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Kise had had way too much to drink.
While it was technically his first college party, it was far from his first party with alcohol, so he didn’t really have an excuse. Except that this was his first time drinking with the Generation of Miracles. Akashi had gotten it into his head that they should make another pact, reminiscent of their promise at middle school graduation, only this time as high school graduates on the eve of their departures for their respective universities. Akashi would be satisfied with nothing less than a collegiate level bloodbath that would make bygone Interhighs and Winter Cups look like child’s play. That should be ample excuse for ditching his sobriety for a night, Kise thought to himself.
The couch was occupied on two ends by Aomine and Kuroko. On the right arm of the couch, Aomine looked to be trying to argue with Kagami and Midorima at the same time while Kagami carried on a completely separate argument with Midorima and Takao made placating hand motions between all three of them. On the left arm of the couch, Kuroko half-dozed, absently petting Nigou on his lap and half-watching some idol quiz show that was currently on TV.
Kise made his way over and collapsed in the middle of the couch. Nigou yapped at him. Kise grinned, holding his cup out of reach from Nigou’s inquisitive snout.
"Good evening, Kise-kun," a sleepy Kuroko said, as though greeting him at the door.
Kise laughed. Kuroko was so cute. He reached over to scratch behind Nigou’s ears. Nigou happily wriggled over into Kise’s lap instead. Kise blinked down at the dog, perplexed. Kuroko took the mostly empty cup from Kise’s limp fingers and deposited it on the coffee table.
"Oh…thanks."
"Mhm."
Nigou soon grew bored when Kise failed to be attentive and jumped down from the couch to go seek attention elsewhere. Kise meanwhile was preoccupied with sneaking glances at Kuroko, as though getting ready to say something.
"Kurokocchi," he finally spoke up.
"Hm?"
"Should I cut my hair?"
Kuroko blinked up at him slowly. “Is it too long?”
"Just the back. It-it sticks to my neck sometimes. I wanna get it shorter…like yours." Kise impulsively slipped his hand around the back of Kuroko’s neck, fingering at the ends of short, pale strands.
"Like mine?" Kuroko repeated uncomprehendingly.
Kise stroked down the back of Kuroko’s neck, fingers smoothing over the first bump of his spine. “It feels nicer this way,” he mumbled. Wow, it was hot in the living room. Kise could feel sweat gathering on his back. He wondered if Akashi would get mad at him if he asked him to turn down the heat a little.
"You can if you want to," Kuroko was saying.
"Really?" Kise said, a little thickly. He cleared his throat. "You think it will look good?"
"Any haircut would look good on you, Kise-kun. It’s because your face…" Kuroko trailed off.
Kise’s hand was still curved around the back of Kuroko’s neck. He pulled him closer till their noses bumped. “What about my face?” he breathed.
Kuroko was looking alternately droopy-eyed and wide-eyed and altogether flustered. He was so, so cute. Kise’s palms were sweating now, too. He reached out with his other hand, tangled his fingers with Kuroko’s.
"Kise-kun…" Kuroko’s breath fanned, tremulous and barely there, against Kise’s lips. Kise’s limbs turned to water. He hugged Kuroko to him as he sank down into the cushions. He nosed against the soft tufts of hair above Kuroko’s ears.
"Kurokocchi, does that mean you like my face, then?" Kise whispered.
"No, I hate it. Your face is unfair." Kise couldn’t help giggling at that. He’d never heard Kuroko sound so petulant before. Kuroko shoved his free hand into Kise’s face, and Kise laughed more, his lips tickling Kuroko’s palm until Kuroko was biting back a smile.
"I like your face," Kise confessed, breathless. One hand was still stroking the back of Kuroko’s neck, but Kise untangled his other hand, lifting it so that his knuckles grazed Kuroko’s cheek. "I like it so much. When I close my eyes, I can still see it."
"That’s called an afterimage," Kuroko stated, sounding positively grumpy, which only made Kise giggle more. "It means you’ve been staring too long."
"It’s okay. I don’t mind, because it’s Kurokocchi."
Color blossomed in Kuroko’s cheeks at those words. Kise made a little noise in wonder as he leaned forward and tentatively kissed Kuroko’s blush, first one cheek, then the other. Kuroko gasped in surprise but rather than pulling away, he burrowed his burning face between Kise’s shoulder and neck. Lightheaded with euphoria, Kise lifted him, tried to kiss him, misjudged the distance, missed, and landed a couple wild kisses along his jaw instead. Kise propped Kuroko’s head up against the arm of the couch, crawling up so he could reach Kuroko’s lips.
"Oi!"
Kise felt himself being jerked back roughly by the collar. It was Aomine.
"What the hell are you doing, Kise?" Aomine demanded, one fist still bunched up in the collar of Kise’s shirt.
Dazed, Kise attempted to reply, “We’re…we were just talking…”
"Sure as hell didn’t look like talking to me. Tetsu, you okay?"
"I’m fine," Kuroko said. He sounded very irate and looked utterly baffled to boot.
"You," said Aomine, releasing Kise but not before dragging him to his feet, "have had way too much to drink tonight. Come on, let’s go get you some water."
"Speak for yourself," Kise whined. But he did not protest as he followed Aomine into the kitchen.
When they returned to the living room, Kuroko had fallen fast asleep leaning against Kagami, and on Kagami’s other side sat Himuro. There was no more room on the couch, a disgruntled Kise noted. Undeterred, he plopped down by Kuroko’s feet instead and was out like a light before he knew it.
He came to with Nigou alternately licking and barking down his ear. The clock read 2:45 AM. Kise could feel the beginnings of what would doubtless be a horrendous headache in the morning. Kagami volunteered to drive a still sleeping Kuroko home while Momoi and Aomine said they would accompany Kise to get a taxi.
"We really were talking," Kise mumbled as Momoi and Aomine walked alongside him down the street. "You can ask Kurokocchi when he wakes up."
Aomine thumped him on the back, and Momoi patted his arm. “You were really drunk,” Aomine said stolidly. “You’re my friends. I was lookin’ out for you two.”
"Better safe than sorry," Momoi agreed.
"I guess so." Frustration, not at Kuroko or Aomine but at himself, made Kise’s eyes and nose burn with unshed tears. "Thanks, Aominecchi."
Kise ended up tossing and turning for most of the night. The sun began to rise around 6 AM and, unable to wait another minute, Kise dialed Kuroko. He waited, breath bated, phone pressed too hard against his ear, heart pounding like it wanted to escape.
"Kise-kun?" Kuroko’s voice on the other end sounded scratchy. He sounded so close, like he was waking up next to Kise. Kise’s heart stopped, wobbled in his throat. "Kise-kun, it’s so early, and on a Sunday, too."
"Kurokocchi…" Kise wanted to blurt it out. The words burned as he breathed.
"Can it wait?" Kuroko asked gently.
"I…" Kise swallowed once, twice. He exhaled in frustration, running his hand too rough too fast through his hair. Why was this so hard. Why was it never the right time.
"I’ll still be here in the morning," Kuroko was saying, soothingly. "So get your beauty sleep, okay? Kise-kun?"
“‘kay…” Kise gritted out. The lump was back in his throat and the tears were back in his eyes. He hung up before he could sound like an even bigger disaster. The call ended box shone tauntingly on his phone’s screen — Kuroko’s contact photo, just the top of the back of his head in the frame.
"…an afterimage." Kuroko’s words reverberated alongside the throbbing of an impending headache. Kise squeezed his eyes shut. He recalled Kuroko’s face, eyes glassy with exhaustion, lashes lowering like they were weighed down, lips trembling as Kise drew nearer. Sleep finally reclaimed him amidst visions of kissing a blushing Kuroko on the couch in a too-warm room while the party milled around them.