Delinquent among Basketball players.

Tiger and Dragon

Ryuu quirked an eyebrow at the teal haired teen as he stood there with his bag slung over his shoulder, his black hair a mess as if he tried to comb it with his fingers but frankly that's how the male looked like most of the time. It's not that Kuroko is saying that Ryuu look like a horrible mess, far from it actually. He would admit that it has a certain type of appeal that only the black haired teen could pull off.

If someone tried to mimic the look, they would certainly fail and those who can pull the look off, it won't exactly match Ryuu's appeal.

"Hey."Ryuu greeted awkwardly as he retracted his bandaged hand away from the book.

Blue eyes followed the movement as long bandaged fingers tugged in the black fabric of their school jacket before disappearing into the pockets of their uniform slacks.

Kuroko briefly recalled the thick callous on Ryuu's hands as his own fingertips brushed over the thick skin as he worked to wrap his handkerchief around the bleeding lacerations. The work Ryuu might have done. The fights that the black haired teen participated in the past.

He tore his gaze away to avoid the awkward confrontation to why he was staring if Ryuu had caught him and instead gave a slight nod in greeting. "Good morning."

They fell into silence, both parties not knowing what to say to fill in the gap between them. Usually it would be something random like Ryuu going on whatever came off the top of his head or Kuroko stating out the obvious. At times they would talk about their school work when they are paired of together. It shouldn't be strange for them to fall into uncomfortable since that surrounds them but this was the first time they talked faced to face after the incident that occurred yesterday.

They sent text messages to one another but it's the usual 'how are you' or 'I'm fine'. Nothing compared to their vocal conversations.

"How's the hand?" Kuroko asked after a while, eying the bandaged hand that hid from view.

Ryuu pulled his hand out and made a fist by curling his fingers inwards. "Nothing serious." He said, "Just needed to apply some disinfectants to avoid any infections."

Kuroko noted that Ryuu barely winced at the pain as he effortlessly made a fist. His hand should be stinging from the lacerations he received but he barely showed ant sign of discomfort other than the fact he wanted to hide the bandages from public view.

Kuroko nodded, "That's good."

"Before I forget," Ryuu duh into his bag and pulled out a white handkerchief that is neatly folded into a square for conventional means of storage. He forked it over to Kuroko and upon closer inspection, the teen recognize the white handkerchief to be his. The one he lent to Ryuu the day before. "Here."

Kuroko gingerly took the clean handkerchief into his hand, noting that there was no stain left behind. Not even the evidence of dried blood was left behind. He took a mental note about asking what cleaning product Ryuu had used to remove the stain.

It worked wonders.

He blinked when he ran a finger over the fabric, feeling it much softer under his fingertips.

"It's soft." He noted.

A faint blush could be seen on Ryuu's face as he kept his gaze on the white handkerchief instead of meeting Kuroko's curious gaze. "Blood is not easy to clean off," He replied, "Especially on white fabric which by the way makes me wonder why you chose the color white for your handkerchief."

Something in the air changed. It felt lighter somewhat compared to the before.

"It was on sale," Kuroko mentioned, "I have several like these."