Title: Kisses are a better fate

Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke belongs to Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

Rating: T (followed by a shaky questionmark...)

Setting: In universe, sometime during and/or post Winter Cup.

Spoilers/warnings: Vague references to the Winter Cup, albeit no match result spoilers. Mentions/direct involvement of characters who have only yet appeared in the manga. BL content.

Characters dancing to my tune: Kagami, Kuroko, Aomine. Mainly.

A/N: My original intention with this project was to write a series of loosely linked, kiss-themed short stories; which I kind of did, although my imagination derailed somewhere along the road, ahem. So, no denying it: this is irrefutably evolving into an AoKagaKuro-romance of sorts, if with a somewhat experimental structure and a slightly different take on Kuroko. That said, I hope you will enjoy it for what it is!

Thank you: EudaimonArisornae, forever and ever.

kisses are a better fate
than wisdom.
~e.e. cummings

Kiss 001

English was so much easier when talking. This grammar part of it did not make any sense. Why add loads of letters here and there you could not even hear when spoken? Kagami let his forehead fall to the table, groaning.

"Are you alright, Kagami-kun?"

"Hnnn," Kagami grunted in response, turning his head to the boy next to him, cheek still connected with the cool wooden desk.

Kuroko looked at him with round eyes for a moment, before resuming copying notes on Japanese history.

"We have to pass this exam, or coach will scold us," he stated, non-descript as ever.

Kagami stared at the notes spread over the table, feeling frustrated and tired and fed up with homework. His level of motivation could not be any closer to zero. He wanted to play basketball, not stay in his apartment studying god-knows-what-pointless-stuff every single afternoon.

Glancing over at Kuroko, he was unconsciously entranced by the movements of the pen scratching over the paper, and the small hand holding it, noting historical events and meaningless dates. Really, those slim fingers were not meant to hold on to a pen. Those fingertips should be connected to a basketball, pushing it with just the right amount of pressure, in just the right direction... His direction.

Kagami shook his head in an attempt to clear out the sounds of bouncing balls and shoes squeaking against the gym floor, which came with the fantasies. Right, relative adverbs... What was that, anyway? Absently amazed at his own short span of attention, he scratched his head.

Kuroko was right of course, he needed to get his shit together in order to pass the next exam. If he failed, he might as well drop dead. Or else he had a horrible suspicion coach would assist in the process of killing him. An awfully realistic image of Aida Riko's fearful dark figure looming over him popped up in his head.

"You'd save me if I was getting strangled to death by a fire-breathing cave-monster-woman, right?" he muttered, suddenly feeling a little queasy.

"I'm much smaller than Kagami-kun."

"That's not the point!" Kagami snapped, "I'm out cold and I might die and all! Would you save me or not?!"

Kuroko tilted his head to the side, seemingly a little bit curious, although there was no way to tell if he really was.

"I'd ask if she would consider letting you go."

Kagami let out a frustrated growl and ran a hand over his face.

"Alright, alright... I guess that's good enough," he sighed, wondering why the hell he was even thinking about this nonsense. Oh right, English something-verbs...

"Kagami-kun seems sidetracked." Kuroko's monotone voice held a surprising amount of observation.

"No kidding..." Kagami started, ready to retell the Riko-dooms-day-prediction-flash – when he felt a pair of lips pressed against his own. The touch was ever so light, yet weirdly unapologetic.

He was locked in place by those soft lips.

Granted, Kagami Taiga had never been overly bright. At least not in a way that pleased academic teachers. He was gifted with a different sort of intelligence, a raw kind of quality which was connected to his physical abilities. Yet, at this instant, even this innate ability of his was no good. He could not move a single limb at will.

He was stupid at all levels.

Stupid, confused, panicking and hot all over.

Kuroko pulled back. Deadpan expression on, the smaller boy rocked back on his heels, eyes gazing straight at him.

Kagami's brain cells were still on strike. His head and body swam with disorderly emotions and thoughts, and he had no idea which one to grab as they floated by. Was he even capable of talking?

"St-t-t... I can't.. Kiss?! W-why...?! Wha- what?!"

Apparently not.

"Kisses cure distraction."

Kagami stared. Kuroko stared back.

"I don't know who taught you that..." Kagami mumbled, while wiping his face with the back of his hand to hide his embarrassingly burning cheeks. "But kisses are a distraction, damnit."