Kuroko was, essentially, a caring person. So, despite his usual attitude towards the boy, when Kise finally worked up the courage to seriously confess…Kuroko wasn't cold about it. He'd agreed to date Kise and, despite everyone's surprise, that was that. They properly went out on dates, sometimes Kise showed up to walk home with him when they didn't have practice, and even though he secretly thought it silly to buy presents for each other just because they'd been going out for a month, Kuroko even reciprocated Kise's bouquet with some wristbands he'd bought on his own. The blond received them happily.

Well, besides the fact that now, when Kise offered his hand, Kuroko didn't hesitate to accept, their interactions didn't change essentially. Kagami remarked on it once in the locker rooms, after Kuroko had chased out the sulking blond before their coach kicked him out so practice could begin.

"But man, it's not like anything's really different, is it?" Lockers slammed shut as one by one the other members of the team finished changing and filed out of the room. Kagami himself was digging through his bag searching for his towel.

Looking up from where he was crouched tying his shoes, Kuroko asked, "And what do you mean by that, Kagami-kun?"

"Well, he's as clingy as ever but you still manage to ignore him most of the time, don't you? Although it makes him cry." A small "aha," escaped as Kagami pulled out his towel.

"Please ignore his crocodile tears."

"You mean they're fake?"

"Rather than fake, I'd say that he doesn't really mean them. No more than before at least."

Kagami hesitantly nodded, scratching his head; from his expression, it was obvious that he didn't understand. "But wait, don't you think he'd cry and cling more now that you're going out?" The thought "You're pretty brave…" went unspoken.

"No, if I thought that it would seriously hurt Kise-kun, I wouldn't do it. I know when Kise-kun is being serious, just like he can tell when I'm joking." Kuroko stood up.

Faced with such a straightforward stare, Kagami had to avert his eyes. "As usual, you say some awkward things," he muttered.

"But, I think I spoil Kise-kun enough?"

"Really?" Kagami recalled earlier that day, when Kise had shown up. He'd immediately thrown himself at Kuroko, shouting something about going home together.

Kuroko had deftly stepped out of his way, before fixing Kise with a cold stare and bluntly told him, "You're being a bother. Go home, or wait for me at Maji Burger." According to Kuroko though, if he didn't go at least that far, there was no way Kise would have left as quickly, and he had retreated, albeit tearfully and not before stealing one last hug.

"Really?" He had to repeat himself.

Kuroko nodded. "Yes. If anyone other than Kise-kun or Momoi-san threw themselves at me like that, they'd instantly get punched," he said, holding up a clenched fist. Seeing Kuroko's eyes even more serious than usual, Kagami felt chills run down his spine. He had no doubts that Kuroko was telling the truth.

"Ahh, speaking of that pink-haired chick, did you tell her? About dating Kise."

Kuroko, who was in the midst of packing his bag, had to pause. Although he had known Momoi would cry, he also knew that she'd probably be more hurt if he didn't tell her and it wouldn't be fair otherwise, so he had texted her the news, and later gone to visit her. "Momoi-san…when I went to see her, said she was grateful.'If it's Kise-kun, at least I know it was hopeless from the start and it's not because there's some girl you like better than me,' she said."

"O-Oh…" Kagami didn't know Momoi well; in fact he'd only seen her outside of games once, so he couldn't say for sure but… "No matter who you're dating now, wouldn't she still be hurt?"

Kuroko's sigh echoed around the locker room. "Isn't that obvious?" After shooting Kagami an exasperated look, he followed up with, "Zero delicacy and unable to sense the mood…this is why the others say that you're no good with girls. Kagami-kun, you probably can't handle children either, can you?"

"The fact that you're speaking so much only to say things like that really pisses me off," Kagami muttered. "And can't you at least keep the last part to yourself?!" He turned to Kuroko but the boy was already walking out the door.

As usual, that Sunday, Kuroko and Kise went out. Meeting in front of the station, after that the two strolled around while deciding what it was, exactly, that they wanted to do.

"By the way, Kise-kun…" Kuroko looked up at the taller boy. Kise was dressed stylishly, in clothes probably left over from his last modeling shoot. The shopping district they were in wasn't really dedicated to fashion, so the already handsome blond seemed to stand out even more.

"What is it, Kurokocchi?" In comparison, Kuroko guessed that he was even less noticeable than he normally was. It didn't matter much to him; Kise had already praised his outfit enough before they had even crossed the street, away from the station. "Kurokocchi! Casual clothes look great on you too! Next time, let's go shopping and buy some more," he'd said.

Kuroko turned to look ahead of them again. "Kise-kun, it seems that lately we've been able to go out every weekend, and you've been able to walk home with me after school too…"

"Of course! How could I pass up a chance to spend time together? We're finally going out!" Kise grinned and engulfed Kuroko in a brief hug, before he was shoved away and they continued walking.

"Is that okay? Don't you have any modeling jobs?" The question was neither hopeful nor accusatory since Kuroko didn't have any particular opinions about Kise's modeling; at most, he wanted to watch him in an actual shoot one day, only because he felt that a working Kise would definitely be cool. Not that he would ever tell the model himself.

Taking Kuroko's arm in his, Kise pulled him aside, into a café. "Don't worry about that," he reassured as Kuroko searched the menu. "I told my manager that I had to study for exams, so he decreased my workload by a lot!"

"Kise-kun…" Kuroko paused and looked back at Kise. "Your exams shouldn't be for another month…?"

"Yeah? The same time as yours, right?" Kise paused, double-checking the dessert that Kuroko pointed to. "That one? Alright!" It had long ago been established that Kise ordering for the both of them would be fastest, since it took at least five minutes for the cashiers to even notice Kuroko in the first place. Turning away with two cakes secured, he continued speaking. "Isn't it great?! Now I can see Kurokocchi as much as I want! And then when it's time for midterms, I have work to keep me busy until you're done studying and we can hang out again!" He grinned.

Kuroko sighed, seriously questioning his boyfriend's lack of forethought. "We could have just studied together though," he pointed out. This time, his expression was most definitely annoyed.

"No way! Impossible!" Kise shook his head vigorously. In response to the questioning look Kuroko gave him, his smile widened and he threw his arms around the smaller boy. "Because there's no way I'd be able to concentrate when the one I love so much is sitting right next to me!"

When Kuroko made no move to push him away, Kise wondered if he'd actually let him get away with it. That was before he doubled up, clutching his stomach. Kuroko stepped back, hand still clenched. "Kise-kun…it won't be my fault if you fail your tests."

"D-Don't worry!"Kise coughed. "If that happens, I can just have Kurokocchi tutor me for the make-ups…"

"I refuse."

"So cruel!"

It wasn't unusual for them to end up having dinner together; when Kuroko went out with Kise, time seemed to magically speed up and before he knew it, it was dark and one of them was inviting the other over to eat. Today it was at Kise's place.

But first, shopping for ingredients.

It seemed the supermarket was having a sale; one of the workers stood in the doorway, handing out flyers with coupons attached. She handed two to Kise with a shy smile. Kise glanced at the coupons, noting that there was one for cake. "Kurokocchi, should we buy a cake for dessert? …Kurokocchi?"

He seemed to be staring at the flyers in Kise's hands. "What are those?"

"Eh? What…they're flyers. With coupons. See?" Kise handed one over for him to look at.

Kuroko looked up at Kise, eyes slightly wider than usual. "Handing out paper like this…is it some kind of special event?"

"Huh? No…? They usually hand out stuff like this whenever they're having a sale." He gave a vague answer, at the same time wondering if that was really what Kuroko meant since stores handing out flyers wasn't really rare. "Wait, don't tell me…you've never gotten something like this?!"

"When shopping, I'm not even greeted, much less given a flyer like this," Kuroko told Kise.

Seeing Kuroko holding the flyer and still looking at it in slight wonder, Kise had to turn away. "Too…"

"Kise-kun?"

Never one to hide his feelings, even in the middle of the market, Kise launched himself at Kuroko. "Too cute! What is this?! Kurokocchi is so cute! I also love this clueless side of you!" Kise twirled the smaller boy around until they ended up face to face with a green apron.

"I'm very sorry but…" The store's manager shot them a glare. The two boys smiled sheepishly.

After being lectured by the manager, Kuroko and Kise walked calmly through the store, picking out the ingredients for dinner. Or, Kise picked out the ingredients. "Kurokocchi…are you still mad? Come on, I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

"Did you?"

"Kurokocchi!" Kise felt like crying, until he noticed the small smile on Kuroko's face. The blond pouted. "Geez, Kurokocchi! Don't tease me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You were! Don't pretend to be mad at me."

"Who said I wasn't mad?"

Kise winced. "Then, don't pretend to ignore me."

"I'm sorry. I was kidding." Kuroko sped up his pace so he was walking slightly ahead of the other, not sure if he wanted his expression to be seen.

"So you were teasing me…" Kise sagged. Although Kuroko had walked ahead of him, it only took a few longer strides of his to catch up. When he did, he bent down, trying to meet Kuroko's eyes. Before he could though, Kuroko's expression stopped him.

The boy flashed Kise a small grin, and asked, "What would you do if I said it was because of my sadistic side?" Although his lips only held the smallest upwards tilt, the mischievous glint in his eyes spoke volumes.

"Wha-?"

Right away, Kuroko went back to his usual deadpan look. "Sorry. That was another joke." When he didn't get an answer, Kuroko stopped and looked back. "Kise-kun?"

It seemed he had stopped walking. Wide eyes met impassive ones and, as Kise registered the fact that Kuroko was teasing him again, the blush already gracing his cheeks intensified. "Kurokocchi!" Pouting, he chased after Kuroko again until he'd caught up. "Please don't tease me like that!"

That was bad…Kise had never considered himself a masochist but if Kuroko was going to be like that…

No, no, no! Kise shook his head, trying to chase that thought away. It was just that he was unused to such a strong expression, and on top of that a teasing one too, from Kuroko. That was why his heart happened to beat faster. Just that.

Not that Kuroko's expressionless face wasn't appealing either! The mystery that came with not knowing what he was thinking only added to the boy's charm in Kise's opinion. Although, he found that lately, without trying very hard, he could read Kuroko pretty well, to the point that by the time they'd talked for a bit, Kise could usually roughly tell how the other was feeling. Once, when he'd shown up during practice, the first years from Seirin had even praised him for it.

The thought that it might be because Kuroko was letting himself relax around Kise more was a small, smug secret he kept to himself.

First vehemently shaking his head, then firmly nodding to himself, or looking all fired up before smirking, Kuroko watched in amusement as the different expressions silently played across Kise's face. Ignoring the stares of the housewives around them, he led the way through the store as the blond trailed absentmindedly behind, looking stupidly pleased. Continuing to pile groceries into the basket Kise was holding, Kuroko finally decided that it was time to speak up.

"Kise-kun, I think this should be everything we need…"

"…eh, huh? Yes!" It took a while for him to respond but eventually Kise snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the overflowing basket. "Then, since we have everything for dinner, why don't we also get something for dessert? There's a coupon for cake here." He waved the flyers in his hand.

"Is that so? Then, let's go pick one out…"

"Ah wait, Kurokocchi." Kise, who had been looking over the basket again, looked up. "I already have mirin at home. It should be enough so we don't need to buy anymore," he said, holding up the bottle Kuroko had picked out.

"Alright. Kise-kun, you can go get a cake while I put this back," Kuroko replied. Kise grinned and headed off towards the desserts.

After returning the item, Kuroko found Kise standing in front of the cake display, looking troubled. He wanted to call out something like, "You still haven't picked one?" but when he heard the blond muttering, Kuroko stopped to listen. With his presence as weak as ever, Kise failed to notice Kuroko at all and went on talking to himself.

"Hmm~ What kind of cake should we get? For Kurokocchi, it's got to be vanilla after all, right? But we already had vanilla dessert today…but I don't think he'd get tired of it? Would he? He wouldn't, right? Should I get this one? Does Kurokocchi like strawberries? If that's the case then maybe this one…ahh, what is this?! Why do there have to be so many?! What should I do…?"

Kuroko had to cover his mouth to suppress a laugh. The boy stood, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, as the oblivious Kise continued to frown at the variety of cakes just a few meters away. It was just so…cute.

Abruptly, Kuroko stopped laughing and straightened up.

Cute? Yeah, Kise was cute. It wasn't as if his enthusiasm for basketball was the only thing he had going for him in Kuroko's mind. The way he pouted when Kuroko ignored his attempts at conversation in favor of a book was kind of endearing, as well as irritating. He took his work as a model seriously, and the way he gave his all when pursuing something, was something he felt they had in common.

But most of all, as expected, Kise was a very kind person.

Taking one last look at the boy still trying to decide on a dessert, Kuroko turned and walked away. "I'll buy something for him," he decided. The thought, "I could just hug him…" briefly ran through Kuroko's mind but he ignored it. Kuroko had held back before; he would continue to do so now.

Besides, if he gave in even once, Kise might be influenced, and then would never understand that attacking Kuroko in public would generally be frowned upon (for various reasons).

Also, no matter how many things he could say about light and shadows, talent and effort, partners and friends, basketball was basketball. Romance was another thing entirely, something Kuroko sometimes regretted.

Kise wasn't getting a hug. Instead, he'd receive…what would he receive? The supermarket didn't carry much in the way of gift-giving for couples. But it wasn't as if he could leisurely leave to look somewhere else and expect Kise not to panic.

"Maybe I should wait 'til later." That would be the sensible thing to do. It would cause the least trouble for everyone involved and surely the collected and cool-headed Kuroko would be expected to take that route? However… "Whims should be indulged on the spot."

He continued away from Kise, trying to think of something. It wasn't that he didn't know what the blond liked; as a model, magazines also featured interviews with him, overflowing with that type of information. And in some of their leisurely conversations, this topic also came up, although as boys they didn't go out of their way to talk about it.

"Ah, if I remember, Kise-kun liked the dessert from that one place we went last week…I think it was popular, so maybe they'll have some here. Hopefully…"

Luckily, the shop he was thinking of was even more popular than he'd thought; there was a whole other display dedicated solely to their dessert. Searching for the one Kise had liked so much turned out to be harder than expected though. The sale the supermarket was holding had lasted all day and in that time it appeared that a lot of people had ransacked the display, taking advantage in order to buy as many of the famous desserts as possible.

The few desserts that were left were the inevitably unpopular, shaken up, or just plain crushed boxes. Among those were a few of the shortcakes Kuroko was looking for.

Pondering the decision of which box to take, this time it was the smaller boy who worried over it. "I need to make sure I get the nicest one. Um, which one looks the best?" Finally, he picked one out. The box was a bit smashed around the edges, but the cake itself was still intact; the fruit balanced on top was still in its place and whole thing still stood straight, position undisturbed by the chaos that must have gone on around it. Kuroko nodded to himself. "This is the one."

"Kurokocchi~" It was at that moment that Kise emerged from the aisle, having finally found a cake that satisfied his standards. Or rather, what he thought were Kuroko's standards. "Hm?" The blond looked around. Kuroko was nowhere in sight. "That's weird…"

He'd thought he'd seen movement out of the corner of his eye, but the only thing in that direction was another dessert stand.

For better or for worse, Kuroko knew that, on the whole, he was perfectly invisible so he had no idea why he still found himself ducking down behind the cake display. He only knew that Kise couldn't see him with the impromptu present yet unpaid for.

Although they were pretty equal when it came to paying for their own things or treating each other, tonight Kise was buying the groceries. If Kise caught him with the cake right now, what would he do if the blond tried to pay for it?! Where would the present be in that?

Kuroko's previous thought and effort would be wasted.

Thus, "In order for this to not become a failure…" Kuroko narrowed his eyes. Although his face remained expressionless on the whole, his gaze held a telltale glint of determination. "Must slip past him."

"It shouldn't take this long to just replace the one thing, right…? Where could he have gone?" Kise frowned. "Getting lost…shouldn't be possible. Likewise, I can't quite picture anyone being able to kidnap Kurokocchi." Surprisingly, without immediately jumping to a ridiculous conclusion, Kise continued to look around for the smaller boy.

Spinning slowly on the spot, he tried to decide whether to wait where he was or go looking for the missing Kuroko.

"Now would be a really good time for him to make another magical appearance…"

Kuroko's head slowly peeked out from his hiding place, only to be withdrawn again when Kise looked in his direction. Again.

O…kay.

He could do this.

Directly applying his misdirection, Kuroko stood up. Keeping his pace steady and gaze straight ahead, he walked right past Kise. No reaction. With this, he should be able to make it to the registers.

Kise sighed. It didn't seem like Kuroko would be appearing any time soon, magically or not. Figuring that he was probably just waiting for Kise near the registers, he decided to just head in that direction.

Really, it wasn't the first time the boy had disappeared on a date, but usually he reappeared too quickly for Kise to start panicking. The only reason he wasn't right now was that the blond still half expected to call Kuroko's name and have the boy himself casually answer from where he was walking by his side.

Heading in the direction of the registers, Kise once again called out, "Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko nearly dropped his cake. Hearing his name called out again so suddenly, he turned back to look, only to see Kise ambling along a few meters behind him.

For a moment Kuroko thought he'd been noticed, but when Kise hung his head and sighed, it seemed like that wasn't the case. But if it wasn't like that, then why was he following him?! He'd assumed that he could quickly buy Kise his dessert and hurry back over to where they'd been before but when he thought about it, Kuroko had to admit, "It's not like Kise-kun would just obediently wait there, especially if he's wondering where I am." Kuroko frowned and sped up his pace.

It had been nearly fifteen minutes since the two boys had separated. The blond felt that he was probably allowed to start worrying by now. Unless he had ditched him, Kise was sure Kuroko wouldn't have been away for so long; his manners wouldn't allow it. Even if he was waiting somewhere, Kuroko would have at least sent a message if Kise didn't show up within five minutes.

With those thoughts revolving in his mind, Kise once again felt a small doubt try to wriggle its way into his mind. However, he refused to even give it a thought.

"There's no way Kurokocchi would purposely abandon me," he reassured himself, with all the self-confidence he'd gathered to face the cameras as a model.

…right?

The goal was finally in sight; at least three registers, all blessedly empty, were open and Kuroko was ready to breeze through one of them before turning right back around and meeting up with Kise.

By now, the blond was probably in a panic, tearing up and worrying about whether Kuroko had been kidnapped, or got hurt, or had gotten caught up in some kind of incident…that is what he'd usually assume but looking back at Kise walking behind him, "He really looks calm." The words slipped out quietly before Kuroko realized it.

"Although," When imagining the alternative, Kuroko sighed. "I suppose it's preferable." Although saying that didn't really do much to chase away the small disappointment that had blossomed.

Quickly wanting to reunite with Kise, Kuroko hurried into line. Twice, he had to clear his throat to keep some other shoppers who had come up behind him from plowing right past him. The cashier took three minutes to respond to his polite, "Excuse me's," and scanning the cake and getting the price took surprisingly long.

This, Kuroko thought, was probably punishment for playing around in the store earlier. Although they had already been reprimanded, it seemed like the manager's resentment still followed him. The wrath of a semi-boss sure was amazing.

Finally, he was able to return to his boyfriend.

Kise was alone. He had already known that the chances of finding Kuroko so conveniently were small, but he still couldn't help feeling frustrated.

"Really, what is Kurokocchi doing?!" Honestly, he felt like throwing a tantrum but he wanted to hear Kuroko's explanation first; also, he didn't want to catch the attention of that one employee again.

There was some sort of commotion going on at one of the registers, but Kise paid it no mind as he lingered, hoping that some new option would present itself to him. Just when he was about to give up and head back to look through the rest of the store, the voice he'd been waiting for rang out.

"Kise-kun."

"Waah!" Kise stumbled back, nearly falling. No matter how much he told himself in the back of his mind to be prepared for something like this, he never quite failed to forget. "Kurokocchi! Where did you go?!"

Kuroko's gaze alone carried quite the apology, and the blond would've forgiven him right then and there, even if Kuroko hadn't spoken up. "I apologize. I wanted to return quickly to Kise-kun, but first-"

Before he could get another word out, the small boy was, once again, tackled. Staggering under Kise's weight, Kuroko felt himself slowly sinking to the ground; as it was, he already couldn't breathe with Kise's arms wrapped around him, pressing his face against his chest.

"Kurokocchi~! It's fine! It's totally fine! I'll forgive you, so please don't say that. Actually, please say that again: "I wanted to return to Kise-kun," please say that!"

"Kise-kun, I-"

"Ahem." Once again, Kuroko was interrupted. This time though, it was a voice from above them. Those black shoes sure looked familiar… "I'm extremely sorry, sirs, but...!" It was the manager once again, looking down at them.

They were kicked out.

A considerable amount of time had already passed since they entered the store; walking toward Kise's home, the streets that had been dyed the color of the setting sun were filling up with shadows instead. Nearing Kise's apartment, the pair were the only ones walking.

Kise grinned. "At least they let us buy the groceries, right?" He shifted the bags he was carrying to his other hand. Among them was the cake that Kuroko had purchased for him; as expected, he had received it ecstatically. Kuroko even had to remind Kise that they still needed to get home before the blond unwrapped himself from his body.

Kuroko nodded, carrying his own share of the bags. Luckily he wasn't mad, since he was responsible for the hugging as well. "It's too bad they didn't let us use the coupons though."

"Well, that's only to be expected…" Kise trailed off. He really didn't mind that much, since he could easily afford their purchases either way. His income as a model wasn't nothing after all.

Although Kise was in good spirits, next to him, Kuroko was still feeling anxious. Kise had already said he forgave him, and hadn't even seemed to mind his disappearance much in the first place, but Kuroko still couldn't be satisfied until he'd given a proper apology.

Once again, he spoke up to say, "Kise-kun. For troubling you today, I'm sorry…"

"No! I already told you it's okay, right? Besides, Kurokocchi, it should be "sorry for making me worry," instead of "troubling me," right?" Kise grinned.

"Kise-kun, please let others finish talking before speaking up." Kuroko was getting fed up with the way people kept interrupting him.

The boy stiffened a bit. "Sorry! Don't get angry?"

"I'm not." Kuroko's tone was curt but Kise could tell that he was teasing this time. "Still, I'm sorry for worrying you then."

"Yup!" Kise nodded, happy with that. "I've already said it's fine, but please don't do such a thing again. I was really worried that something had happened to Kurokocchi!"

"Really?" Despite his neutral expression, Kise still heard the surprise coloring Kuroko's tone. "Oh," he lowered his voice. "Even though you didn't look flustered at all…"

"Eh? What was that?" Kise bent down, intending to search those blue eyes for what the boy had meant.

He straightened up immediately when Kuroko turned to directly meet his gaze. "Really, Kise-kun. Even if it's unreasonable, please clearly display your emotions sometimes, and show that you're worrying about me a bit more." Kuroko's eyes held, at the same time, fond exasperation and slight bashfulness. It was basically the look of someone who, while not a selfish person, still wanted to be spoiled a bit.

Kise could almost feel his heart constricting. "Kurokocchi, you know…" The distance between them seemed to shrink as Kuroko looked up curiously at Kise. The blond smirked and really did move forward. "Saying such cute things like wanting me to openly show how I feel, makes me rethink my decision to restrain myself."

"Kise-kun…" When had they gotten so close together? More like, when had Kuroko backed up so much? Trapped between Kise and the edge of the sidewalk, he couldn't move like this.

"Even if I was holding back until now…should I just pounce on you?"

"You…!" Kuroko was tempted to remind the boy that they were in public, but hesitated, wondering how much he'd regret it later. He was a boy too after all.

At that moment, "Juuusst…kidding!" Kise revealed a sunny smile and stepped back into his own space. Laughing merrily, Kise said, "Sorry, Kurokocchi. Did I surprise you? Eh, wait! Where are you going?!"

Kuroko was already two meters ahead, walking quickly.

"Kurokocchi!" Kise was stuck chasing after the smaller boy. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to try teasing you!"

He didn't stop, but Kuroko at least lessened his pace and once again the two were left walking comfortably next to each other. Kuroko accepted Kise's hand when he reached out to entangle their fingers. "So," he spoke up, "You weren't serious."

Kise was confused. Kuroko's expression and what he'd just said didn't help. "Eh? Wait…eh? Could it be, Kurokocchi you…?"

"I'll be sure not to take Kise-kun seriously from now on," was the only reply he got. On his usually expressionless face, Kuroko held a small smile, but Kise was left feeling as if he'd just been given the worst punishment.

"No, wait, Kurokocchi?! By that you mean…"

They were nearing Kise's apartment. Kuroko was still smiling.

He (probably) wasn't serious. It was just teasing again. He was the sadistic one in this relationship after all.