Happy Birthday, Kuroko (KnB Oneshot)

Happy Birthday

(Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters used in this story!

This is set after the Winter Cup.

There may be some grammar mistakes and such. Sorry for it being so short, but hope you enjoy it nonetheless.)

Blue orbs glared at the illuminated screen, while pale fingers swept over the keyboard several times; almost as if they were brushing something off of it. The owner of the fingers was Tetsuya Kuroko, a passing specialist. He was feeling far more troubled than he ever thought was possible, and he didn't know why. Maybe it was the fact that it was his birthday today, and Akashi had yet to contact him. Even a simple text message, wishing him a happy birthday, would be enough to satisfy that empty hole.

Usually, the redhead did send him a happy birthday text message, and on rare occasions, so did the other miracles. But, this year, he didn't get any, and it was nearing the end of the day. His eyes hastily darted to the clock in the corner of his screen, and a frown decorated his features.

Not even Kise had contacted him, and that was definitely a first. Maybe they forgot? The phantom wouldn't exactly be surprised, if he were to be honest. The miracles were known for forgetting many things, but still..this was Seijuro Akashi he was thinking about. The teen never forgot anything, no matter how trivial it seemed to him.

Even if he was back to his old self, from middle school, he would never be this cruel. Rolling onto his side, Kuroko heaved a small sigh at the creaking springs, finding them to be more annoying than ever. Was he really getting irritated over something like this? Kagami wished him a happy birthday, and so did the rest of his teammates – yet, it didn't feel the same. It didn't feel the same, because his ex-teammates hadn't said a word to him all week. After the Winter Cup, and after they silently settled things; calling it a truce just until the next game, he thought that one of them would at least speak to him afterwards.

But no, it seemed that he was wrong.

Just as the teen was about to close his eyes, and hope that maybe tomorrow would be a better day, his phone went off. Hope rose inside of his chest, and Kuroko quickly reached for his phone before flipping it open and pressed the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"

There wasn't a single word for a whole minute, but it seemed like hours. Finally, he heard some deep breathing, which alarmed him quite a bit. The tealnet truly felt like an idiot for not checking the caller ID first, before answering. It was probably because of the spur of the moment.

"Kuroko."

He felt relieved for a moment after hearing his ex-captain's voice. There was always something incredibly soothing about Akashi's voice, despite the fact that he was a rather dangerous person. "Akashi-kun?"

"Kuroko, meet me outside. I've something to show you." The teal-haired phantom didn't have a chance to reply or ask what was even happening, due to the phone call being cut off.

Despite that fact, Kuroko didn't waste a single second as he hurriedly flew up from the bed and pulled a jacket and a scarf on, before heading outside of the door once he had gotten his outdoor shoes on. When the teen reached the cold, crisp air, he shivered a bit; wondering if he should have gotten a bigger coat on.

Those thoughts were blocked out when he saw a mop of red hair. Standing just on the sidewalk in front of his apartment, was Akashi. His eyes were different from the Winter Cup and middle school. They weren't as stern and cold; there was softness in them, and they were the same soft red that he had fallen in love with in middle school.

"Akashi-kun, what is going on?" Kuroko finally asked, carefully walking down the stairs, doing his best to avoid the icy patches on the cement. Once he successfully arrived to the bottom of the stairs, the teen was face-to-face with his old captain, peering into his eyes.

Wordlessly, the basketball player watched as the redhead pulled out a bouquet of flowers. A small smile was on his lips, while a glint of amusement twinkled in his ruby hues, "it should be very obvious, Kuroko. I've come to pick you up for your birthday dinner."

If Kuroko was one to express emotions, than he would have been blushing like mad. In fact, he was squealing on the inside, as if that wasn't embarrassing enough. Then again, Kuroko was sure that anyone would do the same in his position. But, what made him the happiest, was the fact that Akashi actually remembered, and decided to do this for him.

As if reading his mind, a soft chuckle escaped the point guard took a step closer to the shorter male. "Did you really think that I, Seijuro Akashi, would possibly forget something as important as this, Kuroko?"

Akashi had a point, and Kuroko should be one of the few people who knew it all too well. Of course he shouldn't have doubted Akashi for one second. He would never forget his birthday, no matter what was on his mind, the redhead would always remember.

"Of course not." The teen's voice was softer than usual, hinting that he was feeling highly embarrassed. However, just before he could look anywhere but at Akashi, he felt warm hands rest on his frail hips, and was pulled into the other's chest.

The passing specialist looked up at his old captain, knowing that his face was more than likely pink. Kuroko always had trouble keeping up with his masks when he was around Akashi, and the point card knew it too.

A shiver ran up his spine when he felt Akashi's lips hover close to his ear, his arms snaking around the teen's hips, "happy birthday, Kuroko."

Indeed, he was having the best birthday.