Have and Hold

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Branch

An arc of dominant!Kuroko and his relationship with Kagami and Aomine. Lots of porn.

Ink Burns

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

This is a work of fanfiction, produced according to the principles of transformative fair use as put forward in US copyright law, and abiding by the custom and practice of fan-produced work in Japan, where the source texts were created. No author is in any way affiliated with any of the creators of the source texts, nor with the companies who distribute their products, nor any other rights holder, and these stories were not authorized by either the creators or the producers. Ink Burns is a fan site and the material here is freely provided for the enjoyment of fellow fan-community members; there is no commercial infringement.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 US license at the Ink Burns fanfiction archive (http://www.branchandroot.net/archive/).

"Bright-line" published on 2012-10-17 12:40:16.

"Reach Out and Touch Yourself" published on 2012-10-24 12:34:59.

"Trust in the Palm of Your Hand" published on 2012-10-31 17:36:56.

"A Good, Free, and Unconstrained Will" published on 2012-11-07 11:52:24.

"Heads or Tails" published on 2014-04-11 10:40:27.

"Ring Led" published on 2014-04-15 17:11:23.

"Sun-warmed" published on 2014-04-25 12:13:47.

"Fitting to the Crime" published on 2014-05-08 10:12:36.

Attributions can be made by author's name and a link to the archive.

This ebook edition was published on September 6, 2019 by the Ink Burns fanfiction archive.

Cover illustration is "Lining Leather" by Hirsch ArmbÃ¤nder GmbH, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LEDER.JPG).

Cover design by Branch.

Bright-line

Aomine always seems to be searching for his boundaries. Kuroko decides it's time to give him one. D/s, Porn with Characterization, I-4

Aomine Daiki dropped a couple cans of soda on the low table and threw himself down on the scruffy couch in the apartment he shared with his dad, sprawling comfortably. He was still grinning. He hadn't stopped grinning since Tetsu, acting as their referee, had declared that his last shot counted and he'd won.

Kagami was getting good enough to push him, one-on-one, and Daiki loved it.

"That," he declared, stretching luxuriously, "was fantastic."

Kagami snorted into his drink. "You would think so, yeah."

"Don't give me that." Daiki prodded Kagami's knee with a foot and laughed when Kagami swatted at him and scooted further around the table. "You wouldn't keep coming up here if you didn't think so too." And, yeah, so Daiki had started it, coming down to Seirin to catch Kagami and Tetsu after practice and goad Kagami into matches. But it hadn't taken more than a month or two before Kagami had gotten Tetsu to lead him to Daiki's door and demanded (yet another) rematch. "Isn't it the best thing ever?" Daiki asked, letting his head fall back against the couch and baring his teeth at the ceiling. "Going all the way to the edge, and then pushing against it? Getting pushed back?"

He could almost hear Kagami rolling his eyes. "You and yourâ€”"

"Taiga."

Daiki blinked and lifted his head. Tetsu had been quiet all the way back here from the court down by the overpass, a thinking kind of quiet. He hadn't joined them yet, either, just leaned against the sliding door out to the tiny balcony and watched them. Now that he'd finally spoken (and since when did he call Kagami by name like that?), there was something serious in his voice. Kagami obviously thought so too; he was looking up at Tetsu, where he stood over them, with a silent question in his raised brows.

Tetsu didn't answer him, though. Just rested his hand on the wild mess of Kagami's hair for a moment as he stepped past him toward Daiki. "What is it?" Daiki asked those steady eyes resting on him.

"That's what's most important to you." It was a statement, not a question. "Having something to push against that can stop you."

Daiki's mouth crooked up at one corner. "Not like that's a secret. It's what you went looking for, wasn't it? When you left."

"One of the things," Tetsu agreed. "To make you see me again. To bring you back. But Kagami-kun has his own reasons for playing you; we're partners, but it isn't right to use his game for my own purposes. I think it's time I was more direct."

Daiki blinked, puzzled. Tetsu couldn't be thinking of playing him one-on-one; Tetsu's game had expanded, yes, he wasn't a pure supporting player any more. But still...

Abruptly, Tetsu was more present, locking Daiki's attention like a magnet. "Tetsu, what...?" he asked, startled. It was always a bit of a shock when Tetsu did that. And then Tetsu leaned over him, sliding a knee onto the couch and resting a hand on the back of it. His other hand caught Daiki's chin firmly, and Daiki couldn't do anything but stare. He knew Tetsu was far more forceful than his polite words and self-effacing habits led people to expect, but this... this was...

This was different.

The part of his mind that wasn't blank with startlement was expecting a kiss, but Tetsu just stayed where he was, leaning over Daiki, holding him, not letting his attention move anywhere else. And, Daiki thought slowly, letting him realize that. "Tetsu," he said again, husky with the sudden curl of heat low in his stomach. "What are you doing?" He slid his hands up to close on Tetsu's hips, not to steady Tetsu but to steady himself.

"Giving you what you want," Tetsu told him quietly, and now he leaned down and kissed Daiki. It was slow and wet and demanding, and Daiki wondered hazily where Tetsu had learned to kiss, because he sure as hell knew what he was doing. When he started to lean up into it, though, Tetsu's hand on his jaw tightened, holding him still. The heat in his groin tightened too, answering that grip. Tetsu finished kissing him, taking his time about it while Daiki sat, stunned.

Tetsu was...

"Be still, Aomine-kun," Tetsu said as he drew back, and his voice was quiet and even and so utterly sure things would be the way he said that Daiki nearly shuddered just to hear it. He let Tetsu lift his chin, fingers tightening on Tetsu's hips as his head was tipped all the way back against the couch cushions and held there.

"Fuck, Tetsu..." he gasped, feeling his spine pull taut with something he didn't have a name for, anticipation or resistance or maybe both.

"Something that will stop you," Tetsu said, soft and musing, not letting him go. "Someone that will stop you." The heat of his mouth on Daiki's bared throat, wet and slow, made Daiki jerk tauter, and oh god he was hard from this, from the things Tetsu was implying. Tetsu sucked sharply, just under the point of Daiki's jaw, and he groaned with the hot almost-pain. There would be a mark there. The realization made him dizzy, or maybe that was just the way he was panting for breath now.

Tetsu lifted his head and relaxed his grip on Daiki's chin, stroking the line of his jaw gently. Daiki just looked up at him, dazed. "When we're together like this," Tetsu said in that low, even, relentless voice, "you will only do what I allow you to do." He touched Daiki's cheek softly. "Yes or no?"

Daiki sat, still caged under the arch of Tetsu's body, head spinning. This was crazy. He was crazy, he didn't even know why this was making him so hot. Except... it was Tetsu, who he had never, ever been able to overwhelm or budge from his position on any subject, in any game. Tetsu always stood firm, always came back, never backed down, was the one thing Daiki could count on without doubts. Tetsu was the one immoveable thing he could lean against.

But... like this?

"I..." He had to clear his throat and try again. "Tetsu, this is... I'm not..."

Tetsu touched a finger to Daiki's lips, eyes steady and calm. "Yes or no? That's the only choice you have."

Daiki swallowed hard at the spike of heat those words put up his spine, but...

Tetsu smiled, small and private, just between them, and closed his hands around Daiki's face, resting their foreheads together. "I'll take care of you, Daiki. You know that."

The heat in him turned molten, spreading until Daiki wondered if he was going to come from that assurance alone. Because he did know it. Tetsu had always taken care of him, held him steady, brought him back.

And, fuck it, he wanted that, not just in the game but here too.

"Yes," he whispered, closing his eyes.

"Good," Tetsu murmured to him, sliding one hand down to his throat, thumb stroking the tender spot where he'd marked Daiki. It made Daiki shiver, hands flexing against Tetsu's hips. Tetsu's hands slid over his shoulders, down his arms, and closed on Daiki's wrists. "Not there," Tetsu murmured, pulling Daiki's hands away and guiding them up and back until they were pressed against the back of the couch, behind Daiki's head. Tetsu smiled down at him, and now there was a glint in his eyes. "Here."

Daiki's breath was coming short again with how it felt to be spread out under Tetsu like this, hands gripping the couch frame behind his head, legs spread. "Okay."

"Don't move until I tell you you may," Tetsu ordered, cool and level, and Daiki nearly moaned. He did moan when Tetsu reached down to unfasten his jeans and tug down his underwear just far enough to free his cock.

Tetsu stayed right where he was, kneeling over Daiki, not touching him anywhere except for his hand wrapped around Daiki's cock and fondling him slowly. Daiki's whole body pulled tighter and tighter, under him, until he was clinging to the frame of the couch, trembling with the need to rock up into Tetsu's hand. Nothing but Tetsu's word held him back, nothing but Tetsu's eyes on him, steady and unmoving, but that was enough. Daiki had said yes, given himself up to the one will that had always stood firmer than his. He did as Tetsu said.

It felt incredible.

Tetsu's fingers were gentle on him, gentle and slow, until Daiki was arched taut under him, gasping helplessly for breath, spread out and begging with every inch of his body. "Tetsu..."

"Good," Tetsu told him, warm and quiet. "That's good, Daiki. Now come for me." His hand wrapped tighter around Daiki's cock, pumping slow and sure, and Daiki made a hoarse sound as pleasure ripped through him, wrung out his whole body wild and hard, blinded him to everything but raw sensation and the sound of Tetsu's voice reassuring him.

As he came back down, slow and dazed, he felt Tetsu's hands sliding over his arms, gently loosening the grip of his hands and guiding them back down, stroking over his neck and shoulders and cradling the back of his head as Tetsu kissed him. Daiki finally pried his eyes back open and looked up at Tetsu, dazed. "Wow."

Tetsu laughed quietly. "You can move, now."

"Oh sure," Daiki murmured, completely wrung out. "Now that I don't think I can any more..."

Tetsu smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "So, was it good?" he asked.

"Yeah." Daiki took a long breath, trying to fit what had just happened into his head in some kind of sensible way. It didn't work very well, but one thing was clear; Tetsu was unreasonably good at finding what Daiki needed. "I... thanks."

There was a definite glint of satisfaction in Tetsu's eyes. "My pleasure." One hand slipped down to knead the nape of Daiki's neck, slow and easy, and he raised his voice a little. "What did you think, Taiga?"

"Jesus."

Daiki froze at the question and the husky reply. He'd forgotten Kagami was there. Tetsu had locked his attention so tight, he'd forgotten. Tetsu's hand tightened on his nape, now, and he murmured, "Only what I allow, remember."

How did that make sense of Kagami still being here?!

Kagami's voice was a little shaky. "You know, you say you're not a sadist, but every now and then I really wonder. I also think you really like making me come without touching me. God." A huff of breath, and then he spoke again, voice softer. "Aomine. It's okay, really. We're... Tetsuya and I... we're like this, too."

"Taiga won't touch you unless I say," Tetsu told him quietly. "But he's part of this too, don't you think?"

Daiki could nearly hear the fizzle as his brain's ability to make sense of things gave out, like a fuse blowing. What was left was something hot, knowing that Tetsu had taken him like that in front of someone else. In front of Tetsu's other lover. In front of the other person he held this way. Something hot and wanting curled through him, thinking about that. Daiki wrapped his arms around Tetsu and buried his head against Tetsu's shoulder with a breathless sound.

"Good," Tetsu whispered to him, fingers stroking his hair gently. And a little louder, "Taiga, come here."

It was the same quiet, utterly inflexible command that Tetsu had pinned Daiki down with, and it put a little twist of heat through him to hear it addressed to someone else. Daiki took a good breath in and out, as the couch compressed beside him, and raised his head to look at Kagami. Who was very flushed and definitely looked like he'd done his clothes back up in a hurry. And who bent his head under Tetsu's hand when Tetsu reached over to run his fingers gently through Kagami's hair. Daiki had to swallow, watching that, and suddenly it made a lot more sense how just watching him and Tetsu could have gotten Kagami off.

"Daiki. Taiga. Do the two of you want to be together, in this?" Tetsu asked. "I can keep it separate, if not, but it does seem like a sensible extension of how you two are about the game."

Kagami snorted, mouth curled in obvious amusement as he looked up. "What, you mean both of us completely in your hands, both on the court and off?"

"Taiga," Tetsu chided, tugging gently on his hair. "I'm not Akashi-kun, and no one is in my control, on the court."

"I know." Kagami smiled as he caught Tetsu's hand and twined their fingers together. "But you hold us, don't you?"

There was something unspoken there, in the way they looked at each other, some reference to another conversation, and Daiki didn't even realize his arms had tightened around Tetsu until Tetsu looked down at him, eyes soft and clear, stroking his hair again. "I do hold you," he said, as if it were an answer to Daiki and not Kagami. "No matter which side we're on."

Maybe it was an answer for him after all, because hearing that settled the flare of jealousy. "I guess we can try it." Daiki shrugged. "Together." He slid a glance at Kagami, who nodded agreement and promptly held out his other hand to Daiki.

Daiki curled his lip and glanced aside. "What are you, a girl?" He let one hand drop to meet Kagami's though.

"At least I'm not an asshole," Kagami retorted, but his fingers were almost as gentle as Tetsu's, wrapping around Daiki's.

"The two of you," Tetsu sighed, but there was a tiny smile on his lips when Daiki looked up, and his touch was proprietary when he reached out to rest his hands on their shoulders. It made something in Daiki relax, just to feel that, and he gave up attempting to get his sensibleness back on line.

Tetsu's hand on him was its own kind of sense, and Daiki thought he liked that better.

End

Reach Out and Touch Yourself

After a tournament match, Aomine calls Kuroko to blow off some steam and Kuroko thinks this has some fascinating possibilities. D/s Phonesex, I-4

Daiki had thought it might be weird, the first time he played Kagami and Tetsu in a tournament match after the three of them started sleeping together. More precisely, after he'd started taking orders from Tetsu, in bed. Would it spill over? Would any of them hesitate? Would Tetsu look at him the way he did when he had Daiki down on the bed and begging?

It had taken a few turns around the arena in the cool spring air before Daiki had been able to get his mind back where it belonged, after starting to think that, but that just made his point.

And when Touou and Seirin met on the court, when he and Tetsu and Kagami all looked at each other under the bright overhead floodlights, Tetsu had given them an order. But that order was, "No holding back. We all play with everything we have."

Kagami and Daiki had bared their teeth at each other. "Obviously," Daiki purred, feeling exhilaration rise, light in his chest.

And they'd hammered at each other, on the court, clawing tooth and nail for the ball, even fiercer than they'd played when they'd met in the Cup last year. It was Touou who won this time, and Daiki still felt drunk on the wild glee of it, hours later, and who cared if it was just a preliminary match?

It was Tetsu who'd brought that feeling back to him, and maybe that was why he found his fingers wandering toward his phone as he sprawled on his bed that evening, tapping up Tetsu's number.

"Are you calling to gloat?" Tetsu asked, when he answered, but he sounded amused.

Daiki laughed. "Well, I could if you want."

He could almost hear Tetsu rolling his eyes.

"But no. I called..." he hesitated for a long moment, but finally let the words flow. "I called to thank you. I didn't, last year."

"I didn't expect you to," Tetsu said gently. "You'd just lost."

"I'd just woken up," Daiki corrected, staring up at the slightly warped plaster of his ceiling. "I knew I should thank you for that, even then. And now..." He rolled over with a bounce and leaned on his elbows, unable to be still. "Now it's so incredible! We won, and it feels so good again, Tetsu!"

"I knew there would be gloating," Tetsu teased, deadpan, but he relented when Daiki growled. "I'm glad for you. That was what I wanted for you, again."

"I have it." Daiki softened, stretching out on one side, phone against his ear. "So thank you. I'd forgotten how amazing it feels."

And maybe his voice had gotten a little husky, and maybe it wasn't a surprise when Tetsu's voice lowered too, and turned level and intent. "How does it feel, Aomine-kun?"

Just that tone was enough to put a shiver through him, these days, and Daiki swallowed to hear it. "Really good, Tetsu," he murmured. "Like I'm flying."

"Do you want more?"

Anticipation tightened his body, flicking his nerves with heat. "Yes, Tetsu," he said, husky, "please."

"Take off your clothes and set your phone on speaker," Tetsu ordered softly, "and tell me when you have."

It only took a few seconds to strip off the shirt and shorts he wore around the house, and Daiki lay back down, hypersensitive to the cool folds of the sheets and blankets under him, the brush of air over his skin. He switched his phone over to speaker and laid it by his head. "I have."

"Good. Then wrap your hand around your cock and stroke yourself. Slowly."

Daiki did as he was told, breath catching at the warmth of his own fingers wrapped around him. A shudder ran through him at the slow drag of his palm over his cock. "Tetsu..."

"Slowly, Daiki." The firm command, and the intimacy of his given name, pulled a soft whine out of him as heat shot up his spine in response.

"Yes, Tetsu," he whispered, closing his eyes and stroking the hard length of his cock slowly, teeth set in his lower lip.

"Good," Tetsu praised him gently, and Daiki nearly whimpered. Every now and then he remembered that this was crazy, that he had no actual idea why giving himself up to Tetsu felt so good, but the thought always drowned in the sweetness of Tetsu's approval, the heat of his control. "You're getting close, aren't you?" Tetsu asked. "I can hear it in how you breathe."

"Yes..." Daiki was panting for breath all right, taut with the effort of not rocking up into his own hand. He buried his other hand in the softness of his pillow, fingers working around it.

"Not yet." It wasn't even an order, more a statement of fact, and Daiki moaned. "Hold yourself, Daiki," Tetsu told him. "Just hold your cock and rub your thumb over your head. Slowly."

This time, Daiki definitely whimpered, shuddering with the licks of pleasure snapping through him, not quite enough to bring him off. "Tetsu, please..." He circled his thumb over the head of his cock, gasping at the hot ripple of sensation.

"Put two fingers of your other hand in your mouth." There was a smile in Tetsu's voice, the slow intent smile he got when one of his lovers started begging. "Suck on them like they were mine."

Daiki sucked two fingers down, light-headed with want, with anticipation, with the heat of being held back by Tetsu's voice alone. The sensation of his tongue around his own fingers braided together with the sensation of his fingers around his own cock until he was moaning softly.

"Very good," Tetsu told him voice turning gentle again, even tender. "I'm going to use your fingers to fuck you, Daiki. Push them deep into your ass."

Daiki moaned out loud, reaching under himself to do as Tetsu said. The stretch of his fingers made his hand tighten on his cock, and his hips bucked, sharp and involuntary. "Tetsu, please," he gasped, "please let me..."

"Don't move your other hand," Tetsu ordered, perfectly even, perfectly confident of being obeyed. "Nothing but what I allow you, Daiki. Just rub your thumb over your head and fuck yourself."

Little whines of pleasure and wanting worked their way out of Daiki's throat as he thrust his fingers into his ass and fondled the head of his cock, trembling with the way sensation built and built, hot and thrilled by Tetsu's relentless control.

"Now," Tetsu finally said, voice soft over the phone. "Now you can move your hand. Fuck yourself hard, Daiki."

Daiki groaned, finally freed to pump his cock hard and fast, to let his hips snap up and down between his hands, driving himself up and up until he fell over the edge and the entire bed shuddered with him as he came. "Tetsuya!"

It took him a minute, in the aftermath, to remember that his hands did actually belong to him, and retrieve them, breath catching as his fingers slid free.

"There." Tetsu's voice was warm. "Feel more relaxed now?"

Daiki laughed, rolling over on his side toward the phone. "Yeah. A lot." He felt downright limp, after that.

"Then sleep well, Daiki," Tetsuya told him softly. "We'll see you soon."

"You too." Daiki smiled as he turned off his phone and groped for a handful of kleenex to mop up with before burrowing under his covers.

Tetsu really did take good care of him, he thought sleepily, as he turned out the light.

Tetsuya switched his own phone off speaker and smiled. "I have very demanding lovers."

Naked and hard and spread out on the bed beside him, Taiga moaned. "God, Tetsuya, please..."

Tetsuya leaned back on one elbow, his other hand working slowly over his own cock, and watched Taiga, the way he'd watched him all through that phone call, watched how he'd flushed at the sounds Daiki made and the orders Tetsuya gave. Watched how his eyes turned dark as Tetsuya touched himself, and how he'd gotten breathless when Tetsuya shook his head, forbidding Taiga to do anything but watch. "Tell me what you want," Tetsuya said now, softly.

"You," Taiga said, husky. "Let me taste you, Tetsuya..."

"Mm, that does sound good." Tetsuya settled back against the pillows and held out a hand to Taiga. "Come here, Taiga."

Familiar satisfaction curled warm in his chest as Taiga came to him at once, sliding between Tetsuya's spread legs and leaning over him. His hands slid eagerly up Tetsuya's body, but he let himself be pressed down by a hand on the back of his head and wrapped his mouth around Tetsuya's cock softly. It felt good, very good, to feel Taiga settle under his hand as he wove his fingers through Taiga's hair. The slick, wet heat of Taiga's mouth slid over him, slow and sure, following every flex of his fingers, and Tetsuya let himself lie back, supported by Taiga's hands, let himself moan openly and listened to how Taiga's breath hitched each time.

When one of Taiga's hands slid down between his own legs, and the quick rhythm of Taiga's breath turned quicker, Tetsuya smiled and let himself go, thrusting up into Taiga's mouth until pleasure broke through him, fast and bright. The deep moan that answered him made his breath catch in a soft laugh. He stroked his hands through Taiga's hair as he lay, catching his breath, eyes closed. When Taiga gasped and shuddered between his legs, he made a contented sound, sliding his fingers down to rub over Taiga's nape gently, feeling his lover relax. Taiga finally turned his head to rest against Tetsuya's hip and Tetsuya murmured, "Come up here."

When they were settled again and Taiga was wrapped around him, quiet and smiling, Tetsuya asked, "Good?"

Taiga laughed, a soft huff of breath against his shoulder. "It's always good when you finally stop teasing me."

Tetsuya ran his fingers slowly through Taiga's hair. "Should I tease you less?" He already knew Taiga needed to be held and ruled more gently than Daiki.

"No," Taiga said softly. "I like it. I like it when you let yourself be a little silly and a little evil." He curled closer around Tetsuya. "I like how it isn't that different from how you hold me all the time."

"All the time," Tetsuya agreed, sure and quiet, pleased with the way Taiga relaxed. Some day Taiga would believe, all the way down, that Tetsuya would never deny him, would not open his hands and let go. Some day. For now, he just held his lover, his partner, closer, savoring the trust they already had.

It was enough.

End

Trust in the Palm of Your Hand

The story of how Kagami wound up willing to be submissive for Kuroko. D/s, Porn with Characterization, I-4

"So, I know how I got here," Aomine remarked thoughtfully, shifting a little against the bed. "But how did Tetsu talk you into this?"

Taiga grumbled against his bare shoulder. "You pick the weirdest times for long, meaningful talks."

Aomine flexed his arms a bit, where they were draped against the pillows over his head, emphasizing the soft cuffs around his wrists. "Got nothing better to do until Tetsu decides what he's going to do with me."

Tetsuya smiled a little and dropped a kiss on the soft skin of Aomine's inner arm, sending a faint shiver through him. "You're fine where you are."

"So, there you go." Aomine nudged Taiga with his hip. "What's the story?"

Taiga sighed and wrapped himself a little more snugly around Aomine's perfectly relaxed sprawl. "He didn't talk me into it. It... just kind of happened. I guess, really, it'd been happening pretty much since we met." After a moment's though, he smiled against Aomine's shoulder. "I think the first time I knew about it was after the Cup final last year. Tatsuya waited, after, to talk to me. And Tetsuya was waiting for me after that."

Taiga stopped short on the steps of the Metropolitan Gymnasium, startled. It was late. Almost everyone who'd come to watch the Winter Cup finals was gone, including the teams who'd played. But Kuroko was still sitting on the steps, bundled in his coat. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

Taiga opened his mouth and closed it again. When Kuroko sounded that matter-of-fact there was no getting anything else out of him. "Fine, come on, then." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned toward the subway station. Kuroko fell in quietly beside him. He didn't say another word except 'excuse me' until they were on the train.

"Is it all right?" he asked, at last, low enough that the neighboring passengers three seats down wouldn't hear.

"It's... yeah, it's... okay." Taiga still wasn't quite sure what to make of the things Tatsuya had said, the apology for being jealous, the scolding for ever holding back, the assurance they were friends. The insistence that he was not, now, and could not be any kind of role model or guide to Taiga. Taiga touched the ring he still wore, a tiny weight on its chain, remembering what might have been the line of a matching chain under the neck of Tatsuya's sweater. Or might not.

"I see." That was all Kuroko said, but when he shifted with the curve of the tracks, his arm pressed against Taiga's and stayed there.

It helped. It settled Taiga, to know Kuroko was there, made the part of him that still felt raw and strained relax a little. It was... comforting.

And that was the first time that Taiga thought, all the way up in the front of his head, that he might be thinking of his partner as more than just his partner. Well. They were friends, of course. They did... friend things. Ate lunch together, studied together. Walked home together. Went for dinner together. Stayed out late and slept at each other's houses. Called old friends up for loans of clothing...

Okay, maybe not just friend things, now he thought about it.

By the time they got to their own station, Taiga was wondering whether he was really a complete idiot, and whether he could excuse himself by Kuroko not having noticed either. Or had he? Taiga could read Kuroko's game like book, by now, but other things were still harder to figure out. He studied Kuroko sidelong as they climbed the stairs to the street, until Kuroko glanced over and raised his brows questioningly, apparently perfectly at ease and not concerned in the least by having possibly acquired a boyfriend without noticing. Taiga shook his head vigorously to dislodge that thought, which just made Kuroko look amused.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." Taiga held out for almost a block before he finally gave in and added, "Hey. Do you... I mean, are we... Um."

Kuroko waited patiently.

Taiga raked a hand through his hair with an aggravated sound. Screw it. It wasn't like the two of them used words all that much in the first place. He stopped on the sidewalk, in the shadow between street lights and reached out to touch Kuroko's cheek. "Do you... ever think about this? For us?" he asked, low.

Kuroko's eyes widened a little, and for a long moment Taiga had a sinking feeling that he'd just embarrassed himself. But then Kuroko's lips turned up in a faint smile, and he lifted a hand to rest over Taiga's, turning his head just a little into the touch. "You've been thinking a lot, tonight."

Okay, so maybe Taiga had been the only completely oblivious one, fine, whatever. "I was just... thinking, yeah," he finished a bit lamely.

That tiny smile was laughing at him. "I like Kagami-kun, too."

Heat rushed to Taiga's face and he tugged his hand away again. "You just come out and say things like that!" he complained.

Kuroko held him for a second. "How else are people going to know, if you don't say?" He smiled a little wider when Taiga stilled, unable to argue with the justice of that one, and finally let him go.

They were quiet until they reached Taiga's turn-off, and then he hesitated, looking down at Kuroko. "So. Um."

Kuroko was laughing at him from behind that little smile again. "Come here, Kagami-kun." He reached up to thread his fingers into Taiga's hair, and Taiga, rather relieved, leaned down to a light kiss, just a brush of lips against each other. "Good night," Kuroko murmured.

"Yeah," Taiga answered, finding his voice just a bit husky. "See you tomorrow."

There was an extra bit of warmth wrapped around the raw places inside him, as he walked the rest of the way home.

It didn't take Taiga long to realize that that first kiss was part of a pattern. For someone whose strengths were strategy and timing, Kuroko was very aggressive. He was always the one who rested a hand on Taiga's shoulder while they were changing for practice; the one who was suddenly watching Taiga thoughtfully in the showers; the one who pulled Taiga down to increasingly thorough kisses when they met or parted by the park court at night. Even when he was completely wrapped up in Taiga's arms, head tipped back to meet his mouth, it was Kuroko who was setting their pace.

Eventually it got obvious enough for Taiga to say something, one night they'd stayed so late practicing that even the captain had given up and gone ahead, and told them to just turn off all the lights behind them. Kuroko came to him while Taiga was sitting on the bench to tie his shoes and stepped lightly between Taiga's knees, sliding his fingers into Taiga's hair to tip his head back for a kiss. The slow, soft force of it made Taiga's breath catch, and he looked up at Kuroko after, hands linked behind his legs. "You seem different, when we're like this."

Kuroko cocked his head, fingers still running through Taiga's hair. "I don't think it's that different," he said thoughtfully.

Taiga shook his head a little. "You're a lot more... well, I can't say more forceful." This being the same guy who had slugged Taiga one to get his head back in the game. "Just... you lead a lot more, like this. Well," honesty forced him to add, "a lot more openly anyway."

"Do you mind it?" Kuroko asked after a long, quiet moment, eyes steady on Taiga. Taiga blinked.

"I... don't exactly mind it, no. It was just kind of noticeable."

Kuroko sighed and leaned against him, arms sliding around Taiga's shoulders and resting there. "I think this is something I need," he said softly against Taiga's hair. "To lead, like you say."

Taiga was quiet himself for a moment, wondering. "Why?" he finally asked, resting his forehead against Kuroko's chest. "I mean... yeah, you're the one who leads already in a lot of ways. You're the one who kept me away from whatever the hell hole it was that Aomine fell down. You're the one who doesn't quit. But we've always been partners. Part of why I needed to be stronger was so you could rely on me, back."

"I've always relied on you," Kuroko said, very softly. "You're why I could stand on my own, and find my own game. But I'm still me; I play with people, not alone, it's what I do. That's why I need to know you trust me, even more like this than when we're on the court. I need to know you trust me completely."

Taiga went still at that. "Completely?" he echoed, cautiously. Kuroko laughed a little against his hair, fingers stroking through it again.

"Completely," he agreed. "You're my partner. You trust me. I trust you. That's how we play the way we do, and I love that, but this is more personal." There was still that touch of rueful amusement hovering in his voice. "For one thing, there aren't any other teammates or opponents; just us. So it's more intense. Can you trust me that much, Kagami-kun?" He pulled away from Taiga gently, until only his hands were still resting on Taiga's shoulders. "Or should we just stay partners?"

The jolt of protest in Taiga's gut answered part of that question for him right away, but he still hesitated. He knew Kuroko pretty well, at least he'd thought he did, but there were ways 'complete trust' could go in a personal relationship that he really wasn't into. "What do you want me to trust you to do?"

Kuroko's hands were back in his hair, gentle and soothing. "Nothing that would hurt you. Nothing you don't want. Just... to lead you."

Taiga looked up at him, leaning into Kuroko's hands without even thinking, but still hesitating. The last person he had trusted to lead him... He touched the chain around his neck and took a breath. "Let me take it slow," he said quietly, meeting Kuroko's eyes. "The last time I trusted someone like that... didn't end real well."

A spark of rare anger lit in Kuroko's eyes and he stepped close again, arms closing around Taiga's shoulders. "I'm not Himuro-san. We're partners. Whether you can do this or not, that won't change." His hands drew Taiga's head back and Kuroko kissed him again, deep and possessive. It made something hot flare down Taiga's veins, feeling the fierceness in Kuroko's mouth on his, in the arms wrapped around him, supporting him. When Kuroko finally drew back, he said, softly, "Go as slowly as you need."

The perfectly earnest words, set against that fierce kiss, made Taiga laugh, wrap his arms tight around Kuroko and laugh himself breathless. "Yeah," he said at last. "Yeah, let's try it."

The pleasure lighting up Kuroko's face, when Taiga looked up, made the warmth in Taiga's chest settle in deeper.

There was, Taiga learned, a particular way Kuroko touched him, when he wanted to have control. It was slower, more deliberate than their casual touches, a flex of fingers that let Taiga feel some of Kuroko's strength of grip. Never bruising, but very... definite. When Kuroko touched him like that, hand sliding down Taiga's neck or up his arm, he wanted Taiga to give way to him, to let himself be directed. Taiga found he didn't mind.

Actually, it was pretty damn hot.

Which was why he was currently stretched out naked across his bed with Kuroko kneeling between his legs, watching him intently while he fondled Taiga's cock until Taiga was panting for breath, hands clenched in the pillows over his head.

He was harder than he thought he'd ever been in his life.

It wasn't just Kuroko's hand on his cock. It also wasn't just that he was spread out wide for Kuroko to handle. It was the way Kuroko was watching him, so closely, so carefully. Every time some particular stroke of his fingers drove a gasp out of Taiga, he noticed and did it again. Every time Taiga's body started to pull taut, Kuroko's grip softened, easing him back down a little. Kuroko was paying attention to him the way Taiga had only ever felt in the middle of an especially intense game, when Kuroko's awareness of the team, and of Taiga in particular, started to seem like magic. The attention felt like being fondled inside. Kuroko ran his thumb up the underside of Taiga's cock, slow and firm, and Taiga bucked up, gasping.

"Kuroko!"

His partner smiled faintly. "Under the circumstances," he rubbed his thumb gently over Taiga's head, illustrative, "I think you can call me by my given name."

"I..." Taiga wasn't a formal kind of guy, not nearly as much as Kuroko, who was still calling him 'Kagami-kun' for god's sake. But he hadn't wanted to use Kuroko's name. It was too close to Tatsuya's name, and wouldn't that feel weird? Kuroko's other hand slid up his thigh to fondle his balls gently, and Taiga shuddered, hands clenching tighter in his pillow as the name was nearly pulled out of him. "Tetsuya!"

And it wasn't weird. He wasn't thinking of Himuro, of anything at all that wasn't his partner's eyes and hands on him, sure and intent and melting his brain out his ears. His partner, smiling and pleased and scraping the edge of his nail very delicately behind Taiga's balls. "Fuck, Tetsuya!" Taiga came undone all at once, bucking wildly against the bed while heat wrung him like a rag, over and over. Tetsuya's hands stroked him firmly through it, until Taiga dropped back against the twisted up sheets, panting and dazed.

Tetsuya leaned over him and kissed his forehead softly. "Taiga." The simple sound of his name sent another shudder through Taiga. It sounded intimate. It sounded like Tetsuya laying a claim on him.

"How the hell do you do that?" he asked, husky, finally unclenching one hand to reach up and run it through Tetsuya's soft, rumpled hair. "It's like you put a mark on me just by looking at me, when we're in bed. It almost feels like we're on the court, only..." he snorted with some amusement, waving a hand at their current naked, sweaty, sticky condition, "different."

Tetsuya settled on one elbow beside him, resting a hand on his chest. "It's similar, I suppose," he agreed quietly. "I... reach out to know who I'm playing with and against. To find you, especially. I suppose it's a mental trick a little like Izuki-senpai's, but for me it's all about who's paying attention to who, who's looking where, where each player's body says they're going to turn next. So I can move behind or around the thing they'll be looking at." He was silent for a long, thoughtful moment, stroking Taiga's chest slowly. "It's a mental trick, but... how you respond matters too. If know you trust me, if you reach back to me, it's easier to find you. Easier to keep holding you as the game moves. And you're easier to hold than anyone else. I like that." He leaned down and kissed Taiga, slow and deep and so rawly possessive Taiga's breath caught in his chest. "I want to hold you this way, too."

"Tetsuya..." Taiga reached up and wound his arms around Tetsuya, pulling him down and wrapping himself around his partner. Tetsuya let him, relaxed against him in a way that made Taiga have to swallow hard. It wasn't one-sided trust he was giving Tetsuya. He closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "I trust you," he said softly. "Completely. Whatever you want to do."

And if that thought made heat tingle along his nerves again... well, that was nobody's business but his. And Tetsuya's.

The pleased sound Tetsuya made put a little curl of anticipation down Taiga's spine, and he smiled up at the ceiling.

Sometimes, Taiga wondered exactly how he'd gotten himself into his current situation. And then, sometimes, he remembered it was Tetsuya and didn't actually have to wonder.

"So what is this idea you said you had?" he asked Tetsuya, wrapping his arms comfortably around him as Tetsuya slid down to straddle his lap on Taiga's tiny couch, forearms resting over Taiga's shoulders. "And, incidentally, that was a really evil thing to say to me right before practice."

Tetsuya's smile was tiny and secretive. "Was it?" The smile widened when Taiga growled, and he slid his fingers into Taiga's hair, pulling his head back so Tetsuya could nip delicately down his throat. Between quick, soft bites, he explained, "I want to tease you for a while, tonight."

Eyes half closed, breath hitching with each sharp little nip, Taiga managed, "Tease me how?" He shivered as Tetsuya's tongue stroked up the line of bites, wondering if there were going to be marks there later. Tetsuya had only marked him once before, but it had been very distracting having the whole team stare at his neck during practice. Distracting and arousing, to know he was walking around with the mark of Tetsuya's mouth on his skin, which might have been the point. That had been the day Tetsuya had jerked him off in the shower, eyes heavy and hot on him as they listened to the rest of the team's horseplay over drying off, just across the hall. Taiga shivered, remembering, and tipped his head back further.

Tetsuya drew back and ran his hands down Taiga's neck and over his chest, slow and firm. "I want you to watch me. And not do anything else, until I say you can."

Taiga's face turned rather hot. "Watch you?"

That tiny planning-something smile flickered over Tetsuya's face again. "Yes."

Tetsuya obviously had something in mind, which... actually did more to convince Taiga than anything else. Tetsuya was the strategist, after all. He laced his fingers with Tetsuya's. "Okay."

Tetsuya looked pleased and pushed up off the couch, tugging Taiga with him toward the bedroom. "Come here, then."

It was a little weird, Taiga thought as he followed along, how much this felt like their partnership on the court. On the face of it, the two were totally different. On the court, they both made their own choices, for all they watched each other and worked together. Here, he gave the choices to Tetsuya, let Tetsuya's word be the one that moved him or held him still. And yet... maybe Tetsuya was right, and it really all came down to trust, for the two of them. He trusted Tetsuya to play his own strengths, on the court, and to choose well for the team. Here, undressing at Tetsuya's soft prompting, lying back against the head of his bed as Tetsuya's hands urged him down, here he trusted Tetsuya to be with him all the way, and to choose well for the two of them. He trusted Tetsuya to hold him, even closer than he did on the court, and the feeling of being held like this was hot and secure. And that was something he wanted.

He watched as Tetsuya undressed and folded his clothes neatly on Taiga's desk. It was easy to overlook, on a high-powered sports team, but Tetsuya was solidly built. Compact, yes, but leanly muscled, and those muscles sharply defined. The flex of them as Tetsuya slid up onto the bed and knelt there, facing Taiga, held his gaze.

And then Tetsuya reached down and wrapped a hand around his own cock, and Taiga had to swallow. He hadn't really thought it would do much for him, just to watch, but... the slow, deliberate stroke of Tetsuya's fingers up and down his cock, coaxing himself harder, made him think about that hand on him.

Tetsuya smiled and closed his eyes. "Taiga," he said softly. He slid a thumb up to circle over his head, and his breath pulled in, and he tipped his head back a little. "Taiga..."

A husky sound caught in Taiga's own throat. Tetsuya sounded... he sounded like it was Taiga who was touching him. When Tetsuya moaned, faint and breathless, it sent something hot through Taiga's chest and down into his guts. He didn't think he could have looked away from Tetsuya's hand working over himself, from the way Tetsuya spread his knees wider against the bed, if he'd tried. Without thinking, he started to press one hand between his own legs.

"I didn't say you could move." The words caught Taiga like a hand on his wrist, and he swallowed and curled his fingers in the rumpled sheets under him. Tetsuya smiled, slow and clear, head still tipped back. "That's good."

Taiga was breathing faster himself, now, flushed from watching the way Tetsuya touched himself, listening to the sounds he made, all the while pinned down by Tetsuya's order to stay still. The stillness made the rest of it twice as hot.

There was something wicked at the corners of Tetsuya's smile, now, and he rocked forward to take Taiga's little bottle of lube from where it lived tucked against the blinds on the window ledge above his bed. Taiga was prepared for Tetsuya to squeeze some into his palm, for the sheen of it as Tetsuya stroked a hand down his cock. What shocked him, and sent a jolt of blinding heat through him, was seeing Tetsuya turn one shoulder to him, seeing him slide slick fingers down behind himself to press between his cheeks. "Tetsuya," he gasped, hoarse.

"Mmm. Taiga." Tetsuya's wrist flexed, pushing a finger into himself, and a flush climbed up his throat. He drew a slow breath, fingers sliding back and forth over his cock, and murmured, "Be still."

Taiga thought he could almost feel the grip of Tetsuya's will on him, like another hand, and he shivered under it. When Tetsuya pressed another finger into himself, a little moan tugged free from Taiga. "Tetsuya..."

"Shhh." Tetsuya's voice was gentle, even as his body pulled taut between his own hands. "Watch, Taiga. Think about it being your hands, here."

He pressed in another finger, slow and careful, and Taiga swallowed hard. His cock was standing hard and flushed against his stomach, now, and his clenched fingers were about to put holes through his sheets. "Tetsuya... please." Just saying it put another shiver through him. He'd never begged for anything in bed, never been pushed far enough that he wanted to. He hadn't expected how hot it would be to beg Tetsuya, and trust that Tetsuya would allow what he needed.

Tetsuya finally looked over at him, eyes bright and hot. "Yes. I think we're both ready." He drew his hands back slowly, a husky little sound catching his his throat as he slid his fingers free, and Taiga nearly moaned.

"God, yes Tetsuya, please..." He reached out as Tetsuya slid up the bed to him, and relief made him dizzy when Tetsuya let him, let Taiga gather him close and hold him tight. When Tetsuya's fingers wrapped around his cock, still slick, and slid down him, Taiga shuddered. When Tetsuya shifted up on his knees and pressed Taiga's cock against his ass, slowly sinking down onto him, Taiga couldn't do anything but cling to Tetsuya's hips and pant for breath. Leaning back against the headboard like this, with Tetsuya's weight over him, he couldn't push up much; how fast or slow that brain-melting tightness closed around him was up to Tetsuya.

He almost came just from realizing that.

Tetsuya was panting against his shoulder as he settled all the way down, and when he said Taiga's name the breathless note in his voice made Taiga close his eyes. He wanted so many things. He wanted to let go and just feel Tetsuya ride him. He wanted to wrap himself around Tetsuya and fuck him. He wanted to hear more breathless sounds like that, because he was inside Tetsuya. "Tetsuya," he managed, low, "some time... let me do this. Please."

Tetsuya leaned in, making Taiga gasp with the shift of muscles around him, and kissed him soft and open. "Some time, yes," he promised, and there was a glint in his eyes. "But not tonight."

Taiga moaned out loud with that combined promise and denial as Tetsuya rocked up and back down, and he gave himself up to whatever Tetsuya chose for them. "Yes."

"Mmm. Yes." Tetsuya smiled and did it again, slower, more deliberate, grinding down onto Taiga. Pleasure climbed up Taiga's spine, twist after twist of it as Tetsuya moved over him, hands braced on Taiga's shoulders. Half of it was the pure rush of sensation every time Tetsuya's body shifted, but half of it was something else completely. Something that wrung out parts of him that weren't his body, left him warm and shakingâ€”the knowledge that Tetsuya wanted him this much, this way.

When it all spilled over, he just let it, let Tetsuya have him however Tetsuya wanted him.

Tetsuya gasped as Taiga bucked up under him, one hand sliding down to wrap around his cock again. And just when the rush of heat was easing, his body tightened hard around Taiga and raked another wave of pleasure through him.

They leaned against each other for a while, after. "Thank you," Tetsuya finally said, straightening up a little to look down at Taiga, touching his cheek lightly. Taiga caught his hand and turned to press his mouth to Tetsuya's fingers.

"What for? Isn't this what I agreed to?" To let Tetsuya lead him when they were together like this.

Tetsuya smiled softly. "Yes." He traced Taiga's lips with his fingertips. "That's why I'm saying thank you."

Taiga looked aside and finally said, low, "It's what I want, too."

Tetsuya's kiss caught him by surprise, hot and sudden and ruthless enough to make him gasp for breath. "Then even more," Tetsuya murmured. "Thank you."

"Yeah. Okay," Taiga whispered back and they stayed where they were for a while longer, wrapped around each other quietly.

Most of life went on the way it always had. There were classes, which were still half incomprehensible but only half, which was an improvement; there was practice, which was satisfyingly grueling; there was shopping for groceries and cooking for himself, and increasingly cooking enough that he'd still get a full meal when his senpai begged or snitched bits of his dinner; there was fielding occasional visits from Aomine, when he got too fed up with his new captain's hovering watchfulness and skipped to visit Seirin, just to show he could.

But now there was also this. There was lying on Tetsuya's bed, draped over a pile of pillows that raised his hips high enough in the air to make him blush, feeling Tetsuya's hands kneading slowly down his back and over his ass. "Tetsuya..."

"Shh." Tetsuya's thumbs spread his cheeks open slow and firm, wide enough to make him gasp for lost breath at how exposed he felt. "It's all right."

Just the fact that Tetsuya was telling him, not asking, put a complex little shiver down his spine. It felt good, good to relax and trust that Tetsuya had things in hand; but there was always that adrenaline-edge of letting someone else say what would happen. Especially when what was happening was Tetsuya's fingers rubbing against him, slick with lube, making slow, hard circles against the muscles of his ass until he felt warm and relaxed back there.

"That's better," Tetsuya said softly, dropping a kiss at the small of his back. "I'll make sure it doesn't hurt, Taiga. That's why I wanted to go first, after all."

And there it was, the care that Tetsuya took that undid him every time. Taiga closed his eyes and took a slow breath as Tetsuya's fingers pressed into him. It felt goodâ€”completely unfamiliar, but every bit like Tetsuya touching him always felt, slow and intimate and sure. "Tetsuya..." He could hear how husky his own voice was.

"Be still," Tetsuya told him, gentle and firm. "Just feel." He slid his other hand down Taiga's back, kneading those muscles loose too as he worked his fingers in and out of Taiga's ass until he was panting, breath catching every time the press of Tetsuya's knuckles stretched him a little more open. That was what he felt most, right now, spread ass-up over Tetsuya's pillows with his muscles going laxâ€”so very open for Tetsuya. Open, and sure he'd be taken care of.

His own protective streak nagged at him, sometimes, to take care of Tetsuya instead. But... he did a lot of that. It was good to turn it around, to have someone else do it for him. And Tetsuya had been doing it from the first match they played in together. Tetsuya was good at it.

He trusted himself in Tetsuya's hands.

Those hands shifted on him, strong fingers twisting slowly inside him, and Taiga's thoughts unraveled again in the wash of sensation down his nerves. Tetsuya's fingertips rubbed slowly inside him, and he moaned with the surge of pleasure that answered.

"Mm. That sounds good," Tetsuya murmured to him, free hand stroking Taiga's ass.

"Tetsuya..." A shudder stroked down Taiga's spine as Tetsuya's fingers slid free.

"Be still, Taiga," Tetsuya said again, low and soothing. His hands closed on Taiga's hips, and there was a blunt pressure against Taiga's entrance that made him hot with anticipation.

"Yes, Tetsuya," he said, husky, lying still and lax in Tetsuya's hands, waiting. Tetsuya pushed harder against him and Taiga's hands closed on the sheets, tight with the breathless pressure of Tetsuya's cock pushing slowly, slowly into him. He gasped at the sudden easing and the slide of Tetsuya inside him, thick and hard, holding him stretched open. "God..."

Tetsuya's voice was breathless, too, as he leaned against Taiga, holding still. "Relax, Taiga; relax for me."

"I..." Taiga's breath shuddered in his chest. "I... yes..." He let the sheets go and let his breath go and nearly moaned with how it felt as his body eased more around the hardness of Tetsuya's cock. "Fuck..."

A soft, husky laugh answered him. "Yes. But slowly."

Taiga moaned openly as Tetsuya slid a little back and in again, a little further, and in again, slow and easy. The sensation stroked down his nerves, soft and intense. "Yes, Tetsuya," he whispered. Slow was just fine, yeah.

He'd always had a good opinion of Tetsuya's control, but it was getting better now as Tetsuya fucked him slow and sure. Tetsuya's hands worked gently over Taiga's back, easing him into the pleasure that was rising through him like a tide coming in. He trusted that control now, like he'd trusted it for almost a year, and let Tetsuya's hands guide him. He moaned against the sheets with the heat of Tetsuya's cock working in and out of him—did as Tetsuya said and just felt the heat curling tighter and tighter inside him. When Tetsuya's hand slid under his hip to wrap around his cock and stroke him firmly, he gasped and bucked, taken by surprise by the fresh twist of pleasure. "Tetsuya!"

Tetsuya's fingers tightened, and there was a smile in his voice. "Just feel, Taiga."

He couldn't do anything else, spread out like this with no leverage, and he shuddered as Tetsuya shifted over him, fucking him harder, hand working around him slow and demanding. It was so good, Tetsuya had made it so good for him, and he surrendered to Tetsuya's control, moaning as Tetsuya drove him higher and higher, and finally drove him right over the edge. Pleasure raked down his nerves and wrung him out around the hardness of Tetsuya's cock. The way Tetsuya gasped and pushed deeper sent an extra shudder through him.

When he finally came back down, muscles limp, throat dry from panting for breath, Tetsuya was leaning against him. His hands stroked over Taiga's back and shoulders gently, carefully, and a soft sound caught in Taiga's throat. This. This was why he gave himself to Tetsuya, gave Tetsuya controlâ€”so that he could feel this care. So he could do nothing but feel it, just like Tetsuya said.

He'd believed for a long time that his partner knew what he needed, after all.

So he lay quiet and let Tetsuya clean them up, let Tetsuya ease him down to the bed and wrapped his arms around Tetsuya, and bent his head under the gentle slide of Tetsuya's fingers through his hair.

He trusted Tetsuya's choices.

Taiga knew perfectly well why Aomine had started descending on Seirin after practice was officially over. He wasn't actually complaining, either; he loved the fast, wild matches they played, one-on-one with each other. That did not, of course, stop him from calling Aomine a needy bastard or asking whether Touou was boring him, just like it didn't stop Aomine from calling him a one-trick jumping idiot. That was just the kind of relationship they had.

Besides, it made Tetsuya look like he wanted to laugh at them.

Aomine waved casually over his shoulder as he turned toward the station, and Taiga stood with Tetsuya for a minute, watching him go. At least, Tetsuya watched him go, and Taiga watched Tetsuya, and the wistful look in his partner's eyes. "You guys okay, these days?" he finally asked, quietly.

Tetsuya turned back, beside him, and started on their way home. "Better than we have been in a long time."

That wasn't exactly a yes, but Taiga knew things were a little complicated between Tetsuya and his old partner.

"He's better, now he has people he has to work against," Tetsuya added, eyes distant under the slow shift of the streetlights as they walked. "You. Kise-kun. I always knew that was important to him, to have someone to push him. Sometimes I wonder..."

"What?" Taiga asked, as the silence drew out.

Tetsuya still hesitated. "I'll tell you later," he finally said.

"Sure," Taiga agreed easily, making a mental note to ask, if 'later' took too long. Sometimes, Tetsuya got a little too quiet about things that bugged him. "Oh, hey, food." The lights of the convenience store down from the park called to him, reminding him that he hadn't had his evening snack yet.

Tetsuya's eyes were laughing again as he followed along, and Taiga nodded to himself with satisfaction. Whatever Tetsuya was thinking about, whatever 'later' involved, it didn't look like it could be too serious.

'Later' arrived the next evening, just when Taiga was considering bringing it up again. They'd ended up at Tetsuya's house after practice, ears still ringing with the coach's orders to study for the year end exams. Taiga studied infuriatingly complex kanji for as long as he could stand before he gave up and stalked downstairs to get them both drinks just so he could move something besides his pencil. When he got back, Tetsuya smiled at him from where he sat on the edge of his bed, and held out his hands. "Leave those for a second and come here, Taiga."

Taiga set the two cans on the desk and came to him, curious. Tetsuya never called him by his given name unless they were both alone and intimate. He hadn't expected that so soon, tonight. Tetsuya caught his hands and tugged Taiga down until he was kneeling between Tetsuya's legs, close enough to wrap his arms around Tetsuya. Which, of course, he did. "What is it?"

"What I was thinking about, yesterday..." Tetsuya ran his fingers slowly through Taiga's hair, eyes searching his face. "I was wondering whether I should have held Aomine-kun tighter; whether that would have been what he needed." His hand drifted down to touch Taiga's cheek. "You make him feel normal again. I was wondering what I might be able to do for him, now."

"It's already you who did that." Taiga looked down, trying to put what he saw between them into words. "You're the one who knew what he needed, along with what you needed, and didn't stop until you got it." A corner of his mouth curled up. "Or after."

"And you were the one who believed I could," Tetsuya said softly, arms sliding around Taiga's shoulders. "It all connects."

True enough, but weren't they getting off topic? They'd started with Tetsuya saying he'd been thinking about holding Aomine tighter. Like he held Taiga now, Taiga supposed. And then he went very still, staring past Tetsuya's shoulder as those thoughts settled together.

All connected.

"You want to hold him, too," he said, low. "Like this. Hold him like this now."

Tetsuya gathered him closer. "Not if it will upset you," he said firmly. "Not if you don't want him to be with us like this."

With us. All connected. And Tetsuya had said Taiga was the one who made Aomine feel normal. Slowly, Taiga leaned against Tetsuya, wrapping himself tighter around him. "You really think it could work?" he asked against Tetsuya's shoulder. "Aomine's pretty possessive of you whenever he gets the chance." Of course, all the damn Miracle-types were possessive of Tetsuya, but Aomine was the one who still showed it, even after getting his ass kicked by Seirin.

Tetsuya's hand slid gently up his back and closed hard on his nape, holding him in a grip like steel. "Possessing me isn't a choice I would give him."

Taiga made a breathless sound, head bent against Tetsuya's shoulder, reminded of exactly what kind of relationship they were talking about and very hard from the reminder. "Yeah... okay." He'd been thinking something else, too, before Tetsuya turned his brain to mush... ah, right. "You think Aomine will want this that much?"

Tetsuya's hold gentled, stroking Taiga's nape until he shivered, head still bowed. "Aomine-kun always kept going until someone stopped him. Sometimes that person was Momoi-san, but the longer we worked as partners the more it was me. When he said we didn't agree on anything but basketball, it was because he always pushed until I told him to stop. And then he did, at least until he lost faith in the game and I couldn't make him stay serious. Or, at least, I didn't. I think I just didn't go as far as he needed me to, to make him."

Taiga thought about the kind of partner Tetsuya had been to him, right from the start. Demanding and fearless and very strict about Taiga's attitude toward their team and the game. He remembered Tetsuya clotheslining him repeatedly, with a perfectly immoveable look each time that said he refused to let his partner screw himself up. And he laughed against Tetsuya's neck. "I don't think that will be a problem any more."

He could feel how Tetsuya's lips were curved when Tetsuya dropped a kiss under his ear. "I don't think so either."

Taiga was quiet for a moment, thinking about Aomine, his most annoying and brilliant rival, his partner's ex-partner, the one whose edge made his fists itch sometimes. The one who always came back to him, as well as to Tetsuya. "Yeah," he finally said, quietly. "Yeah, let's try."

The way Tetsuya's arms tightened around him made him smile and hold Tetsuya closer.

"...and that got us here." Taiga paused and poked Aomine lightly in the ribs. "And why do you want to know so much, anyway?"

Aomine squirmed away until Tetsuya, laughing, rested more weight over him. "Hey, you were right here for it when Tetsu caught me, and you got to see the whole thing. Fair is fair."

Taiga thought about the things Tetsuya had said to him, about Aomine, and snorted. "I think Tetsuya caught you a long time before that. He just didn't make you know it until now."

Aomine stilled at that, eyes turning dark and heated as he looked up at Tetsuya. "Yeah, I guess he did."

Tetsuya stroked Aomine's hair back, smiling faintly. "I didn't realize myself until you," he told Taiga. "But... yes. Maybe so." He looked down at Aomine, fingers tracing down his jaw as Tetsuya tipped Aomine's head back and nipped lightly at his throat. "Maybe things would have been different, if I'd known sooner."

"Some things," Aomine said, soft and husky with the arch of his neck. "But some I think we'd still have needed Tai for."

Taiga found himself caught between sputtering over the nickname and turning red over Aomine, of all people, actually admitting that. And then he found himself just plain caught by the brightness in Tetsuya's eyes as he reached over to touch Taiga's cheek.

"Yes," Tetsuya agreed, eyes holding Taiga's. "We would."

Taiga gave way to that perfect assurance and turned his head into Tetsuya's hand, pressing his mouth to Tetsuya's palm. "Guess things turned out pretty well, then," he said, glancing down at Aomine'sâ€”at Daiki'sâ€”smirk, and watching how the edge of it softened.

"So there's that taken care of," Daiki murmured, slanting a sidelong look at Tetsuya, deliberately provoking. "Now. Thought of anything interesting to do with me, yet?"

Tetsuya had the gleam in his eye that always made Taiga look for something to hold on to. "Maybe I have." He stroked a hand up Daiki's arm to finger the cuffs, and slowly, deliberately, unsnapped them. Daiki's brows rose. "Taiga," Tetsuya said, quiet and firm, not looking away from Daiki, "hold Daiki down for me."

Taiga nearly moaned with a completely unexpected rush of heat, and he could see the way Daiki flushed, eyes widening. "Yes, Tetsuya." He could feel the tension in Daiki's arms as Taiga ran his hands up to grip his wrists and pin him down, the way Daiki never let himself be pinned on the court, the way Tetsuya demanded he submit to now. Daiki's eyes were already a little glazed.

"Kagami," Daiki breathed. "Tai..."

Taiga smiled wryly, a little breathless himself. "Only what Tetsuya allows, right?"

"Fuck," Daiki moaned as Tetsuya held his hips against the bed and leaned down to lap at his cock, light and teasing. "Yes."

Taiga leaned on Daiki's arms, holding him for Tetsuya to drive half out of his mind, and thought that he'd never been more right than he had been when he gave Tetsuya his trust. Tetsuya had seen how they fit together, how they could all have a place with each other, and Taiga didn't think this was a place he would outgrow. So maybe this was someplace he could stay.

When he leaned down and kissed Daiki, soft and questioning, Daiki kissed back.

End

A Good, Free, and Unconstrained Will

Kuroko wants a tangible marker of his committment to Kagami and Aomine, and of how they belong to him, and that's when other people start noticing what's going on. D/s, Romance, Porn, Drama, I-4

Cause

It was Daiki who mentioned it first, stroking his thumb along the line of Taiga's collarbone one afternoon when they were all tangled together in Tetsuya's bed, still a little sticky but catching their breaths again.

"You've stopped wearing that necklace all the time."

"Mm." Taiga shrugged a little, trying not to shove anyone off the bed, or scrape his shoulder blades against the wall, or show how the observation made him twitch. "I still have it. Just seemed like it was maybe time to take it off and put it away."

Tetsuya turned, where he was lying between them, unfairly graceful and not elbowing anyone in the stomach. Taiga concentrated on that, and not the question in Tetsuya's eyes. "Did something else happen between you and Himuro-san?" Tetsuya asked quietly.

Taiga sighed, giving in; he obviously wasn't getting out of this conversation, especially since he was the one up against the wall and couldn't make easy excuses to get up. "Nothing new," he said, low. "Just, the more I thought about it, the more I realized Tatsuya was right. He's not my nii-san any more."

"Yousen's Himuro Tatsuya?" Aomine asked, sliding a hand up to drape over Taiga's hip, casual in contrast to the way he was watching Taiga.

"I knew him back in the States. He was the one who got me into basketball." Taiga snorted at the way Daiki perked up. "The rings... it was a little kid's pledge, I guess; he didn't... he's not..." He sighed and turned his head into the curve of Tetsuya's shoulder, frustration bubbling up fresh. "I can understand if he doesn't want to claim something he doesn't feel like he can hold up his end of. But basketball wasn't the reason he was my big brother! It didn't have to be the only thing between us!"

Tetsuya's fingers threaded through his hair, holding him closer. "He took care of you." Taiga nodded silently. Yes, Tetsuya understood that.

"And now that you're a better player than he is," Daiki said slowly, thumb rubbing over Taiga's hip, "he doesn't think he can any more. What a moron," he added, thoughtful.

Taiga snorted a pained laugh against Tetsuya's shoulder. Yeah, Daiki, with his passion for people who didn't give up, wouldn't think much of Tatsuya's choices. "I'm not mad at him. Not really. It... doesn't change how he did take care of me, back then. It's just different now." If Tatsuya wouldn't see that he could still be Taiga's nii-san, no matter who won on the court, then it was time to put the ring away with the rest of his memories.

"Hmm." Tetsuya's fingers rubbed slowly over his bare nape. "Taiga. If you've taken off that necklace, would you let me replace it?" he said at last.

Taiga lifted his head and blinked down at Tetsuya. "Replace it?"

Tetsuya smiled and squirmed out from between them, sliding off the foot of the bed. "Here." He padded across the room and took a small box out of his desk drawer, sliding back up onto the bed as he opened it. He laid the open box between Taiga and Daiki and sat back on his heels, watching them.

There were two slim, dark necklaces in the box, just a little longer than choker length, much shorter than the chain Taiga had kept his ring on. He fished one out, curious, and ran it through his fingers; it was finished leather cord, soft under his fingertips. He glanced up at Tetsuya. "You want to..."

Wait.

This couldn't be a simple pledge among the three of them, like the rings. There were only two necklaces, not three. And Tetsuya had set them very precisely in between Taiga and Daiki. Taiga could feel his face turning hot at the implication, and his voice was a little more strangled when he corrected himself. "You want us to wear...?"

Tetsuya was watching them quietly, not demanding anything, but there was a glint in his eyes that made Taiga hot in a different way.

Daiki lifted the second necklace, running it through his fingers and glancing back and forth between them. "You want the two of us to wear these?" he asked, toying with the slim cord. "For you?" When Tetsuya nodded, Daiki gave Taiga a thoughtful look and smiled slowly. "I will if you will."

Taiga glared. That was playing dirty.

The corners of Tetsuya's mouth were curled up in a silent laugh as he leaned forward and laid a hand on each of their wrists. "Only if you want to," he said firmly. And then his fingers stroked the back of Taiga's hand gently. "But I would like very much to be able to replace that necklace, for you."

To replace the necklace. To replace what it meant. To take care of him. Taiga felt the curl of warmth through his chest that was becoming very familiar; it happened whenever Tetsuya made it clear how close he held them. And Tetsuya would never, ever give up his hold on someone just because they were stronger. Taiga had a year and more worth of proof of that.

"Yeah," he said, a little husky. "Yeah, I'd like that too."

"Good," Tetsuya said softly, and lifted the necklace out of his hand. "Lift your chin."

Taiga had to swallow against a sudden flutter of response low in his stomach as Tetsuya slid up the bed to straddle him, leaning in as he wrapped the slim cord around Taiga's neck. The tiny snick of the clasp fastening, more felt than heard, sent a spike of heat right down Taiga's spine. The delicate stroke of Tetsuya's fingers over the cool line of leather made him shudder. "Tetsuya..." God, was he ever going to get used to the way it made him feel, when Tetsuya took control?

Daiki laughed beside him, husky. "Hey, no getting ahead of yourself. It's my turn."

Taiga opened half closed eyes to see Daiki hand Tetsuya the other length of cord, smiling. He turned over, bending his head down against Taiga's shoulder, offering Tetsuya his bared nape, and Taiga wound an arm around him more or less by reflex. Daiki looked so vulnerable like this.

"Yes, it's your turn," Tetsuya agreed, voice gentle, and passed the soft leather carefully around Daiki's throat and closed the catch firmly. Taiga felt a little shiver run through Daiki. He thought Tetsuya did, too, because he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Daiki's nape, just over the clasp. Daiki practically purred, relaxing against Taiga, and Tetsuya leaned against them looking satisfied.

A thought nudged at Taiga, one that made his face heat a little once again, but he wasn't going to lie to himself. He knew perfectly well what they were doing, what it meant that Tetsuya had put this on him rather than let him do it himself. It wasn't like he objected, but that kind of meant he should ask Tetsuya about taking it off, too, right?

"I don't think we should wear these on the court," he said, touching the necklace. "They aren't very heavy; they could get broken too easily."

Tetsuya smiled, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "Of course. I want you to be sensible about them. Whatever you think is necessary."

Taiga turned into that touch, mouth tilted ruefully as he acknowledged how it relaxed him to have Tetsuya's agreement on that. His permission. Daiki stirred against his shoulder, looking up.

"I think I might be a little not-sensible." Daiki's eyes were dark, on Tetsuya, and Tetsuya's smile turned darker as he met them.

"That's fine too," he said softly, reaching out to hook a finger under the thin cord and pull it taut. "I'll put one of these back around your neck as many times as it takes."

The sound Daiki made, husky and wanting, sent Taiga's blood rushing to his cock. Tetsuya, still straddling him, laughed. "Come here, Daiki. Take care of Taiga for me." He slid to the side, nudging Taiga into the middle of the bed, and pulled Daiki down by his necklaceâ€”his collarâ€”until he was kneeling between Taiga's legs, bent over to nuzzle against Taiga's cock. "Yes. Like that."

Taiga slid his hands down Daiki's arms and over his shoulders, hands working against the sleek muscle there as Daiki licked his cock teasingly. "Daiki..." He loved the way Tetsuya drew them to each other, and it never stopped getting him hot, watching Daiki submit to Tetsuya, but Daiki could be a little disconcerting in bed. He teased even more than Tetsuya. Daiki glanced up at him, smirking a little but gently, and wound his arms around Taiga's hips, long fingers spreading against his back.

"Shut up and enjoy it, Tai," he murmured, and closed his mouth around Taiga, hot and slick and sure. Pleasure tightened on Taiga like a knot closing, and he gasped, trying not to rock up too hard while Daiki's tongue stroked over him enticingly.

And then Daiki gasped around him, abruptly flushed, hands tightening on Taiga's back. Taiga looked up and realized Tetsuya had settled behind Daiki, hands kneading over his raised ass. Tetsuya smiled just a little as he spread Daiki's cheeks wide and rubbed slow fingers over his entrance. Tetsuya had not, Taiga realized, flushing a bit himself, reached for the lube yet. He knew Daiki liked Tetsuya to be rougher with him than he ever was with Taiga, but was Tetsuya really...? Tetsuya pushed a finger in, and the way Daiki moaned around Taiga sent a shudder of pleasure right up his spine.

"Tetsu," Daiki gasped, head tipping back as he arched on his knees to push his ass up higher.

Tetsuya smiled slowly. "I told you to take care of Taiga," he reminded Daiki, working his finger in and out of Daiki's ass with short little thrusts. Taiga could watch it, from where he lay, and see how Daiki's eyes went darker at the quiet command in Tetsuya's voice.

"Yes, Tetsu," he murmured, and lowered his head again, wrapping his lips around Taiga's cock and lapping at him quick and firm, just like the movement of Tetsuya's hand. When Tetsuya pushed two dry fingers into him, Daiki shuddered and sucked on Taiga like he could coax Tetsuya's fingers deeper that way. It felt incredible, like Taiga was part of what Tetsuya was doing to their lover, and maybe that was why he whispered, "Tetsuya, please..."

Tetsuya looked up, holding Taiga's eyes as he twisted his fingers deep in Daiki's ass. "You think I should give him more?"

Taiga shuddered softly with the vibration of Daiki's moan. "Yes!"

Tetsuya laughed softly, drawing his fingers back and reaching for the bottle still tangled in Taiga's sheets. "Very well."

Taiga swallowed, throat dry as he watched. He knew how it felt, knew so well how it felt to have Tetsuya's hands wrapped around his hips, holding him while Tetsuya's cock pushed in slowly, slowly, opening him up. So he knew exactly why Daiki was making those husky sounds and why his hands were clutching at Taiga's back and why Daiki's mouth was desperate against him. He was pleading for both of them when he moaned, "Please, Tetsuya, harder..."

And when Tetsuya shifted, leaning over Daiki and driving in deep and hard, it was Taiga who came undone under the slide of Daiki's mouth all the way down his cock. He lost track of watching Tetsuya, but he could feel everything Tetsuya was doing in the pressure of Daiki's mouth on him as he clutched at Daiki's shoulders, gasping with the pleasure wringing him out. "Tetsuya...! God, Tetsuya, please!"

By the time he came back down, Daiki was sprawled across him, just as messy and breathless as he was. Tetsuya was arched taut behind him, buried deep inside Daiki, flushed and gasping softly. The sight wrung another moan out of him, and when he looked down Daiki's eyes were fixed on him. "I can see it," Daiki told him, husky. "I can see how he looks in how you look right now."

"Mmm." Tetsuya slowly opened his eyes again and released Daiki's hips to stroke down his back. "Yes. Just like Taiga could tell what I was doing and what you needed." He eased free of Daiki and pushed him gently down against Taiga, keeping a hand on Daiki's back as he settled beside them. "We're doing this together, and there's no competition between you. Remember that, all right?"

Daiki froze, staring at Tetsuya with wide eyes. "I..."

Tetsuya smiled and cupped his cheek, stroking a thumb over the sharp line of his cheekbone. "You think I wouldn't see it, when you were my partner for so long and you're my lover now? I want both of you," he told Daiki softly, touching the cord of leather around his neck. "Never doubt that."

Slowly, Daiki nodded, relaxing against Taiga, eyes lowered. "Yes, Tetsu," he said, more subdued by Tetsuya's quiet words than Taiga had ever seen him, even when he was tied up. Taiga wrapped his arms around Daiki, holding him close. He knew how that felt, too. It was, he thought, exactly why both of them were willing to walk around wearing the delicate collars Tetsuya had clasped around their necks, and he smiled against Daiki's hair.

They were all together in this, all right.

Effect

Izuki Shun had always watched the people around him; it was one of the habits that made him a good point guard. And his teammates were always worth watching, for the amusement value if nothing else. So he'd noticed a few months ago that Kagami had stopped wearing the ring on a chain around his neck that used to always be there, even during practice. And he'd noticed about a week ago that Kagami had started wearing a simple leather necklace, the kind that you could find at any accessory stall in any shopping district. That, though, he carefully removed and tucked away whenever he changed for practice or a match.

Which was, perhaps, why it took so long for anyone else to notice. Shun had laid a tiny bet with himself on who it would be, and he won it the evening Koganei looked up from tying his shoes and suddenly grinned.

"Hey, Kagami." Koganei's tone was as good as a knowing nudge in the ribs. "You've got a new necklace these days. Is there someone who wants you to wear her present, instead of your old girlfriend's?"

Kagami promptly turned red and sputtered. "It's not like that!" Shun had expected that kind of response, because Kagami really was awfully innocent in some ways. The surprising part was the way Kagami hesitated as he fastened the necklace, looking aside, and added, "Not exactly."

Of course, that was as good as waving a feather in front of a cat. "Not exactly?" Koganei pressed, sidling up to throw an arm around Kagami's shoulders despite the height difference. "So there really is a girl, isn't there? Come on, you can tell senpai all about it..."

Kagami was sputtering again, and Shun was preparing to take pity on the poor guy and intervene when Kuroko beat him to it.

"Koganei-senpai," he said, sharper than Shun had ever heard him speak to any of his seniors, "that's private. You shouldn't tease Kagami-kun about it."

The entire club fell quiet for a moment, staring. Kuroko tugged down his cuffs and stood, looking back levelly. It wasn't quite the way Shun had seen him stare down opponents, but it was close. He didn't blame Koganei for stepping away from Kagami, hands raised.

"Just kidding around."

And quick as that, Kuroko was back to his usual self, calm and at ease, giving Koganei a very proper little bow. "Of course, senpai. Excuse us, please." He slung his bag over his shoulder and led the way out, and Kagami followed him.

There was, Shun noted, predictable relief at being rescued on Kagami's face, but there was also something soft along with it. As unusually soft as Kuroko had just been sharp. He considered that thoughtfully, as he pulled on his jacket.

Maybe this was something he'd keep a particular eye on.

Junpei had separated from the rest of the team in the wake of the first winter preliminaries, and was walking home beside Riko and Teppei, when Riko finally spoke up.

"So. Did you see Aomine when we passed Touou, on our way out?"

Junpei winced. He'd foolishly hoped she hadn't noticed. "It's none of our business," he said firmly.

"What isn't?" Teppei blinked at them.

"Teppei!" Riko huffed, obviously exasperated. "Didn't you notice that Aomine was wearing a necklace just like the one Kagami wears these days?"

"Well sure," Teppei said calmly. "I'm glad those two seem to be getting along so well."

Junpei buried his face in his hands, groaning. As if Riko wasn't bad enough! "It is none of our business," he repeated hopelessly.

"I wonder if Kuroko set the two of them up," Riko speculated with gleaming eyes, completely ignoring him. "Maybe that's why he was so defensive when Koganei was teasing Kagami."

Teppei made a thoughtful sound. "I have to admit, I always expected all three of them to be together, but maybe you're right. At any rate, he doesn't seem to feel left out, and that's good."

Junpei wondered wistfully if putting his hands over his ears would drown them out.

"Oooo, if they are all together, maybe that's what it is!" Riko clasped her hands in front of her mouth, eyes dancing. "Maybe those are actually Kuroko's necklaces they're wearing."

"Kantoku!" Junpei finally yelled. "Quit talking about our players' love lives!"

From the way she broke down giggling, he figured she'd just been trying to get a rise out of him anyway, and sighed. And swatted at Teppei's hand when it landed on his head and rumpled his hair 'comfortingly'.

"Oh, don't worry." Riko bumped her shoulder against his arm and grinned up at him. "It's not like I'd say any of this in front of them."

"Although, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if Kuroko had it in him," Teppei started, and Junpei cut him off sternly.

"Both of you shut up about this, or so help me I'm going home alone tonight." Which, since his was the only house at which the three of them could reasonably spend an evening together out of reach of paternal death-threats or grand-parental ears, was a significant enough threat to make them stop.

That didn't stop him from remembering the conversation, every time he saw Kuroko smile while Kagami fastened that necklace on after practice, but he'd already become resigned to the fact that being a boyfriend to Riko and Teppei did bad things to a man's brain. He figured it was worth it.

Takao Kazunari had never really been surprised by how often Shintarou wanted to visit his ex-teammates in Tokyo. For all his quirks, Shin-chan was pretty much born to be a team player, and Kazunari actually had no trouble believing he'd been the voice of reason on the Teikou team.

Considering who else had been on that team, after all.

So, even before Kagami and Aomine started sneaking out to see each other, Kazunari had been driving his partner back and forth across central Tokyo at least once a month to give Kise or Kagami or Kuroko very backhanded advice, or to trade insults with Aomine. It was unquestionably good muscular and cardiovascular training, and some days, like today, it was good entertainment, too.

"The two of you have no discipline whatsoever," Shintarou sniffed, adjusting his glasses as he gave Aomine and Kagami unimpressed looks. Admittedly, they both looked pretty scruffy at the moment, wringing wet and gasping for breath.

"Oh, come on Shin-chan," Kazunari called, bouncing the ball easily and keeping a sharp eye on Kuroko. "How long were they been playing for before we got there?"

"That," Shintarou said in arctic tones, "is exactly my point. Both of them should have the strength to go for longer, if they ever bothered to pace themselves properly." He swept back his hair, sweat-soaked for all his breathing was still disgustingly easy, and gave the two other aces a thoroughly disgruntled look.

Kazunari was hard-pressed not to laugh at the way both Kagami and Aomine seemed torn between glaring at each other and glaring at Shintarou. "Give 'em a break, Shin-chan. We can go bug Kise, if you want more of a work-out." That suggestion focused both glares firmly on him, and he smirked back at them. He was pretty sure they'd be pacing themselves more carefully, after having to hear something like that from him; never let it be said he didn't look after his partner's interests.

"Midorima-kun is right, that's enough for today," Kuroko put in, and Kazunari blinked, finding his hand abruptly empty of the ball. Kuroko was getting sneakier every month, he swore. But that little coup seemed to be enough to settle Kuroko's own partners, and they all trouped off the court together. Kazunari stretched his calves thoughtfully as they fished out water and towels, wondering if he'd really make it to Kaijou and back without his legs giving out. Which wasn't a problem in and of itself, but Shin-chan would lecture him just as mercilessly as he did his ex-teammates. From the look in his partner's eye, though, Kazunari really didn't think Shintarou would be satisfied with this game alone, today. He'd been restless all morning, and looking forward to a hard game.

Sure enough, Shintarou was tetchy enough that even watching Kagami fasten a plain and unassuming necklace on was enough to rouse his ire. "You've always been careless, Aomine," he snapped. "I notice you didn't even bother taking your frivolous decorations off while you played."

Huh. Now Shin-chan mentioned it, Aomine did have on a necklace a lot like Kagami's, a plain leather cord number. In fact... it looked almost exactly alike. More to defuse Shintarou's temper than anything else, Kazunari grinned and asked, "What, are you two married now, as well as rivals?"

He blinked when they both turned red and sputtered.

"It's not..."

"Definitely not..."

"I mean, not like that..."

"Seriously, well okay, not exactly like that, but seriously..."

Kazunari's eyes widened with delight at every jumbled denial. "You are, oh that's so beautiful." They nearly gargled at him, at that, reduced to non-verbal protests, and he laughed.

He'd never claimed that he didn't have an evil sense of humor.

Before he could wind them up any more, though, Kuroko straightened up from zipping his bag and said firmly, "Enough."

The command in his tone was a little startling, but Kazunari had seen Kuroko play hot, and he'd seen Kuroko angry once or twice. He knew Kuroko had a cutting edge under that smooth expression. What was a lot more startling was the way both Kagami and Aomine fell quiet at that one word.

At that order.

It all fell together at once, the matching leather necklaces, the way Aomine kept his on and Kagami had flushed just a little deeper putting his back on, the way that one word had pulled them up short. Kazunari pursed his lips and whistled quietly. "Well, well. Congratulations, then," he told Kuroko, perfectly in earnest. He was impressed.

When Kuroko just dipped his head, accepting it as his due, Kazunari had to grin.

"In that case, we'll just be off and let you three get on with things," he said cheerily, slinging an arm, or at least a hand, around Shin-chan's shoulder and tugging him toward the corner of the court where he'd left the bike and cart.

Shintarou frowned down at him in obvious puzzlement. "Takao, what--?"

"Shh." Kazunari laughed under his breath. "Tell you later." Aomine and Kagami were both red in the face. "Not that I'm actually all that surprised," he added as he unlocked the bike and wheeled it around. "I mean, it's always the ones you wouldn't expect, right?" He paused, struck by an enticing thought as Shintarou gave him an exasperated look. "Hm. Speaking of which, what would you say to going straight home instead of visiting Kise?"

Shintarou looked down his nose. "And why would I agree to that, when Aomine and Kagami were barely a challenge today?"

Kazunari leaned against the seat of the bike, crossing his legs, and fished a coin out of his pocket. "I was thinking there might be a form of exercise you'd like more, today." He tossed the coin lightly from hand to hand, smiling up at Shintarou. "What do you say, Shin-chan? Heads, you let me suck your fingers while I fuck you. Tails, I let you fuck me wherever and however you please." The corners of his mouth curled a little higher as Shin-chan's eyes widened behind his glasses. "How's your fortune looking today?" he purred, and flipped the coin into the air for Shin-chan to call. Past the flash of metal, his partner's eyes gleamed.

It was always the ones you wouldn't expect.

Himuro Tatsuya was not expecting to hear his name called. He'd put his back against a nice, sturdy brick wall and was just keeping out of the way as the howling packs of shoppers swept past. But when someone called, "Tatsuya!", he recognized the voice and looked up with a smile. A tilted smile, because he expected Taiga to give him a certain amount of hell for his current errand, but a smile.

"Hey."

Taiga forged awkwardly through the crush, obviously still not used to how close people pressed. His clothes fit into the crowd down here well enough; the sneakers weren't exactly stylish, but when you were built like Taiga a pair of jeans and a shirt thrown on over a tee were all you needed to make people look around for the photo-shoot. No one did, though, because Taiga was so completely unconscious and uncaring of how he looked in the middle of crowds bent on buying things to look prettier. He always had been, and Tatsuya had shaken his head over the fact for years. The only hint of fashion on Taiga, as far as he could see, was the necklace Taiga wore, no longer the chain and ring Tatsuya had gotten him but a leather cord. Even that probably wasn't on purpose. He wondered, a little wryly, whether Taiga had just gotten that used to wearing something around his neck.

Taiga finally fetched up against the wall, a little breathless. "You didn't say you'd be in town this weekend."

"I didn't know I was going to be until extremely early this morning," Tatsuya said, dry. "Atsushi wanted to come buy some new kind of candy that's being sold starting today." He waved at one of the mammoth lines down the street, where one very tall figure could be seen looming over the competition. "First time I've ever seen him get up early." He cocked his head up at Taiga. "So what are you in for?" He'd never known Taiga to willingly go out shopping for anything but groceries.

"New shoes."

Tatsuya started at that quiet voice right at his elbow, and eyed Kuroko, who had appeared there. He was starting to suspect that Teikou's old 'invisible man' got a kick out of doing that to people.

"At least this time I know they've actually got my size," Taiga added, unsurprised. Maybe he'd gotten used to the jack-in-the-box act. "This time I ordered them ahead of time."

Tatsuya could sympathize, especially after the coach put him in charge of ordering Atsushi's supplies. No one stocked shoes that size. He'd finally resorted to online stores with direct shipping. Some of the other team members made jokes about baby-sitting, but Tatsuya didn't actually mind. God knew Atsushi was pretty much at sea anywhere except a basketball court. Someone had to look after him.

Taiga had never needed looking after that way. Not really. He'd always had a solid core in him that held him steady. If it seemed weird for someone to be anchored by wild enthusiasm for life, well it had also been fun to be around. At least, it had been fun until he'd realized that Taiga didn't need him. That Taiga had grown so much that he'd started trying to protect Tatsuya. That... that had been more than he could take.

That wasn't something they could really talk about, though. It wasn't something a person like Taiga would ever understand. So instead he laughed. "First time I've even seen you laying plans to get any kind of clothing, even for the game." He added, teasing, "Though maybe you're getting stylish in your old age." He lifted a finger to flick at the cord necklace that had replaced his chain. Taiga rocked back from the gesture, almost a flinch, and a moment of remorse nipped at Tatsuya. There was no need to be cruel, just because Taiga had grown beyond him.

That wasn't what stopped the gesture, though.

Tatsuya's brows lifted as he looked down at Kuroko, who was abruptly standing between him and Taiga with an iron grip on Tatsuya's wrist. "You have no right to touch that," Kuroko said softly, every polite ending sharpened to a cutting edge.

"I think that's Taiga's to say, don't you?" Tatsuya wasn't going to stand for Kuroko trying to protect Taiga when Tatsuya couldn't. It was ridiculous to imagine.

Kuroko's gaze didn't so much as flicker, and his voice was as hard as his grip. "This is mine to say. And you will keep your hands off it." He nearly threw Tatsuya's hand aside.

Tatsuya snorted. "Taiga, are you seriously going to tell me..." he trailed off, staring at Taiga. Taiga, who was watching Kuroko with suddenly wide eyes, whose hand lifted to touch that necklace lightly. Taiga who glanced briefly at him and then aside, color sneaking over his cheekbones.

"This is Tetsuya's to say," Taiga admitted.

For a long breath, Tatsuya's brain flatly refused to put the pieces together, but they fit so very clearly that he couldn't hold it off for long. That wasn't just a necklace.

And if this was something Taiga wanted, then maybe... maybe they could have...

"Muro-chin?" Atsushi loomed out of the crowd, brightly colored candy bag already open in his hand. "And Kuro-chin."

Tatsuya took a slow breath. No. Maybe if he'd known sooner, but it certainly wouldn't work now. He had Atsushi to take care of, and judging by the narrow look Kuroko was still giving him he didn't think Kuroko was the sharing type. "Well, good luck with those shoes, then," he said, as easily as if nothing had happened. "I'd better get Atsushi back up to Akita before anyone misses us."

"Probably wise, yes," Kuroko murmured, and Tatsuya's mouth quirked. Yeah, that was one possessive little bastard.

"We'll see you at semi-finals, then," Taiga added quietly, watching Tatsuya with shadowed eyes.

"Quit looking like that, Taiga," Tatsuya told him easily. "It'll be fun." Probably more fun for Taiga than for him, but he was used to that. "Come on Atsushi, be thinking about what kind of station bento you want to get; if we miss another train because you couldn't decide, I'm taking the cost of changing tickets out of your wallet." He waved goodbye and led his teammate back out into the crush.

He was used to wanting things he couldn't have. It was always best to just set it aside.

Result

Daiki pretty much took Tai's apartment as an extra home, these days, so he didn't bother knocking before breezing in the unlocked door. "Hey, guys, up for a..." he trailed off, startled. Tetsu and Tai were on the couch; well, Tetsu was a least. Tai was on his knees, head buried in Tetsu's lap, holding on to Tetsu like the last branch in a flood. Tetsu had his fingers buried in Tai's hair, stroking it slowly, while his other arm stayed wrapped around Tai's shoulders. He looked up at Daiki, eyes serious but not dark, and beckoned Daiki closer with a tilt of his head.

Daiki came and knelt behind Tai, pressing close against his back, and wound his arms around Tai. "Hey," he said again, quieter. Tai made an acknowledging sound, but didn't move, and Daiki looked up at Tetsu, questioning. "What happened?"

True anger sparked in Tetsu's eyes, though his hands stayed gentle, stroking Tai's hair. "We ran into Himuro-san today. He took notice of Taiga's collar."

"He let go so easy; he lets everything go so easy," Tai finally said, voice rough and muffled against Tetsu's lap.

Daiki thought about that. "Well," he said at last, "it's a good thing you're with Tetsu, then."

Tai finally lifted his head to blink at Daiki over his shoulder. "...huh?"

"That went by a little fast." Tetsu was smiling, though, and he set his other hand in Daiki's hair.

"Well, think about it," Daiki pointed out, leaning into Tetsu's fingers with pleasure. "Tetsu doesn't let anything go. I mean, I'm here aren't I?"

Tai blinked a few more times and finally looked up at Tetsu. "Not anything?" His voice was still husky, but it was starting to sound like Tai again.

There was fire behind Tetsu's calm smile, the fire that Daiki had always seen in him, always loved in him. "Not anything," he confirmed with absolute certainty. "Not Daiki. Not you." He trailed his fingers down Tai's neck to rest on the leather cord of his collar. "Not ever."

Tai took a slow, shaky breath and let it out. "Okay."

Daiki could feel Tai relaxing, between them, and pulled him closer with a little smile buried in Tai's wild red hair. That was better. It just didn't feel right when Tai freaked out; he was the steady one.

Tetsu slid his fingers through their hair, slow and gentle. "I don't let go of what's mine," he said softly, and Daiki made a satisfied sound against Tai's shoulder. That was the way it should be. He brushed his lips over the cord of Tai's collar and purred at the feel of Tai relaxing some more.

They were together in this, and that was enough.

End

Heads or Tails

Comes in the middle of "A Good, Free, and Unconstrained Will". Takao won the coin toss. Midorima doesn't actually mind that. D/s, Porn, Fluff, I-4

It never stopped amazing Kazunari how easily Shintarou relaxed for him, in bed. All right, so he colored up adorably when Kazunari started unbuttoning his shirt, and tended to fall into flustered silence when he noticed Kazunari watching him slide his pants off and fold them neatly. But all the upright reserve that saw Shintarou through the day and let him ignore as unworthy of notice the strange looks his lucky items invariably drew eased out of him as he lay back against the sheets. As soon as Kazunari's hands touched his skin, Shintarou seemed to let all that go, and by the time Kazunari's fingers started working him open he was ready to spread his legs with perfect, unconscious wantonness and rock down onto Kazunari's hand. Kazunari loved seeing him like this.

Of course, Shintarou did tend to keep an arm thrown over his face, but that was all right. For now.

"Ready?" he murmured, curling his fingers a little to rub Shintarou inside until he gasped, hips bucking up. "Mm, looks like it."

"Yes," Shintarou agreed, husky, wetting lips that were already bitten red. The sight made heat tighten through Kazunari, made his own voice rougher.

"Good." He slid his fingers slowly free, savoring the tiny sound Shintarou made, and squeezed out a little more lube to slick over his cock. Shintarou lay waiting for him, breathing deep and quick, but still not looking. And that was why Kazunari let him keep that arm over his face for a while; he was, after all, a point guard, and no one should be surprised if he liked to be in control. The way Shintarou's breath caught when Kazunari's hands slid down his thighs to spread him wider, the open way he moaned when Kazunari's cock pushed into him, the way he relaxed into Kazunari's hands so easily, Kazunari loved all of those.

But after a few slow, rocking strokes to settle himself it was time for more.

"Shintarou," he said softly, "give me your hand."

No matter how many times they did this, that still made Shintarou gasp and tense a little. "Kazunari..."

"Shhh." He reached up to rest a hand against Shintarou's chest, steady and reassuring. "Give me your hand," he repeated lower.

Slowly, Shintarou let the arm across his face fall and held out his bare fingers, unwrapped earlier at the same time he'd set aside his glasses.

Kazunari cradled Shintarou's hand in both of his, holding those wide, uncertain eyes as he lifted it. The sudden flush in Shintarou's face when Kazunari wrapped his lips around one finger and sucked, the soft moan Shintarou tried to catch back, nearly made him moan himself. Well, no, he lied; it was the things he knew were behind that flush and that moan. It was the fact that Shintarou guarded his hands so jealously and yet would trust them to Kazunari, even when uncertainty made the fingers in Kazunari's hold tremble. It was the fact that the way Shintarou responded to having those sensitive fingers sucked was one of the few things that truly made him blush, in bed, but he would let Kazunari do it anyway. That was what made him so hard as he drove deeper into Shintarou, fucking him steadily while he played his tongue over Shintarou's fingers just as slow and wet and dirty as possible. He fucked the tight heat of his partner's ass hard and sure, and slid his lips and tongue over Shintarou's shaking fingers until Shintarou was gasping, breath cut into quick little jerks. Until he was making a soft sound, almost a whimper, at the end of every thrust. Until he closed his eyes and whispered, "Kazunari," with an edge of pleading in that low, controlled voice.

"Mmm." Kazunari smiled, licking one last time down Shintarou's fingers before he guided Shintarou's hand down to wrap those wet fingers around his own cock. "Yeah. Show me. Let me see you, Shin-chan." He closed both hands around his partner's hips, lifting him up a little so Kazunari could fuck him harder, and the first thrust drove home just as long, talented fingers stroked hard down Shintarou's cock.

Kazunari tried not to use cliches, but if Shintarou's open moan wasn't music it was still a sound that put a burst of heat down Kazunari's spine. Shintarou was gorgeous like this, spread out and undone, lips parted around low gasps, fingers sliding with desperate hunger up and down the long, hard line of his own cock. Kazunari bit down hard on his lip to keep himself from coming immediately when Shintarou arched hard, head tipped back, and his body wrung itself out around Kazunari's cock. He wanted to watch this. The velvety depth of Shintarou's moan did him in, though, and he slid helplessly over the edge after him, hips jerking hard against the curve of Shintarou's ass while the rush of pleasure made the world hazy.

The sight of Shintarou sprawled out afterwards, though, lax and flushed, was just as good.

Kazunari eased Shintarou's legs back down and stretched out to settle against him, winding an arm around Shintarou's ribs. "Good?" he asked softly. Shintarou nodded quietly and rested his bare fingers on Kazunari's shoulder, lightly. Kazunari smiled and snuggled closer, satisfied with the sure knowledge that Shintarou would say yes the next time he suggested this.

End

Ring Led

Kuroko decides to push Aomine a little further, and offers to spank him for breaking his collar (again). Aomine is perfectly pleased, but Kagami needs a bit more reassurance. D/s, Porn, I-4

Daiki remembered that he'd asked Tetsu once, years ago after actually meeting Tetsu's mom, whether he minded that his mom was away so often, traveling for work. He'd been curious. She'd seemed like the kind of parent a person could actually miss having around. He remembered that Tetsu had smiled and said that she was such a good mother when she was there that it lasted him through the times she wasn't. At the time, Daiki had wondered if it could actually work that way, but he knew kind of what Tetsu had meant, now. Daiki's collar was like that for him. (Even though he'd nearly sprained his neck trying to shake the idea out of his head when it first occurred to him, because he really didn't want to be thinking about any parents at all in connection with collar-stuff.)

In any case, he was glad that Tetsu's mom was off traveling tonight, because that meant that he and Tetsu and Taiga were all staying over at Tetsu's house, and he needed that more than usual tonight.

Daiki fidgeted a little, on the walk from the station to Tetsu's house, the way he'd been fidgeting all day, having to hold himself back to keep from walking faster the closer they got. He didn't think the other two had noticed that, but as soon as they hung up their coats in the front hall Tetsu's eyes narrowed at him. Daiki wasn't surprised; whenever the three of them were together, their necks were the first place Tetsu's eyes went to.

"Where is your collar?"

Daiki fished it out of his front pocket and held it up, snapped ends dangling. "The chain broke."

"Again," Tai muttered, scuffing his house slippers on more firmly.

"It's not my fault if they're flimsy enough to break during practice," Daiki pointed out, looking down his nose. "I like having it on all the time." He really liked it a lot, which did mean a lot of wear and tear, he'd admit.

Tetsu would be rolling his eyes, if he were the sort to do that, Daiki was pretty sure. "It's a good thing I keep spares for you." He plucked the broken necklace out of Daiki's fingers. "Come on." He led the way up the stairs to his room. Daiki grinned a bit, to see that two spare futons were already spread on the floor; fitting the three of them into a regular bed meant a lot of being careful not to elbow anyone in the stomach, and sometimes it was nice to do something more energetic. He could do with something energetic, after having the broken collar itching at him all day. Tai promptly claimed the bed as a seat, stretching his legs out and bunching the pillows up at his back, so Daiki leaned in the doorway while Tetsu rummaged in the lower drawer of his desk. Finally, he straightened, a new necklace of slim leather cord just like the old one hanging from his hand.

"Come here." Tetsu crooked a finger at Daiki and then pointed to the floor before him. Familiar heat locked around Daiki, the heat of being with Tetsu like this. He took two long steps away from the door and sank to his knees at Tetsu's feet, lifting his chin to bare his throat. Tetsu smiled, and his fingers slid briefly through Daiki's hair. "Good." The cool of the leather settling lightly around Daiki's throat made him shiver, and he had to close his eyes for a moment.

"You know," Tetsu murmured, fingers stroking over the line of Daiki's new collar, "sometimes I think you let them break just so I'll put another on you."

Daiki looked up at him, relaxed by the feeling of being collared again. "You did say that you would, as often as necessary."

The corners of Tetsu's mouth curled up faintly, and he set his fingers under Daiki's chin, keeping his head tipped back. "I did, and I will. Though I'm starting to wonder if I should punish you, when you break another one, for putting me to the trouble."

Daiki's eyes widened at the sharp thrill of heat that sang through him. He liked it when Tetsu pushed him, and also when Tetsu showed him a limit and made him mind it. He had to swallow, and when he spoke his voice was husky. "Punish me how?"

Tetsu made a thoughtful sound and was quiet for long enough that Daiki bit his lip, starting to be a shade nervous. There were things Tetsu could do that really would hurt, but... he didn't think Tetsu would do them. He didn't think. Tetsu pushed him physically, but never denied him, never pushed him away. When he felt Tetsu's thumb sliding along his lower lip, coaxing it free of his teeth, his breath caught and he looked up to see that Tetsu's eyes had turned gentle. He relaxed again on a flood of warm relief and settled on his knees, waiting.

"Perhaps I should spank you," Tetsu murmured. "Do you think that would punish you suitably, Daiki? If I put you on your hands and knees and spanked you until your ass was hot under my hand?"

Heat rushed through Daiki again, and he was sure he was flushed. That was exactly the kind of thing he loved to take from Tetsu, and something more intense than they'd tried yet. "Yes, Tetsu," he managed.

Tetsu smiled slowly, thumb brushing back and forth over Daiki's mouth. "Then maybe I'll give you your first spanking tonight, while Taiga watches."

Daiki nearly moaned at that thought, at the idea of being watched while Tetsu punished him. At least until a strangled sound from the bed made them both look around. Tai's hands were locked tight in the blankets and his shoulders were taut.

"Tetsuya," Tai started, sounding a little strained, "I don't think I... I mean..."

"Taiga." Tetsu squeezed Daiki's shoulder and murmured to him, "Come." He went to Tai and straddled his lap, wrapping his arms tight around Tai. Daiki did as he was told and stretched out beside Tai while Tetsu held him, fingers stroking through that wild red hair. "It's all right," Tetsu told their lover softly. "If you don't want to watch, or be present, that's fine." He leaned back just a little and cradled Tai's face in his hands as Tai looked up at him, uncertain. "But if you're worried, perhaps it would be better if you did stay. So you can see for sure that I would never do anything to hurt either of you."

Daiki could feel the shudder that ran through Tai, and the way he slumped back against the headboard with a faint sigh. "Hey." He nudged Tai's ribs, gentler than usual. "You were watching all of that, weren't you? I want it, Tai." He smiled, slow and dark, and leaned in to nibble on Tai's earlobe and murmur, "I want it a lot. I want Tetsu to push me to the edge and hold me up against it."

Tetsu reached out and tugged Daiki's collar taut with a finger hooked under it, eyes dark and sharp. "I will hold you there. I'll hold you safe."

This time, Daiki felt Tai gasp and relax at exactly the same time he did, and he'd bet money that Tai felt the same wave of want and security. It was just the way Tetsu made them both feel. Tetsu smiled and tipped Tai's chin up with a finger under it. "Just think of it," he said softly. "The sounds Daiki will make, the way his breathing will hitch with every stroke. The way he'll spread his legs wider when his ass starts to turn red under my hand. The way he'll beg for more."

Daiki moaned against Tai's shoulder. "Fuck, Tetsu, you don't have to wait for that. Please spank me, spank me hard..." His cock was hard already, just listening to this.

A quick glance down showed that Tai's was, too.

"So." Tetsu leaned in and kissed Tai's forehead gently. "Do you want to watch it, or would you rather not?"

"I..." Tai swallowed and took a breath. "I think I want to stay."

"All right. Tell me if you need to stop."

Tai nodded, shoulders finally softened into their usual line when they were with Tetsu this way, relaxed and trusting. That was better; Daiki liked seeing how Taiga trusted Tetsu. It made things feel right.

Tetsu tugged on Daiki's collar again, making him shiver. "If you need to stop, beg me for it."

That would come easy, if he really did need it, and Daiki leaned bonelessly against Tai, smiling. "Yes, Tetsu."

"Good." Tetsu eased back down the bed and pulled his shirt off, swift and easy. "Take your pants off, then."

While Daiki hopped off the bed to strip off his jeans, and socks and underwear because anything else would just feel silly, Tetsu pulled Tai to his feet and led him to one corner of the futons.

"Here." Tetsu laid his hands on Tai's shoulders and pushed him down, following to kiss him slowly. In the middle of the kiss, he reached down and undid Tai's jeans, and Daiki made an appreciative sound. Tai was definitely hard. Tetsu laughed low in his throat as he pulled away, leaving Tai breathless, and looks back at Daiki. "As for you..." He scooted into the middle of the futons and pointed in front of him. "Down on your knees and bend over."

Daiki did as he was told, cock jumping a little at hearing such a brisk order from Tetsu, something that made it very clear who was in charge. He spread his knees wide against the cotton blanket and bent down, feeling his tank top, the only thing he was still wearing, slide up his back a little. Tetsu's hand stroked over his bared ass, slow and warm, until Daiki sighed and rested his forehead on his crossed arms, relaxing.

"That's better," Tetsu murmured. "There's no reason to be tense, Daiki. You're all mine, and I'm going to spank you until you don't have any questions at all about who you belong to."

Daiki moaned soft and wanting, and arched his back a little to offer Tetsu his ass. "Yes, Tetsu..."

Tetsu's hand lifted and came down again firmly, spanking him across one cheek and then the other. One and then the other. Again and again, firm and steady. The feeling of it set Daiki gasping. The smack of every stroke was sharp in the room, and Tetsu's hand on his ass stung every time, but it felt good too. His ass felt warm and full, and the knowledge that it was Tetsu spanking him, Tetsu's hand punishing him, made Daiki's cock throb.

"Your skin is turning red and hot," Tetsu murmured to him, pausing to rub his palm over Daiki's stinging bottom. "Do you like that, Daiki?" He slapped Daiki's ass again, sharply.

"Yes, Tetsu!" Daiki gasped, fingers closing in the sheets under them.

"Good." Tetsu's hand turned a little heavier as he started spanking Daiki again. "Remember that this will be your punishment whenever I have to put a new collar on you."

Daiki moaned into the sheets, panting for breath with the heat building under Tetsu's hand, making his ass throb in time with his cock. It almost really hurt, now, except that Tetsu's hand lingered, giving his ass a little rub after every sharp blow, easing the bite of it into a slow burn, deep and intense. "Yes Tetsu, please," he gasped, spreading his legs wider, arms thrown out along the futon. It was so good, feeling Tetsu's control of him, Tetsu's control of what he would feel and how. And knowing he was being punished made him hard and breathless.

"You definitely like this, don't you?" There was a smile in Tetsu's voice, and his other hand slid between Daiki's legs to stroke his cock. He spread Daiki's burning cheeks apart and rubbed a finger over his entrance. Daiki nearly came right then and there.

"Fuck, please Tetsu!" He whined when Tetsu rubbed his entrance a little harder, and then gasped when Tetsu drew back and gave his ass a ringing smack. "Tetsu!" It was good, so good, like being fucked really hard. Tetsu's other hand stayed wrapped around Daiki's cock, fondling him as Tetsu spanked him hard and sure, every stroke making Daiki jerk on his knees and moan with the burst of sharp heat across his ass. "Tetsu, Tetsu fuck, please!" Tetsu's hand tightened on his cock and one last punishing stroke across his ass sent fireworks down Daiki's nerves. He groaned as he came, shuddering in Tetsu's hands.

Taiga hadn't been entirely sure about this, at first, even though Daiki had sounded so turned on by the idea. It was no secret Daiki was into more extreme things than he was, after all. But he did trust Tetsuya, and seeing Daiki spread out waiting for Tetsuya was undeniably hot.

And... it sure didn't sound like Daiki was in pain.

By the time Tetsuya was spanking Daiki hard enough to have made Taiga wince before this he was also fondling Daiki's very hard cock, and God the sounds Daiki was making. He sounded, he looked like he was being fucked. Fucked hard. And really liking it. Watching Daiki's ass turn red under Tetsuya's hand and hearing Daiki begging hoarsely for more was enough to set Taiga panting himself. It was hot, just as hot to watch Daiki being taken this way as it was to watch Tetsuya drive Daiki out of his head any other way. To watch Tetsuya so focused on Daiki, so in control of his body and responses.

Even in the middle of that intent focus, though, Tetsuya gave Taiga a warm little glance every now and then, checking on him, checking that he was all right. That alone was enough to ease Taiga down into the familiar heat of following Tetsuya's lead. And that was what kept Taiga's hand off his own cock, even when Daiki finally came, sprawled open under Tetsuya's hands, so perfectly, wantonly sensual that Taiga had to curl his fingers into the cotton under his knees. Tetsuya hadn't said he could touch himself yet.

So he watched, breathless and hot and really hard, as Tetsuya eased Daiki down to the futon, murmuring to him that he was very good, that everything was all right, that he'd done just as he should. Daiki relaxed under those words, curling up on his side and watching Tetsuya and Taiga with dark, sleepy eyes, flushed and smiling. Tetsuya leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple.

And then he rose and came to Taiga.

Taiga looked up at his lover, lips parted with how quickly he was breathing. "Tetsuya..."

Tetsuya smiled for him and ran slow fingers through Taiga's hair. "Yes." He knelt between Taiga's spread knees and pulled Taiga down to a kiss. Taiga moaned into his mouth as Tetsuya's hand closed on his cock, wrapping his arms tight around Tetsuya and holding on.

"That's good," Tetsuya told him, voice soft and sure, hand working slowly up and down. That hand was warm, far warmer than skin-heat, and Taiga's breath caught as he realized. That was the hand Tetsuya had been spanking Daiki with—but it was gentle on him, so gentle, and Taiga had to bury his head against Tetsuya's shoulder, moaning.

"Shh." The fingers of Tetsuya's other hand slid through his hair, cradling his head. "I have you, Taiga, I have you safe. It's all right. Just feel."

Heat swept him down, deep, so deep he couldn't do anything but shudder as long waves of pleasure raked through him. That soft assurance that Tetsuya saw the differences between Taiga and Daiki, would hold Taiga the way he needed to be held, undid him so completely he was almost sobbing for breath against Tetsuya's shoulder. Tetsuya held him until he quieted, fondling him gently until Taiga was wrung dry.

When Tetsuya finally coaxed Taiga down to the bedding, he willingly settled against Daiki, lying quiet as Tetsuya sat by them and petted them gently. It was Daiki who finally stirred and looked up at Tetsuya.

"You haven't..." he started, suggestively, and Tetsuya laughed and set a light finger against his lips.

"I've had both of you trust me and give yourselves up to me completely, tonight. I have what I want."

Daiki colored a little and ducked down against Taiga's shoulder, and Taiga huffed a bit of a laugh, holding him closer. Daiki was the one who would try anything, who loved the edge, who wanted to be pushed, but he got all shy whenever Tetsuya laid out the emotional stakes in so many words. Taiga rested his head on Tetsuya's knees, reassured that Tetsuya knew how completely he held them both.

Tonight had reminded Taiga of why he did.

He let his eyes fall closed and relaxed against the futon with Daiki in his arms, feeling the slow slide of Tetsuya's fingers through his hair. This was where he belonged.

When Tetsuya's fingers stroked lightly over the slim cord of his collar, Taiga smiled.

End

Sun-warmed

Kagami and Aomine have a quiet moment together--so quiet that Kagami wonders a little how they got to be like this. Fluff, I-2

One of the things that had come as a surprise to Taigaâ€”and this was saying something considering that he’d never, ever expected to be in a B&D relationship, let alone a threesome of the sameâ€”one of the things was that Daiki was a cuddler when they were together.Â  At first, he’d used the couch as an excuse; it was a good excuse, because Taiga’s couch was only two cushions while Daiki’s couch sagged in the middle.Â  But it hadn’t taken long before the only excuse Daiki needed was for Taiga to be in arm’s reach, and pretty soon he’d be wrapped around Taiga like a blanket.

Taiga liked it.Â  It was just unexpected.

If he’d expected anything, it was that they’d be kind of like they were on the court, where they pushed each other until they were both swaying on their feet and gasping for air.Â  It was wild and hot and intense, which seemed to be what Daiki liked best.Â  That was how they were in bed, a lot of the time.Â  It was out of bed and off the court that Daiki turned quiet and cuddly like this.

Taiga stared up at the ceiling of Daiki’s room, running his fingers slowly through Daiki’s short, sleek hair, and finally decided he would ask.Â  “Hey.”Â  He spoke softly in the afternoon quiet of the room.Â Â

Daiki stirred, only to wind tighter around him, like a cat who wanted to keep Taiga right where he was, and made an inquiring noise against his shoulder.

Taiga smiled a little helplessly and cuddled Daiki closer, breathing out a sigh at the warm weight of him.Â  “I never thought you’d be this relaxed around me,” he murmured against Daiki’s hair.

Daiki shrugged a lazy shoulder.Â  “Easy to relax.Â  You didn’t let me down.”

Taiga’s smile turned wry.Â  “Yeah, but you usually relax by dragging me onto the nearest court and trying to beat me until we’re both falling over.”

Daiki roused long enough to poke him in the chest.Â  “Hey.Â  What do you mean ‘try’?”Â  He flopped back down heavily, driving Taiga’s breath out, and wrapped back around him.Â  After a moment, he added, “You’re Tetsu’s.”

Well, okay, yeah, that made some sense.Â  Taiga settled under Daiki, hand sliding up to rub his back.Â  “Anything he wants, hm?”

"Well, that too."Â  Daiki tilted his head back to look at Taiga, so perfectly serene that Taiga’s breath caught.Â  "Tetsu makes things happen right.Â  Whatever it takes."

"Yeah," Taiga said quietly after a few seconds.Â  "Yeah, he does."Â  As Daiki curled back up with a satisfied sound, Taiga held him close, deliberately setting down his doubts and expectations and just accepting Daiki’s warmth against him.Â  He had his answer, and it was a good one.

Tetsuya did make things happen right.Â  But maybe he also needed his partners to help him do it.

Taiga smiled up at the ceiling and held Daiki closer.

End

Fitting to the Crime

Kasamatsu and Kise play bed games, and Kise gets the punishment he deserves. (And, more importantly, the spanking he wants.) D/s, Porn, I-4

Kasamatsu Yukio liked to think that he was a straightforward kind of guy. He could blindside opponents as well as any other point guard, and better than most in fact, but that was different. That was just good strategy. Friends and classmates and, for that matter, lovers, weren't a matter for strategy. So it took him a few minutes, especially in the afterglow of pretty damn good sex, to realize what Ryouta's little sidelong glances meant. When he did, he couldn't help laughing, pulling Ryouta tighter against him and ruffling his already rumpled gold hair. "You're just insatiable, aren't you?"

Ryouta's cheek heated against Yukio's shoulder as he ducked his head, but he was smiling, shy and hopeful. And since Yukio didn't have to be Ryouta's captain any more, and it wasn't one of Ryouta's infuriating pretend ploys, Yukio let fond indulgence curl warmly through him and cuddled Ryouta comfortably against him. He didn't mind playing their other game, today, if Ryouta wanted it. "So," he murmured, carding his fingers through that bright hair, "were you good for your senpai at practice today?"

Ryouta made a tiny, gleeful sound at the question, and the offer in it, before composing himself appropriately. "I'm afraid not, senpai." The way he bent his head would have looked genuinely contrite except for the sparkle of his eyes as he looked up under his lashes.

"No?" Yukio gave him a stern look, setting his fingers under Ryouta's chin to tip his head up and meet Yukio's eyes. "What did you do, Ryouta?"

"Well, Hayakawa-senpai was trying to beat his own record for successful passes after a rebound." Ryouta already sounded a little breathless, eyes wide under Yukio's steady gaze. "And I just mentioned that maybe it would help if he kept his energy up longer, and that I had a spare bottle of Yunker Fanti. Nakamura-senpai said that really wasn't the problem, but Hayakawa-senpai had already drunk the whole bottle."

Yukio had to bite his tongue hard to keep from bursting out laughing; he suspected Ryouta deliberately thought up answers to that question that would make him laugh, and Yukio just hoped he wasn't actually putting them into practice. Honestly, if Ryouta was really doing half the things he said he did when they played like this it was a wonder Nakamura hadn't strangled him yet. The thought of Hayakawa after even one slug of an energy drink didn't bear thinking on, and a whole bottle was downright terrifying to contemplate. When he thought he could control his voice again, he frowned at Ryouta. "That definitely wasn't being good for your senpai. You know what it means when you misbehave, don't you?"

Ryouta lowered his eyes and wet his lips as a flush slid up his fair skin. "Yes, senpai," he said, soft and husky.

Yukio sat up, sliding back until he could ball up a pillow against the headboard at his back, and tapped his outstretched thigh meaningfully. "Get in position, then, and take what's coming to you."

Ryouta was a little breathless with anticipation by the time he'd laid himself down over Yukio-san's lap. Sometimes they did it differently; sometimes Yukio-san made him bend over with his hands on the wall, or kneel on the seat of the desk chair and hold on to its back. This was how he liked it best, though, so that he could relax with Yukio-san's hand on his back steadying him while the other hand rubbed his obediently presented ass slow and sure. Yukio-san was always careful about preparing him for a spanking, and that always made Ryouta hard, feeling the slow slide of Yukio-san's palm and not knowing when his punishment would start.

In fact, sometimes Yukio-san took long enough for Ryouta to get a little impatient.

"Senpai," he lilted, and then yelped when Yukio-san smacked his ass once, sharply.

"Be quiet, Ryouta," Yukio-san told him sternly, squeezing the faintly stinging spot.

Ryouta shivered and subsided as he was told, waiting while anticipation wound tighter. And tighter. When Yukio-san finally lifted his hand and brought it down firmly, he yelped and jumped even though it didn't hurt very much at all. This time, though, Yukio-san wasn't stopping, and each smack of his palm against Ryouta's bare ass was a little harder than the last. Ryouta's breath came shorter as the slowly growing sting of the blows built to a hot burn across his bottom. He was gasping with each firm stroke, and still Yukio-san held Ryouta down over his lap and spanked him steadily, until he lost count of the strokes, until he felt like his whole body was suspended from that slow burn, all his attention focused on how briskly Yukio-san's hand met his upturned ass. He was moaning a little by the time Yukio-san paused, running his warm hand up and down Ryouta's thigh.

"Are you sorry for what you did, yet?" Yukio-san asked sternly, and Ryouta blushed against the cool sheets under his cheek. Most of him was swept up in the heat of being punished by Senpai, but part of him was also warmed that Yukio-san was so good to him, so careful with him.

He didn't want it to end yet, though, so he answered with perfect truthfulness, "No, Senpai."

"Tch. Of course not."

Ryouta bucked, eyes widening as Yukio-san spanked him ten times, fast and hard. By the end of it he was draped over Yukio-san's lap, legs spread, panting for breath against the sharp burn throbbing in his ass. And also in his cock.

"You are naughty today," Yukio-san murmured, and that hint of a purr in his voice as his hand rubbed circles over Ryouta's bottom made Ryouta moan.

"Yes, Senpai," he agreed, breathless, forehead pressed to the sheets, eager for his punishment to continue.

He didn't have to wait long. Yukio-san's hand on his back spread, holding him down, and the hand on his ass lifted. When it fell again, it came down with a crack of skin against skin and a fierce, hard sting across his burning cheeks. And again. And again. Ryouta whimpered, hungry for the intensity of those blows, for the certainty of being punished by Senpai.

"Look at you," Yukio-san told him softly. Crack. Ryouta bucked over his lap at the sharp bite of Senpai's hand on his ass.

"This is how a naughty boy should look." Crack. Ryouta's toes were curling up with every stroke.

"Bent over his senpai's knee with his ass turning red from getting the spanking he deserves." Crack. Ryouta whined, mouth open as he gasped for breath. His ass was on fire, and he was so hard, hard from the things Yukio-san was saying, hard from how much he was feeling. Two more of those punishing strokes, though, and he could feel his shoulders tightening, feel himself pressing up against the edge of too much. "Please, Senpai!" he gasped out.

Yukio-san brought his hand down one more time, hard and merciless. It was perfect, the perfect reminder that Yukio-san was the one in charge, the one who would choose how Ryouta was punished. All in a breath, Ryouta was over the edge, coming hard as he shuddered over Yukio-san's lap and Yukio-san squeezed his burning bottom, slow and firm. For long, endless moments, Ryouta's whole body was wringing out with the heat Yukio-san had spanked into his ass, and Ryouta just clutched at the sheets and moaned with it.

When he finally relaxed, draped across Yukio-san's lap and dazed, Yukio-san told him softly, "Good, Ryouta. That was good." His hands were gentle, now, as he rubbed Ryouta's back slow and sure, grounding him again, and Ryouta sighed a little, eyes closed. Those words reminded him there would be arms to catch him and hold him as he came back down, so he let himself drift.

Yukio watched Ryouta carefully as he rubbed Ryouta's back slow and easy, and nodded when Ryouta finally stirred and stretched a little. "Come here, Ryouta," he coaxed quietly, guiding Ryouta up off his lap and back into his arms. "That's right. Everything's all right." He leaned back against his pillows, ignoring the mess across the sheets and his thighs for now, and drawing Ryouta down against his chest so he could lie without any pressure on his rear. He held Ryouta close, running slow fingers through his hair, until Ryouta finally sighed and looked up, smiling. "All right?" Yukio asked, touching his cheek.

Ryouta nodded and snuggled closer. "It's good. Thank you, Yukio-san."

Yukio kissed his forehead gently. "My pleasure. You know that."

"I meant..." Ryouta started, and Yukio laid a finger over his lips.

"All of it is my pleasure," he said, firmly. "Including watching over you and taking care of you."

Ryouta turned pink and ducked his head against Yukio's shoulder. Yukio smiled softly, stroking his hair again. It was true; he liked knowing Ryouta would submit to punishment from him, and he liked just as much knowing that he could take care of Ryouta.

This care, this charge, this responsibility, he had succeeded in. Without question.

He cradled Ryouta closer, satisfied.

End