Something different from my usual pairing. I finally finished the anime a few days ago, and it has reignited my love for this fandom.

Hope you all enjoy!

Summary:

5 times Kise noticed Kuroko and the time he was noticed back. Or the 5 times Kise fell for Kuroko and the time he realised Kuroko was there to catch him all along.

The Art of Perceptibility

Chapter 1: Discovery

Fine.

Kise admitted that the first time he didn't in fact see, or even notice, the pale boy.

His entire being was focused on the absolute monster that was Aomine Daiki. The tall tanned teen was radiating joy and fierce determination as he ducked and weaved between the other players with grace and confidence. His control of the game was absolute and it was a breath taking sight. For someone such as Kise, who had just been thinking how incredibly boring his life was, and how there were no rivals to offer any semblance of real competition, Aomine was like a message sent from above.

Here, finally, was someone worth his time.

He had cajoled and begged his way through the administrative process of switching clubs in the middle of the school year and gleefully slipped on his new basketball shoes. He was told by the no-nonsense coach that he was to begin in third string and should he even wish to see the court at an official game he would just have to train hard like everyone else. Kise had no problems with that. Basketball, like any other sport, came easily to him. He had mastered the basics by the end of the third day and soon was promoted to the second string. Through every training session, he kept an eye out for the blunette, hoping to see him in action again. And with every afternoon that he didn't spot Aomine, Kise's determination grew. He cut back on his modelling sessions and focused on basketball with an intensity that surprised himself.

On the day that Kise was allowed into the gym reserved for the first stringers, once again, the Teiko ace immediately captured his attention. He couldn't help but gape at the enormous leap in talent and skill that Aomine had made since Kise last saw him play.

What kind of middle schooler dunked?!

An unfamiliar excitement rose within him, and he was practically buzzing with unrestrained energy. Kise wanted to challenge him. He wanted to compare his skills one-on-one. He wanted to fight and win. This would be a true battle. This would be the first time he didn't need to hold back. Rather, he would have to give it his all to even have a sliver of a chance of beating the other boy.

He had been half-heartedly listening to Momoi-san when someone piped up, "Were you calling for me?"

The cool calm voice was effective as a bucket of cold water, stopping his fidgeting and itch to best Aomine in an instant. It also made him jump about three feet into the air. Scrambling back from the pale boy he stuttered, "W-who the hell are you?!"

'And where the fuck did you come from?!'

He watched the pink haired manager greet the newcomer enthusiastically, calling him 'Tetsu-kun'. Ah so this was his instructor. Kuroko Tetsuya. While their initial meeting had snared his focus, Kise soon forgot about the quiet boy. He had discovered that there were in fact four monsters.

There was the short red head with an extraordinarily commanding (and slighly terrifying) presence that was in direct contrast to his pretty, delicate features. He seemed to not move an inch throughout his practice game; rather he wordlessly directed his teammates effectively and efficiently like a general on the battlegrounds.

The freakishly tall purple haired giant seemed like he was half asleep most of the game but rarely was a single point scored off of him. His hand seemed to shoot up from nowhere, blocking your shot as easily as an iron fortress.

The stern boy with green hair was good, Kise observed, perhaps on par with him. That was his analysis up until he raised his hands and scored a perfect basket from more than a meter away from the three-pointer line.

What. The. Hell.

Who were these people?! This was basketball, not some superheroes masquerading as middle schoolers in a shounen manga.

In direct contrast, Kuroko was abysmal. His command of the ball during his court long dribbles was slow and full of openings, and he had no sense for shooting and every attempt was a miss. How on earth was this guy a regular amongst the four prodigies?

Kise's frustration and confusion only grew during the 'celebration' the regulars threw for his promotion. Throughout the chase for the thief on the motorcycle, the pale boy had not contributed in the slightest, just as he had been more of a hindrance than asset during the training sessions that followed. Yet he seemed to command the respect of Aomine and the rest without any effort.

It was during the second string's practice game against Komagi Private School that Kise's anger bubbled over. The combination of their opponent's underhanded tactics and the blank almost nonchalant look that Kuroko spotted while being benched for majority of a game that Kise was losing in drove the blonde to new heights of irritation. When the smaller boy was finally subbed in during the last quarter, Kise had just about had it.

He was just in the middle of a sneer and thinking derogatorily that Kuroko was so weak no one was even bothering to guard him at all when the basketball seemed to appear in his hands. Kise blinked owlishly at Kuroko, who still had his arm outstretched from the pass before realising that everyone else on the court was as equally shocked and distracted. He jumped and made the shot before anyone could move.

Riding on the momentum of the other team's rising confusion and panic, Kise made shot after shot. All of them assisted by the strange, pale boy who seemed to teleport around the court, redirecting the ball and controlling the flow of the game. Kise's grudging respect and admiration grew with every eerily accurate pass. The ball seemed to soar straight into his waiting hands, no matter what position he took on the court. And with every successful play that they made, Kise felt excitement and glee bubble from deep within him. He felt the most ridiculous urge to burst out laughing from sheer joy.

While Aomine and the rest of the regulars had filled him with competitive determination to strive for improvement, it was being partnered with Kuroko that showed Kise basketball was equivalent to happiness. He ran around the court – exhausted and grinning so fiercely that his cheeks hurt – catching pass after pass.

It was exhilarating.

After the game, Kise bestowed his mentor with his new nickname, 'Kurokocchi'. Despite the seemingly annoyed side eye the pale boy sent him, Kise caught the slight upward twitch of his lips and the new warmth in previously chilly eyes. It sent his heart cartwheeling and butterflies scattering in his stomach. Kise waved it off as excess adrenaline from winning his first basketball match.

In retrospect, it was probably then that the blonde had fallen head over heels for the bluenette.