Just my attempt at short pieces of aimless, shameless, and unapologetic fluff.

Minor coarse language, hence the [T] rating, and OOCness because I'm a noob.

This anthology features NonGOMs. For the GOMxFem!Kuroko edition, please visit [Kuroko My Wife].

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

imKimTheWriter suggested this pairing and 'bad boy meets good girl' theme. I don't know if I can do her idea justice, but errmm… We'll see how this goes.

HanaKuro: Arbitrary Split Boat – Part 1

Kuroko Tetsuna

Each side of the dining table was occupied by an equal number of men and women, each laughing and giggling where appropriate, behaving in such ways as to demonstrate playful sexual attraction. The atmosphere was lovely and the food had merit. Yet, Kuroko Tetsuna hid her indifference behind a pleasant smile as she spun the glass straw in her overpriced vanilla milkshake, wishing she was anywhere else but the gōkon. In fact, if her colleagues hadn't dismissed her refusal and essentially abducted her as soon as they realised they were one female short, the humanities teacher would've been having a peaceful Friday night going through exam scripts at home.

"You look absolutely exhilarated."

Kuroko looked up from her milkshake at the quip, immediately realising that the man who had previously sat near the top end of the table now sat in front of her, at the bottom end.

The man flashed a roguish smile, his dun-coloured eyes hinting a playful mischievousness that was further emphasised by a pair of incredibly distracting eyebrows. Notably thick near the glabella and thinning towards his temples, the appearance was hardly fashionable. Still, Kuroko doubted any other look would've added to his appeal.

"Thank you," Kuroko responded with equal mock cordiality.

"Hmm…" He leant in closer, a wide, arrogant smile plastered across his face. "No witty riposte? I was so sure that you - out of all the women here – would be interesting." Kuroko turned to the rest of the table, all of them too engaged with their own conversations to notice the slight.

"Happy to disappoint you," Kuroko steadied her gaze. There was something wicked about the man before her.

"Please be," he gave Kuroko another rakish grin. "It's always a pleasure to witness joy before it's plucked from right under someone's nose."

"Are you always this delightful?" Kuroko asked; the accusation subtly blatant.

"No, of course not. I'm on my best behaviour tonight – in honour of our first meeting." He offered his right hand. "Hanamiya Makoto – barrister."

Kuroko hesitated, but Hanamiya kept his hand in place, taunting her with the incessant smirk on his face.

"Kuroko Tetsuna – teacher." Kuroko reluctantly and cautiously shook Hanamiya's hand.

"Speciality?" Hanamiya's thumb brushed the skin of Kuroko's hand before releasing it.

"History," Kuroko went on. "Speciality?"

"Criminal defence," Hanamiya smiled.

"That explains the oiliness," Kuroko stated.

"Really now… Exactly what part of me is 'unpleasantly smooth and ingratiating'?" Kuroko's baby-blues couldn't help but stare at Hanamiya's cocked eyebrow.

"It might be quicker to list the parts of you that aren't." Kuroko rarely felt so strongly about anything in general, but Hanamiya Makoto was quickly getting on her nerves.

"Ouch," Hanamiya chuckled. "Does a teacher's degree come with a diploma in harsh?"

"Does a lawyer's degree come with a licence to be obnoxious?" Kuroko retorted, finally making it clear what she thought of him.

Kuroko took in a deep breath, upset that she had let Hanamiya get the best of her. It was her career to interact with all kinds of people on the personality spectrum. But, even her most problematic student seemed delightful compared to Hanamiya Makoto. Wanting to leave before she got dragged further into his pace, Kuroko placed some cash under her glass, said her goodbyes, bowed, and then departed the restaurant with an efficiency that left half of the table impressed, and half of it amazed that she was ever there to begin with.

Hanamiya Makoto

Being the one to have organised the event, Hanamiya Makoto had prepared himself for yet another evening where he and his colleagues would market themselves to a flock of excessively communicative women. It was all a game to him. What better way to cure his boredom than to flirt and tease; to give a woman the sweet illusion of romance before shattering it completely? Be it a lady or a minx, once broken it would just be garbage.

Yet, Hanamiya could tell that the woman at the end of the table was more than just a lady. The last-minute replacement for someone whose name he hadn't even bothered to remember was the best kind of lady – the proper kind. Her posture was perfect, her eyes attentive, and her light blue hair was in a bun so tight it would've made any librarian proud. Hanamiya wondered if he would ever see it down someday. He was sure the sight would be nothing to scoff at.

However, the mysterious woman was so impeccably textbook that she conformed to the established standards of boring. It made her blend into the background amid the more assertive, self-assured demeanour of her peers. She was the most unobtrusive woman he had ever met, even though her inconspicuousness in itself should've garnered attention.

Despite that, after their little tête-à-tête, Hanamiya quickly understood that Kuroko Tetsuna was more than just proper. She was resilient and dignified.

She was a challenge.

One he just couldn't resist.

Hanamiya got up and went after Kuroko, catching up to her a small distance away from the restaurant.

"Hey." Hanamiya spoke as he walked next to her. "You left before I could get your number."

"You're assuming that I would have given it to you even if I hadn't left before I did." Kuroko looked straight ahead as she walked towards the nearest train station, refusing to give Hanamiya and his self-important gait any attention.

Hanamiya half-supressed a laugh, "I didn't think you'd be the type to play hard-to-get."

"You're right."

"Am I? Your actions suggest otherwise." Hanamiya moved in closer, making Kuroko quicken her pace. She was guarding her personal space. It made him all the more eager to enter it. "No matter," He smirked. "After all, the chase is the best part about romance."

"What made you believe such antiquated nonsense?" There was a tightness on her pretty face.

"Experience."

"I see."

"Why don't you get some?" Hanamiya suggested.

"With you?" Kuroko was becoming visibly annoyed.

"You'd be surprised how entertaining the struggle for control in a game of hard-to-get can be," Hanamiya maintained.

"And you'd be shocked that some people don't play hard-to-get, but their 'stalker with a crush' assumes that they are, resulting in a slap to the face for maximum hilarity," Kuroko warned.

"Then how about we reverse it? After all, all girls want bad boys."

Kuroko wrinkled her nose.

"Haha…" He couldn't help but feel triumphant. "You're not used to not being an emotionless automaton aren't you? I get this feeling that you stun yourself every time you realise that you're capable of feeling just as much as the rest of us."

"Are your feelings always correct?" Kuroko's lips were pressed into a fine line.

"Wouldn't be good at my job if they weren't," Hanamiya stated.

"Huh," Kuroko began. "I would've credited it to Schadenfreude."

"Well, that's how the media portrays us," Hanamiya mused, impressed at her near-perfect assessment. "But, in reality, advocates like me simply act and argue on behalf of our clients. Amorality is a far cry from immorality Miss Kuroko. My field, in particular, is often occupied by compassionate professionals who sincerely believe that even the lowest members of society deserve a fair trial, regardless of culpability."

Kuroko slowed down, her body language hinting at her inner conflict from Hanamiya's words.

He broke into a wide grin and suddenly whispered into her ear, "There's no way I'd say that, dumbass."

Kuroko sprung away from Hanamiya, and part of him savoured the fact that he was able to intimidate her. "The clients I have are almost always guilty, and I just love seeing them go free. You're right. Schadenfreude is a great motivator. There's a lot of satisfaction to be had from seeing everyone's reaction when I win. The crushing look on those faces who really believed in the justice system, who honestly thought good would always prevail – there are few things in life I enjoy more than enlightening them to the powers of truth-bending."

Her jaw was clenched. "I supposed that's why you're such a comfortable liar."

"I don't lie about everything," he grinned. "My intentions for one, are genuine."

Kuroko stopped right in front of the train station. "Your intentions are genuine and genuinely misplaced, Mr Hanamiya. I know you're out to break my heart simply for the entertainment value, so if you really think I'd fall for you after all that display of depravity, then you're more deluded than I had imagined."

"Well, perhaps I've just found a worthy opponent to crush at last."

Sorry about the OOCness. I'm struggling to put these two together. This is a first for KMW, but I don't even know if they'll end up together. Babies or no babies? That is the question.