

His brother grunted. "Oi, you don't step on other people's back! And friend? Who?"

"As if you never kick my leg," retorted the girl, sticking her tongue out. "It's Midorima-san."

Takao huffed. "What a tomboy..." He put his comic down and went to the entrance while wondering why Midorima had come to his house in the first place—certainly not to wish him a happy Christmas... "Yo, Shin-chan," greeted Takao as he sighted the bespectacled boy. Midorima looked somehow dishevelled. Some hair strands were sticking out and he did not wrap his muffler in usual way.

"Change your clothes. We're going out."

"Huh? But you said you didn't celebrate Christmas..."

"We're going to Kagami's." When he got no reply from Takao, Midorima rubbed his temple. "Just...hurry change your clothes."

Takao thought Midorima was only joking until they passed the glassed door to reach the elevator of Kagami's apartment building. Takao looked up to stare at his friend as if he had grown second head. Midorima never got along with Kagami. Takao remembered during their last get-together with Seirin team, Midorima had had a fight with Kagami because of the tall red head had insulted Midorima's lucky item. And now, Midorima was about to press Kagami's doorbell. Sometimes life was too bizarre to be calculated, Takao thought.

"Midorimacchi, come in."

Unexpectedly, it was Kise who opened the door. Takao looked over Kise's shoulder to catch Aomine standing at the entrance. "Took you long enough," said Aomine—surprisingly it was lack of sarcasm. He glanced at Takao and gave him a slight nod.

"Where is he?" Midorima asked as they followed Kise in.

"Well..." The blond fidgeted. He gestured at Kagami and the door he was currently knocking softly at. "He won't come out."

Takao frowned. "Who won't come out?"

However, before any of his friends could answer, Kagami spoke. "You've been there for three hours now. Don't be ridiculous, Kuroko. Come out already."

"What? Tetchan is inside the—"

"Apparently locking himself inside the bathroom is the greatest way to sulk," drawled Aomine, earning a scowl from Kise. "What? It's true, isn't it?"

"You better shut up, Ahomine!" Kagami snapped. "You can't even persuade Kuroko to come out. I told you guys, didn't I? Kuroko's better off without him!"

"Wait a sec. What's wrong with Tet—"

"At this rate, we have to use some force." Midorima sighed as he adjusted his glasses.

"No, Midorimacchi! You'll only scare Kurokocchi!"

"Somebody, please tell me..." Takao saw the other three boys began arguing and they seemed to completely forget Takao's presence. From what he had gathered so far, Kuroko had ended up locking himself inside Kagami's bathroom to sulk for a particular reason that somehow had affected Kagami's mood greatly. Then, Takao had a quite good guess who the 'him' Kagaimi had mentioned was. Takao exhaled, still watching Kagami and Aomine shouted at each other. Apparently, Aomine ran out of patience so he decided to kick open the door if Kuroko did not come out within five minutes. Meanwhile, Kise and Midorima were talking in whisper. They tried to ignore the unnecessary argument between two power forwards as best as they could.

This was not helping at all...

Takao clapped his hands loudly and shouted, "Alright, people! Calm down!"

Kagami and Aomine stopped immediately and turned their head to Takao. They glared at him. "You..."

Takao easily shrugged it off. He approached the door and knocked softly. "Tetchan, it's Takao. I'm sorry that you have to hear those two idiots being...well, being stupid?" Of course, he ignored Kagami's and Aomine's protest. "Hey, Tetchan, do you mind if I come in? I don't fancy sitting on bathroom floor, but...hey, there's exception for everything." He turned around the see Kise sending him a confused look. "I mean, if you don't feel like coming out, why don't you just let me in? It must be lonely to spend time at bathroom alone, right?"

Kise was doubtful that Takao's method would make Kuroko step out. "Takao-kun," he said, "I think—"

Midorima quickly lifted his index finger and gestured the model to stop talking. The green haired boy crossed his arms on chest then leaned against the wall. His eyes would not leave Takao who was now talking in front of the door. Finally, after three minutes, they heard clicking sound and Kuroko's head reluctantly peered from behind the door. The boy was a complete mess, with bloodshot eyes and trail of dried tears on his cheeks. His gaze dropped on grinning Takao.

"What's up, Tetchan?" asked Takao cheerfully.

Kagami and Aomine could not believe their eyes as Takao stepped into the bathroom. Another clicking sound and they were greeted by silence until Kise asked nervously, "Who wants some...uuhm coffee?"

Midorima left the hallway to join Kise at kitchen. He knew Takao would handle everything just fine. Bringing Takao here was not a bad idea, after all.

At kitchen, Kagami had replaced Kise for the task of making coffee. He could not trust Kise with his brand new coffee machine. He had saved money only to buy that damn expensive machine and he would not let anyone who doesn't understand the art of coffee touched it. Aomine sat on the dining chair, reading latest basketball magazine. Kise ended up washing dirty dishes from last night, but he was obviously distracted and kept glancing at the hallway.

"You still need to explain some things," Midorima spoke up, "I wasn't woken up in the morning but your frantic call only to be told that Kuroko had locked himself inside bathroom for nothing. Now, Kise, explain."

Kise whined, "Why me?"

"Don't be such an idiot, Kise. You were the one who called me."

"That's right," added Kagami without taking away his attention from beloved coffee machine.

Kise muttered something Kagamicchi being a jerk who tried to avoid the topic before saying, "Fine. Where should I start? Uhm, so...Kurokocchi just suddenly came in the middle of the night and he looked devastated. He didn't tell us why, though." Kise drew another breath. "Perhaps it has something to do with Akashicchi? I know they're supposed to spend Christmas together."

Midorima vaguely recalled a conversation at Maji Burger several weeks ago when Kise had asked whether they had had any plan for Christmas. Kuroko had mentioned that Akashi would be in Tokyo for winter break. Midorima had not been interested in the topic since he did not celebrate Christmas—much to Takao's disappointment.

"Tetsu had a big fight with Akashi, I guess. Fantastic." Aomine drawled.

Midorima did not say anything.

"What did they fight about? I mean, Akashi and Kuroko—"

"There's no such a thing like perfect couple, Kise." Surprisingly, Kagami spoke up. All eyes stared at him. "What? I only quoted what Alex said!"

"I thought you were finally mature enough to talk about romantic stuff." Kise laughed slightly. "That doesn't suit your scary face!"

Kagami threw Kise an empty coffee bean bag.

.

Takao showed up an hour later with Kuroko in tow. Kuroko still refused to say anything about last night, and was grateful when Takao offered to explain. Yes, it had been a fight. A big fight that had ended up with Akashi storming out of the condo.

"Why did you fight?" asked Kagami.

Kuroko and Takao looked at each other then Takao squeezed Kuroko's hand lightly to encourage the smaller boy. "It...," Kuroko began, "It started with my decision not to move in with Seijuurou-kun."

.

.

tbc

*James Bond champagne Kise talked about refers to Champagne Bollinger - their champagne is featured in almost every James Bond movies since Live and Let Die.