#normal day at teikou

[imagine-knb]

Hey admins! I'm really excited for this event and I was hoping to see if you could match-up my OC to any of the Teikou alumni 😄 Her name is Katsumi (female + she/her) and her MBTI personality type is ENFJ! She's really friendly & can get along well with different types of people. People rely on her a lot since she's hard-working, open-minded, athletic, smart, and a natural leader. She's got a strong sense of justice and refuses to be quiet and submissive, so she dislikes justice and people who contribute to it. She enjoys watching anime, as well as reading manga and novels. On a free day, she'd spend her time indulging in these interests, going cafe-hopping, or drinking with friends. She ends up working in research very close to her advocacies!

I hope this is enough to work with 🥹 Thank you so much, I'm looking forward to what you guys have for my girl, she's my pride and joy and it means a lot to be sharing her lore this way 😭🙏 Wishing everyone the best! 💕

Type of Romance

Enemies to Lovers

How You Two Met

As a young adult, Aomine also takes an interest in going into the justice system as his career, so naturally he and Katsumi would end up in the same circles at some point. Likely through their initial classes.

Katsumi was often outspoken during lessons, answering the professors' questions and challenging opinions that were against her own. He'd normally be the type to ignore that type of person, finding them overbearing and annoying to deal with. But he couldn't help but watch and listen every time she stood from her seat to say her piece. She irked him at first.

Soon enough, he found himself also wanting to challenge Katsumi once in a while. Debating with her, whether they were serious or not, was how he got close to her. Eventually debates turned into teasing remarks, which became the start to a turbulent friendship.

"You don't always have to answer every question the professor asks, you know?" Aomine drawls, casting a tired gaze Katsumi's way. "What are you, a teacher's pet?"

She rolls her eyes at his comments, her lips quirking up into a half smile. She knew how to handle his remarks, giving him a taste of his own medicine. "Just because you're too afraid to ask for clarification doesn't mean I have to be. There's a reason why I'm getting A's and you're getting C's."

Aomine feels his eye twitch at her remark. The lazy stare he had been giving her turns into an annoyed glare, but the grin that spreads out across his lips betray his true emotions. There's a challenge in his eyes that matches her own. He won't back down.

How He Fell For You

A lot of Aomine's initial attraction was purely physical. Katsumi's a beautiful woman with an athletic build, something that Aomine had grown to appreciate past his high school preferences of large chests. And for the longest time, his attraction to her stays purely physical.

Until he hears her getting into a rather heated argument with another person one day.

It's her unwillingness to back down for something she believes in and the spunk she had to keep on fighting that really got to him. He starts to see her in a new light; starts to see her as more than just a pleasant person to look at. He'd never admit it out loud, but Aomine was attracted to strong-willed women (you'd have to be strong-willed to put up with a lot of his attitude). He'd pursued her ever since.

There's a low whistle that interrupts Katsumi's thoughts. She tears her eyes away from the jackass she'd just told off, turning her attention to the tanned man standing beside her. Aomine has a quirk in his brow and a smirk on his face as he asks her, "Did you really have to school him that hard? He's walking away with his tail between his legs."

Instinct and adrenaline tell Katsumi that Aomine's here for a fight as well, so she instantly bites back at him, "Not now, Aomine, unless you want an earful too."

Instead of scaring him off, her quip only has him further interested. "She's got brains and she's feisty." He gives another low whistle. "I like that in a woman."

What a Relationship with Him is Like

It's during the relationship where Aomine learns more about Katsumi. Through dating her, he discovers that she's more than a smart, headstrong woman with a penchant for justice. He becomes privy to her softer side; the side that loves to curl up on the couch with a novel, the side that has the patience of a saint, the side that's like the calm to his storm.

A relationship with Aomine is rough at first. He's argumentive, always wants to be right, but Katsumi's open-mindedness and willingness to work through the bigger issues with him has him growing softer. When he eventually realizes that she's in it for the long haul, he starts changing for the better. For her.

He's a loyal companion who tries to take on her battles, despite knowing she can handle herself most of the time. That doesn't mean he won't call her out on her bullshit however, and he expects her to do the same whenever he needs to be called out as well.

"Why'd you stay with me?"

His question catches Katsumi off guard. She gives Aomine an incredulous look, but once she sees the sincere confusion in his eyes her gaze softens. She knows what he's alluding to — all their fights, arguments, squabbles; all in the past now, but still fresh in his mind. Plaguing him like the thought that she could do so much better with someone else.

She gives him the truth. "Because I knew you could do better." After a moment, she adds, "And because I love you."

Match Up Requests are Closed

[pillow-anime-talk]

akashi is a big softie?!

request: hi! can i ask headcanons about gom spy on akashi and his girlfriend date and comments and wondering that akashi’s really whipped for his girlfriend?

# tags: headcanon; gom reunion; knb last game; current relationship; whipped!sei; romance; comedy; crack; fluff; jokes; sfw

includes: female reader ft. seijuurou akashi + rest of generation of miracles {knb}

author’s note: shit. i love this request.

↘ It was after the game between Team Vorpal Swords and Team Jabberwock.

↘ On that day, Akashi (as well as the other members of core squad and their friends) was invited by Mr. Kagetora to a ‘party’ to celebrate the winning match.

↘ Of course, the team captain accepted the invitation, but after less than a quarter of an hour he apologized to everyone, saying that he had to leave right now.

↘ Naturally, Kise was the first to ask where his friend was going and why he was leaving him; after all, Ryota hoped they would all spend much more time together.

↘ What a surprise for everyone when Seijuurou announced without hesitation that he was going to meet his girlfriend whom no one really knew until now.

↘ I mean, GoM had suspicions during the match, because Akashi kept looking at the stands and he was smiling at them, although all of them decided to leave it without comment.

↘ At the same time, however, the tall blonde man was already creating a plan in his head to meet his friend’s beloved.

↘ Therefore, as soon as Seijuurou left the room, putting his jacket on his shoulders, Kise smiled at the rest of his besties, which didn’t mean anything good or safe.

↘ “Let’s follow him.” He said excitedly in his voice, making Midorima roll his eyes and Murasakibara groaned, saying it was ‘boring and tiring’.

↘ “I’m going with you, I don’t fucking believe him. He can’t have a girlfriend! Not before me!” Daiki tapped his hand on the table, causing Kuroko, Kagami and Momoi to look at his face twisted in envy.

↘ Of course, for Taigi it was the most funny. Lmao.

↘ “Are you not curious with who Akashicchi is dating?!”

↘ “Ehhh, but it’s his business who his girlfriend is and what he does with her...” The purple-haired giant reached for another jelly bean from the table, but Kise got up and hit the table just as Aomine did a few seconds ago.

↘ “Let’s go! It can be a great adventure! Kurokocchi, Momoicchi, Kagamicchi, come with us!”

↘ “I’ll fold. This food is too good. Sorry, guys.” Seirin’s team ace muttered, shoving more meat and white rice into his big mouth.

↘ “I respect Akashi-kun too much to do this, but I won’t hold you back.” Kuroko added, turning to his plate.

↘ “Well.. I’ll stay too, it’s already cold and I don’t want to leave Riko-san alone.” The pink-haired girl smiled slightly, and Kise groaned.

↘ Ultimately, however, Shintarou and Atsushi were persuaded to join to yellow-eyed one and Aomine, and follow Akashi with and unknown partner.

↘ Of course, it wasn’t a sign of ANYTHING good or safe, as I mentioned earlier.

↘ 4/5 of the main Teikou squad followed Akashi as quietly as they could. Then they could witness Seijuurou greet you with a sweet kiss, to which Aomine moaned little louder than he should, causing Kise to pull everyone back so they wouldn’t get caught.

↘ All four basketball players were spying on their friend and you for the next two hours, during which you had a great time walking between the booths/stands in a small amusement park that this week was located near today’s match and the building where coach Aida was hosting the party.

↘ Anyway. Everyone was shocked to see Akashi so... normal? So happy?

↘ So much in love with the other person?

↘ One word from yours mouth was literally enough and Seijuurou gave you what you wanted. He bought you delicious takoyaki (you even fed him with them by the way, it was so sweet, uwu) and hot tea. Special for you he joined in a game related to basketball and thus won you your favorite plushie animal. Of course, he was holding your hand all the time, talking about the emotions of the match. And you listened to him carefully, super glad that he was spent time with his friends from Junior High School.

↘ Aomine wanted to cry when you pressed his captain’s arm against your chest. How badly he wanted to be in Akashi’s shoes...

↘ Ryouta stated that your relationship is totally lovely and he already wanted to hug you and Sei to death.

↘ Midorima was... rather curious. There was no negative approach, on the contrary – he was very happy that his friend, after many hard times, found someone he could love and trust. But he was still just shocked that it person was such a simple girl who seemed at first the complete opposite of the stoic and dominant Seijuurou.

↘ Murasakibara didn’t really think about anything. He was just spending his money on snacks. However, at one moment he shared Ryota’s opinion, when you took part in one of the games and winning a cat-ear headband for your boyfriend.

↘ Literally no one suspected Akashi would agree to it, but... You really put the cute headband on his head... And even thanked you... He gave you a kiss on the forehead and lips...

↘ Aomine really cried, he started screaming where and when he made a fucking mistake. HSJDSSDJJSDKDX.

↘ “Be quiet, Aominecchi!” Kise put a hand to the mouth of his navy-blue-haired friend, and Aomine pushed him away.

↘ “Yuck, don’t touch my lips! You asshole!”

↘ “Stop arguing you two, we are among other people, nanodayo...” Midorima adjusted his glasses, looking around.

↘ “Oooh, Mido-chin, let’s go there.” Atsushi suddenly spoke up, pointing to the food stall.

↘ The commotion between the four players made it not only strangers pay attention to them.

↘ You and Seijuurou did it too. Your boyfriend seemed to be... He wasn’t surprised at all, so he squeezed your hand a little tighter and smiled at you reassuringly as he corrected your hair who falling on your pretty face. Then two of you walked over to his teammates.

↘ “Ryouta, Daiki, Shintarou, Atsushi. What are you doing here?” He asked with a smile and Kise flinched.

↘ “HAHA. Because you know, we thought it would be nice to stop to visit the local attractions and...”

↘ “Mhm, no. Kise-chin and Aomine-chin just wanted to spy and also meet Akashi’s Chibi-chin.”

↘ “MURASAKIBARACCHI!”

↘ You laughed under your breath, thanks to which you stopped the pointless quarrel of your boyfriend and four of his friends.

↘ “Well. I’m Y/N Y/L/N and I’m pleased to meet you all. Sei-kun has told me about you many times. I am glad that we are finally meeting.” You bowed gently, and the other four did the same, saying their names. “... Since you are here, maybe we will spend this time together? There are still many attractions to visit. We can also eat something.”

↘ “Yes, eat something. I agree. I like you already, Y/N-chin.” Atsushi beamed at which you nodded. Shortly after that, you looked at your man.

↘ “I don’t mind.”

↘ “Then let’s go!”

↘ Maybe spying on you and Seijuurou wasn’t a bad idea? Thanks to Kise, the rest of the Generation of Miracles met a truly interesting cutie who, surprisingly, had an interest in basketball, but only as a fan. Six of you had a lot of topics to talk about; from today’s game, through school, food, zodiacs and the future.

↘ After spending time with you and Akashi, the other four weren’t at all surprised why their captain was in love with you. You were the best person to make Seijuurou happy and to make him feel loved.

↘ Obviously, after that day you all became best friends.

[tetsucchin]

Of Reaching and Trust

Summary: He’d never doubted Takao’s passes. Not since their first practice together. Not even for an instant.

Rating: G for grumbly Shin-chan’s

Word Count: 3000+

A/N: So Extra Game still makes me very upset. I wanted to write something to make me less upset. Also happy belated birthday to the big green nerd~

AO3

Practice was just as grueling as it’d always been. 

Regardless that Midorima had just been in an important match against Jabberwock, Coach Nakatani didn’t take it easy on him. Even as he used his selfish requests (now cut down to merely two a day), the coach would find ways around it. Even compared to Teikou and their training last year, it felt particularly brutal. 

It was strange, Midorima thought, how much had changed when their third-years graduated. The whole team had to be changed, plays rethought and strengths reestablished and trust reformed. He expected it the moment he attended Shuutoku, but being the complete cornerstone for the team and having everyone depend on him until they sorted things was difficult. 

And yet, he mused as he shot from the half-court line, nothing had changed. From how Coach Nakatani ran them until it felt like they’d break. From how Takao still joined him for every after hours practice. From how Miyaji Yuuya threatened him with all kinds of bodily harm for bringing another gigantic tanuki and keeping it on the bench. 

Of course, their thirst for victory—clawing for wins like it was life and death because it was—hadn’t changed at all. 

Coach Nakatani had them running practice matches, one against the upperclassmen and one against the new freshman. He did this ever so often, to gauge where everyone stood, in case there needed to be a change in their usual lineup. They were just training, but Coach treated them each like they were deciding tournament games.

Their new team members seemed to hold a bit of promise.

In particular, a freshman power forward had spent the whole year proving he could be remarkably irritating. The fire in his eyes reminded Midorima of when he first played against Seirin. He couldn’t jump as high as Kagami Taiga, and he certainly wasn’t as powerful, but he was fast. By the time Midorima wound up to make his three-pointer, the boy was already on him.

He glanced at Takao from the corner of his eye. As he always did, Takao noticed and paused a moment before nodding. Later, Midorima would think it was strange for Takao to hesitate.

Stepping back from the freshman, he jumped, already in shooting position. The ball entered his hands at the last possible second. He shot it, to the newcomers’ wide eyes and dropped jaws. As he watched it soar over the heads of his teammates, he knew, and his own eyes went wide in realization.

The ball hit the rim. Slowly circled around and around. Then finally fell through the net.

“…Holy shit. Did Midorima almost miss?”

“No way. Midorima doesn’t miss.”

“But I’ve never seen one of his shots do that. Not outside of a serious match.”

Commotion stirred all around them, loud and busy. Even the members who had just started this year tossed him strange looks, because they knew this wasn’t according to plan. A few even gave a skeptical glance to his lucky item, a large stuffed bear, sitting on the bench.

Coach clapped his hands. “That’s enough. Get ready to restart instead of talking.”

Midorima stared at the hoop like it personally offended him. That pass had a much lower accuracy than his normal shots, he knew that. But even taking that into consideration, it was still way off course and not within the regular margin of error.

He gave Takao a look as their teammates ran past them to their proper positions.

Takao always smiled from the inside out. Pure mischief and sunshine. Often times they were as infuriating as they were captivating, lighting up his eyes into dancing shades of slate blue. As much as it pained him to admit, Midorima liked those smiles. They suited Takao.

This wasn’t one of those smiles.

“Sorry, Shin-chan!” His grin didn’t come close to reaching his eyes. “Won’t happen again!”

Rooted in place, Midorima carefully watched Takao take off to the other end of the court.

Discomfort swirled in his stomach hatefully. He wanted to use a selfish request and ask for a timeout, just to get his bearings and maybe ask Takao what was wrong. He wanted Takao to pass to him again and his shot to sink into the net almost soundlessly. He wanted to get rid of this feeling more than anything.

But Midorima was bad with words, and so he jogged after Takao, staring at the ‘10’ on his back.

Just as Takao said, it didn’t happen again.

Not during the following practice games. Not even the next couple of official matches. Not even when Midorima looked at him upfront.

Because he refused to make those passes.

Takao never said as much, but he didn’t need to say. It was in the way he played. He didn’t waver in passing to the rest of the team, effortlessly dodging past his mark and tossing the ball in those ridiculously incredible ways.

But he always hesitated when passing to Midorima now.

Not enough to really catch people’s attention, or enough to throw off their game. But it was enough that Midorima noticed, and it kept digging under his skin. His passes were still on the mark, as they always were, but there was always that second before it landed in his hands.

That second where it was like Takao didn’t want to pass to him.

On top of that, Takao had stopped staying after hours to practice with him most days. He’d toss an impractical excuse over his shoulder before taking off from the gym. The days he did get roped into staying, he never wanted to practice their pass, which was frustrating since Midorima was trying to use it with his right hand as well.

Midorima didn’t understand.

Practice was wrapping up as usual, some of the first years staying to keep practicing on half the court. It was just like any other afternoon, except when Midorima turned to find Takao, the point guard was already ducking into the locker rooms. He frowned when Takao came back out, already dressed to go home.

“Takao—”

“Sorry, Shin-chan!” he yelled, walking backwards out of the gym. “Gotta babysit tonight!”

Midorima wanted to comment about how Takao’s sister was old enough to watch herself. But he was stopped short by the look Takao gave him. Another smile that didn’t reach his eyes, dim and distant. Takao didn’t meet his stare, which was probably a good thing since Midorima didn’t know what kind of face he was making.

As the door shut behind Takao, Midorima grabbed a ball from the bin someone graciously pushed over and launched it into the hoop on the completely opposite side of the court. Again and again and again. Until sweat was dripping off him, his breaths were painful huffs, and his arms were trembling sore. Even after that, he kept shooting.

Midorima didn’t understand.

He tried to think if he’d said something in the past weeks. He knew he had a tendency to be “hilariously blunt” as Takao put it. But nothing came to mind that would throw Takao off this much. Taking things Midorima said in stride was Takao’s specialty.

Maybe he had done something instead. Accidentally shoved Takao, or took his lunch by accident, or bothered him with one of his lucky items. But again, nothing came to mind. Takao was more fascinated by his lucky items than anything, and he was the one with the thieving hands when it came to the lunches Midorima’s mother packed for him.

So that left him with the option that made him grimace.

Takao doubted them. He didn’t believe they could make that pass. Whether it was because of his own abilities, or Takao’s own abilities, he didn’t know. Both choices made his fingers clench on the ball like steel rods, digging until his knuckled turned white.

He’d never doubted Takao’s passes. Not since their first practice together. Not even for an instant.

Just the thought of Takao doubting him made the next ball go in with a loud bang off the rim.

“My brother was so right.”

The next ball slipped out of his startled hands as he spun around. Yuuya arched a brow at him, in the same way the elder Miyaji did whenever Midorima said something that irritated him. Even though he wasn’t nearly as intimidated by him, it still made Midorima shrink back. A little.

He pushed up his glasses. “…About what?”

“You two are annoying when you get along.” Yuuya picked up a ball and tossed it to him. Midorima had to take two steps and outstretch his arm to catch it. “But when you’re fighting, it’s ten times worse.”

Midorima didn’t have to ask who he was talking about.

“We are not fighting.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

It could’ve fooled Midorima as well. He bit his tongue as he turned to his shooting again, tossing another in the net without a word. It hadn’t occurred much to him before, but they had to be fighting for them to be like this, didn’t they?

Yuuya sighed before walking over and pushed another ball into his chest. Midorima was taller than him, as he was all of his teammates, but the look Yuuya gave made him feel small. It was impatient and almost disappointed, but not unkind.

“Just try talking to him, alright?” he said, giving Midorima a parting smack on the back. “We all know you’re awkward as shit, so consider this your push.”

The door shut behind Yuuya, and it was only then Midorima noticed everyone else had left. Quiet and empty, the squeak of his shoes echoed in the gym. Normally it was filled with Takao’s loud voice, his obnoxious laughter, or his teasing backhanded compliments. As he lined up for his next shot, Midorima wondered when he had started to dislike the quiet.

His next shot went in softly.

Midorima was bad with words, but he had to do something to get that look off Takao’s face.

Takao had already tried to duck away from their extra practice.

He hadn’t even tried an excuse this time, instead sneaking out the door when Midorima wasn’t looking. Except Midorima was keeping an eye on him specifically, and took off after him before the gym door had even shut all the way. He followed Takao across the courtyard, to the bicycle rack where their rickshaw was parked. Before Takao could jump on it and speed away, Midorima called out to him.

“Takao.”

“Holy fu—” Takao jumped, nearly tripping over into the line of bikes. He spun around with a wild look in his eyes. Like he was cornered. “Shin-chan! Since when did you take lessons from Kuroko?!”

They stood beside the rickshaw, staring at each other. Midorima’s lucky cat statue was heavy, so he set it on the back. It was silent, the air heavy as each of them waited for the other to break the awkwardness. Midorima took a breath and remembered his push.

He scowled. “…What is wrong with you?”

“Heh?”

“You’ve been…strange.”

There was a quiet pause, before Takao burst out laughing. To anyone else, it would have been the same boisterous and ridiculous Takao as always. But Midorima knew better. He knew when Takao was laughing just to avoid talking about something, when he was trying to cover something up and bury it away.

Midorima growled without thinking. “Stop that.”

“What do you mean, Shin-chan?” Takao still laughed.

“Stop smiling and laughing when you don’t mean it.”

Takao’s face fell. His grey eyes went wide, blinking up at Midorima in surprise. It only lasted a moment before he couldn’t meet Midorima’s gaze at all. The ground, the rickshaw, the sky—Takao’s eyes nervously went to each one, teeth worrying his bottom lip. It was a look so unlike Takao, it was disconcerting.

Until he finally sighed and collapsed beside the lucky cat.

“Yeah.” Kicking at the dirt, Takao gave him a small, sad smile. “Yeah, I know I’ve been weird lately.”

Midorima waited patiently while Takao gathered his thoughts. Eventually, Takao rested his arm on top of the statue and reclined back to the look at the light polluted sky. It took even longer for him to finally form words, which Midorima never thought would be a problem with Takao.

“It’s just—I mean…” Takao sighed, scratching at the back of his head. “I mean, I’m just feeling—I’m not as good as Akashi, you know.”

“Of course not,” Midorima answered without hesitation. “Akashi is most likely the best point guard in the country.”

Takao snorted. “I meant I’m not as good at passing to you. But thanks for the vote of confidence.”

If Midorima were a lesser person, he would have rolled his eyes. “That’s beyond ludicrous.”

“You don’t get it, Shin-chan.”

“No, Takao,” he cut in, sharp. Takao’s eyes went wide again. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand.”

Takao’s mouth snapped shut. Any other time, Midorima might take the time to bask in a Takao rendered speechless. But at the moment, he was more concerned in how to make this infuriating man understand. Words had never been his strong suit, particularly those about his emotions and personal matters.

But Takao deserved this. He deserved an explanation. So he started with his thoughts from the other day.

“I have never doubted you for a moment. Not in any sense. Not as a teammate, and not as a friend. I can’t say the same about Akashi.”

He didn’t know how to say it, and he choked on the words bubbling in his throat. He wanted to say that while Akashi was more like he used to be, he still wasn’t quite there yet. He wanted to say that Akashi treated him like a friend on good days, and a simple tool to be used on other days. He wanted to say that Takao wasn’t like Akashi, and that was a good thing.

He settled for, “You trust me.”

Because it was true. As much as Midorima trusted him to make those passes, to get the ball to him wherever he was on the court, Takao trusted him just as much to make the shot. That’s why they were such a compatible team. They had the talent to make it, and they had the trust to make it better.

Takao had taught him that. Shuutoku had taught him that.

Sometimes, he knew things needed to be said out loud. To avoid any confusion or misunderstandings. No matter how embarrassing or ridiculous it felt. His face felt flushed, his chest hot, as he fiddled with the bandages on his left hand.

“Regardless of what school I could attend, or who I could play with, I would still want to play with you.”

With a wide stare, Takao looked up at him in what he could only assume was misplaced wonder. He slowly stood up from the rickshaw, standing even with Midorima’s shoulders. Like they always had before, his eyes started sparkling like stardust and mercury. Awed.

“I never knew Shin-chan could be so sweet,” he said seriously.

“Quit being absurd.” He shoved at his glasses, hiding his red face behind the palm of his hand. “I’m merely stating facts.”

“You really don’t get it though, Shin-chan.”

At the affronted look Midorima gave him, Takao started laughing again. This time, it was a genuine, mirthful laugh that tumbled from him in waves. He wanted to be aggravated, but Midorima couldn’t help the tension that eased from his shoulders at the sound.

“I know I’ve been weird and distant, but it’s not like I’m giving up or admitting defeat.” Steely eyes looked up at Midorima, determined. “I’ve been trying to make my ball handling better. So I can pass better. You’re going to try shooting from the right next, aren’t you?”

He absolutely was. But he hadn’t told Takao about that plan yet. He first had to get better at using his right hand, so he’d been practicing eating, texting, and even writing with his weaker hand. Somehow, without ever talking about what their next step would be, they started down the same path together.

He’d been so wrong.

Takao never doubted him. Takao didn’t even really doubt himself. He simply wanted each of them to get stronger, so they wouldn’t lose next time, no matter who their opponent was.

“I was wanting to get better on my own,” Takao continued. “So I could help you more.”

That was the problem though. The thing that rubbed him the wrong way through this whole explanation. Midorima reached out and grabbed at Takao’s wrist, feeling a hard pulse against his bandaged fingertips.  

“There’s no need to get better on your own. Not since I’m here. Not without the team.”

Two years ago, he would have never dreamed of saying those words.

When Takao’s arm twitched in his hold, Midorima noticed how close they were standing. With a swallow, he tried to take a step back. Only for Takao to grab onto his sleeve in turn, holding him in place. They stared between each other, green on grey-blue, both colors muted in the dark.

Takao tipped closer to him. They were already so close. For a moment, Midorima’s heart raced at their proximity, and his lips tingled almost numb.

But Takao just knocked his forehead into Midorima’s chest with a chuckle.

They stood like that for so long, Midorima wasn’t sure if time was moving. He was absolutely still, spine ramrod straight and heart pounding against his sternum so hard, he was sure Takao could hear it. When Takao finally moved away, it still felt like it hadn’t been long enough.

“Since Shin-chan gave me such a heartfelt confession, it’s only fair that I pedal you home, right?”

Pushing those feelings aside for another time, Midorima reached out and snatched his lucky cat off the rickshaw with a scoff. Turning on his heel, he looked back at Takao over his shoulder. He could feel a smirk dancing on the edges of his mouth.

“Absolutely not.”

Takao gave a confused tilt of his head. “Huh?”

“We have a lot of missed practice to compensate for.”

Takao blinked up at him. Then he smiled from the inside out, a tiny sun revolving around Midorima’s orbit. Like mischief and sunshine. The kind that suited him.

“After you, Shin-chan.”

Midorima was still bad with words, so he smiled the same in return.

[scritch-scratches]

an oversight in intramural sportsmanship

Aka the one where Kuroko is in fact actually a ghost and they put him on the court anyway.

WIP, unedited, will hopefully be a full one-shot one day

Satsuki says the third gym is, quote, totally haunted, Dai-chan, don’t go!

Well, Daiki’s calling bullshit. He needs an emptier place to practice, so Teikou’s stupid resident ghost story is gonna have to take a hike.

The third years say that its the ghost of a former player, who manages to die in increasingly grisly and absurd ways every time the story is retold. Some senior insists he died from practicing too much, that the coach gave him too many laps and had him running until his feet bled and he died of dehydration. Another guy swears that the now-dead boy died on the court after receiving a nasty elbow to the temple, falling down, and getting trampled by the opposing team.

There are a lot of different variations to the story.

But the parts everyone agrees on is this: that if you go to the third gym when no one else is there, you will hear someone practicing, hear the squeak of sneakers on the court and the telltale bounce of a basketball.

Emphasis on the when no one else is there. The gym is always empty after school, no matter how hard you search.

It’s been like this for about three years. Maybe.

But that all ends today, because Daiki is gonna prove this whole thing is bullshit and get the court all to himself.

And, well, on the off-chance there is a ghost, that plays basketball, Daiki will challenge him to one on one, because really, that’s kind of awesome.

Eerily, the lights are dim in the gym, but Daiki can hear someone practicing within from where he’s peering anxiously at the door.

Someone else just had the sense to not listen to such stupid rumors, Daiki tells himself, man the fuck up and open the door.

Daiki does.

Almost predictably, the gym is empty.

Ha. Ha. Funny.

“Coming in.” Daiki takes a breath and steps in, because Ghostbusters and all that. He’s not afraid of no ghost.

Now, the gym is almost too quiet. Daiki dribbles the ball he brought with him just to fill the quiet, but the smack of the ball on the floor is far from comforting.

But even with the sound echoing in the emptiness, nothing jumps out to murder him, so Daiki tries to force himself to relax and focus on practicing. It’s easy to forget the uneasiness as he settles into the simply rhythm of dribbling up and down the court, making shots and practicing his feints, footwork, and ball control.

Before long, he forgets all about the stupid ghost story.

And then, he starts to push. There are things he wants to do, moves he wants to make, that don't come quite naturally yet. Twists he can’t make fast enough, shots that aren’t accurate enough, times when the ball doesn’t roll right or he loses his grip. But Daiki knows how he wants to move, what comes naturally, a shapeless knowledge always hovering just out of reach.

So he rocks back on his heels once, twice, rocking, before pushing back and twists, lobbing the ball towards the net. The answering swish is so satisfying he forgets to get his feet back under him, and the floor kindly introduces itself to his face. Off to the side, somewhere, someone makes a noise, half awed, half disappointed. 

Yeah, Daiki gets that a lot.

The ball rolls off on its own as he groans. That hurt. And someone saw too. When had someone else come in? He must have been too caught up in his own play to notice.

“Almost had it that time.” He says as he levers himself up. “Next time, it’ll be perfect.”

The ball rolls back to his feet. He grins gratefully as he glances around, trying to find the other as he picks the ball back up.

But there’s no one.

Well. Okay.

That’s....that. Yup.

If he leaves in a bit of a rush after that, well, that was just because he’s starving and would kill for a burger right now. Right.

Despite the creepiness, Daiki goes back to the third gym. Every time he approaches the door, he hears the telltale sounds of someone inside, working hard. But the moment he opens the door, everything goes quiet and still.

But after that initial total weirdness, the third gym is a pretty great place to practice after practice. There’s no disapproving upperclassmen or overbearing coaches, and more importantly, no Akashi or Nijimura.

And if Daiki starts talking to the emptiness, well, that’s normal. He’s just talking for the sake of talking.

“I’m gonna try something new today.”

…

“It’s gonna be totally awesome.”

…

“I don’t care what Midorima says about proper form. When I’ve got it down, it’s gonna be totally sick.”

…

“Just got to stop landing on my ass every time.”

….

Somehow, the silence sounds like laughter.

The weeks whittle on like that.

And then, Daiki’s complaining. “Akashi says I hold onto the ball too long. He says I need to learn to pass more.”

….

“That’s dumb.”

…

“How do I even practice that on my own.” Just to prove his point, Daiki lobs a pass into the emptiness of the court.

And that’s when the ball comes right back at him.

“...”

“Holy fuck.”

Alright, so maybe Daiki ran screaming from the gym, and maybe that caught the attention of a couple girls that happened to be walking by after staying too long for club.

Either way, the ghost story is more popular than ever, and it takes a week or two for things to calm down enough for him to return to the third gym without an entourage of curious rubberneckers.

When he finally does, he pauses in the doorway, trying to see something in the nothing. “You don’t always have to stop just ‘cause I’m here.” He tries, feeling silly speaking so directly to the empty gym. “I don’t mind if you keep practicing.”

For a long moment, there’s just the same shallow quietness.

And then, the squeak of sneaker’s resumes.

Holy fuck, Daiki thinks but doesn’t say this time, and his heart is beating fast in his chest as he steps onto the court. There’s another ball on the court, he realizes, the shape of it resolving in front of his eyes. It’s worn smooth and slippery, the color dull and brown from use.

“Fuckin’ awesome.” He says, because this is the coolest thing to ever happen, like, ever.

[hopeassassin]

Lucid

Lol, ok, so...

It’s been 2 years almost since my last feeble attempt to write. And I wrote this one for @spitfiring, because we had a bit of a chat on personal messages here and she said she would love to read something in this vein or at least in the vein of what this was originally planned as... so here ya’ll have it! Finally finished, zomg. A character study gone way out of control.

WARNING: It’s a slow burner and a behemoth. Approach at your own risk.

Title: Lucid

Word Count: 20 772. fuck me

Summary: Those first days back in Teikou—even before Kise joined—were like a wonderful dream. 

That was why when the cracks in their idyll started appearing, everyone tried to ignore them as long as possible.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

lucid /ˈluːsɪd/

-          (psychology)

-          (of a dream) experienced with the dreamer feeling awake, aware of dreaming, and able to control events consciously.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 Those first days back in Teikou—even before Kise joined—were like a wonderful dream to Daiki.

 He had felt like he was soaring every single day.

 He went to bed happy and giddy about the upcoming practice the next day. At night he dreamt of facing off against strong opponents that pushed him and the rest of the soon-to-be-dubbed Generation of Miracles to their limits.

 He would wake up before his alarm went off and get ready for school in record time.

 During classes the whole day he’d pretty much space out and tune out everything his teachers were trying to teach him. He would bounce on the balls of his feet all day just for those precious hours after school.

 During those times he would get to play with the people who infallibly made basketball even more fun.

 Something he’d thought physically impossible. Yet there it had been.

 And Satsuki would watch in awe of how quickly he’d improve his game—beyond her wildest expectations. There was little doubt in her mind that this improvement was owing largely to the fact that Daiki had finally found people matching his talent. Not only that, he had found friends who potentiated his plays and style.

 She had loved watching them—watching Dai-chan play with his friends in the first string—to a degree she would never be able to express with words.

 It had felt like a dream to them both—one that was incomparable to anything else. A wonderful dream where everyone was happy and smiling and one.

 That was why when the cracks in their idyll started appearing, everyone tried to ignore them as long as possible.

 Regardless of the fact they were only fourteen years old, they realized well that nothing lasted forever in life. There was no such thing as forever. No matter how great something was, eventually it would start to fall apart.

 But for the sake of their fragile selves—for the sake of that happiness they’d won with difficulty—they pretended like they didn’t see it all coming apart at the seams.

 However, it did. Slowly but surely it started coming undone.

 It had all been a very painful affair for everyone concerned… yet Satsuki felt like the people most deeply affected by the ordeal were the ones whose hearts were the most vested in the Generation of Miracles utopia.

 Namely Tetsu-kun and Dai-chan.

 She could never pretend to understand how Tetsu-kun must’ve felt during those days. When he started feeling that something was off. When winning games no longer brought those blinding smiles to everyone’s faces.

 No longer brought a smile to their ace’s face.

 When the faces they showed during quarters and breaks in matches turned into grimaces.

 When they no longer bore expressions shown by normal boys enjoying a sport they loved in one another’s company.

 She adored Tetsu-kun and that was perhaps the furthest one could get from understanding another.

 Nevertheless, from having watched him and interacted with him, she knew enough to be certain that slowly losing his closest friend on the court to his unfair amount of budding talent couldn’t have been easy.

 Especially when it was at a sport that Tetsu-kun was almost talentless at, regardless how much he loved it.

 But the finishing blow had been dealt personally by none other than Dai-chan, she knew.

 She knew because she saw Dai-chan that day.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 As if it wasn’t enough that he just up and left practice that day. Out of nowhere, he just took his things and ran off.

 Satsuki heard from the coach that the head coach ran into him and didn’t even grill the idiot into coming back to practice.

 Then that… weird showdown between Mukkun and Akashi-kun happened. It felt like something in Akashi-kun snapped in that moment.

 To top it all off, despite having won the power struggle, Akashi-kun said some outrageous stuff about everyone from the recently dubbed Generation of Miracles being free to do as they pleased as long as they won their games. Something he had been more than reluctant to allow now even ten minutes earlier.

 What would become of their team if they stopped trying to work together? Somehow, she couldn’t imagine a favorable outcome of that scenario.

 After it was all said and done, Satsuki headed home that day with an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach.

 That’s when she saw Dai-chan, listlessly dragging his feet on the wet sidewalk, no umbrella or anything to shield him from the pouring rain.

 She rushed over to him, holding her umbrella up over him and starting to dutifully chew him out for disappearing in a hissy fit earlier.

 When he fixed his eyes on her, her words died on her tongue. His expression and the look in his cobalt eyes worked as though someone had driven a stake through her heart.

 She didn’t know why but it was suddenly hard to breathe.

 “Ah… Satsuki…” he’d muttered eloquently, blinking slowly at her. The short spikes of hair were sticking to his forehead because of the rain. There were droplets of water in his eyelashes from having been out in the downpour too long. “Where did you come from?”

 Satsuki swallowed hard around the lump in her throat.

 “Practice, of course!” she said without any fervor in her reproach. Nevertheless, she felt it a small victory to have been able to compose herself as to say that much. “The same place you should’ve come back from!”

 At this, Daiki’s eyes shifted away from her, pinning to their feet and the small rivers running along the streets of the city. He was so listless that he could best be described as lifeless.

 She shuddered.

 The shiver that raked her being had nothing to do with the chill from the cold rain.

 “Look at you, all soaked to the bone.” She huffed to herself and started fishing in her pocket with her free hand. When she found what she was looking for—a handkerchief—she turned her attention back to Daiki to see him just as emotionlessly surveying her without having moved a muscle. “Come here, Dai-chan. Let’s undo at least some of the damage that pesky rain did, eh?”

 She started dabbing at his face and neck and then soaked up as much of the water in his hair as she could with the small piece of cloth.

 It unnerved her that he never complained once during the whole two minutes she busied herself with that task. He didn’t say anything, for that matter. He didn’t even move. It caused her uneasiness to intensify.

 “Come on, Dai-chan. Let’s go home.”

 Satsuki didn’t know why, but she had a feeling that hearing her call him by the same nickname she had for over ten years (until they entered Teikou) seemed to have some kind of jump-start effect on him.

 If even a tiny one.

 If even just enough to get him out of his catatonia enough to do as she asked.

 He started trudging down the road with her, his soaked shoes and practice slacks making a sloppy sound that made her cringe. She could only imagine how it felt to be walking in shoes full of water and having a second—freezing­—skin.

 She tried to strike a conversation with him clumsily as they headed home. But Dai-chan wouldn’t respond to anything she asked. Not regarding what he’d been up to, not about why he’d stormed off like that. Not even whether he’d been out in the rain the entire time, or if he’d met with Tetsu-kun.

 It was all starting to become very unsettling until they finally arrived at their houses.

 Seeing as Satsuki was the person with the umbrella, she escorted Daiki to his place.

 “We’re back, Auntie!” she called out loudly when it seemed like her childhood friend wouldn’t.

 They had been standing at the entrance to the Aomine’s house for a good minute in complete silence until she had decided to take it upon herself to announce their arrival.

 She swallowed thickly again when Daiki just stared at nothing in particular while toeing off his ridiculously wet shoes. He was just in the process of dumping his equally wet school bag near the entrance when his mother poked her head from the living room.

 “Welcome back, you two! You sure are late today—did you have some fun after practice?” the woman started cheerily. That was when the sight of her son drenched from the rain registered with her and she let out horrified shriek when he made to enter the house. “Good lord, Daiki! What the hell happened to you?!”

 It set Satsuki even more on edge that he didn’t even utter a word of explanation to his mother.

 “Sacchan, what is this?!” The woman who was like a second mother to her demanded of Satsuki next. It was a tactic that she often opted for through the years whenever her son was too pouty or moody to give her the time of day.

 Before Satsuki could explain, Daiki finally opened his mouth.

 “I forgot my umbrella, mother.”

 This piece of information made his parent’s eye twitch spastically. This tells me nothing, young man! It was conveyed loud and clear to Satsuki, even if the older woman hadn’t breathed a word.

 “I offered to take him home with my umbrella but he was already soaked when we met up, so…” Satsuki offered in an attempt to assuage the possible clash that could occur lest she intervened.

 Somehow, she knew that it was the last thing Dai-chan needed that day. To get in an argument with his mother over this.

 It seemed enough to placate the Aomine female to let the matter go, but not enough to let go of another.

 She crossed her arms as she surveyed her offspring at the entrance.

 “Well, whatever, but you’re not getting inside my house like that!” She huffed loudly as she turned around and headed for the cupboard where Satsuki knew they kept clean towels. “Take off your soaked clothes at the entrance and go take a shower.”

 Daiki took a moment, then two to process the information. He proceeded to unceremoniously peel off his t-shirt from himself, dropping the cloth with a wet plop next to his feet—atop the tiles of the entrance.

 Satsuki watched him with that same nervous tension as he went on to do the same with his slacks.

 Then there was a towel shoved under his nose by his unamused mother.

 “Dry your feet and legs. Oh, and your hair.” She basically ordered him when he took the proffered object.

 The blue haired youth proceeded to mechanically do as told, until he received his mother’s nod of approval.

 He was clad only in his wet underwear that still stuck to him in an obscene way, but he was no longer dripping rivers of rainwater on the wooden floorboards of the house.

 “Okay then. Into the bathroom with you—chop chop!”

 His mother shoved the boy with a testy huff. He shuffled his feet in the designated direction without a word.

 “Make it a long and hot shower, Daiki!” his mother called after him.

 Neither woman at the entrance understood whether he’d heard or not, because he gave no response—verbal or otherwise.

 Satsuki watched him with a worried lip as he disappeared around the corner.

 “Seriously, what’s got into that boy? He’s like a walking corpse.” The Aomine matron huffed in annoyance, placing her hands on her hips. Then she turned her attention to Satsuki. “Sacchan, did you guys have a fight or something?”

 The pink-haired girl simply shook her head in response.

 “He was like this already when we met up after practice.”

 Her auntie let out a loud and long sigh.

 “Jeez. What goes on in the head of that boy…”

 After a brief interaction, Satsuki bowed and excused herself to go home.

 It wasn’t like Dai-chan would be out of the bathroom anytime too soon.

 Not if his mother had anything to say about it.

 Yet even as she ate dinner with her parents, she still couldn’t focus on the conversation over supper thanks to the sickening feeling that had nested itself deeply in her heart that day.

 The unease itself wasn’t news. It had been steadily growing over the last few weeks. The first time she’d felt it was when she realized that the cracks had started forming. It was the same time as their ace noticing it himself.

 The first time when his opponents stopped even trying to play against him in that qualifier game for the nationals.

 Teikou had been winning by a landslide and Daiki had been on fire. Something that she always looked forward to in a game. Yet, instead of that driving his opponents to try harder in order to stop him, instead those boys had simply adopted that deadened look and stopped trying altogether.

 That was the day that the ace’s talents had started to blossom. And what that unease signified for Satsuki was just that it had been the tip of the iceberg.

 The events from practice today were simply proof for exactly that. What was worse, now it wasn’t only Dai-chan whose growth she feared.

 There was now Mukkun, too.

 Not to mention the change that Akashi-kun had gone through during that short showdown with the tall center.

 Just thinking about the situation made Satsuki’s skin crawl.

 She couldn’t shake the notion that she shouldn’t leave Daiki alone that day.

 So, after quickly scuffling down her dinner, she told her parents she’d be at Dai-chan’s and raced off towards the neighboring house.

 Thankfully, the rain had stopped.

 But the lack of rain did nothing to disperse the murky feeling Satsuki was drowning in.

 She found her childhood friend sitting on the couch, watching his favorite comedy show. When she maneuvered herself so that she could sit on the couch next to him, her worst suspicions were confirmed.

 Saying he was “watching” anything on TV was a stretch. From the listless expression on his face and the deadened look in his eyes, she could tell he was seeing right through the television set.

Satsuki exhaled slowly through her nose. Even though she liked this show normally as well, she couldn’t focus at all on any of the jokes.

 She opened her mouth to say something but no words came forth. She’d already asked him everything she could think of on the trek home and none of it had earned her an answer from him.

 Making small talk didn’t seem right either.

 Trying to cheer him up when she had no clue what got him in this state to begin with was just stupid. It would just be empty words.

 She was sure it had something to do with Tetsu-kun because he seemed to stiffen whenever Satsuki mentioned him. But everything beyond that was simply conjecture on her part. Seeing as Daiki refused to give her any information to work with.

 She wished she could help, but she had no idea how.

 So she clamped her mouth shut and curled her fingers into fists on the couch.

 “Where are Auntie and Uncle?” she thought to ask at last, when the show ended. Neither of Dai-chan’s parents was in sight, which was rare in itself.

 A long moment of silence stretched between them, filled only with the nonsensical music and plots of the TV commercials.

 “No clue,” Dai-chan finally said.

 It was the first time she had heard him speak since coming back to him that night. She disliked how his voice was scratchy and quiet.

 They stayed like that, not breathing a word to each other for a good fifteen minutes or more. Just sitting next to one another without even acknowledging the other’s presence for what felt like an eternity.

 The equilibrium was broken when Daiki keeled sideways without any preamble. His head fell right across Satsuki’s thighs.

 She stiffened at once. Her immediate instinct was to smack him or push him off—or both—and demand what in the world he thought he was up to.

 But then, during her moment of indecision, she saw that he still had that stony, listless look. She could only half of his face but his profile was still set in that worrisome expression. She realized it was definitely no ploy that he had read in any of his idiotic magazines. He probably hadn’t even done it on purpose.

 This realization made her edginess syphon right out of her system and instead she relaxed back into the couch, allowing Dai-chan to use her lap as a pillow without complaint.

 The next show started—some kind of history drama. She found herself unwittingly following what the characters on screen were doing for lack of anything else to busy herself with.

 She was loath to admit it, but feeling Dai-chan physically closer did make her clenched heart ease up a bit.

 When she shifted her magenta eyes to study his profile from above, Satsuki let out another long sigh. She had never seen Dai-chan like this and it was tearing her apart. She had no clue what had happened but she could bet it had something to do with Tetsu-kun and whatever had made Daiki snap during practice.

 She had been feeling this unease about the team for a while now. With Dai-chan’s steep improvement, that anxiety had deepened exponentially. She saw earlier that day that this tension had not been something she imagined. Not when the normally docile Mukkun had ended up talking back and even challenged Akashi-kun.

 Satsuki hated to think that it was possible that Dai-chan and Tetsu-kun had had a falling out. Yet all the facts pointed to it. Tetsu-kun had taken off in search for Dai-chan and then he hadn’t come back for a long time. That’s why she had rushed off to look for both of them after practice was over.

 The pink-haired girl bit her lip hard to keep any more disconcerting thoughts at bay. She could only imagine how hard a blow it would be for Dai-chan—having a falling out with Tetsu-kun at a time that was already hard for him.

 Before she could start pondering if it was a good or bad idea to allow Dai-chan to continue using her lap as a pillow, her left hand acted as though with a mind of its own.

 It unclenched from her side and set itself gently upon Daiki’s freshly washed hair.

 She turned her attention back to the show on the TV, content to just pet Dai-chan’s hair while he lay on her lap. Like an overgrown pet cat. Or a small worrisome child.

 When the commercial break came around, she heard him speak for the second time since dinner.

 “I was very cruel earlier.”

 It was an admission.

 Whether to her or to himself, Satsuki didn’t know. All she did know was that she had never heard Dai-chan speak in such a voice before. Ever. And she’d spent almost every waking moment with him for over ten years.

 “But that’s okay,” he murmured forlornly. “Because that guy was cruel to me before that. So I just…” The navy-haired boy’s voice trailed off slowly, never finishing the thought.

 Satsuki held her tongue, forcing herself to keep her innate curiosity at bay. She wanted to know what happened between them, but more than that, she wanted Dai-chan to get over whatever it was.

 So she just hummed in agreement and continued petting Dai-chan’s spiky hair until he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 That was how the dream came to an end.

 It was abrupt, and painful. Like a car crash or a train wreck.

 It wasn’t something anyone had wished for, but it came all the same.

 Their bonds grew cold and then slowly began to unwind. The basketball that they had so loved playing together turned into a vile competition thanks to all the swirling twisted emotions of the first stringers.

 It was painful to even look at.

 Satsuki was sure that it was even more painful to be in the middle of it.

 She couldn’t even imagine how the fall out had hurt Tetsu-kun, because she saw him more and more rarely after that.

 Perhaps he got even better at his misdirection if he was under the weather—or he was simply avoiding her. She wasn’t sure which of those it was… nor which was worse.

 Dai-chan, however—Dai-chan she knew and she could see how this all was twisting him beyond belief. She hated seeing him like this—hurt and broody, standoffish and listless all the time.

 He dropped the catatonic thing the very next day but in exchange, there was zero luster in everything he did. No spirit. No fire. Not even a spark.

 What was even worse was that it felt like Daiki started avoiding her, too. They started to very rarely spend any time together anymore—something she would’ve never wished for.

 The shittiest part was that sometimes, she felt relieved to be away from him. She did, because on the rare occasions they headed home at the same time, or accidentally met up at Maji Burger after school, she was at a loss what to talk to him about. The atmosphere between them was strained and stifling. Something that had never happened to them before—or, at least, not to this extent.

 Satsuki was a smart girl, so she could come up with plenty of neutral topics to talk about. Non-painful ones. Non-taboo ones.

 However, that was beside the point when her childhood friend wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation. He was always wistfully staring at some patch of nothing in the distance, refusing to meet her eye.

 Once, he even told her that it was enough. That she didn’t need to try so hard. Not when he couldn’t reciprocate the effort.

 That was the last time she could remember heading home with him in the past month or longer.

 He didn’t attend even a single practice after that, yet infallibly showed to all the games. He played and he steamrolled through his opponents as though they weren’t even there. He won without cracking even a single smirk, not to mention the blinding smile that he used to wear permanently when he played before.

 The basketball that he had so loved for years became something of a mundane chore.

 It was unbelievable. It was excruciating to witness.

 Yet just like the good times they had enjoyed, Satsuki convinced herself that the bad times would pass as well.

 She just had to brave through it. As long as it took. She would brave through it and pray that both Dai-chan and their friendship would make it through this trial in one piece as well.

 She was starting to worry that the sarcastic lackluster was beginning to get ingrained into her childhood friend’s character.

 Worse still, she had a sinking feeling that both of them were starting to get used to being away from one another.

 That would be all fine and dandy with Satsuki if either of them was the better for it, but that was not the case. Daiki was becoming increasingly listless at school and playing hooky more often as a result of that. She felt like she hadn’t heard him laugh in ages.

 She, on the other hand, felt like her whole being was clenched twenty-four seven. Like she was bracing for an impact that was yet to come. Like she couldn’t relax for even a second.

 Seeing him the way he was pained Satsuki greatly. So she stuck with his plan of avoiding her for her own sake as well.

 Yet nothing about school was fun anymore. Not classes, not gathering basketball data that she seemed to have a penchant for. Daiki always arrived just before a game started so he never cared to listen to her strategies. He claimed he didn’t need an additional edge against opponents who were already too weak for him to begin with.

 It hurt her, but she understood. And although she could understand his reasoning, that didn’t make it any less painful. She couldn’t share her own blossoming talent with the person she most cared to share it with. It felt like yet another large gash in their already bleeding bond.

 Every day at Teikou after the second year nationals felt to Satsuki like she was drowning in tar. Heavy, sticky, disgusting, yet weighing you down and making it impossible to surface.

 The only positive thing about the situation was that Auntie didn’t seem remotely as worried about her son as the pink-haired girl was.

 The elder female dismissed it simply as Dai-chan hitting his “rebellious age” and didn’t fret over it further.

 Of course, that didn’t stop the woman from loudly lamenting in her son’s presence how un-cute he had become with this permanent chip on his shoulder and eternally wrinkled brow.

 Something that never failed to elicit an angry reaction from said teen.

 When it did, Satsuki almost felt they would all be okay, regardless how grim things seemed in the moment.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 lucid

/ˈluːsɪd/

showing or having the ability to think clearly, especially in intervals between periods of confusion or insanity.

 In wake of the heartbreak that was Teikou basketball—and the rift it opened between Satsuki and her closest friend—the pink-haired manager ended up with too much time to herself.

 This granted her the perfect opportunity to observe anything and everything that she so pleased. She could see how many scouts came from schools all over the country, striving to grab one of the graduating Miracles for themselves and their own teams.

 And although they were competing for the boys, the scouts all approached different players.

 She was impressed with how meticulous they were, especially with how several of the schools had come to know that Mukkun and Akashi-kun were moving out of Tokyo to different locations. Only the Akita schools approached Mukkun, while only the Kyoto-situated ones approached their captain.

 She could also see the myriad of schools that tried to nab her childhood friend—yet somehow never managed to.

 The pink-haired teen researched a lot of them even before their coaches dropped by Teikou to speak to Dai-chan. She had considered joining some of those schools herself for reasons other than basketball.

 The girl was always endlessly surprised when all the scouts infallibly went home with sour expressions conveying their failure to accomplish the goal of their trip to Teikou.

 When the tenth set of scouts left in a tiff after talking to the ace, Satsuki couldn’t help herself anymore. She sought him out and—with some relief at how quickly she’d managed it—found him in his favorite spot: the school rooftop.

 Where students were normally not allowed to be loitering.

 Not that that had ever stopped her troublemaking companion.

 She asked him why he had denied yet another set of scouts, only to be taken aback by his response.

 It wasn’t that he had said no. He had simply posed a condition that no team in its right mind would agree to.

 He told every single scout so far that he would follow the current Teikou policy. In other words, he’d attend games, but not practice. Something that Akashi and the rest of the management condoned. Something that was perhaps okay in the world of middle school basketball.

 Yet Satsuki couldn’t imagine how it could ever be acceptable in high school.

 Thus, choosing a school became the last of her priorities for much longer than it should have.

 What with graduation being in just over a month worth of time and Satsuki not having selected any schools that were worth her trouble.

 “So, Sacchan, have you decided what school you’re going to attend?” her mother asked her over dinner one day, about a month before graduation.

 Satsuki sucked on her chopsticks thoughtfully.

 “I’ve been considering it, but there haven’t been any contenders that caught my eye yet.” She tapped the sticks to her bottom lip, momentarily reminded of said schools. All of them were basketball powerhouses that were yet to reject Dai-chan’s stupid condition.

 Nevertheless, it wasn’t like she had all that much time to make her choice.

 “Hmmm, really?” her mother pondered. The older woman’s retort grabbed her daughter’s attention anew. “I’m just surprised because I thought you guys had come up with this together.”

 Satsuki cocked a confused brow at that. Her head tilted sideways with the effort of understanding what was being said.

 “I’m sorry, mom—I don’t think I follow this conversation at all,” the pink-haired girl admitted at length.

 “I heard from the Aomines that Dai-chan is going on to Touou Academy,” her mother explained.

 This surprised Satsuki.

 “What?” She hadn’t heard anything about this from the guy himself.

 Not overly surprising considering how little time they spent together nowadays. But still. This was the kind of thing you shared with your friend of a lifetime who is a lifetime, wasn’t it?!

 “Who said that?” she demanded—only slightly defensively.

 “Dai-chan told his mother himself, a week ago,” the elder Momoi elaborated, placing her chin atop her hand. She leant her weight into her elbow propped upon the dining table. “Apparently he met with the coach and the current captain of the basketball team. It’s some kind of ambitious soon-to-be powerhouse for basketball or something. They scouted him personally because of how well you guys are doing in Teikou.”

 Her mother waved her other hand as though dismissing the matter.

 “Anyway, apparently they want him in their team and Dai-chan decided he’d accept their offer. It’s pretty nice, since Touou is closer to us than Teikou. I was just wondering if you’d go to the same school again.”

 For some reason, Satsuki’s blood was pumping in her ears. Her heart was thrumming uncomfortably in her chest. Her vision was blurring and things weren’t making sense anymore.

 She was hearing about Daiki’s high school of choice from her mother.

 Who had heard about it from Daiki’s mother.

 …What the hell?

 Was he even planning of telling her himself?

 How big had the rift between them become without her knowledge?

 Was he perhaps thinking of shunning her and going on to school on his own for the next three years?

 What the hell was this?

 Any team that would agree to her friend’s ludicrous demand would be clinically insane. Satsuki was convinced that no such team existed.

 If anything, she had believed that after he ran all of the scouts off with his idiocy, he would have to face the truth of the matter. Perhaps even get set straight by a stronger, better, team-oriented school club in high school.

 When he ran out of schools to get scouted by, he would have to apply himself.

 And then he wouldn’t be able to choose because he would be left with nothing of worth.

 He would have to realize that what was going on at Teikou was abnormal and intolerable by any other school.

 So where the hell did that Touou Academy come from? And how exactly were they okay with Daiki’s complete disinterest in becoming part of a team?

 No matter how good he got, basketball was still a team-oriented sport.

 A team was something that he would never be able to become part of if he never attended practice.

 It was mind-boggling.

 And why in the world had the navy-haired ace not told her about his decision himself? Damn it! He had had an entire week to come out with it.

 And she had had to learn it from her mother.

 Satsuki realized that she was acting weirdly when her parent lifted her brows at her, urging the girl for a response to her earlier question.

 “No, this is the first I hear about this,” Satsuki confessed, setting her rice bowl and chopsticks down. Her appetite had suddenly disappeared. “So, no, we haven’t discussed it.”

 They hadn’t discussed anything for the past two weeks, which was when she’d asked him about the scouts last.

 The realization that the gulf between them may have been significantly larger than Satsuki believed initially chilled the girl to the bone. She had believed this to have been merely an unpleasant phase that their friendship was undergoing—something they would shake off by the time graduation rolled about.

 Now, the pink-haired youth had to face the fact that perhaps she was mistaken.

 Perhaps what her friend of a lifetime wanted was something else altogether.

 Satsuki was no fool. She had never been able to lie to her mother, nor mislead her about her emotional state. In fact, on too many occasions in the past year she had cried herself to sleep in her mother’s embrace because of the stupid shit happening in Teikou.

 Thus there was no way that the woman was oblivious to the play of emotions on her offspring’s face. Nor was she blind to the taut line her lips had become.

 And, like a true Momoi woman, Mrs. Momoi pressed right to the heart of the matter.

 “Do you not want to go to the same school as Daiki anymore, dear?”

 This made Satsuki’s father look up from the TV he was watching across the dining table to fix his child with a level look.

 The pink-haired girl pondered her answer—did she want to go to a different school?

 Did she no longer want to go to the same school as Dai-chan?

 If she wasn’t there every day, she wouldn’t have to feel this pain. If she didn’t see him as much, she wouldn’t have to feel so hurt all the time. She could put some more distance between them and find something other than basketball to fill her time with.

 She wouldn’t have to be avoided and to avoid somebody for weeks on end. She wouldn’t have this stifling feeling that something was fundamentally wrong with the world because of what happened to her on a daily basis.

 She wouldn’t have to keep nagging a certain someone to keep doing his duties. She wouldn’t have to explain to the new people around them why he called her familiarly by just her given name without any honorifics. She wouldn’t have to keep clearing misunderstandings all the time.

 She would be able to enjoy just a normal high school life on her own.

 On her own… Did she really want that though?

 Satsuki wasn’t sure anymore.

 These past couple of years had taken their toll on her, too. If you had asked her when she started attending Teikou, she would’ve answered without hesitation that she wanted to be together with everyone: with Dai-chan, and Tetsu-kun, and Midorin, and Mukkun, and Akashi-kun, and Ki-chan…

 But now… Now she wasn’t certain if she wanted to be together with any of them.

 The more staggering realization was that she was no longer sure if the person she had shared her school life with for the past nine years wanted her to be in his any longer or not.

 Attending the same school as Tetsu-kun did hold a certain appeal though. Was he also going to Touou, she wondered. That would really be awesome. Maybe in high school those two would be able to reconcile their issues, whatever they were.

 Yet, somehow, that seemed unlikely. Both the idea of the boys working out their differences, and that Tetsu-kun would go to the same high school as Dai-chan.

 Not after that rainy afternoon when everything fell apart.

 Not after the dream ended.

 “I don’t know,” Satsuki said out loud after some careful deliberation. “I have to think about it.” She got up from her chair. It made a screeching sound as it slid against the floor. “And I’m angry that he didn’t tell me about it himself.”

 She bowed and excused herself from the dinner table under her parents’ understanding gazes.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 “Satsuki,” her best friend drawled as they arrived at the destination he had had in mind when he fetched her from class.

 The rooftop, where he spent most of his time over the past year.

 “What?” she retorted sharply.

 “I’m gonna go to Touou Academy in spring.” He said it evenly, in a monotone that betrayed nothing. His expression did much the same. “I got scouted. The coach and the captain agreed to my conditions. So I’ve decided to enroll there.”

 She gave him an even stare, not yet saying a word.

 “From what I hear, all of the Generation of Miracles are getting picked up by different schools.” His gaze broke from hers then. His azure eyes rolled to the side, pinning to a particularly uninteresting cloud to the right. “I’m sure Tetsu is going a separate way as well.”

 Not that he would know for certain. He hadn’t spoken—or even tried to—with Tetsu-kun in weeks.

 The cretin!

 Not that for all her trying to get a hold of the elusive boy, Satsuki had had much success.

 If the phantom sixth man wanted to not be found, he wouldn’t be found.

 She’d discovered that the hard way.

 “So, I guess, what I’m saying is,” the navy-haired ace started again as he folded his arms behind his head, “you should also choose what school you want to go to.”

 This made her raise her eyebrows in surprise.

 She couldn’t gauge his expression any further, though, because the next moment he laid on his back on the rooftop again, returning to his cloud gazing.

 It pissed Satsuki right off.

 Who the hell died and made Dai-chan king, huh?

 Where did he get off playing it like he was so cool as all that?!

 So, was this how it was: what he was saying was that everyone was going their way, and she should choose her own. Right?!

 And since all of the Generation of Miracles were going all over the place, as their little “satellite”, she should, too?

 Right?!

 That was what he was saying here, wasn’t he?

 It was like he was deliberately trying to push her away.

 The little ingrate!

 As if he would have the faintest chance of getting through high school he kept up his present act. If she wasn’t there to pull him through the classes, no matter how good of a ball player he was, should he get expelled from school it would be over.

 Not to mention how hopeless he was at the motions of actually showing up for classes or practice.

 Or matches.

 Who did he think he was?!

 He was just idiot Dai-chan, who couldn’t do a damn thing for himself lately when it came to school and the like!

 And now he had the gall to all but tell her to hit the road.

 Ungrateful bastard!

 “Ahhh, is that so? Everyone is going wherever, so I should do the same, ehh?” she ground out between her clenched teeth. The pink-haired manager stomped over to where Daiki was laying and she glared down at him with her arms still crossed under her chest. “The Generation of Miracles is breaking apart, so I should take the hint and run for the woods, too. Is that it?”

 Her closest friend blinked a few times in confusion at her, then shrugged.

 “Not really. Just do whatever you want. That’s what we’re all doing, so why shouldn’t you?”

 The listlessness in his eyes was what got to her. It was both like a cry for help and a shove on her back towards the door.

 It confused the shit out of her.

 And it rendered her incapable of being angry anymore.

 “Is that why you didn’t tell me about the Touou scout?” she demanded, anger still lacing her voice. “So I could decide for myself?”

 He merely shrugged and refused to elaborate any further.

 She didn’t know where this attitude was coming from, but she wasn’t caring for it. If this was some elaborate scheme to push her away, it wasn’t working now that she could see through it.

 But other than the cynicism and pretend carelessness, she could see in his face that he meant it. She could do what she pleased, without any account for anybody else.

 She was free. Free of him, free from basketball, free to choose whatever her heart desired. He wouldn’t hold it against her if she decided to walk away now.

 Not after all they’d been through these past couple of years.

 Satsuki sucked on a breath and held it in for a long time.

 She was free to do as she wanted.

 But would going to a school where no one knew her and she knew nobody something that she wanted? Did she want to start going out on a limb now?

 No longer even a satellite of any of the Generation of Miracles? No longer part of a childhood duo that did everything together.

 She wouldn’t have to make regimens and plan the improvement of high school boys’ basketball capabilities. Not unless she decided she wanted to join a basketball club in high school that did not feature Dai-chan, for once. Not unless she wanted to be making regimens and improvement plans for boys who would play against her childhood friend, eventually.

 A chilling idea.

 A school without Dai-chan.

 She’d no longer see him slouching in his seat that would fit him less and less the older and sturdier he got. She would no longer have to drag him to class every morning. She’d no longer hunt through the entire school building to find where he had hidden from her in order not to go to practice.

 She’d no longer get to see him in the corridor if they got thrown in separate classes.

 She’d no longer get to see him play his own kind of basketball that she’d grown attached to over the years. Even if it had become deformed in the past two years at Teikou.

 She’d no longer know if he had been crying on his own in the rain for hours next time.

 Because she wouldn’t know where to find him, nor would she know whether he’s going through some kind of painful experience in Touou Academy, should she choose to go elsewhere.

 She would grow apart from him, no longer knowing the secret places he went to hide from the rest of the world. No longer needing to be there for him when he was down.

 No longer needing to worry if he was down at all.

 It would no longer be her concern.

 But would it become anyone else’s? Or would Daiki end up crying on his own all afternoon next time, with no one finding him? Without anyone to pick him up in rain?

 Without a soul at school caring if he was carrying a heavy burden or not?

 She exhaled the air she had been holding on to as she pictured that mental scape.

 A school without Dai-chan in it.

 A school where Dai-chan would be without her, too.

 What fun would that ever be?

 Daiki opened one eye to glimpse at her when she said nothing for the longest time. She righted her posture and turned her face away from him. The navy-haired boy on the concrete cocked an eyebrow at her.

 Not that she saw his quizzical look.

 “I see then,” she allowed slowly, cryptically. “I am free to do as I please then. That’s great.”

 She pointedly ignored the searching glance of her childhood friend from her side.

 “Thank you so much for your consideration. I shall proceed to do just that!” she announced before waltzing off towards the door that led back inside the school.

 If Daiki wanted to know what her decision had been, he didn’t ask.

 And if he wouldn’t ask, she wasn’t going to tell him.

 Let him roast a bit, the idiot, she thought to herself with a petty huff.

 She didn’t have time to deal with her troublesome childhood friend right now anyway. She had a lot of research and data compilation to do. So it was a good thing he didn’t ask.

 Right then, Satsuki had a rising basketball powerhouse to impress!

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 The next day offered a very rare experience to Satsuki.

 For once, she was the one sought out by her childhood friend during lunch break.

 He was leaning against the wall just outside the girls’ bathroom in school when she came out from it.

 “Hey, Satsuki?” Daiki piped up when she came out.

 She eyed him indifferently, smoothing down her skirt.

 “What is it, Aomine-kun?” she humored him with a reply, striding off in direction of their classroom without pause.

 He followed after her, hands in his pockets and loose posture. He was the picture of nonchalance itself.

 But he wasn’t fooling her.

 She was certain—without room for any doubt—that it was gnawing at him.

 She had specifically instructed both of her parents to not tell Auntie or Uncle so the information wouldn’t leak back to him.

 All Dai-chan knew was that she’d gone to an interview with some high school.

 He was none the wiser which one it was.

 She smirked to herself. Serves you right. Roast some more!

 “So where are you going to go for high school?” he asked, his tone sounding uninterested. It wasn’t going to work, though. “You must’ve decided already, right? There’s less than a month to graduation.”

 Satsuki was a proper and diligent student. There was no way that she hadn’t made arrangements for her next step in education.

 She gave him a saccharine smile.

 “Of course I have, Aomine-kun! Not having taken steps by now would be irresponsible of me!”

 “So where are you going?” he urged her on, his façade of nonchalance slipping slightly.

 The pink-haired girl’s smile widened until she was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

 “Well, you’ll just have to find out when the time comes, won’t you?”

 Daiki stopped in his tracks, staring at her back in disbelief.

 “You won’t tell me?”

 “And ruin the surprise? Why in the world would I do that?” Satsuki shot back without pausing her step.

 The sliding door to their third year class room opened to the befuddled face of one Aomine Daiki. The latter looked like a mystical creature had just smacked him in the face.

 And then the sliding door closed with an air of finality.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 The clapping filled the entire gymnasium. There were a lot of girls crying.

 Among them were Satsuki’s two fellow managers of the basketball club—the second and third string managers.

 She understood why for them it was a sad thing to be graduating from Teikou. Yet she had a hard time sharing the sentiment.

 If anything, she felt a bit of relief.

 Starting next semester, she wouldn’t have to live within the suffocating atmosphere of this school.

 The pink-haired girl looked around quickly to locate Dai-chan in the crowd of students lining up to leave the gymnasium.

 “Congratulations on graduating, Aomine-kun!” she chirped merrily, saluting him with her rolled up diploma case.

 “Yeah, yeah. Congratulations, I guess,” her childhood friend agreed, rubbing his neck with a wide yawn. “I thought I’d die from the principle’s long ass speech.”

 Satsuki laughed. She could relate, but she would never say so to him.

 “He has a tendency to go off on tangents, doesn’t he?” She grinned at her taller friend in a sly manner. “However, when I say congratulations to you, it’s not just common courtesy.” When she was met with the questioning look on Dai-chan’s face, she couldn’t stop herself from giggling. “After all, you played hooky so many times I started wondering if they won’t hold you back a year. I was starting to plan what to do if you ended up being my underclassman in two years at Touou.”

 This earned her a hardened glare from her companion.

 “Stop mouthing off however you please, idiot!” he reprimanded her as she merrily tittered to herself.

 She ran ahead of him before he could swat at her with his diploma case.

 “If you were going to go to Touou, too, you should’ve just said so from the start!” Dai-chan all but whined from behind her, making her stop running from him. Instead, she turned around and gave him the widest grin she could.

 “No way. This was so much more fun!”

 “Kise-kun! I want to take a parting photo with you!”

 “Me too!”

 Satsuki’s attention was briefly derailed as she looked at the mob of girls surrounding Ki-chan.

 “Oh wow…” was all she could manage.

 “Jeez…” Dai-chan said with a sigh next to her, not pausing his stride as he walked past the scene.

 She could only imagine that this mob of girls would only continue to expand in Kaijou. After all, Ki-chan wasn’t even done growing yet and he was already this handsome. She’d seen him on several covers of fashion magazines over the past year. And the more he matured, the more magazines would want to have a piece of him.

 His fan base, surely, would grow exponentially to reflect that.

 Thinking of the Generation of Miracles, she remembered with relief something from the graduation ceremony.

 “By the way… He came, didn’t he,” she started. She knew full well that Dai-chan would follow her train of thought perfectly even if she didn’t say whom she meant. “I was wondering what I’d do if he didn’t show up to graduation either…” she muttered, throwing a cursory glance at Dai-chan’s profile. “I’m so glad…”

 “Huh…” was the only thing Dai-chan said in response as he kept trudging away from the gymnasium and the mad throngs of girls surrounding Kise and several other of the “popular boys and girls” from their school.

 He had indeed seen Kuroko’s teal-haired head sticking out in the rows of boys in front of him.

 Daiki refused to admit to feeling relieved, though.

 “Y’know, I thought for sure you’d go to the same school as Tetsu,” he said loudly as he picked up the pace of his strides. “Cause it’s you, Satsuki.”

 His pink-haired companion seemed to falter in her step behind him a bit before jogging to catch up with him.

 “W-what?! I couldn’t, because I couldn’t leave my idiotic childhood friend on his own!” she all but shrieked at him in her embarrassment.

 In being unable to catch up with his pace, the former Teikou manager missed the sincere smile that stretched on the ex-ace’s face.

 “Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, waving off her mother hen act.

 Stifling the grin that threatened to erupt on his face proved one of the hardest things Daiki had had to do in a while.

 After all, Satsuki had chosen to continue her school life alongside him, not Tetsu. If that wasn’t the best victory all year, he didn’t know what was.

 Nevertheless, he still had to get back at her for grilling him with suspense until the last moment.

 He’d be damned before he allowed her to see him celebrate the fact they’d be classmates next year (and the two after them), too.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 lucid

/ˈluːsɪd/

expressed clearly; easy to understand.

 Daiki honestly couldn’t understand why his mother and Satsuki’s mother loved doing this.

 Every single time.

 Every time they joined a new school, the two women would just keep pestering them to take pictures at the front gate after the entrance ceremony ended.

 They would always arrange the picture in the same way, positioning both him and Satsuki in the same manner next to the school nameplate. They would keep taking picture after picture, until he stopped making a grimace and just went along with their nonsense.

 Until he “stopped spoiling their fun”, as they would say.

 Daiki huffed as he took his rehearsed position to Satsuki’s right and to the left of the school nameplate. He was amazed how his childhood friend didn’t find this bothersome to no end as well. It seemed terribly stupid to him.

 Yet… Daiki felt incredibly grateful to be able to do this again with her and her family this year.

 He’d come so close to being unable to share this moment—and the next three years’ worth of any moments—with her that even the stupid nonsense their mothers did seemed like a great initiative to him now.

 So they managed to take the picture properly on the first try, without any grumbling and complaining on his part.

 “Oh? Dai-chan seems to be in an agreeable mood today!” Mrs. Momoi enthused with a wide smile after taking the picture.

 Mrs. Aomine chuckled next to her.

 “Maybe he just learned the futility of his efforts,” she suggested evilly, sharing a mean little giggle with her friend.

 Daiki eyed them dispassionately, wishing he could silence them with just a look and lamenting his inability to do so.

 “Wow, so this is the school we’re going to be attending from tomorrow on, huh?” Satsuki said reverently, pulling Daiki out of his daydream.

 He looked towards the building that had her undivided attention. Then he shifted his cerulean gaze to her face instead.

 There was a small breeze, which ruffled her hair and made it billow around her like she was some sort of spring mirage. The cherry blossom petals fell like snow around them. Some of them got stuck in her hair, which in turn framed her face beautifully. She didn’t mind any of those details while she looked on towards a future he could not picture.

 Daiki had known that his childhood friend was an exquisite girl in more ways than one. He’d known that for a long time.

 Yet, standing next to her amidst the cherry blossoms in spring, he couldn’t help but realize anew how much she had grown.

 How she’d matured from a cute kid to a dashingly pretty girl.

 This was not some great epiphany for Daiki. Neither was it the first time he’d caught himself thinking of his childhood friend as something more than that.

 No. He’d known it for years.

 He was in love with her and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

 He’d gone through some awkward phases in his day—back in elementary school when he realized it first—but since then he’d learnt to accept the fact.

 He was in love with his best friend and it wasn’t something he could consciously change.

 Not while she continued being herself. Not when they continued to be inseparable.

 This didn’t cause Daiki any heartache. Neither did the fact he was aware she didn’t feel the same way.

 Nor that she likely never would.

 It was something he had always known. Satsuki was in love with Tetsu—or she would finally realize it was pointless, and fall in love with someone else—while he would continue to sport his one-sided feelings for her.

 It was the inevitable truth of the matter. But it was fine – he’d long since made his peace with it. He no longer attempted to fight it.

 So what if she didn’t return his feelings? So what if she would grow to love someone else soon enough?

 He wasn’t going to fight it, nor suffer because of it. He refused to.

 Instead he lived with what he got.

 A girl too good for him, who—by some insane luck—somehow still wanted to stay with him.

 Even if she didn’t feel the same, it didn’t matter. Because she stayed with him.

 Not with her crush, Tetsu.

 Not with any of her friends from Teikou.

 She chose him.

 For that, he would always be grateful to her.

 He wished he could feel happy about it, but his soul felt too blackened.

 She deserved better, but she still stayed.

 And that was all that mattered to him.

 Even if he could no longer laugh with her the way he used to. Even if he would never allow to breathe a word of his feelings to her—not when he had become this ugly, twisted version of himself that he hated in wake of Teikou.

 Even if he was empty inside, he could always find her within himself.

 She defined him in a way that he would never be able to put into words.

 And for that, he was grateful.

 Satsuki turned her face to him, noticing he was staring at her whilst she had been lost in thought. Her expression softened, her head tilting to the side a bit.

 “What is it?” she asked him. “Is there something on my face?” she queried with mirth bubbling in her voice.

 Daiki shook his head.

 “No.” He then continued after a heartbeat of pause, “In your hair.”

 “Oh,” Satsuki reached a hand up to her hair to shake off whatever it was. “Did I get it out?”

 Daiki threw a quick sideways glance to see his parents and Satsuki’s huddled over their cameras and phones. Knowing the lot of them, they were probably debating where all six of them should go in order to celebrate the kids’ formal entry into Touou.

 “No, you didn’t,” he said truthfully, moving to reach around her. “Let me.”

 His arm circled around her shoulders and his fingers detangled the cherry blossom petals with care and gentleness that Satsuki had not expected to receive. The way his arm was angled it almost felt like an embrace rather than him just doing her a simple favor.

 She looked up into Daiki’s face which was suddenly very close to her own. She blinked her keen magenta eyes at him as he studiously removed all the wayward petals that had woven themselves in her hair.

 The pink-haired girl wondered how an action so mundane and ordinary could suddenly feel so strangely intimate. Especially between them, who had known each other forever.

 “There,” Dai-chan then said, pulling her attention back to present time. “All gone.”

 “Thanks, Dai-chan,” she retorted softly with a smile.

 Instead of retrieving his arm, he placed his palm atop her head in a tender pat.

 He proceeded to pull her closer, until her forehead was all but pressed against the shoulder of the arm that was keeping her to him. He bowed his head to bring his mouth as close to her ear as he could without actually touching his lips to her lobe.

 “Thank you, Satsuki.”

 He said it quietly, so that no one could overhear. He said it like a sacred prayer, meant only for her ears to behold.

 “Thank you,” he repeated in the same disarming way before relinquishing his hold on her.

 She would’ve laughed and asked him what he was being so polite for. She would’ve asked what was with him, being so random all of a sudden and creeping her out with it.

 But the look in his eyes when he let go of her prevented her from acting like her usual self.

 There was something so tender in his expression that she couldn’t bring herself to dismiss what had just happened.

 Whatever it was.

 She wasn’t sure what she’d done to warrant his thanks—especially since he had been the one doing something for her not even a minute prior.

 But she couldn’t find her words in order to ask.

 Just as quickly as it had come, the inscrutable moment and Dai-chan’s uncharacteristic expression were gone. He pivoted on his heel, turning his back to her and stalking off in direction of their parents.

 “I’ll be in your care this year as well,” he called out loudly over his shoulder, lifting his hand in idle greeting. “Thanks in advance.”

 It took Satsuki a moment longer to shake off the disorientation from… whatever happened between them just then. She grinned and ran after him.

 “Looking forward to being in your care this year as well!”

 If only Dai-chan could continue to be in such a good mood the whole year, she thought, that would be truly grand.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 Of course, as Satsuki’s rotten luck would have it, there was no way that navy-haired boy’s good mood could stretch enough to cover his basketball activities.

 True to their word, Touou’s team didn’t force him to attend practice if he didn’t want to. They had attached a nonsensical “you can skip practice if you have a good reason” rule, but that was less than pointless.

 Not when Dai-chan kept coming up with idiotic ways to dodge by claiming he was sick, or needing to run errands for his family, or whatever.

 He was still prancing around the court, undefeated. He acted all high and mighty and did as he pleased, because no one could really talk back to him as long as he won them games. That had been the agreement, after all. He was holding up his end of the deal, so there was no need to Touou to lay down the law as long as things went smoothly.

 No matter how many practices he skipped out on, his performance on the court didn’t suffer for it. Or rather, even if it did, there was no opponent for which Dai-chan couldn’t take his sweet time, getting into gear for one or two quarters.

 And once he did get up to speed, he’d plough through any and all opponents. No defense would be able to stop him from taking point after point from them until Touou ended with an overwhelming, crushing victory.

 He still kept spouting that bullshit about being the only one who could defeat himself.

 Did he even listen to himself before he said shit like that? Satsuki couldn’t help but wonder. He probably didn’t, she surmised, because if he did, he would realize how he was embarrassing himself with lines like that.

 What an idiot.

 Couldn’t someone please save him from himself instead?

 Satsuki pleaded for that every day.

 She didn’t know in what form salvation could possibly come.

 A lifetime together had proven that having people talk sense into Dai-chan was physically impossible. Knocking sense into him physically would only result in a brawl that—she was loath to admit—Dai-chan would probably win. (On top of which nothing productive would result, because he would get suspended from club activities—something that he probably would love.)

 So Satsuki couldn’t help but think that the only way to knock sense into the idiot was to actually beat him in a game.

 Then again it was hard to imagine anyone being able to do so.

 This, of course, didn’t stop her from praying.

 Praying that Tetsu-kun’s new team could beat Dai-chan.

 Praying that Ki-chan’s new team could beat Dai-chan.

 Praying that if all else failed, Akashi-kun crushing them in a final or semi-final would wake him up.

 Praying that any of them could beat him, yet coming up empty-handed time and time again. For almost an entire year.

 Until the Winter Cup official games came around… and her wishes got granted.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 After their loss at the Winter Cup, it was truly amazing how quickly that affected Dai-chan.

 What Satsuki meant, of course, was his desire to practice and the once before compulsive need to buy new basketball shoes.

 Two lines she hadn’t heard for years and which, for a very long time, had very much defined her childhood friend.

 Of course, the fact that he felt the need to practice didn’t mean that he actually came to school basketball practice all the time.

 In fact, Satsuki wasn’t quite sure what practice he had meant, because his appearances to club practice were just as sparse after their loss at the Winter Cup official games as before that. It made her feel cheated and more disappointed than she would ever let on.

 That had been before she found out that Dai-chan had been unable to sleep for a week after their loss to Seirin.

 Once he started getting some sleep, he did show up to practice more often.

 After Seirin won the championship, though, (regardless of the fact she had had to twist his arm into it once or twice) Dai-chan started to attend almost every practice.

 She wondered if his realization about the true Zone had anything to do with it. Or if he simply had finally settled back into a comfortable state of wanting to improve once again.

 Satsuki didn’t particularly blame him. She had expected a loss—especially one at the hands of Tetsu-kun—to work well, but not as if it were a magic trick. She had believed it would take time for habits that had become second nature to be uprooted and turned on their head. This was why she didn’t begrudge Dai-chan the times he was late for practice or went up to the roof on instinct.

 However, after the captain told him to just show up to practice, even if he didn’t play, things started changing very rapidly.

 It was just like Dai-chan to be unable to help himself whenever there were so many basketballs dribbling and flying about.

 It was just like Dai-chan to stay away from the gym on habit but then be unable to keep himself from playing on instinct.

 If he had had qualms about practicing before, those quickly melted away with all of the captain’s quips about Kagami and a second loss at the hands of Seirin.

 Satsuki had been a bit worried about Wakamatsu-san taking over leadership—what with his Dai-chan hate and all.

 It came as a huge relief for the manager to see that the blonde had discovered the perfect way to manage their team’s whimsical ace.

 She hadn’t expected too much immediately after the Winter Cup, yet the results were apparent.

 By the time January came and went, the changes in Dai-chan were so vast and so rapid, she felt like her heart would burst with joy.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 As if it wasn’t enough that Satsuki got what she had been praying for so fast, even greater changes came about with their second year of high school.

 More specifically, with the addition of new recruits to the ranks of the Touou basketball team.

 Everyone who came to Touou’s basketball club that following spring knew of the legend of Aomine Daiki.

 The unstoppable scorer, the best ace the team had ever had. Aomine Daiki and his formless shooting, infallibly scoring from incredible positions. Aomine Daiki and his immense agility and indomitable drive to always win. Aomine Daiki, who hadn’t needed to practice to win in order to get his team in second place at the Inter High.

 Aomine Daiki and the permanently bored and/or exasperated expression on his face as he did attend every single practice in second year. Aomine Daiki and his disinterest in listening to his captain’s orders, which in turn would become insubordination in carrying out those same. Which, subsequently, would become a shouting match for Wakamatsu-san, who believed that Dai-chan was simply doing these things to spite him.

 Satsuki had been worried when the first years joined them that Dai-chan’s insubordination and penchant for truancy and mischief might put him on the freshmen’s bad side. What with his ability to get himself special treatment and get away with doing things that were inexcusable for any other player…

 Let’s just say she could see how people who didn’t know the ace well enough might find him something of an eyesore.

 And at first it did seem like her premonition had been spot on.

 The first years did look weirdly at Daiki and strayed from having to team up with him for stretches and team exercises. They seemed to be intimidated both by stories of his exploits and unwilling to be subjected to his behavior, lest they start catching onto it as well.

 At least that’s how it seemed in the beginning.

 Only with the addition of enough encounters between the freshmen and Dai-chan did Satsuki come to realize that the boys looked up to her childhood friend like some kind of deity. They knew better than to try to talk back to coach Harasawa or the captain the way Dai-chan did, but they admired him for it all the same.

 Once they got over their self-consciousness around him, they even started looking Dai-chan up for some basketball advice as well. Like how to improve their scoring ratio when shooting. Or how to become faster runners. Or better jumpers.

 Satsuki giggled against her hand, which was currently holding her chopsticks. Daiki lazily opened up one eye and threw her a confused look.

 “What are you laughing at like a crazy person for?” he drawled out, making his childhood friend face fault at once with his rude query.

 “Don’t be an ass, Dai-chan,” she reprimanded him levelly, digging into her lunch box with renewed determination.

 Her companion, who lay on the floor of the school roof next to her seated form, scoffed demonstratively and closed his eyes again.

 “I’m not the one who just stands there and then bursts out laughing out of the blue,” he grumbled aloud before deciding to ignore the pink-haired girl.

 His team’s manager glared at him from above and opted for giving him a slight shove in the shoulder with her foot as punishment.

 “I didn’t just ‘burst out laughing out of the blue’, for your information.” Satsuki huffed to herself and popped an octopus-shaped wiener in her mouth. God bless her mother, an amazing cook—a talent Satsuki had (sadly) not inherited even a little. “I just remembered the look on the freshmen’s faces yesterday when they asked you to show them how to shoot better at the basket.”

 She shook her head to herself in mirth as she once again gazed upon that scene in her mind’s eye.

 “You’re a terrible teacher, Dai-chan!”

 “Hey!” Daiki opened his eyes and threw his childhood friend an affronted glare. “It’s not my fault they can’t understand what I’m trying to teach them.”

 “I guess you and basketball are proof of the proverb that a genius doesn’t understand how the incompetent feel.” She chuckled to herself again upon recalling the flabbergasted expressions on the freshmen’s faces when Daiki had attempted to show them the best ways to aim at the basket.

 …A small lecture from which they seemed to have understood nothing.

 Instead of trying to refute her in vain, the navy-haired teen simply grumbled back that if they manage to see any improvement in the boys’ scoring, then that would mean that he’s not as bad a teacher as she was making him out to be.

 It took the freshmen another two meetings with Daiki after practice hours were over in order to improve their scoring ratios.

 But when the improvement became evident, it was already drastic.

 And from the fact that Dai-chan had been doggedly determined to help the boys out in their endeavor, it had only resulted in additional points in his favor in their eyes.

 So they started looking him up for advice on non-basketball related matters as well. At first only during practice or breaks during practice.

 Then it was during any recess that they cared to venture to the sophomores’ floor.

 …Which was almost every recess, as long as they didn’t have other duties.

 The boys asked his help, and sought out his opinion on all sorts of matters. From what kind of bread was best at their cafeteria, through what kind of underwear was most comfortable to wear, to what kind of gravure models they liked.

 The fact they had Dai-chan mentoring their basketball growth meant that, of course, results were rife for the boys’ playstyles and improvement on the court.

 But a by-product that came from them idolizing the ace and not letting him be ostracized by their class was that Dai-chan himself, in turn, started opening up more during practice towards team play.

 Even though he has realized by the end of the last Winter Cup that there was no way to win some teams on his own, that hadn’t made it any easier for Daiki to work with the current Touou lineup. He felt awkward and possibly a bit repentant. He had promised Imayoshi-san that he was ready to become the best when he had joined Touou but the weakness in his heart had paved the way for the team’s loss at the very beginning of the Winter Cup games.

 Knowing he had to restyle his basketball play in order to make it possible to incorporate into a team effort didn’t mean that it felt easy for the ace to finally start working with the players wearing the same jersey as him.

 If anything, he had felt slightly self-conscious playing along with the second-years who had the potential of filling in the vacated positions by Susa-san and Imayoshi-san in the Touou starting lineup. This made for some clunky attempts at team play on Daiki’s side, which was awkward to witness.

 Thus, when she saw the ace easily passing the ball back and forth between Sakurai-kun, Wakamatsu-san and the freshmen that were on his team during the five on five scramble, Satsuki’s eyes welled up with tears without warning.

 Coach Harasawa, who was right next to her at the time, was quick to panic when the droplets started trailing down her cheeks unchecked. The pink-haired manager was even quicker to hush the man and wipe away the tears. The last thing she needed was for Dai-chan to see her fussing over him or crying over this inconsequential skirmish of theirs.

 However, that was not why Satsuki was crying.

 She was crying because she could see the last vestiges of his middle school trauma coming free—like shackles coming undone at her childhood friend’s hands and feet, making him even more lithe and quick on the court.

 She could see him enjoying the team play that school basketball was supposed to entail for the first time in 3 years.

 She could see him laughing and running around with his teammates who were striving hard to meet his expectations and surpass him—to be his equal on the court and show him that he’d taught them well.

 Satsuki was crying because it had been years since she herself had enjoyed their high school basketball as much.

 It was the first time in 3 years that she could see an immeasurable amount of potential blooming before her eyes.

 If Dai-chan became a team player again, with a team not so much forced into having him at its center—but with teammates who revered him and wanted to maximize his potential for all their sakes…!

 There was nothing that would be able to stop Touou from winning the Inter High by a landslide.

 The possibilities were so enormous and off the charts that she couldn’t even wrap her mind around them at first.

 But she definitely looked forward to seeing how Dai-chan and his teammates employed this newfound strength to their advantage.

 And Satsuki would have the best seat in the house to witness it all – right next to Daiki, through it all.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 The most unforeseen side effect of Daiki starting to enjoy school and basketball again came in the form of his newfound friendships with his teammates.

 She was a fool for not having put two and two together to begin with. It wasn’t anything that should have caught her unawares. After all, the biggest reason for Dai-chan spending his every waking moment with her and only her was because he was in a very fragile place emotionally and she was his best friend.

 His only friend at Touou.

 The only person he’d let inside his heart. The only one he listened to and respected in any way. However miniscule it looked whenever he felt especially rebellious and stubborn.

 He had treated everyone else like an enemy for the good part of a year. Now he was only just starting to learn how to act like a normal person, so of course he was clumsy at the beginning.

 But his teammates around him – the people who wanted to bond with him – were durable and forgiving. They didn’t mind Dai-chan’s clumsiness when it came to forging new bonds. They didn’t mind his brashness or unexpected crudeness every now and then. Instead, they found it charming in the same way that the team’s manager did.

 Subsequently, this led to Daiki having less opportunity to have his lunch alone with Satsuki atop the school roof—something they had done since sixth grade together. Something that had been their adventure to partake in while at school.

 Instead, he was now frequently ambushed by the freshmen boys from the basketball club whenever the bell rang signaling the start of their lunch break. The three new additions to their team seemed to make a sport of racing to Daiki and Satsuki’s classroom, competing to see who got to convince her childhood friend to join them for lunch.

 At first, all four of the boys had begun this tradition by asking Satsuki along with them. All five of them eating lunch together in the courtyard.

 A wonderful sentiment, she had thought, yet decided against taking them up on it. She had wanted to let Dai-chan connect with the boys better – to be able to say anything he wanted to them and, what was more important, for the boys to be able to talk to him freely as well.

 Something which, she realized very clearly, they wouldn’t be able to with her standing there among them.

 That was how, more often than not, during the larger part of the first semester of second year, Satsuki ended up having lunch separately of Daiki and her teammates.

 Granted, this led to the girls in her class to open up more toward her. Perhaps they had been too intimidated to approach Satsuki when she’d been spending all her time with her overlarge dark-skinned childhood friend. Or perhaps they found her more interesting now that she spent more time around the classroom than she had the entire first year of high school.

 Satsuki wasn’t entirely sure which of those it was, but she was grateful for the female company for once in her life nonetheless.

 It was a breath of fresh air to be able to discuss more feminine matters with fellow classmates for once. It was engaging to be able to bond with other girls about her other interests besides basketball.

 The novelty of the experience started wearing off, though, around the middle of June. She did appreciate all the positive changes in their day to day lives for the small miracles that they were, but it wasn’t like she had ever wished for everything to change completely.

 It took her yet another failed attempt in order to realize her true feelings with the changes that had taken place.

 The shift had been so gradual that even she hadn’t been able to wrap her mind around it.

 “Dai-chan,” she started in a chipper mood, tapping her best friend on his shoulder. She had sauntered over to him the minute the lunch break bell rang, trying to shake him awake from his nap induced by the monotone voice of their teacher. “Wake up, Dai-chan!”

 She gave him a firm shake that helped rouse him from his (impressively deep, considering the circumstances of them being at school) sleep.

 “Stop shaking me, Satsuki!” Daiki complained dispassionately, swatting her hand away from his shoulder. “You’re making my brain rattle in my head with that.”

 He stretched his arms and legs out like a gigantic cat, making Satsuki giggle to his side.

 “You damn sadist,” the navy-haired ace added as an afterthought.

 “Never mind that, Dai-chan!” Satsuki enthused, ignoring Daiki’s indignant squawk in response to her last statement. “Let’s go have lunch on the roof together, like we used to! Weather is supposed to be great and I got up extra early to prepare these lunch boxes for us today!”

 The pink-haired youth procured the aforementioned offensive objects from under her desk, placing them upon Daiki’s desk. The latter swallowed thickly at the sight of them, a thin sheen of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

 “Aomine-senpai!” a familiar voice called from the direction of the classroom entrance. Satsuki’s heart sank at the sound of it. “Let’s have lunch, Aomine-senpai!” the first boy said before the other two chimed in merrily as well.

 Before Daiki could open his mouth to turn them down, Satsuki patted his shoulder again.

 “On second thought, you should go have lunch with the boys. I have some information I’d like to go over before practice with the Inter High nearly knocking on the door, so you guys have fun while I do that.”

 Her navy-haired companion gave her an odd look.

 “What? I thought you wanted to have lunch together today.”

 Satsuki shook her head.

 “It’s fine. They came here especially for you, so it would be rude to send them off.” Daiki made a face at her that conveyed exactly how disinterested he was with how rude he’d be to their underclassmen. Satsuki gave him a smile that was more reassuring than she felt, and waved him off. “Don’t worry about it—maybe some other time. Oh!” She suddenly remembered and gave Daiki his own boxed lunch. “Here you go! I wish we could eat them together, but I still did my best with this for you, so enjoy!”

 She didn’t miss the deadened look on his face upon gingerly receiving her gifted lunch for him. Dutifully, she punched his shoulder none too gently.

 “Shut up!”

 “I didn’t say anything!” Daiki protested loudly, massaging his shoulder.

 “You didn’t have to! It was written all over your face!” Satsuki all but shouted at him. “I’ve gotten better – you’ll see!” she promised before shooing the ace off towards the freshmen boys who were starting to get antsy from waiting for him.

 As he lumbered off in their direction, the pink-haired girl couldn’t quite quell the sharp stab of disappointment that speared her heart.

 This was going to be yet another lunch break that she would be spending with people other than the one she came to the school to spend her time with.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 A month later the preliminaries for the Inter High would begin.

 That did not seem to impress Daiki in the least, though, because he continued doggedly pestering Kagami for one-on-one games despite the fact that they had had a practice match not even a couple of weeks earlier.

 Satsuki suspected that Wakamatsu-san’s constant teasing had hit a nerve for Daiki. Now he felt more paranoid about the possibility of the blond being right. All things considered, the Touou ace did not want to suffer another loss from Seirin. Not if he could help it any.

 Checking on the redhead’s growth from time to time, thus, was almost imperative.

 The navy-haired boy was so simple it was endearing at times like these, Satsuki thought with a secretive smile.

 Still, being easily goaded (or tricked) into things, Kagami ended up agreeing to Dai-chan’s propositions more often than not.

 Which was why two weeks later on a nice, sunny Sunday in the beginning of July, found the two lights of Touou and Seirin playing one another on a street court. Their two closest companions were just outside the court, keeping a close, doting eye on them as they scuffled for the ball and scored against each other at the sole basket they used.

 “Aomine-kun seems to be in great form,” Kuroko surveyed with something akin to pride in his quiet voice. Satsuki couldn’t help grinning back at him at that.

 “He’s at his best ever!” she confirmed and turned her attention back to the two lights steadily entering into the zone as they played.

 …Despite both of them agreeing beforehand that it was tiresome and they wouldn’t do any zone play that day.

 The teal-headed phantom sixth man chuckled to himself before he noticed how Satsuki’s smile slowly slid off her face to be replaced with a much tenser expression. Clear cerulean eyes fixed upon her worriedly.

 “Why does this seem to bring unhappiness to you, Momoi-san?” Kuroko asked evenly, his expression open and encouraging.

 Satsuki shook her head in response.

 “That’s ridiculous, Tetsu-kun!” she denied vehemently, turning away from her junior high crush. Try as she might, she couldn’t fool him, and the fact she avoided eye contact with him only proved his suspicions. “It’s not like Dai-chan being at his best ever is making me unhappy. Quite the contrary! I’m happy for him!”

 While he had no doubt of the fact that Aomine-kun’s happiness was Momoi-san’s happiness, Kuroko Tetsuya couldn’t quite place the sudden contradiction on his former manager’s face.

 His two Teikou friends were his closest people from back in those days that were much like a wonderful dream.

 Usually, they were also the most self-sufficient ones out of the entire gang – what with Momoi-san being the voice of reason while Aomine-kun being the solid and never-changing one among them. (At least as far as personality and interests were concerned.)

 Thus, this kind of hesitation coming from either of them regarding their long-standing bond made Kuroko rather wary.

 “Are you concerned what will happen if no one manages to win against Touou this year?” Tetsuya queried knowingly, believing to have hit the nail on the head.

 His guess was a very good one.

 After all, the one thing that had perturbed Satsuki the most for the past three years had been the way Dai-chan had completely lost himself due to how unattainable heights his basketball play had reached.

 Was there a risk of him relapsing into that again should he go on long enough undefeated? If Satsuki had to be honest, she would say yes. Yes, there was. But did she think it could possibly be any time before the end of third year’s Winter Cup?

 No. Certainly not.

 After failing to win the last Winter Cup, Satsuki was sure that Daiki would do everything in his power to make sure that Touou would be standing at the top. He would do what he could with all his impressive might to make that happen. Be it the Inter High or the Winter Cup this year, he would want to take them both.

 As repentance for breaking his promise to Imayoshi-san in their first year.

 Besides, it hadn’t been the fact that he was constantly winning that had slain Dai-chan’s spirit before. It was the fact that no one ever seemed to give a damn to compete with him anymore.

 That was not something she could see happening with Ki-chan, Midorin or Kagamin. Not to mention Akashi-kun who may have somewhat recovered from the temporary lapse of sanity he had suffered for a few years, but that didn’t make him any less victory-starved.

 So at least for the next two years, Satsuki wouldn’t have any need to worry about her childhood friend relapsing to his previous state of mind.

 In wake of this thorough contemplation, Satsuki shook her head with a small curve of her lips.

 “No, I think Dai-chan will be fine for the time being.” She turned to give Tetsu a brilliant smile. “After all, he has you and Kagamin, if all else fails!”

 Kuroko reciprocated her smile with a demure one of his own.

 “I think you underestimate your importance for Aomine-kun, Momoi-san,” he told her quietly, causing Satsuki to give a complacent little giggle in return. The upturned corners of his mouth slowly settled back into the taut line from earlier. “If that’s not it, then what’s bothering you, Momoi-san?”

 “Nothing’s bothering me, Tetsu-kun!” she insisted without much gusto. “You are such a worrywart sometimes.”

 It was not an untrue statement by any means, but Kuroko was certain there was more to the situation than Momoi-san was willing to let on.

 Instead of pressuring her into answering – because perhaps she didn’t want to share, or disliked the thought of sharing whatever it was with him. He couldn’t be sure but he hated the thought of imposing himself on his former teammate so he stopped asking her.

 He focused on the couple of idiots on the court, whose one on one had taken on ridiculous speed and proportions. They were supposed to have played only up to twenty-one points for one side. Nevertheless, seeing how hard it was for either of them to score—what with being constantly blocked while shooting, dribbling and trying to dodge one another for minutes at a time, zapping around the small area of half the court all the time—it was no wonder that their little showdown was taking longer than usual.

 Kuroko wouldn’t be surprised if they were still stuck in the single digits.

 “It’s not that… Dai-chan being at his best ever is making me unhappy or anything…” she mumbled at last. Her magenta gaze pinned to the pair duking it out at the court. Her fingers closed around the metal wires of the fence and she held onto it as though for dear life. “I’m just… feeling a bit lonely, I guess.”

 “How come?” Kuroko cocked a puzzled eyebrow. “I thought you guys got to be in the same class again this year.”

 He put a thoughtful hand to his chin, pondering if he was remembering incorrectly. Satsuki shook her head.

 “We are. It’s just that…” She shrugged noncommittally, her whole being seeming to shrink with the movement. “I feel like we’re slowly drifting apart.”

 Kuroko’s eyes widened a fraction at that.

 “I find that really hard to picture,” he confessed at length.

 Satsuki snorted.

 “Well, it’s true.” She turned around and slumped back-first into the wire fence. “We don’t go out together as much anymore. We don’t have lunch together anymore. He doesn’t play hooky from practice anymore so I don’t have to go looking for him. Which is great!” she enthused, but it sounded hollow. “It’s a relief… yet at the same time I feel like I’m losing something much more important than a few minutes every day from having to hunt him down to get him to come to practice.”

 Kuroko surveyed her calmly with his deep cerulean gaze that had the quality of making everything better.

 But this time it wasn’t working.

 Satsuki didn’t feel better.

 So she continued talking, in hopes that vocalizing these feelings would help get the load off her chest.

 “I’m happy that he made friends with the Touou team – I really am!” she insisted but her voice broke mid-sentence. “I’m really glad that the underclassmen started seeing Dai-chan for who he is – a charming idiot who’s a lot of fun to have around. Someone to learn from. Someone to lean on. I’m really happy for them and I’m even happier for Dai-chan because he deserves to have some friends again, just like back in elementary and junior high.”

 Satsuki slid down against the wire fence until she was sitting on the asphalt with her back facing the two aces playing on the court.

 “I’m glad but at the same time it hurts.”

 She pulled her legs up to her chest and embraced them with both arms, burying her face in her knees.

 “It hurts because it feels like it’s been an eternity since the last time I had lunch with Dai-chan. It feels like forever since we were last going home just the two of us, without all the freshman hanging off him every step of the way. It hurts because I want to go back and smack myself for agreeing to let them have lunch on their own that first time, because now it feels awkward to ask to eat with them, too. They’ll think I’m weird—and it is weird. But I was the first one to know that Dai-chan is someone you can count on. I was the first one who was leaning on him.”

 Kuroko listened to Momoi’s tirade patiently, allowing her to say everything she wanted before he could speak his mind on the topic.

 “He finally started acting like a normal human being and started getting up for school on time. I don’t have to kick him out of bed every morning. Sometimes he even comes to pick me up first whenever I start running late. And that’s great but it’s also horrifying—you know, Tetsu-kun?” She sought out his face for the first time since she started spilling his guts. What she saw in his expression, Tetsuya didn’t know, but whatever it was, it caused her to look away quickly.

 Instead of burying her face in her knees as she had before, she merely fixed her dark stare in the distance, her face tense.

 “He also doesn’t need to be forced in order to attend practice. More often than not, I don’t even need to mention it in order for him to immediately head to the gym. And that’s just amazing, you know? He hasn’t been like this for three years, so it should be a blessing!”

 Kuroko was starting to believe that Momoi was nearing hysterics. At least that’s what the sharp edge of her voice was telling him.

 “But it doesn’t feel like a blessing. It feels like… I’m no longer needed. He has friends, he has people who recognize him and appreciate him. He’s content enough to go to school without being told. He’s happy enough to want to play basketball again and to want to improve. He smiles when he plays with the boys who adore him, and his basketball style is changing to accommodate their addition to his life. And that’s fantastic, but it means he no longer needs a caretaker. Now that he no longer needs one, it feels like there’s no space for me in his everyday life anymore.”

 She buried her face in her knees again at that.

 “I hate that. I hate thinking like this. I hate feeling like this. But I feel so lonely and powerless to change the direction where things are heading. I just… don’t know what to do with myself anymore.”

 Her voice became smaller and smaller until it felt like she herself would disappear. From the way her shoulders were shaking, Kuroko feared that she may have broken down crying—a situation that he’d rather avoid.

 Especially with Aomine-kun less than 20 meters away and his penchant to misunderstand whenever Momoi-san was involved.

 However, what had drawn his attention the most was the meaning behind what his former teammate had rambled about.

 A small smile spread on his face. It was about time that both of them started to be more conscious of the other’s importance in their life. And their stance on the matter.

 “I am sad to hear that you have come to feel like this, Momoi-san,” Kuroko said with a lamenting lilt to his voice. “Have you tried talking to Aomine-kun about this?” He couldn’t help but ponder.

 Satsuki lifted her face and shook her head. The corners of Tetsuya’s mouth curved upwards at this nonverbal admission.

 That explained everything for him.

 “Since you’re feeling like your back’s pressed against the wall, I think your best course of action is to talk to Aomine-kun about all these things that bother you.” He laughed quietly at the comically appalled expression that seized his companion’s face. “There’s no need to dread it so much, I believe. Aomine-kun has potential to be more understanding than you give him credit.”

 “When it comes to such complex matters?” Satsuki sniffed testily and pulled herself up to a standing position again. “I deeply doubt it.”

 Tetsuya allowed himself a private grin at that.

 “You’d be surprised.” He turned to Satsuki with a serene expression. “Besides, you guys have been together through that nightmare that was Teikou—taking on this small hurdle should be a piece of cake. You shouldn’t allow this rift you feel between you to widen.”

 Satsuki smiled earnestly in response. This was why whenever she needed some good advice, she came to Tetsu-kun. He always knew the best way to convey his thoughts and the right words she needed to hear. He always knew how to convince her of the best course of action.

 He was so painfully right she couldn’t believe she hadn’t come to this obvious conclusion herself. Of course she had to speak up. Dai-chan was an idiot, and he was denser than most. He probably didn’t even know she was feeling this way. He was just having the time of his life while she wallowed in her self-induced misery.

 Instead, she should have put her foot down and laid down the facts. She should’ve told him the minute she started feeling this way that she hated the way things stood between them. She should’ve told him that it was ridiculous how the freshmen couldn’t seem to get enough of him to the point that she barely got to spend any time with him.

 She would let him know first thing after they parted ways with Kagamin and Tetsu-kun.

 “I see you have found your answer,” Tetsuya said with a small smile. Satsuki beamed back at him before giving a vigorous nod. “I just want to add one last thing.”

 This piqued the pink-haired Touou student’s attention and she turned to raptly listen to what Tetsu-kun would tell her.

 “You said you believe that Aomine-kun no longer needs a caretaker. However, I don’t think he ever considered you such. That’s a role that you decided for yourself in regards to him. This is why I firmly believe Aomine-kun sees you in a different capacity altogether. After all, when we go out to play, you are the one who he tells and brings along, Momoi-san. Not any of his new friends or admirers. If you really believe us to be as important to Aomine-kun as you mentioned earlier, that should speak plenty of what he thinks about you as well. Please consider that.”

 Consider it she did. Quietly, determinedly, until Dai-chan triumphed over Kagamin in their one on one.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 Half an hour later, on their way home from the basketball court, Daiki threw a cursory glance at the girl walking beside him.

 “Satsuki?”

 “Mm?” The addressed hummed in return to show she was listening.

 A helpful cue, seeing as how her nose was buried in her phone, fiddling with her data as always after he played a game with someone.

 “What were you talking to Tetsu about?”

 She may have believed him terribly dense throughout their lives, but Daiki was not an idiot. He saw her still completely at his question. Even her fingers stopped their rhythmical tapping on the touch screen.

 “I can’t recall,” she retorted breezily. An obvious attempt to deflect if he ever saw one. “Why do you ask?”

 He shrugged with one shoulder, turning his gaze away from her searching one.

 “It just looked like you were pretty upset at one point. So I was wondering if Tetsu needed to be taught a lesson maybe.”

 This earned him a harsh smack in the shoulder. He yelped and complained at her immediate choice to resort to violence.

 “You are doing no such thing, Dai-chan!” Satsuki hissed back at him, outraged that he could even utter such blasphemous words. “Tetsu-kun was just being helpful earlier. There’s no need to start threatening him like that!”

 “If you say so,” Daiki grumbled his assent. “Not like I could hurt Tetsu ever. I was just asking…” he continued mumbling to himself as he trudged along towards his house.

 Satsuki peered at him out of the corner of her eye as they walked in brief silence.

 “I’m surprised that you even noticed. You and Kagamin seemed to be very engrossed in your game. I thought you were in the zone,” she pointed out curiously.

 Her navy-haired companion shrugged casually again.

 “I don’t know about Kagami but I was kind of in the zone. I wasn’t so far gone not to notice you going emo mode outside the court.”

 His phrasing gave Satsuki pause. She wasn’t certain how to interpret what he had said without misunderstanding what he had meant. Did seeing her distraught have such importance to him that it could even distract him from an ongoing match (however inconsequential of a match it may be)? Or was he simply not as focused on his game with Kagami as she and Kuroko had believed?

 She decided not to dwell on this minute detail and instead nip her problem in the bud.

 Dai-chan had done her the service of bringing up the topic and all – it would be rude not to take this chance to have her say.

 And have her say she did.

 She shared with him everything that bothered her with their current situation.

 She told him how she felt that there was a gulf opening between them that she didn’t understand. She told him how she thought he no longer needed her and how this wounded her. She told him how disappointing it was that they no longer could have their lunch together—even if it was just so he could mock her latest attempt at cooking something.

 She told him how their dwindling time together made her feel like she was lost at sea. She told him how she was incredibly happy for him finding other friends but how she felt her position as his best friend threatened.

 She told him how she was glad he spent more time with other people, but wished he would spend some time with just her, too.

 Throughout her entire soliloquy, Daiki had this dumbfounded look on his face that made her want to smack him. Slap the idiot, and herself too, for trusting Tetsu on this one.

 Tetsu-kun was wrong to believe that her telling everything to Dai-chan was a good idea. All she had achieved was to completely confuse him, without a doubt.

 After a heartbeat though, the navy-haired ace came out of his stupor and his usually stoic features twisted into a pensive look instead.

 “If this had been bothering you for weeks… why not say something earlier, Satsuki? I don’t get you.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Why wait until the feeling festers to take action against it? Doesn’t sound like you at all.”

 Only when he said it like that did she realize he was completely right.

 It wasn’t like her at all.

 Why had she allowed it? She didn’t know. She had acted completely out of character. She didn’t understand her own behavior and that didn’t sit well with her. She had never had trouble understanding herself before, so starting now was nothing short of disconcerting.

 Before she could go into full blown analysis mode, Dai-chan adopted a wolfish grin.

 “But wow, that really was quite the confession, Satsuki. From where I stand, it really sounded like you don’t like the idea of sharing me with others.”

 He gave a short guffaw of a laugh before taking a step closer to her. Once his mirth subsided, he graced her with his widest and sliest grin ever.

 “If I didn’t know better, I would say it was almost like you were telling me you love me and want me to pay more attention only to you.”

 He fixed her with a wide grin while his eyes had mischief dancing in them. Even if it hadn’t been for what he’d said, his mere countenance would’ve made her sputter for a rebuttal.

 “It’s not like that—That’s not what I was saying—!” she started grappling for the right thing to say in a way that was almost adorable.

 Before she could get any more embarrassed, Daiki quelled her panic with the way his expression softened—waned—and the soft set of his large hand atop her shoulder.

 “Relax, Satsuki—I was just kidding you. There’s no need to explain.”

 Try as she might, the pink-haired manager couldn’t bring herself to look away from her much taller companion at this. Craning her neck from so close to him was painful, but the look on his face was just so impossible to place she couldn’t turn away from it.

 The smile was still securely in place, but there was a forlorn twist in it. It felt slightly forced and not at all belonging on Dai-chan’s idiotically confident persona.

 It was heart-wrenching and beautiful at the same time.

 She wished she could understand what had caused that look to steal across his face. She wanted to understand because she had no clue what had brought it on.

 One moment he was teasing her, laughing at her expense, then the next he was looking like he was slowly dying inside but pretending it was all in good humor.

 Since when was Dai-chan capable of such complex emotion? She felt mind-boggled.

 “I know that’s not what you meant. Don’t worry. I know that your heart is set on someone, and I’m rooting for you to find your happiness with him. Or, you know, the next best guy. My dad says a woman’s heart is as fickle as the autumn sky, so who knows. Maybe Tetsu won’t be the lucky guy after all.”

 His hand slid down her shoulder until he was holding her hand in his own. That inexplicable smile was still on his face when he started leading her away.

 “Until you do, I would be grateful to be the one standing next to you.”

 They walked on in a brief silence while Satsuki was still in shock over what she had just heard from her childhood friend.

 She had never had him openly encouraging her feelings for Tetsu-kun. Nor had he ever spoken to her of her love life or her interests in general. It wasn’t like they didn’t talk about matters of the heart on principle, but… they just didn’t talk about these things.

 She would be hard pressed to say why that was. She didn’t feel awkward talking to Dai-chan about her love life—or lack thereof, despite her most fervent prayers. But perhaps he felt self-conscious to share, which was why they never openly discussed the matter.

 They didn’t talk about these things. If they did, it was always Satsuki one-sidedly oversharing about her latest mishap when she attempted to woo Tetsu-kun or some such.

 Daiki always astutely kept quiet.

 She had been grateful, because she believed that if he were to share, it would be some kind of lewd comment about Horikita Mai-chan or something – his favorite gravure model. She was one hundred percent certain that if he were to overshare regarding his thoughts on Mai-chan, it would be details she did not want to have knowledge of.

 But now Satsuki couldn’t help but wonder—did Dai-chan also have interests like a normal person?

 The thought felt foreign in her mind. The idea of a girl Dai-chan could be pining after ridiculous. Was there even a human female in existence that could possibly sway that alien’s fancy? She was hard pressed to imagine what kind of girl that could be. Her mind reeled at the thought.

 She chose to push that notion out of her mind at once. Thinking about Daiki holding interest in girls made something clench in her gut and twist in the most revolting way. It was an abhorrent feeling and she would rather not pay it any heed lest she discover something she didn’t want the answer to.

 Still.

 “Wow, Dai-chan.” Her voice sounded as awe-struck as she felt while they walked home, her hand still limply in his hold. “Where did that come from?”

 He turned his head partially to throw her a smirk she could only describe as disarming. An expression that most certainly did not belong on the face of someone you had known your whole life.

 An expression she had never witnessed before on a face more familiar than her own.

 “From the heart, of course.”

 There it was again. She knew that this feeling was familiar, and she had finally placed it.

 It was the same feeling she had had from him as when they took their first pictures in front of Touou Academy.

 He had thanked her then, too.

 And he had given her that cryptic smile that held so many more layers of meaning to it than she believed him capable of.

 Her lips parted in order to say something—a thought that hadn’t properly formed yet—but before she had a chance to do so, he interjected.

 “And, before you say it, yes, I do have one.”

 And just like that, the moment was gone. His well-intentioned joke dashing whatever atmosphere they had been unwittingly sharing. She blinked profusely, suddenly disoriented from the rapid change in her train of thought.

 “You know? A heart,” Dai-chan clarified with a small chuckle. “I am still human, regardless what some people are claiming around here.”

 Satsuki had to exert considerable effort to stomp out the feeling of profound disappointment that bled through her being. It had risen in response to his denial of allowing her to study whatever that moment had been about, what it meant or how it had come about.

 But once she had squashed it out, she reciprocated her navy-haired companion’s mischievous smile.

 “Oh, I’m still not quite sure. Maybe at some point the Dai-chan I knew in kindergarten got replaced by this alien who simply looks like Dai-chan.” He threw her a sardonic look over his shoulder. She shrugged innocently in return. This made him hasten his pace until she had to jog after him in order not to trip over her feet. He was still holding her hand captive after all. “What? How could I be sure? The scientists still haven’t disproven that theory, so it’s as good as yours.”

 As they relapsed into their familiar playful banter the closer they got to their houses, Satsuki curled her fingers around his to make the hold more comfortable.

 She told herself she would have plenty of time later on to analyze what had transpired today. She would have all the time in the world to consider all the things said—and those that had not been voiced aloud—when she was in the company of her own thoughts later.

 For now, Dai-chan had a shower to take and she had basketball data to analyze.

 Considering that Imayoshi-san and the third years weren’t around for this year’s Inter High, the stakes would be high. The importance of her counterplans for their opposing teams all the more crucial.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 The very next day—and the week that followed—saw a substantial change in Satsuki’s day to day life at school.

 The first came in the form of her childhood friend insisting on her having lunch with him and the freshmen. He potentiated her ease in settling among all the boys, and kept steering the conversation to topics in which she could offer her spot-on input.

 This brought about a newfound sense of reverence among the new small forward and point guard in regard to Satsuki. They had known that their manager was not only very clever and mastered in intelligence gathering, but to get to spend time in her presence and share in her knowledge was something else altogether.

 Only after speaking with them for a few days over lunch did Satsuki realize that she had been placed on a pedestal similar to Daiki’s in the freshman boys’ minds. Or perhaps it differed slightly, seeing as how she was a girl with the assets that Mother Nature had given Satsuki generously.

 Other days still, Daiki would stay to play with the boys three-on-three (with the addition of Sakurai-kun and Wakamatsu-san or another third year) after practice was over while Satsuki fiddled with her data for the Inter High. Once she was finished, he would tell the guys they were heading home, only to grab the pink-haired manager’s hand and run off with her alone before the boys could catch up.

 The first time he did that, he dashed into a corner where the light from the setting sun didn’t hit, dragging Satsuki after himself with enviable determination.

 His innate agility allowed him to go from sprint to standstill without issue. However, the pink-haired girl did not boast such skill. She was sure she was going to be run face-first into the wall to Daiki’s side and break her nose much to his great amusement.

 Instead of that, she ran into his larger figure, which he placed between her and the wall, cushioning her sudden deceleration. He grabbed her by the sides and pulled her further into the shadowy niche before their pursuers could notice them.

 To keep Satsuki from making any noise of protest or disgruntlement at being manhandled like that, Daiki put his hand over her mouth and pulled her further into his embrace until she was practically enveloped by his being in the dark niche.

 The unexpected closeness made the girl’s skin burn wherever it was in contact with her friend’s. She reasoned with herself that being pulled into a sprint was the fault for that. But as she listened more raptly to his slightly erratic breath rather than whether their pursuers were close, Satsuki realized she was enjoying this game more than she should.

 “Come on, they missed us,” Daiki reassured her with a chuckle right next to her ear. The vibration of the sound transferred into her ribcage in a not at all displeasing way. “Let’s go, before they come back!”

 He pulled Satsuki into another run, this time a quieter, stealthier one.

 “Dai-chan, you’re such a kid!” Satsuki reprimanded with no real bite as they sneaked out of the school building.

 They could see the boys running around the sophomore floor from just outside their vantage point at the school gate.

Daiki laughed raucously in response.

 “You’re one to talk. You’re having just as much of a blast as I am with pulling their leg.”

 She couldn’t deny the truth of his statement as she laughed happily, her heart feeling full and content as they slipped unnoticed by their pursuers.

 After doing this a few times, predictably, the boys started complaining to Dai-chan.

 “Aomine-senpai!” the new small forward of Touou started with a whine in his voice. “Why did you ditch us again yesterday?”

 The boy slouched over Daiki’s desk like a limp noodle. His body conveyed perfectly all the disdain he felt.

 “I thought we were going to eat at Maji burger yesterday so you could tell us more about the other Generation of Miracles guys we will fight in the official games in the Inter High.”

 The team’s ace laughed mercilessly at the younger boys’ misery.

 “It’s not my fault you guys suck at catching me. Maybe if you get better at this game, next time we will eat together at Maji before going home,” Daiki teased them with a wide grin.

 “If you don’t want to go home with us, you just have to say so!” the new point guard exclaimed vehemently, tears of indignation prickling the corners of his eyes. “We will understand! But baiting us like that and then bailing is not nice, Aomine-senpai! You are a cruel man! Cruel indeed!”

 Satsuki was returning from the bathroom around the same time as the boys’ passionate banter was reaching ridiculous heights. She could tell that someone was being rowdy in the classroom even before she was in earshot to hear what was being said.

 “Nonsense. I didn’t bail. We were playing cops and robbers, and you guys failed miserably at catching your robbers. We should all be grateful none of you are planning to go on to do police work. You’d suck terribly at it.” The navy-haired youth sniggered at the thought.

 The new small forward of Touou slammed his hands on Daiki’s desk and stood up to his full impressive height. The action made the chair he was sitting on screech in protest as it slid back to accommodate the movement.

 “Why do you always choose Momoi-san over us, senpai! Shouldn’t the philosophy here be bros over hoes?” he boy implored loudly enough for Satsuki to hear him through the closed sliding door of the classroom.

 His question made her hand hang in front of the door without touching it.

 Her childhood friend’s response came smoothly and easily.

 “Do you have to ask? I’ll choose Satsuki over anyone else every time.”

 “But why?!” the point guard demanded, outrage lacing his tone.

 “Because she stayed and believed in me when no one else did.”

 As true and frank as Dai-chan’s response was, Satsuki couldn’t help feeling a bit self-conscious at the way he had put it.

 It seemed that the boys beyond the door had similar reactions to the reply, because no one said anything for almost a full minute afterwards.

 “Uh…” the small forward started, sounding awkward. “I was just making fun, but this suddenly got a bit too real for me.”

 “Ditto,” the point guard agreed.

 Daiki laughed at them.

 “Don’t ask questions if you’re not ready to hear the answers.” His tone took on a smug quality next. “Here’s a better question though. When will you guys finally start landing your three pointers?”

 The boys blanched at this. Daiki burst into laughter at their reactions.

 “That’s the real question. One might even call it one of the mysteries of Touou Academy.”

 Satsuki smiled to herself and slid the door to her classroom open, making to join their fun just as Dai-chan pulled Sakurai-kun into the conversation.

 Something about teaching the freshmen how it’s done properly.

 x.x.x.x.x.x

 lucid

/ˈluːsɪd/

shining or bright; luminous.

 In first year of high school—during his first encounter face to face with Kagami, Daiki had told the redhead that his light was dim.

 As it had been indeed.

 However, only once he had completely shaken off the shackles of Teikou basketball did the Touou ace realize how dim his own light had become over the years.

 Of course, not in the sense he had vested in the words when saying them to Kagami.

 As an absolute quality, Daiki’s light shone brighter than any other on the court. He outshined almost every other Miracle on the court whenever he matched up against them.

 Nevertheless, Daiki’s light had become dim in comparison to what it should have been by the time he was a second year in high school—if only Teikou hadn’t broken his spirit, that is.

 But thanks to the Miracles disbanding and scattering all over the country, and thanks to Kagami’s appearance, the navy-haired teen had finally rediscovered himself in the sport he loved.

 By the time the Inter High official games came around in second year, Daiki’s basketball style had been completely reworked.

 Now it didn’t simply accommodate the fact he had teammates, but he shaped it in particular ways exactly because of his teammates’ strengths and weaknesses. It was thanks to his lightning-fast reflexes and quick decision making in the split second that made it possible for Touou to play their best possible game against anyone, with Daiki at the core of the team.

 That was one aspect.

 Another aspect was that the ace possessed a very peculiar skillset outside of his basketball prowess. One he had reacquired over the past half year, so to say.

 A very charming quality about Daiki before Teikou had been his ability to make friends quickly with just about anyone.

 This helped him greatly in getting to know his new teammates and shaping his play around them, and around his blossoming talents.

 He had never understood how people were so easily opening up to him, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 Satsuki, on the other hand, didn’t need to ponder to understand how come those first years were so drawn to him and so profoundly affected by him.

 Dai-chan shone brighter than the sun on the court, dazzling any and all who bothered to look. He had always worn his heart on his sleeve, being the simpleton that he was.

 It was just that Teikou had crushed and stomped on said heart, and given it back to him in shambles. It had made it impossible for him to be himself for a long while.

 But now, half a year after his first defeat in what felt like forever, Daiki was back to his normal self, playing the game he adored alongside teammates he trusted and who trusted him even more. He was playing equals, against whom he had to be careful and not let his guard down at any point in time.

 His light shone brighter than any other while he zipped back and forth the lengths of the court, his fakes and formless shots five times more effective with the addition of the possibility he could pass the ball at any point as well.

 His stealthy passes were nothing like Tetsu-kun’s because they did not disappear through the merits of misdirection.

 If she had to compare them, Dai-chan’s passes were the exact opposite of Tetsu’s. Since all the eyes of everyone on the court—and around it—were always pinned on him whenever he had the ball, following his every movement, every action, it was impossible to direct the attention away from himself.

 Yet Dai-chan’s passes were unseen by his opponents all the same.

 He passed the ball masterfully during speedy crossovers, or when he dribbled the ball behind his back, or when he pretended to shoot for the hoop but instead passed it over to Sakurai-kun. He passed when the opposing team thought he would go for scoring himself, because it caught them unawares when the points were taken by another member of Touou instead.

 The best part of all was that high school basketball was nothing like middle school basketball.

 Even when he triumphed over his opponents in an overwhelming victory, none of the boys on the court ever lost hope until the final buzzer. They struggled and struggled, and if Daiki or his team let up, they caught up, one basket at a time, until Touou’s dominance was not as well asserted anymore.

 High school boys were not as mentally fragile as middle school ones. They did not lose heart as easily, and they did not get so crushed even if they did lose.

 If anything, losses made them doubly more ferocious in subsequent matches—something Touou’s basketball team had found out the hard way.

 That thought alone fueled Daiki’s fire and made him burn brighter than a star when hustling with them on the court.

 Of course, having a good fight with anyone was pointless unless he won.

 Having already had a taste of defeat recently, Daiki was not thrilled at the thought of repeating the experience.

 Plus, as long as he was around, he was unwilling to let his first year friends be subjected to the bitterness of sleepless nights and restlessness that infallibly came with losing a great match.

 Daiki had adopted a somewhat guardian-esque mentality when it came to his underclassmen after learning why they had enrolled to Touou. And that was because they’d watched his every game in first year of high school and decided they wanted to play alongside the force of nature that was Aomine Daiki for the next couple of years of their lives.

 So he attended practice dutifully, sometimes just watching for half an hour before idling about made him too antsy—or seeing his teammates repeating the same stupid mistakes over and over tired him out and he just had to set them straight.

 This led to his gameplay improving massively—in a way that riveted the attention of almost any audience entirely on his form and his fluid play.

 Sometimes Satsuki wondered if he even realized how close the proverbial spotlight always followed him whenever he played in any game. Then she came to think that he probably didn’t even give a damn if it was or not, because it didn’t change at all the way he played.

 It wouldn’t be for half year or so that Satsuki would come to realize that her eyes were instinctively following his every move—not just on the court but off it, too—in a manner that had nothing to do with basketball.

 She couldn’t be blamed for becoming enthralled by him, though.

 That was just the effect his lucidity had on everyone.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Additional notes: If you read the entire thing, I commend you! You finished all 48 Word pages!

Also, please forgive any typos and mistakes left over because I read this 3827589 times and it still might be flawed, because I reworked it for what felt a gazillion times over. 

That said, if you did enjoy reading this accidental behemoth and leave a thought or two, I wouldn’t be more grateful. This fandom is tragically dead and inspiration is next to nonexistent anymore.

[herdustisverypretty]

AND ANOTHER TAG THING {warning: strong and possibly strange opinions, LONG ASS RAMBLES (which most definitely include strong and possibly strange opinions), frequent oversharing}

tagged by the lovely Angel <3

1. If you could go backward in time, what would you do first? #2008 Log- Don’t pretend to not be bothered by HC and co’s behaviour and actually call them out on their shit. Note to self: You don’t owe anyone anything. #2009-2014 Log- Start homeschooling earlier. Maybe actually tell people how you felt too? You might have gotten a diagnosis, and thus the treatment that has drastically improved your life, sooner and you’d probably have a lot less scars. Maybe none. And also might not be immune to the effect of regular painkillers. Also maybe then you’d be able to just get said painkillers from the cupboard where they used to be instead of having to ask your mother permission on whether you can have some- at age 22- and having to swallow them there to prove you’re not hoarding them for later (cause that’s right, you did that once, ya dumb little bastard). #2012-2013 Log aka You STILL don’t owe anyone anything- Also do not engage with HS AT ALL. Just nip that one right in the bud. Don’t even go there. PTSD ain’t fun. Also do not allow HC to worm their way back in later. PTSD still ain’t fun.  Though then you probably wouldn’t have written that one VIXX story and not only was writing that story enjoyable (sometimes???? ... maybe?????????), that story did also apparently help a lot of people too...so... maybe don’t fix yourself for the sake of those people who told you your writing helped them through a lot of their own shit. **Particularly never forget the one person who said they hadn’t cried themselves to sleep a night since finding your story. Taking that back from someone is not a nice idea.  LOTS OF SHIT THAT BASICALLY MEANS: stop trying to kill yourself, dumbass. people aren’t lying when they say things get better. well, somewhat. also don’t let people take advantage of and abuse you. or maybe do a bit. because your suffering has helped others and that’s all that really matters right? BUT JUST A BIT. definitely not all of it cause that was Shite. 

2. Conversely, if you could go forward in time, what would you want to see? Dumb men (I was going to say ‘straight, white, cis, American’ men but realised I’ve seen other types of men also being equally idiotic, SO I GUESS JUST MEN) being deleted from all youtube comments please. Also maybe shut down tumblr. I think we’d all benefit from that tbh. Also while I’m at it, can we have a game similar to Pokemon GO but instead of catching Pokemon you catch hot anime bishies. Get exercise and also get five thousand hot boyfriends :D Also retaining the nickname feature. Because that’ll be entertaining. 

3. What’s your favorite word and why? I’ve always been fond of kerfuffle. It just sounds so cute and happy. A kawaii way to say you fucked someone’s shit up. Petrichor is also a DAMN FINE word. It sounds satisfying and the meaning is EVEN MORE SATISFYING. 

4. Hot chocolate with milk or with water? Toppings? Marshmallows? It tastes better with milk, but as I at times have more than 3 a day (since I don’t drink coffee and need caffeine), if I plan to have more than 2 I will make them with water. I believe I have already stated my opinion on marshmallows as well lmao. 

5. If you could change one thing about your favorite fandom, what would it be? Tbh delete all appreciation for my absolute NOTP. And no, I don’t actually mean Akashi/Furihata like most other Akashi/Kuroko shippers; I occasionally state I don’t particularly care for that ship, but I tend to just ignore it and its existence for the most part. Whereas my actual ‘I FUCKING HATE THIS’ ship, NOPE I WANT THAT OBLITERATED> DELETE ITS EXISTENCE. WIPE IT CLEAN OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. This can also be said to apply to one particular person in said ‘FUCK NO’ NOTP. I have frequently expressed my disdain for this character, I do not make it a secret, so it should be no leap to assume who, and which ship, I’m talking about here. 

6. You now have the ability to permanently alter one character from any fandom. Who do you pick, and what do you change? -Lmao. Okay. Well, I’ll name some names after all then, shall I?  -Can I just. Completely erase Momoi’s existence from KnB entirely? Jfc I cannot fucking stand her one bit. The only redeeming quality of her very 2D, bland, and at times downright offensive character, is her desire for the GoM to be friends again. And I could live without that somewhat nice sentiment if it meant the remaining 99.9% of her shittiness was gone. I will never like her. -I can occasionally stand her in fanfiction if she does’t have a major appearance, and also if she’s not being monumentally annoying. And even then I don’t feel any issues with killing her off due to dislike of her canon characterisation. I could literally care less what happens to her. Harsh, maybe, but I personally feel she brings nothing of value to this series, and tbh it would be far better, and certainly less cringey, without her.  -I have essentially been awake for 3 days so this is probably said with much less delicacy than I would normally use, though regardless of insomnia-induced aggression levels, the base feeling is the same. 

7. What is your philosophy on life? (Is it pointless, is it meaningful, is it what you make it, etc…) I honestly don’t care about things such as ‘the meaning of life’. We’re never going to know who put us here, if anything did, or what we’re meant to do, if there is anything, or why we are here at all. Just do whatever you want. Everyone’s going to die and the sun will turn into a black hole and swallow the earth and the universe will ultimately end in a rather unpleasant manner anyway. As long as you’re not harming anyone’s way of life, do what ever you want I could care less.  (that got kinda dark... I guess that’s what happens when people ask philosophical questions)

8. Would you consider getting a tattoo? If you would, what would it be and where would you put it? -Well the first tattoo I ever planned on getting (decided upon when I was 15), and the one I still want to be my first, is my recently passed dog’s pawprint tattooed on my left wrist; where I used to frequently self harm. The original idea was to get a tattoo of something meaningful there that would remind me every time I went to hurt myself that there’s still reasons for living. I stopped self harming around the same time my dog died in 2015, and even though I didn’t really need the reminder to not hurt myself in that way, I decided that getting his pawprint (which I was given a print of when he passed) would be especially nice, and would serve as a reminder of things I survived, and should I ever need a reminder in the future. My plan is now to get his paw on my left wrist (where the majority of damage was done, as he was my first pet), and when my cat also passes (hopefully not for a while still), I will get her pawprint on my right wrist.  -In less meaningful directions, I’ve also wanted the Grey Warden’s emblem tattooed on me for the longest time. I’m thinking thigh in terms of placement. idek what it is about them, or about the DA series in general. I mean, being a Grey Warden is arguably (is it tho) kind of a shitty thing?? You don’t really want to aspire to that if you enjoy, idk, LIFE? But their tagline of ‘In war, Victory; In Peace, Vigilance; In Death, Sacrifice’ IDK BUT IT JUST GOT ME.

9. What’s your favorite headcanon? (Could be your own or someone else’s) Shit, I have A LOT. *These are all mine as well! (mostly lol) -One that I’m still fond of is the hc that Kuroko becomes sleepy after eating a lot (particularly sugary things) which is one reason he eats quite lightly, and that the GoM during Teikou would always be attempting to overfeed him because they thought it was adorable when he curled up in their laps and went to sleep.  -Another I came up with is Akashi not being allowed to play videogames (and probably also not watch much TV) after his mother died. Thus, the GoM (and later Rakuzan regulars, YES YOU TOO MAYU WITH UR LOVE LIVE RHYTHM GAMES) would bring in their DSs and PSPs to school to let him play them as a much needed break from all the pressure being put on him.  -Ideas conceived with 6ubblegum earlier such as Masaomi actually having an unrequited interest in Kuroko’s dad when they were younger, and obviously him becoming quite upset when Kuroko’s dad married Kuroko’s mother. We also came up with the idea that Masaomi and Shiori’s marriage was arranged by their parents for mutual family benefits and that the pair never cared much for each other, and also that Shiori was aro (also I angstily suggested ‘imagine her crying under her veil as she walked down the aisle tho’). Then I also suggested the idea of what if Shiori and Kuroko’s mother were friends, going on playdates with their sons (and also the humorous idea of them putting baby Akashi+Kuroko in matching dresses). So in the end, Masaomi has never been much interested in his own son, and the only person who cared about Akashi truly was his mother, who is now gone. Also Masaomi becoming understandably VERY opposed when Akashi begins dating Kuroko in school.  -Anything involving mentally ill GoM + others (though a chunk of these aren’t even headcanons and more: I am 100% convinced these characters actually have these conditions). Especially fond of self-harmer Akashi.  -Also literally any hc where any particular character is either aro, ace, or both. I reeaaaally love ace Kise actually.  -AGENDER REO!!!!! -I’ll end it with a somewhat nsfw one. The shameless guilty pleasure with 6ubble of Kise and Kuroko being known as the sluts of the Teikou. They’ve definitely boned all the regulars (including NIji) at least once. Probably more. definitely more

10. Do humans have souls? Do animals? I’ve been awake far too long for these kinds of questions XD UHHH in my personal belief I’ve always maintained the idea that all living creatures (this includes humans, as humans are primates) have a sort of.. living energy?? My belief is that once a creature dies, of its lifeforce/energy/soul/the magic keeping it alive/whatever you fancy calling it, the personality part (which I would say comes from the brain and is made up of memories and of course the individual’s unique personality) goes to a plane with other deceased energies (suppose you could call this heaven of a sort - tbh I always pictured it as kinda like the pyreflies in FFX), while the rest of the energy (which I would say comes from the heart and is, I guess, the emotions the individual has experienced through life) is recycled and returned to the earth to be used again. SOOO a sort of somewhat logical theory that combines both afterlife and reincarnation. I also think that the recycled energies can recognise other energies they knew in previous lives. Not in a literal sense, but more like, they might feel an inexplicable connection, be it between two people, a pet and a human, etc etc. I kinda like the idea of this also explaining real life cases of supposed ‘soulmates’. Two energies meeting that once knew each other and were compatible in a previous life (sounds really YA romance I know). This could also be potentially used to explain some conditions or mental illnesses. Recycled energy that previously had lots of negative experiences may be renewed as someone who is also troubled (blame ur disorders on your energy ancestors lmao). This could explain troubled people who have no family history of any similar experiences. IT ALL SOUNDS VERY FANTASTICAL BUT YE. This has all come together after years of viewing and researching many different spiritual beliefs and recounts of spiritual or other ‘incredible’ events, in an attempt to kind of merge everything into something that could potentially be real and/or believable. Idk if scientifically this would make any sense, but I feel it’s logical enough to suit me anyways. 

11. What’s your favorite holiday and why? Well I have mentioned I’m pagan before, sooooo, my answer to this will probably be weird? XD LONG AND BORING BACKSTORY TIME: I didn’t really become self identified as pagan until the age of 13-14, and before that I grew up typically celebrating Christian holidays (Easter, Christmas) despite my immediate family not being religious at all. I always saw these holidays as more just time to be with family than anything else. So I do still celebrate Easter and Christmas as I’ve grown up with them in a culture that celebrates them whether you’re religious or not. I guess Christmas was always my favourite? It’s roughly a month after my birthday, far enough that I get double presents, but close enough that there’s still lots of ongoing excitement. And growing up it was typically the only time each side of my family would all be together (we’d alternate, one year at my mum’s parents, the next at my dad’s). But as I’ve gotten older, and grandparents have died and families have drifted apart, I’ve become less interested in both Easter and Christmas, seeing them now more as just times to buy stuff for people when you really can’t afford to, and tbh now I find myself more drawn to things such as Samhain (also ref that if you have seen spn, they butchered the pronunciation. it’s more akin to ‘sah-ween’ it’s an Irish word I think, which explains everything tbh) in particular. Before last year I had never sought out other pagans in my area and thus was a bit lax in my celebration of sabbats, so when I actually started meeting up with other people in my city early last year, it actually really changed things for me (so emotional sobsob). The Samhain I celebrated with this group earlier in the year (as I’m in the southern hemisphere, Samhain for me is in May) was actually a really really special thing that I did. It also happened to coincide around the 2 year anniversary of my dog’s death, and as Samhain (which has become modern Halloween to most) is a day for celebrating loved ones who have died, it was just a really nice experience to think about my dog, as well as my grandmother who died 3 months before him.  THAT WAS A LONG, BORING, AND MUSHY WAY OF SAYING THAT BASICALLY: ‘pagan Halloween’ (tho that term doesn’t even make sense lmao) is actually really lovely and memorable compared to almost every other ‘traditional’ holiday of my life. 

Geez you just happened to ask all The Big Questions. And you literally went from 100 to 0 to 100 and then probably to 1000. Or maybe that was just me. I AM VERY TIRED AFTER VOMITING ALL THAT OUT. also my finger joints hurt. 

WELL, if you got all through that, here are my own questions, which I totally Did Not steal from other question memes already in existence. I’m definitely not lazy. No I’m actually just very tired lol. These are all going to be fandomy/OTPy questions because WE REALLY NEED SOME LIGHT CONTENT AFTER ALL THAT. Plus everyone loves talking about their fandoms and shit. 

1. A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind? 2. What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom? What fandom was it? 3. Your favourite fandom {for the people, not the thing you spazz over}? 4. Are there any fandom popular ships that you don’t like or just don’t get? Alternatively, are there any typically overlooked minor ships that you think are really underappreciated?  (hay this one i made up myself lol) 5. What was the first thing you ever contributed to a fandom? 6. What’s a popular romantic/sexual ship that you can only ever see as a brotp? (also me!) 7. If you had the chance to make your OTP canon, and your NOTP very clearly stated as ‘definitely not canon eVER’, how would you express this in your ‘new canon’? (i’m on a roll) 8. Which character is Daddy Material? (there’s always at least one, admit it) 9. Character you relate to and why? (please share all tragic similarities) 10. As either a reader, writer, or both!, what’s your favourite fanfic genre and/or tropes? Are there any you always stay away from? 11. Opinions on omegaverse (in any and all forms, ranging from early spn fics, to the surprising amount of BTS/kpop fics, or have you tried the Japanese manga take on omegaverse - or even.... Life From the Ashes)? 

Tagging: @6ubble-gum AGAIN LOL cause these are new questions and I want to see your answers | @the-chibi-sempai | @justsimplyl | @humanitys-shortest-soldier | @kelandry5 | @seijuurouus | @sugaless-coffee bro r u still alive | @kagabutt bcuz we still need to talk moar |

[justaquarterdead]

A Fruitful Christmas Eve - Notes

Read on Ao3.

1. The Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree represents Akashi. It was really lame, but when the “loyal servant” steals an ornament, it’s like someone tried to steal a win from him. And that person/loyal servant who isn’t really a servant is Murasakibara. Don’t think of him as a servant please. I truly believe he is loyal, though.

2. Red giants and white dwarfs

 Like a burning red star burning out and becoming a white dwarf, he thought, with a light chuckle.

Akashi is a nerd, basically. Also, symbolizing the family closeness burning out. What a sad nerd. (Okay, I’m aware most people know about stars and that kind of stuff, but to remember that makes him a huge nerd. Which is great.)

3. Christmas Eve dates

So, yeah. Christmas is a romantic holiday in Japan, which is why that was when Shiori and Masaomi spend (or rather, spent) time together on that day. Although it’s not a family holiday, Akashi probably thinks of it as one because that’s when they’re all sort of together.

4. Adabanas

Adabana doesn’t actually only refer to the red spider lily, but to any “fruitless” flower. I don’t know if flower language stuff actually worked here, but I tried, y’know.

5. Akashi talking to his mother

Akashi sighed and closed his eyes. “I apologize, Mother. I was unable to bring Father here with me, but it looks like he visited you earlier. I have been on a losing streak lately. Rakuzan was second place during the Winter Cup last school year, and we placed second again at the Interhigh. Kuroko’s and Aomine’s schools were surprisingly strong. They’ve both truly exceeded my expectations.”

Akashi smiled, eyes still closed. He could almost see his mother now. “Defeat is… difficult, to say the least, but I truly believe I can learn from it and do better. I have to believe that, especially for our new power forward. He was my kouhai in junior high, yet I have never been a good senpai to him. I have to make up for it. I’m sure we’ll win the Winter Cup together.”

So my headcanon is that the rest of the IH and WC go like this:

2nd year - IH:

1st place: Touou

2nd place: Rakuzan

3rd place: Kaijou

4th place: Yousen

*

2nd year - WC:

1st place: Rakuzan

2nd place: Yousen

3rd place: Touou

4th place: Kaijou

*

3rd year - IH:

1st place: Rakuzan

2nd place: Kaijou

3rd place: Touou

4th place: Shuutoku

*

3rd year - WC:

1st place: Kaijou

2nd place: Rakuzan

3rd place: Touou

4th place: Shuutoku

*

I don’t know exactly why I’ve always imagined it this way. I know that I imagine that the Teikou kids during the GoM’s first year of high school lose in the Nationals to some random school from Kyoto. The PG (and captain) and the SF get scouted by Touou and go there. Their PG is very... intuitive. He doesn’t really play by thinking, but by feeling and it actually works. Their SF is pretty normal when it comes to defense. His shooting percentage is probably 45% - 60% (on really lucky days), but he really shines when it comes to defense. He’s also really good at steals and stuff, and is good at coordinating with Aomine. So, he gets a second Kuroko but not really.

The captain of the Teikou team (a PF), who no one likes because he’s selfish and is super obsessed with being first place for once because he��s always second in everything, goes to Rakuzan even when he absolutely resents Akashi, not only because of his almost perfect winning record, but because when they were both in Teikou, Akashi, as his captain, told him that if he didn’t improve, Teikou would lose. Which was true. He also has a lot of issues about trying his best as basketball because whenever he tries his best at anything else, he is always disappointed. He doesn’t want to be disappointed by his own basketball, so he never actually tries his best. Like Murasakibara.

And that’s it.

[codename-bewareofthefangirl]

Can I have a rarepair Kise x akashi when the gom find out that they are together? How would they react? How would it happen? Fluff pls~ this ship is just so cute :3

Hi dear! Inever really thought of them as a couple before (they’re ??? cute???), so I hope you’re going to besatisfied! Actually, I know it ended up being more funny than fluffy…sorry?When I get stuck on an idea, I really can’t do nothing but writing it. And thiswas too funny in my head. I hope you’ll like it either way!

Ps. Yes, Ilike to think that Akashi’s way of thinking can be very…particular, so he’salways concerned about remaining  in theWinner/Authority Category (and reminding it to the others) in every aspect ofhis life.

Have a niceday!

AkaKi (AkashixKise), The Generation of Miracles, Fluff and Comedy(Akashi is too blunt, poor Kise)

UnnecessaryInformation

It was a normal, peaceful day at Teikou and the Generationof Miracles was training on its own in the First Gym.

Murasakibara and Midorima were taking a break andbickering about something on the bench, Aomine, Kise and Kuroko were stillpracticing, Akashi and Momoi were looking at the data the girl had justcollected and discussing some strategies for the next matches.

It happened suddenly.

Kise miraculously evaded Aomine and shot. A smooth,rapid move. The ball entered nicely in the ring, with a delightful swish.

The three guys stopped amazed, panting hard.

“I-I did it…” Kise muttered incredulous, looking atAomine and then at the ball, “I-I scored a point against you!”

Aomine grunted and rolled his eyes.

“You’re still losing, idiot,” reminded him but theblond was bouncing on his feet.

“I’ve finally scored, I’ve finally scored! And while youwere going all out against me!” he cheered brightly shaking poor Kuroko by theshoulders.

“I-I saw Kise-kun…” he tried to free himself, deadtired from the match.

Kise finally let him go and turned towards the rest ofhis friends.

“AKASHICCHIIII!” he screamed running toward thecaptain.

The boy glanced at him, but returned to look at thepapers.

“I believe we should move Atsushi to the center when…”

“Akashicchi!” Kise whined jumping at his side, poutingbecause he wanted his attention, “Did you saw me?”

“Please Ryouta wai-” Akashi murmured, noticing only inthat moment that there was a mistake in one of Momoi’s calculus.

“I finally scored against Aomine! And he was crushingme before! Did you see? A clean three point! He couldn’t stop me!” Kise didn’tlet him finish, excitedly tugging his sleeve to distract him.

Oh, that’s why he and Momoi couldn’t understand the suddenchange in their speed chart! Now all made sense! Then they had to change theirplans and…

“Akashicchi!”

“I saw you Ryouta,” he replied absentmindedly, pattinghis head, “Now, please, let me finish babe,then I’m yours.”

The entire gym froze.

Kise paled and stiffened.

Akashi looked slowly up from his papers, realizing hismistake.

Momoi blushed and covered her mouth with both hands,squealing.

Midorima’s glasses fell from his nose and he tripped.

Murasakibara burst the water bottle.

Aomine let the ball fall.

Kuroko blinked shocked.

They were all looking at the two of them horrified andstupefied at the same time.

“What the hell?!” Aomine was the first to explode,staring at them as if they were alien.

“That’s,” Kuroko commented quietly, “unexpected.”

“W-what does this mean?” Midorima stuttered blushingas hard as Kise.

“I don’t want to know…” Murasakibara whispered andMomoi just continued to squeal.

“Please calm down, you’re making Ryouta uncomfortable,”Akashi interrupted them raising a hand, “I have a proper explanation.”

Kise hid his face behind the hands.

“I’m dating Ryouta.” Akashi revealed without eventrying to soften the news.

“Oh my gosh!” Momoi chirped excitedly.

Kise groaned, cheeks flaming.

“Congratulations.” Kuroko clapped his hands blankly.

Midorima slapped himself to be sure he was awake.

“This is impossible,” Aomine blurted, looking at thetwo of them, “I mean Akashi…with Kise? The Emperor with the Puppy? Really?” eyeingthe captain as if he had gone crazy.

“Ehi!” Kise glared offended.

Kuroko hid a smirk.

Akashi smiled softly and nodded.

“Yes, I’m very fond of him,” he admitted, absolutely unembarrassed,“Don’t worry, in any case I intend to top in the future,” he added, as ifAomine’s concerns regarded his authority in the relationship.

“OH HELL!” Midorima covered his ears, combusting.

“AKASHICCHI DON’T MAKE THINGS WORSE!” Kise criedpanicking.

“But it’s tru-”

“I NEED ALCHOL TO FORGET THIS!” Aomine yelled, banginghis head against the ball repeatedly.

“Those,” Kuroko sighed shaking his head “wereunnecessary information.”

Murasakibara started stress-eating gummy bears to calmdown and Momoi nearly fainted.

“I just thought-” Akashi tried to say, frowningconfused, but Kise hid the face against his shoulder.

“Please Akashicchi, stop it.”

 Later, when Kise and Akashi were cuddling on thecaptain’s bed, one dozing off and the other reading in silence, Akashi suddenlysmiled.

“What?” Kise muttered looking at him, as the other gentlystroked his hair.

“Well,” he said with an innocent shrug, leaning for asweet kiss, “they took it well in the end.”

“Akashicchi!” Kise groaned, defeated, but Akashi couldfeel a smile against his lips.

[puella-magi-cassandra]

A Fear of Falling (1/1)

Pairing: AoKise Words: 6096 Status: Complete Read on AO3

Society says that your soulmate is supposed to be your destined romantic partner.

Kise knows this isn't the case.

Aomine doesn't.

Notes: It's AoKise day, which in my opinion, is the perfect day for Soulmate AUs, thus my third AoKise day soulmate AU.

Happy AoKise day everyone! don't ask me about my wips i'll get to them i swear

Ryouta has always known there are flaws in the system, of course. His parents have always been very candid on the fact; they are very clear that just because Soulmate Marks exist doesn’t mean that there’s fated romantic love between the two people who are linked.

Ryouta’s mother’s soulmate is her best friend, after all; platonic soulmates the two of them, and Ryouta knows they love each other as deeply as one can love, just not in a romantic sense, and sometimes he thinks that wouldn’t be so bad, to have a best friend who you loved so much.

His father’s soulmate had been sick all her life. And she’d died very young, shortly after they had met.

After all, being fated doesn’t necessarily mean that things end happily.

His father’s always been very clear that he loves their mother the way she is, and that he has never once wished that she was the soulmate that he lost – that what they have might not necessarily be fate, but that they chose each other is just as meaningful as a destiny.

Still, Ryouta’s a romantic. He loves the idea of being bound by fate to another soul, of finding your one true love. He complains when his sisters watch their silly dramas, the ones where they always find that person, but he secretly loves to watch them too.

Ryouta’s Mark sits just next to the jut of his hipbone, and he wonders what the person is like, the one that is linked with the little symbol.

There’s a whole trade set up for the analysis of Marks, of course; there are some things about them that can’t be seen easily by regular people. Ryouta never sets up for one of these appointments, though both of his sisters do.

It’s more interesting, he thinks, not knowing. After all, he’s sure he’ll know who his soulmate is when he meets them.

(Daiki, on the other hand, does not really understand that the system isn’t quite what it seems.

His parents are soulmates. So are Satsuki’s. The world where Soulmate Marks are flawed doesn’t occur to him. He’s a simple kid, after all. Thinking about flaws in destiny’s system is too big and complicated to come to his mind even if he had a reason to dwell on it.

It’s just that it doesn’t occur to him that a soulmate might be something different to what he expects.)

The thing about modelling is that it’s kind of one of those things which depends on the continued mystery of the Mark. There’s an allure, they explain to him, in your target market being able to think that maybe they might be your soulmate.

Some career models opt to have theirs removed, but Ryouta’s too attached to the dark symbol in his skin. It’s easy enough to cover up with makeup or have it photoshopped out in the few shoots which would have it exposed anyway.

But it makes him more careful in everyday life, especially when he plays sports and gets changed. He doesn’t really have any body shame, but he tries to make an effort to keep it covered up. It’s not like Soulmate Marks are really a big deal at this age anyway. Very few people have met their soulmates this early in life, and well, there are so many more interesting things to be doing than thinking about love and the rest of your life; things like sports and winning.

Ryouta thinks he only dwells on his thoughts of Soulmate Marks because he’s so damn bored.

(He’s not really sure what compels him to throw his basketball at Kise Ryouta’s head of shiny blond hair.

Daiki’s seen pictures of him, and heard girls whispering about him around the school. Even Satsuki, who is as basketball-obsessed as he is – she really just hides it better – has spoken about him.

It’s not until a long time later that he figures out what pulled him to chuck his basketball at Kise Ryouta, but he doesn’t think about it all that much when he does it. After all, basketball isn’t going to play itself, and once Kise hits first string, he wants to play all the time.)

When he does figure it out, Ryouta doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He really suspects he should have seen it coming, after all. He’s been half in love with Aomine for what feels like most of his life, after all; maybe it’s only been three years, but it feels like forever, with everything that happened (the rise of glory and talent, the bitter fall, the desperate fights and the reconciliation after all of them had had a little bit more sense beaten into them – it’s been a rollercoaster few years). And well. Their meeting did have a very ‘fated’ feeling to it. Ryouta could still remember the way his heart had beat harder watching Aomine play that very first time.

Ryouta knows the system is more than a little bit flawed, but at Teikou he’d still been convinced that maybe it would work out for him. He was a romantic like that, after all. Even though both his parents, and one of his sisters, at that point, had all been unconventionally matched, didn’t mean he would be too.

Ryouta’s always been too busy making sure that his mark doesn’t get seen to try and look at other peoples’ marks. At Teikou, though none of the other starters had given a shit about Soulmate Marks, Ryouta had always had to be on guard because of the growing displeasure of some of the other members of Teikou’s basketball team. There were many bench warmers and boys that didn’t even make regulars, who would have thought very little of giving out the secret of Ryouta’s Mark, if they’d realised the difficulty revealing it could bring to his life.

Although he was more relaxed at Kaijou, Ryouta was still wary.

The first glance he gets at Aomine’s mark is when his slightly-too-small shirt rides up (he’s growing again, what the fuck, that isn’t fair) as he stretches his arms up above his head after a game of one-on-one, and it leaves him feeling breathless and afraid.

He knows that mark sitting on Aomine’s side, after all. It’s the same one that sits just beside his hipbone, and is hidden by his shorts. A stalking black cat; well, it’s probably something a little bit more wild than a mere cat . But that’s what it is nonetheless. He sees it every day on his own skin.

His eyes are caught on it, and for some reason, Aomine’s brain picks now to figure out what he’s staring at.

“It’s kinda cool, huh? People keep saying it suits me more than anything, but when we got it looked at by those weirdos, they said it was a ‘copy’ or something.”

A copy cat.

A fucking copy cat.

Ryouta nods absently, and he honestly felt kind of light-headed, because this wasn’t fair. This really wasn’t fair. Aomine was straight ; they must be just platonic soulmates. Even as Ryouta thought about it, and asked himself why he would be Aomine’s platonic soulmate instead of Momoi - that really didn’t make sense - it seemed to be the only sensible answer to what their link was. It was so fucked up.

Aomine tilts his head thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen yours. I’ve seen Satsuki’s and Tetsu’s. Think I saw Midorima’s once. You do have one, right?”

“Of course I have one,” Ryouta answers. He really wasn’t in the right place to deal with this line of inquiry. “I have to keep it hidden for my job. Increases my allure if people think they could be my soulmate.”

Aomine snorts. “Sounds ridiculous.”

He hums in agreement. “Let’s go one more, Aominecchi!”

Basketball. Basketball would distract them both from this terrifying, horrifying conversation and he could forget about it until he was alone and then he could deal with the hysteria that was bubbling up in his chest.

‘Later’ is when he gets home after desperately attempting to act as normal as possible the rest of the time they spent together, sitting at the dinner he paid for because that’s how they do this – when Ryouta loses one-on-one he pays for dinner, and he’s always up to do it even though Aomine’s a pig because he loves playing basketball with Aomine and he’ll do anything to play just one more game – and desperately trying to find something to chatter about that isn’t Soulmate Marks, because he’s always chatty and Aomine will notice if he’s being quiet.

Later is in the shower where he washes off the sweat of his and Aomine’s games and stares at the little cat prowling on his skin and wonders if fate is somehow genetic because his entire family seems to be cursed to irregular soulmates.

Later is in his bed as he tries not to feel so disappointed that the world and system he already knew was screwed up has turned itself on him too.

It feels kind of as if it was inevitable, and that’s almost the worst part of all.

(Daiki sees Kise’s by accident.

It’s their last year of high school, and he’d ditched practice to come over to Kaijou because there was an itch to play a proper game because the autumn tournaments were too fucking far away. He’d gone to Kaijou because it was always easier to convince Kise to play a game or five than it was Kagami because Kagami had a demon coach and Kise was practically a junkie for one on ones.

He’d had to wait outside until Kaijou’s practice was over, but that was fine. He just napped until Kise came to fetch him, because it was still warm enough outside to do so.

Kise wasn’t at his best because he’d just gone a whole practice and Daiki hadn’t, but that was okay, because Kise always kept going until he practically couldn’t stand anymore. It was worth the trip, he decided in the end; but he was still going to make Kise pay for dinner.

He sees it because Kise’s towel was lower on his hips than he’d probably meant it to be and was too tired to realise, and the moment Daiki sees it, he knows what it is, and he knows Kise had seen his last year and before he can help himself, he’s standing up. Feeling like his whole body was shaking with how angry he was because Kise knew, and he’d kept it from him.

“What’s that, Kise?” he asks, and he feels like he isn’t even in control of himself, he feels like he’s outside his own body, staring at that stupid mark on Kise’s fucking hip.

And Kise goes very still. Daiki has never seen Kise go still like that before, because he was one of those annoying people who was constantly doing something. He watches Kise’s gaze flick towards Daiki as if in confirmation. He clearly knows what Daiki is talking about though, because he looks very scared as he tugs the cloth to hide Daiki’s Mark from his sight. Kise doesn’t answer his question, but he doesn’t need to. It’s pretty damning, after all and he couldn’t say it was nothing . They both know what it is.

“What is it?” he asks again, because he wants the answer even if he doesn’t need it. Daiki moves closer, feeling hot and cold somehow in his fury.

When Kise doesn’t answer, he reaches out to tug the towel down just that bit so he could see  it again to get a better look, even though he doesn’t need to.

It was his . His Mark is on Kise’s skin there, and Kise had to have known the moment he’d seen Daiki’s last year. It’s the same, after all, though Daiki’s is the copy , and shit he’d find that hilarious if he wasn’t so fucking furious because Kise is his goddamned soulmate and he hadn’t said anything.

“Were you going to tell me?”

Kise looks away from him. “I didn’t know how,” he finally says. “It’s... look, my whole family’s like fate’s practical joke okay. It’s probably just a platonic one, you know? My mum’s is like that too. It’s not a big deal.”

“Not— not a big deal ?” He lets go of the towel and Kise hitches it back up again to hide the Mark from sight. “Fuck that. Fuck that .” He feels like he’s going to explode . “This is a huge deal! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! You’ve known for ages . You weren’t going to fucking say anything? Didn’t you think I deserved to know ?”

“I... I thought it might be better,” Kise says quietly. “Plenty of people live their lives normally without meeting their soulmate, get married to other people. You’re straight , Aominecchi.”

There’s something very desperate about Kise’s expression, but he doesn’t want to hear his stupid flimsy excuses. Kise didn’t deserve to keep this knowledge away from him.

“Fuck you, Kise.”

If he stays here any longer, he’s going to punch him. He doesn’t really want to hit Kise (he doesn’t want to hit his soulmate ), but he’s so angry , and he doesn’t know how to deal with it, doesn’t know what to do with the hurt and the anger and betrayal that’s spiralling through him.

He turns away to yank his clothes on as fast as he can, and leaves without saying another word.

He digs his phone out of his bag as he walks out of Kaijou’s ridiculously enormous grounds because he needs Satsuki. He needs to talk to her right fucking now. His phone is full of angry messages from her, but he’ll deal with her giving him that lecture about being a role model for their juniors and not skipping practice later.

“ Where have you been?” Is the first thing she says she picks up the phone. Not even a hello. Typical.

Not that he could really talk.

“Kanagawa.”

He hears her sigh over the line. “ I know you like playing with Ki-chan, but it’s really bad form to turn up at another school unannounced and uninvited while skipping your own practice! ”

“Satsuki, shut up and let me talk for a second.”

That startles her into silence for a second. He never wants to talk. He doesn’t really want to talk now, either, except that he doesn’t know what to do and Satsuki always knows what to do.

“... Dai-chan, what’s wrong? What happened? Did you get into a fight with Ki-chan? ”

He runs his free hand through his hair. “Kind of. It’s not my fault, before you say anything!”

“... I wasn’t going to ,” she answers, but it isn’t very convincing.

“So you’ve never seen Kise’s Mark, right?”

“ I’ve heard some rumours, but I haven’t seen it for myself so I have no hard information on it. Popular models are usually discouraged from making them public knowledge .”

“Just say no like a normal person, Satsuki.”

“... Oh dear. ”

The words come out softly, because she is the most brilliant girl he’s ever met and she’s put everything together already with her incredible mind. Daiki doesn’t often envy her intelligence, though he knows her brain will probably get her further in life than basketball will ever get him, but he’s at the very least thankful for it right now.

“Yeah.”

“ He’d already seen yours, hadn’t he? ”

“Yeah.”

There’s a loud rushing noise against the speaker of his phone as she sighs. “He probably didn’t hide it to hurt you .”

“He didn’t have the right to keep it from me.”

“I agree . He didn’t at all. You have every right to be angry at Ki-chan. ”

The line falls silent between them.

“ ...Did he say why? ” Satsuki asks.

“He gave me some poor excuses. I don’t know. I was too angry to listen properly.”

“That’s okay. When you cool down, you can go talk to Ki-chan again and hear him out properly .” She pauses, as if she’s deciding whether there’s something she wants to say. “ Are you okay? Are you okay with your soulmate being Ki-chan? ”

“I’m pissed,” he mutters, “but I’ll live. I don’t know about that other one yet.”

“ Okay. Let’s hang out this weekend, okay Dai-chan?” )

Aomine doesn’t speak to him for almost a month.

He’s never been overly in contact, which is something Ryouta tells himself to try and make himself feel better, but the fact is that Aomine is furious at him, and he has every right to be. That is what makes the silence unbearable.

The stony silence he gets from Momoi, too, indicates that she has a lot of things she would like to say to him on the topic of hiding the fact that they’re soulmates, but that she’s going to wait until Aomine is alright with speaking to him again. She hadn’t actually said as much, of course, but Ryouta can figure it from the way that she refuses to answer any of his messages.

When Momoi finally sends a text telling him Aomine is willing to speak to him, he turns into a bundle of nerves. Not just because Aomine won’t text him directly, which is a bad sign, but because he’s more than a little worried he’s going to fuck this up and lose even the platonic bond he and Aomine have had for so long.

They meet at a little coffee place. It’s Momoi’s suggestion, because it’s a ‘neutral space’. The two of them spend about five minutes there, looking at the drinks menu being awkward and silent, before Aomine stands up, clearly done trying to make Momoi’s suggestion work.

“We’re going to the basketball court,” Aomine tells him. Ryouta can’t say he didn’t see it coming, and he has to bite back a smile, despite his nerves and the situation. He nods his response, and picks up his bag.

Ryouta’s always wondered if Aomine has some kind of magical basketball sensors that tell him where the closest court is to wherever he happens to be. He kind of suspects he does when they arrive at one ten minutes later, and he’s fairly sure neither of them has ever been there before.

Aomine pulls a basketball out of his bag and throws it at him.

“Aren’t we going to talk?” Ryouta asks.

“When I feel like it,” Aomine grumbles. “I feel like playing a few games first.”

Ryouta loses three games before Aomine decides it’s time to start talking.

“Why?”

Ryouta sits down. “Aominecchi,” he says, “you have to understand, my family is practically cursed with this soulmate thing. It never works out for us the way the world says it’s supposed to.”

Aomine frowns down at him. “You said something like that before.”

He continued on without commenting on Aomine’s interruption. “What was I supposed to think? You like girls, Aominecchi, and you’ve never been shy about it.”

“But we’re soulmates.” Aomine says it like it’s simple. Maybe it is for him.

Ryouta gestures at himself. “Aominecchi, what part of me looks like it has the bits you like?”

Aomine shrugs. “But if you’re my soulmate, doesn’t that mean I’m going to like you?”

“That’s... not exactly how it works, Aominecchi.”

He flops back against the ground. He already feels tired out by Aomine’s persistence, somehow.

“Do you not like me, then? Is that it?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Ryouta answers instantly.

“So then what’s the big deal?” Aomine sits down next to him and flicks his forehead.

Ryouta sighs and thinks a bit about how to answer. In the end, it’s just too hard.

“Fine, whatever. You think it’ll work, we’ll try, I guess. I still think it’s just platonic, and you should go off and find someone who you’re actually interested in in that way, but clearly words aren’t going to work.”

“ Finally ,” Aomine says, and sighs. “You’re such hard work, Kise. Come on, get up, I want to play again.”

(Daiki doesn’t really start to get what Kise means until he gets home and talks to Satsuki about it.

She looks like she doesn’t want to agree with Kise, because her face is all screwed up, but she does, in the end, say, “Well, he’s not entirely wrong, Dai-chan.”

He knows she’s still mad at Kise, so clearly there’s something he’s missing.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you thought about what it means? Like, really thought about it? Have you thought about going on dates with Ki-chan, and kissing him? And...” she pauses, pulls a face, but bravely soldiers on, “and have you thought about having sex with Ki-chan?”

“Like... in detail?”

“Yes, in detail!” Satsuki is red in the face, like she doesn’t want to be having this conversation with him. She probably doesn’t, but Daiki knows better than to think that she’ll let him shut down the conversation for her sake.

“I mean, sort of? I looked it up, because I wasn’t sure how you were supposed to do it?”

She sighs. “I meant more like, did you think about whether or not it would gross you out to touch Ki-chan’s bits, Dai-chan.”

He frowns and thinks about it for a moment.

“He’s my soulmate though. I mean, I probably wouldn’t wanna put my fingers in some other guy’s--“

“ Dai-chan!”

He smirks at her, and she hits him with a cushion.

“I’d do it for Kise, though,” he finishes.

“But do you want to do it? Dai-chan, this is really important. It’s okay to not want to be with Ki-chan in that way. There are some people whose soulmates are platonic, you know. I don’t want you to think or feel like you have to be with Ki-chan like this just because you’re soulmates.”

Daiki sighs and groans. “Too much thinking. It’s fine. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But I want to try.” He pauses for a moment. “You know, Kise looked really sad, talking about it all not working.”

“Well,” Satsuki says, her voice quiet, “it doesn’t always. We were really lucky, you know. Growing up surrounded by soulmates the way everyone says it’s supposed to be.”)

Dating Aomine is weirder than Ryouta expects, but perhaps that’s because he didn’t expect it to happen at all.

He expects that they won’t really go on a lot of ‘traditional’ dates, and he’s fine with that. Sometimes they do go out and see movies, but most of their dates involve playing a lot of basketball and video games after.

Aomine’s always had very little understanding of the concept of personal space and he’s always been comfortable with casual touching, so that part isn’t actually all that different from before, except that Aomine maybe keeps touching longer than he used to, and seems very comfortable sprawling all over Ryouta in private in a way he never did before.

Ryouta still can’t bring himself to believe that this will work out.

Most of Aomine’s touches are fairly casual; the kinds of touches people who’re really close and comfortable friends might make, especially if one of them is an asshole like Aomine is and likes to squash your legs or back.

Sometimes, though, his fingers linger around where they know his Mark sits on Ryouta’s skin, and it makes him flush. Aomine doesn’t slide his fingers under his clothes to touch it skin on skin, but somehow the way his fingers linger where they both know Aomine’s Mark sits under his clothes still feels kind of intimate.

They’re playing video games one afternoon at Aomine’s place and Aomine is lying across his legs in a way that doesn’t look like it should be at all comfortable, especially given the angle he has to lie at to keep his eyes on the screen. Ryouta’s gotten a bit more used to the way he has to rest his arms on Aomine when he insists on lying like this, but he’s still overly conscious of the warmth of his body across his legs and under his elbows.

Aomine shifts. “Your elbows are bony,” he complains.

“You’re in the way,” Ryouta whines in return. “What else am I supposed to do?”

Aomine sighs in a very put upon way, as if Ryouta is the one being ridiculous and not him and moves so it’s just his head on Ryouta’s thigh.

It takes a lot for Ryouta’s head to not instantly go somewhere much less innocent.

Aomine looks up at him like he knows what he’s trying so hard not to think about - he probably does, he’s a pervert - and grins in that kind of evil way he does sometimes when he’s got you on the ropes.

“You’re kind of cute from this angle,” he says casually.

He’s going to die. He’s definitely going to die. He’s staring at Aomine and his head is just empty, he doesn’t know what to do, because he wants to hope so bad, but he doesn’t want to get hurt—

“You think really loudly,” Aomine tells him. “Stop stressing so much.”

Aomine sits up then, and his rough fingers are gentle when they touch Ryouta’s cheek. He’s caught by the gentle expression on Aomine’s face as his fingers slide down Ryouta’s face and then around his neck. They stay like that for a moment, Ryouta staring helplessly at Aomine and the almost disconcerting expression on his face, before Aomine guides his face closer with the hand around his neck and kisses him, soft and easy and over way too fast.

Aomine lets go easily and lies back down, his head back on Ryouta’s thigh. “Focus on the game more. You’re losing really badly today.”

Ryouta loses even worse in their next game, but he doesn’t feel like he’s just been beaten so badly the way Aomine laughs.

(When everyone finds out they’re soulmates, a surprising and annoying number of people comment to Daiki either that in hindsight, it makes total sense, or that they just don’t really get it at all. Those who’re more aware of how messed up the system is ask Daiki if he’s sure it’s not platonic, since doesn’t he like girls and breasts?

He’s not sure why both comments annoy him – surely one of them should at least be amusing – but they do. Maybe it’s the way people claim it’s so obvious, when they both only figured it out from seeing their mark on the other’s skin; and maybe it’s the way people deny it outright, and fortify Kise’s belief that it’s a platonic soulmate mark and undo all of Daiki’s work to convince him that maybe it’s not.

If Daiki was destined for a platonic soulmate, it would be Satsuki, he thinks. Besides, there’s always been something a bit special and a bit different about Kise, though he hadn’t really thought about it much – he’d had so many other things on his mind. Everyone always says he’s an idiot, right?

Daiki’s sure he loves Kise. He’s actually pretty sure he’s always loved Kise, just maybe not always romantically. But he had loved Kise as a friend, and loved him as a rival; and maybe it was naive, but he wanted to believe that he would love him in every way, and if that was because Kise was his soulmate, then that was just how it was.

Touching Kise had always felt right before, whether it was roughhousing or skinship. Touching the spot where he now knew Kise was marked for him, made him feel warm. Kissing Kise, maybe it wasn’t like kissing a girl - he’d tried that a few times, and it’d been nice enough - but it felt right too, the way being with Kise had always felt right before.

He only hoped that Kise felt the same way.

While sometimes it was easy to read Kise, simply knowing him well, Daiki often found it difficult to know how he was feeling. Kise was secretive and slippery beneath the loud and boisterous mask that he wore, putting on a show to distract people from what he didn’t want them to see.

When Kise wanted to hide something, Daiki wanted to be the one who could see through it all, and it frustrated him that he couldn’t. He knew Kise was insecure about their bond, but not whether anything he did made him feel better. He knew Kise loved him, but couldn’t figure out whether his own feelings - which seemed to be getting stronger all the time - were getting through to him.

And he didn’t really want to say it, because saying it would be embarrassing, and he really wasn’t very good at the whole feelings thing.

“Oi, Satsuki.”

Satsuki sighs as he interrupts her. “We’re supposed to be studying, Dai-chan. Were you listening at all?”

“No,” he answers, because there’s no point lying to her. “How do I make Kise feel secure about being soulmates?”

Satsuki looks at the ceiling, something she often does when he’s not doing what she would like him to, and then shifts on the couch so she’s facing him. “Well, why does Ki-chan feel insecure about the two of you being soulmates?”

“Because he’s stupid.”

“Dai-chan.”

“He is!”

Satsuki smacks the back of his head. “Ki-chan is insecure because you have never been interested in other boys, and he is scared that one day you’ll realise you can’t be with him, or that it makes you uncomfortable or grosses you out, and that you’ll stop dating him. Ki-chan is trying to protect himself from the pain this would cause him, because Ki-chan loves you.”

“So, you guys made up?”

Satsuki closes her eyes, exhales, and hits him again. “Only time and reassurance will help Ki-chan feel more secure. Have you actually told him you love him, Dai-chan?”

Daiki frowns at her. “He should just know.”

Satsuki covers her face with her hands. “You’re so stupid. Why don’t you talk to him instead of me? I guarantee that it would do wonders for your relationship.”

Daiki pulls a face at her.

“And, just so you know, I let Ki-chan have a piece of my mind before I let him off the hook.”

He snorts and grins. “Of course you did.”)

Ryouta wants to believe that it’ll work out. He does .

It’s just that, it seems so unlikely. He knows Aomine likes him, that Aomine enjoys his company, and that he isn’t bothered by kissing him.

But he worries all the same.

He worries Aomine will touch him one day and wonder why there aren’t the curves that he likes. That he will realise he doesn’t love Ryouta romantically, just as a close friend, which isn’t… a lesser thing, his mother made damn sure he knew that a platonic soulmate was just as special as a romantic one, but because Ryouta has loved him so much, for so long , it feels like it would destroy him for Aomine to pull away. Or it would if he let himself get any more attached.

It feels like it should be fading, the sense of fear, but it isn’t, and Ryouta knows too, that it isn’t fair to Aomine to keep him at arm's length like this, to push him away when he’s trying to get close, to judge his potential for pain without thought for the potential of happiness.

He thinks like this before every one of their dates, even though he knows he shouldn’t. He keeps expecting Aomine to walk up to him before their date one day and tell him he’s changed his mind.

Today they’re just playing basketball before video games. Ryouta arrived early, as he usually does, and he’s just sitting on the wooden bench beside the court. It’s almost winter - they won’t be able to play at this court much longer, but Ryouta always feels sentimental about this particular court in this park - it was where they played a lot of one on one during that first year of his at Teikou.

“Kise.”

Ryouta starts a little, and smiles at Aomine. “You snuck up on me!” he accuses him. “Have you been taking lessons from Kurokocchi?”

“Aa? You were the one sitting there staring into space like an idiot.”

Aomine drops his bag next to Ryouta’s and sits down next to him on the bench. “Can we talk?”

Ryouta swears he can feel his stomach dropping and his heart clench at the words. Somehow, he realises, despite all the thinking and worrying, he still wasn’t prepared. His throat feels tight.

“What the- Kise, what’s wrong?” Aomine has gotten up, and he kneels down in front of him, one hand grabbing Kise’s tightly, the other rubbing his face. Oh. He’s crying. “You gotta tell me Kise, I don’t know what to do.”

If he was any less distressed, he’d laugh at the obviously panicked expression Aomine has on his face and tone of voice. As it is, all he feels like he can do is cling tightly onto the hand Aomine’s given him.

“Should I call Satsuki? She always knows what to do, will she make it better?”

Ryouta shakes his head. “Don’t leave me.” It comes out pathetic, needy, weak. Ryouta hates it, hates himself a little for it, for wanting something from their bond that he’d always known Aomine wasn’t able to give. “I’m not ready yet.”

Aomine frowns. “I don’t understand.”

It an effort to pull in a full breath, but he manages it. “I’m not ready to break up.”

“Wha- we’re not breaking up! Who told you that?! I’ll beat them up, I swear to you.”

His outrage is kind of adorable, and somehow he manages to laugh wetly. “No, you said you want to talk, that always turns into a breakup conversation.”

Aomine sighs and his head drops into Ryouta’s lap. It gets another laugh out of him. “God’s sake, can’t start a single fucking conversation…”

“You’re not breaking up with me?”

“Of course not, stupid!”

Aomine sighs again and stands up. “Come on, idiot, lets go wash your face alright?” He’s still holding Ryouta’s hand, and he uses it to help him up.

“I just… wanted to ask you what you think we could do to… make you feel better about this?” Aomine is determinedly not looking at him as they walk towards the nearby public toilet. “I mean, I guess, this kind of proves we need to do something about it, we can’t have you just waiting for me to break up with you.”

He’s starting to feel more than a little bit embarrassed as Aomine talks, but then, Aomine’s looking a bit embarrassed too, since he’s talking so much, and it’s showing how much he’s actually thought about this, and usually Aomine doesn’t think about… well, anything, except basketball and boobs.

And… clearly… him.

Ryouta shifts a little closer to drop his head against Aomine’s shoulder. “Just tell me you love me until it sticks,” he mumbles. He’s not sure he’s even serious about the suggestion.

Aomine is quiet for a few steps, and Ryouta starts to think that maybe he didn’t hear him, which is just as well, since he’s starting to feel embarrassed by it and hoping that he didn’t, but--

“I mean… I do, you know. So uh… I… could.”

His awkwardness betrays him - he probably would die of mortification first - but his willingness makes Ryouta feel like his insides are about to melt.

“It’s cute that you think you could say it that often, Aominecchi.”

“Oi, shut up!”

“I’ll make it easier for you, and just ask you if you still love me today so all you have to say is yes.”

“Just go fucking wash your face so we can play ball, idiot!”

(Daiki wakes up, and it’s hard to tell what time it is - his room is dark, but that doesn’t mean anything really - but Kise is there, and it’s warm, and he has no shirt on under the blankets in his bed.

Kise’s sleepy eyes turn to him - maybe it’s morning after all - and he smiles at him, and it still does funny things to Daiki’s stomach, even now, after so long.

“Do you still love me today, Daiki?”

Kise hasn’t asked him in a long time, and he only ever asks anymore because he loves to hear it.

Daiki doesn’t mind indulging him. Well. In his own way. He reaches around Kise to find the spot on his hip where his Mark sits and strokes it with his fingers, just the way he knows makes Kise shiver.

“Fuck yeah I do,” he says, and smiles back at him.)

[fyenale]

Closed Eyes

Hi @scarlet-izachan96 ! Happy belated White Day! I’m sorry it took so long for you to get your gift. I may not be your original Akashi (and I haven’t written in a long time orz) and this is not as fluffy as I wanted hdfjskjd but I hope you’ll enjoy this nonetheless :3

Summary: It’s not professional to do it while on duty, but Akashi’s lips couldn’t help to be drawn towards Kuroko’s exposed eyes.

It was a public park on the outskirts of the city. 

The place was designed to have a big open area of grassy field, with a medium-sized pond in the middle and some small stones around the edges. Surrounding the open space were rows of trees as if shielding the area from outside world. While the open space has some lights placed on strategic parts, the area with many trees was illuminated only by crescent moon hanging in the sky. The park was silent save for a few rustles of leaves as a soft wind blows through the night.

One man was standing right outside the denser part of the small forest, his light blue hair swaying affected by the wind. His blindfolded eyes were kept to a point beyond the trees, as if he was able to see despite the black cloth circling his head. A strange looking gun was held firmly on his right hand, ready to move and aim when the time comes.

He didn’t need to wait for long.

A sudden burst of wind came from the forest and he poised the gun. A figure wielding two katanas came out from on top of the branches, eventually landing on the ground. At the same time, a giant, purplish humanoid creature appeared running towards the man.

“Kuroko!”

The man being called didn’t even form a reply as he pulled the trigger and a white orb was ejected towards the forest. It burst and made a wall of light right in front of the trees, ensuring the creature would not be able to run back to where it came out from. Quickly, he switched to a pair of guns on his thighs and started firing rapidly, making the creature howl in pain.

The katana-wielding man didn’t waste the moment of vulnerability as he sprang back to attack his target with swift, as if unending, movements. The black cloth blocking his vision didn’t deter him from giving precise slashes on the creature’s ankles and back of knees, forcing it to fall down with a roaring howl.

He stopped for a moment to sheathe one of his katana and concentrated his energy on his other one, making it glow a bright red. He jumped high before diving to stab the creature right on it’s heart, a circle appeared beneath and disintegrated it into nothingness.

The park was once again silent save for the slightly picking up wind, disarraying the red hair of the now slightly panting man. He took the katana back to its sheath and looked at his approaching comrade.

“Good job, Akashi-kun. I’m sorry I didn’t help much today.”

Kuroko was smiling gently while offering a bottle of water. Akashi took it with a grateful smile and drank heartily. He gave it back to Kuroko as he wiped his mouth with his gloved hands.

“No, without you we wouldn’t have weakened it and bring it to its end. Thank you, Kuroko.”

Akashi then opened his blindfold and stared at the human man sleeping on the ground where the creature once was, bowing his head slightly to offer his mourning. Kuroko also diverted his still-blindfolded gaze to the ground and took it off, finally seeing the colorful pattern on the man’s shirt. He approached and crouched down, putting his right hand on his own heart as he closed his eyes to pay respect.

“All that is left is to contact the headquarters to take care of this person.” Akashi commented from behind him. He turned to nod his agreement but noticed some leaves stuck on his partner’s black shirt.

“Akashi-kun, you have some leaves.” Kuroko automatically moved and began to remove the greens, not really noticing Akashi muttering “It’s just leaves.”

The activity wasn’t very long, but Akashi found himself staring at Kuroko’s dutiful eyes and couldn’t contain his urge to swipe the light blue bangs and placed his lips right on top of Kuroko’s eyebrows, making the hands on his shirt stop it’s movement. Akashi stole another kiss now slightly lower to Kuroko’s eyelid, pulled back and was met with a half-hearted glare.

“Why do you like to do that so much?”

Akashi just shrugged and was about to continue but Kuroko grabbed his hand and pulled back, this time his cheeks were also tinged pink. Akashi found it endearing.

“Akashi-kun, we are still on duty.”

His partner chuckled. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. I missed your eyes when you covered it with the blindfold.”

Kuroko’s lips puckered. “It’s only for mission purposes, and we see each other fine even with it.”

“But I can’t see you in color...and I would rather not, while in blindfold.”

The wind picked up again, this time strong enough to blow the remaining leaves on Akashi’s shirt. Kuroko went silent with Akashi’s last statement and closed his eyes, seeing his partner with his mind eyes and only finding white lines contouring his shape, with black filling the rest. His mind went back to the purplish creature and silently hoped that he would never see his partner in that state.

“I agree with you there.”

Akashi smiled and took the chance to put several kisses around Kuroko’s eyes, his partner this time staying still and secretly enjoying it.

A ring disturbed their moment as Kuroko had to blink several times at the sound. It actually originated from his own pod and he reached out to answer as he moved back from Akashi’s hold. “Kuroko here.”

“Kuroko-cchi! How’s the mission going?”

Kuroko frowned slightly at the fact that Kise contacted him out of nowhere, but he answered nonetheless. “It was just finished. We were about to report back to headquarters.”

“Great! You sound good as well so I guess Akashi-cchi is in good condition, right?”

Kuroko was about to answer but Akashi cut him. “Do you need us for something, Kise?”

A beat of silence passed from the pod before Kise’s guilty-sounding voice transmitted. “Heh, as expected of Akashi-cchi. You know something is up already.”

Akashi’s voice was steady “I’m listening.”

They heard a sigh as Kise continued. “Okay, so you’re now on Teikou Park, right? Could you guys come to Teikou School near there?”

Kuroko visualized a map on his head. “Your assigned mission place, it’s south of the park, am I correct?”

“Yeah, it was going well but.... me and Aomine-cchi got into a stupid fight and some of our targets escaped...”

Akashi sighed. “This has happened a lot of times already.”

Kise’s voice got louder. “We are trying to get better!...anyway, can you two please come help us find our targets? They are really good at hiding and it will take forever for me and that stupid (“Who are you calling stupid you asshole!!” Aomine’s voice was heard) ahem, I mean Aomine-cchi to find them. And we can’t say this to the headquarters because...um..”

“This blunder originates from unprofessionalism.” Kuroko helpfully added.

“Yeah, that.” Kise agreed dejectedly. “Can you two pleeeeease help?”

Akashi sighed again as he shook his head. “Very well. We will go there.”

“You guys are the best! We’ll be waiting!”

Kuroko smiled as the communication was terminated. “They never change.”

“They should, somewhat.” Akashi muttered as he pulled his own pod and contacted the headquarters to report their own mission first before going to backup Kise and Aomine. Kuroko used that time to drink some water himself and check on his equipment. As he was closing his eyes and was about to cover his eyes again, Akashi’s hand suddenly took the cloth from him.

He was about to protest before he felt a soft touch on his right eye once again, followed by the cloth circling his head and a sensation that it was being tighten. He then felt hands cupping his face and lips capturing his own for a brief moment.

Akashi’s voice floated a few moments later. “All ready now.”

Kuroko was stunned for a while before he regained his composure. “We are being unprofessional right now too, Akashi-kun.”

Akashi chuckled as he covered his own eyes. “I guess, though at least we finished our duty first.” He then put his hands on his hips. “Let’s go now, shall we?”

Kuroko followed Akashi to their new destination, staring at the white and black back of his partner. He thought of the soft kisses around his eyes from a while ago, and found that he didn’t mind them at all.

Actually, he never did, but he would not say that out loud.

Not that Akashi needed the confirmation to do it, anyway.

Notes: I am very inspired by nier automata even though I haven’t played the game lolol But I’m not sure if you like sci-fi and want them as androids so I just borrowed some ideas and try to incorporate your interests and headcanons as much as I can >.<

....and I ended up making a whole new AU setting /laughs nervously

A bit of explanation of this AU in case it wasn’t clear ↓

So basically they are like a demon slayer, except these demons invade human body (killing them in the process) and cannot be seen with naked eye. You will have to use your “mind eyes” to see them, in which they will appear in their true form and has colors (they will appear like normal human if you use your normal vision). To see with “mind eyes” you have to ditch your normal vision and close your eyes, this actually also requires training and is only available for gifted people.

The reason they use blindfolds instead of just closing their eyes is because it’s sexy to prevent them from accidentally opening their eyes and see its human form and got distracted in a battle. The demon may also give visual tricks when you see them in normal vision? is something that I thought of too.

The weapons they use are also special ones to hurt the demons. By using their own power (Akashi making his sword glow) they can purify them too, but the humans are already dead so they can’t save demon-infected people with this power.

[courtingstars]

Notes for Storming the Castle, Ch. 6

Hello again to my lovely readers! Chapter Six is the first chapter of Part Two, and I had lots of notes this time, from some cultural stuff to why I wrote about the Akashi family/household the way I did. First, a general warning about this part of the fic, since this is the first time I’m writing about Akashi’s family life…

Content Warning: My take on the Akashis in this series is going to be of a broken family that has become increasingly dysfunctional. I’m going to try my best to follow canon, to write Akashi’s parents with as much depth and backstory as I can while also staying true to what we know about Akashi’s dissociative disorder. I’ll talk about this more later on...

(Cut for the rest of the warning about content, plus more notes about the Akashi family, Akashi’s house, Bokushi, Yukimaru, and all kinds of cultural things...)

But I did want to warn that scenes with the Akashis will include mentions and depictions of emotional neglect and abuse, as well as portrayals of dissociation and other effects of trauma on children (particularly the death of a caregiver). I don’t think my take on the Akashis will be darker than the average KnB fic (?). But I’ll always include warnings when I write scenes like the one at the beginning of this chapter, in case you’d rather skip or skim them.

(These are difficult subjects, and I don’t want to throw these words around lightly, so for clarification, here is an article I found helpful that explains what emotional neglect is--in the case of my fic, the ideas about “unrealistically high expectations” and perfectionism are especially relevant--and I do find the “Definition” section on the Wikipedia page pretty helpful in defining emotional abuse. This fic mostly focuses on neglect and its effects.)

About the Akashi Dining Room

I’m guessing this was probably obvious, but I got the dining room from this scene in the anime:

(Sometimes I think my portrayal of Masaomi might be too harsh, but then I remember this scene and think, “OKAY BUT REALLY, WHO LETS THEIR ONLY CHILD SIT ACROSS FROM THEM FOR MEALS AT A TABLE THAT COULD FIT AT LEAST EIGHT CHAIRS BETWEEN THEM, I’M SORRY MASAOMI BUT YOU HAVE ISSUES.” So if you’re wondering where I got 95% of my inspiration for that first scene… That’s basically where. Poor Akashi. T_T)

(... Also, I won’t talk about Masaomi’s character in detail this time, but I should probably mention that a lot of my take on him was inspired by some of the pressures and expectations that apply to leaders of Japanese companies. Japan has a unique corporate culture, and some of the things he says to Akashi were my attempt to reflect that... Hopefully I can talk about it more later when I’m not so heartbroken over it.)

Akashi lives in a Western style mansion, which is pretty typical with anime versions of ultra-rich Japanese families. (More traditional wooden houses are generally used when the fictional family has strong ties to a specific part of traditional Japanese culture.) Since the above scene took place during the Teikou arc, I assumed the house was supposed to be somewhere in or around Tokyo.

I’ll talk more about the Akashis’ home in the anime—and the mansion it’s based on—in my notes for the next chapter. (Because yes, it does exist! And it’s awesome.)

More About the Breakfast Scene

In general, I think of the Akashis as a family that puts a lot of importance on their Japanese heritage, while also having some international influences. (I mean, that is a Western dining room up there with a suit of armor in it, so, uh… //laughs) It makes sense for an ultra powerful and wealthy family, since they’d probably be involved in international business, for one thing.

So I tried to convey this with a few things in the breakfast scene, such as with Masaomi’s choice of newspapers. I also chose the “Eggs Royale for breakfast” thing partly because of the fancy-sounding name (which amused me, because symbolic puns), but also because it’s a variant on Eggs Benedict that uses smoked salmon. Since the dish is popular in English-speaking countries like the U.K., it would have some international flair from a Japanese perspective. But Japanese-style breakfasts often include salmon or other fish, so it wouldn’t really be that exotic either? (Plus poached eggs can be kind of finicky, so it seemed like a fitting “everyday” dish that’s still being made for a family that’s rich enough to have a chef. XD)

On that note, I had fun coming up with all the breakfast foods in this fic… The range of foods that Japanese people choose for breakfast tends to vary a lot? Traditional choices are foods like miso and natto, but Western-style food is also popular. (You can see just how much variety there is in this awesome article.) I chose to make the breakfasts in this fic all ‘Western style,’ to go with the Western fairy tale theme. (Plus the Akashis have a Western house, and Furihata’s favorite food, the rice omelet, is a youshoku dish, which is a Western-influenced Japanese cuisine. So it seemed like a logical fit for a story about their home lives.

… And I was really tempted to start rambling here about how I wrote both the Akashis and the Furihatas as being kind of old-fashioned for a Japanese family in different ways, and how shitamachi versus yamanote neighborhoods in Tokyo are a thing, but I talk too much already. XD Maybe next time!)

About the Servants

In my version of the Akashi household, there are a lot of servants who fill different roles. I based this loosely off canon, from the maids that were shown in the anime (that brief scene when Akashi is born) to the part where Akashi is dropped off on his first day at Teikou by a driver. (Possibly a butler or a chauffeur... It’s unclear, at least from what I could tell! Random fact: In the English Wikipedia entry on chauffeurs, they use a photo of a Japanese driver—in super fancy white gloves, no less. XD)

In my stories, I went with an elaborate interpretation. So the Akashi household in Tokyo has a butler, who’s basically the manager/head of the servants. Masaomi and Akashi each have a valet who attends to their needs more personally, and a chauffeur drives them around. (Their valet can also fill in with another car, if the chauffeur is already out driving the other person.) They also have a chef, maids, and the housekeeper, who organizes and buys everything needed to maintain the house. Finally, Akashi mentions a groom who personally takes care of Yukimaru. (Though he’s actually one of the servants from their Kyoto estate.)

About Bokushi

Oh, Bokushi. //laughs I don’t really have anything that useful to say about him here, except that I missed him. (As anyone who read Playing Amends knows, my version of Bokushi has all the snark. Particularly when it comes to Oreshi. XD)

But I did want to briefly mention that I’ll be writing in a lot more detail about Bokushi very soon. (Mostly in The Vanishing Prince!) Also, the portrayal of Akashi’s dissociative disorder in KnB canon is pretty vague, as far as how both alters experience memory and consciousness. Based on the canon, I interpret Oreshi and Bokushi as being very co-conscious the majority of the time. I headcanon that they do occasionally black out, though, and then later gather information they missed from the one who was fronting. (If you’re not familiar with terms like alters, co-conscious, fronting, and dissociating, I’ll try to go into them more later, as well as provide some resources if you want to learn more about dissociative disorders in general.)

In Bokushi’s case, my headcanon is that he’s been spending a lot of time blacked out after the Winter Cup, while he was much more co-conscious during Teikou. I briefly hinted at this in that one-shot fic, Playing Amends, I mentioned earlier.

Also, this is probably obvious, but the way they call each other brothers comes from Oreshi’s comment in KnB canon that Bokushi is “like having a troublesome younger brother I need to apologize for.” The tone of that comment is probably 90% of my inspiration for how they interact in general? //laughs (Well, that, and their scene together in the anime in Episode 93… That scene is also where the shadowy ‘room’ for their shared headspace comes from.)

About Yukimaru

So I guess it’s clear by now that my version of Yukimaru is a bit of a bratty snob. //laughs (I have wayyy too much fun with him. Just like Bokushi and Kintarou. XD) I went back and forth on whether the Akashis’ house in Tokyo would have the kind of room required for stables and/or paddocks big enough for turnout. I ended up sort of splitting the difference, based on various arrangements for horse ownership I’ve seen in cities and suburbs.

Also, Akashi has Yukimaru in a halter in this scene instead of a bridle with a bit. Halters are normally used to lead horses around while on foot. From what I could gather, riding a horse in just a halter would require a calm, trustworthy horse, and a rider with enough skill and experience to pull it off. I was hoping to convey that they went on a quick, casual ride, so Akashi didn’t do the full tacking up routine with the bridle.

I don’t mention it anywhere in the story, but I think of Yukimaru as a thoroughbred with a super-fancy pedigree, possibly from a family of racehorses. So he’s got a very superior attitude going on. //laughs I also headcanon that his mother was named Shirahime (“White Princess”) and she was Shiori’s horse, so Shiori is the one who passed on her love for horseback riding to Akashi. (I drafted a scene forever ago between her and Shirahime that I thought was really adorable, so hopefully one day I’ll finish that fic… It’s about all the GoM, but actually more about their parents, for some reason? //laughs)

Lastly, in case you were wondering if there are white thoroughbreds out there, oddly enough, there’s a family of Japanese racehorses that are pretty famous for it! Famous as in one of them, Yuki-chan, is even mentioned and pictured in the current Wikipedia article on white horses. XD (I could probably also ramble a lot here about the Japanese symbolism/history with white horses, from the religious connection with Shinto to Emperor Hirohito’s horse in WWII and how everything with Akashi is an emperor reference, I swear, but you get the idea.)

Well, I think that covers just about everything, for now. Thank you as always for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the start of Part Two!

[pillow-anime-talk]

love you like crazy.

request: good day! can i ask headcanons about gom fall in love with the same girl?

# tags: headcanon; teikou!au; friendship; light!romance i think; lil bit of comedy; some fluff; also angst or drama, idk; sfw

includes: female reader ft. generation of miracles {knb}

author’s note: i love this au.

↘ It’s hard.

↘ It’s really really really hard when two boys fall in love with the same girl.

↘ Not to mention the moment when five guys, who are also friends, are in the same basketball team and – to make matters worse – are from the same school as their object of sighs and the rest of the ‘opponents’.

↘ Problems arise when the captain of the Teikou basketball team asks you for help in the last year of the Junior High School. He asks you to become an additional manager who would be the team’s treasurer. This causes much more conflicts, because you’re not only in the same class with Midorima, with Akashi on the student committee, with Murasakibara you take extra classes in physics, and Kise and Aomine often ask you for help with their homework or tests. So, yes, now you will spend with them even more time.

↘ It’s begs for a huge tragedy! 

↘ As you are at their trainings or games now, the boys always try to catch your attention on them. Ryouta always screams and asks you to watch him, so Daiki tells that you don’t have to look at those pathetic throws; he tells you to only look at him, because he’s better than blonde one. From the other end of the court, you can hear the bored voice of the purple-haired giant saying that ‘Mhmmm, Y/N-chin has more important activities than watching two idiots’. Shintarou thinks the same, by the way. Also, let’s not forget about Seijuurou who listens to all of this and then comes up to you with the question of if you are comfortable here and if he should reprimand them.

↘ But it’s okay. You don’t mind.

↘ Weeks slowly pass and everything flows as it always does; the three-point shooter brings you a lucky item every day, Atsushi shares snacks or drinks with you, Kise walks you home because both of you are just going in the same direction, Akashi buys you small gifts to thank you for taking care of the whole team and ace invites you at every lunch break on ‘his’ roof so that you can eat dinner with him (or take a lil nap).

↘ Of course, you don’t see anything wrong or suspicious in their behavior. You’re just oblivious and dense. You consider all their actions to be pure friendship without even realizing with what admiration all five Generation of Miracles members look at you when you all go out together and you wear your normal clothes or a new hairstyle.

↘ At the end of the year, each boy tries to please you as much as possible and at the same time humiliate the others in order to show himself in the best possible way.

↘ Did you know that Aomine brings sexy magazines to school and is afraid of the harmless bees? No? You know that now.

↘ You probably didn’t know that either, but Midorima is still sleeping with a plushie and Kise once pissed on his own bed and did it for the first eleven years of his own life.

↘ Akashi starved his fish once, press F. And Murasakibara, when he was a child, ate soil from pots.

↘ And when is finally the end date of the school year, you open your locker for the last time to change your shoes and go home. However, a faint surprise appears on your face when you see five envelopes without a signature. As you read them, you are even more surprised that each of them has a secret meeting place and a request to come. Of course you decide to see what’s going on because you’re dense as fuck.

↘ You smile gently when you see your five friends, but at the same time you hear their quarrel about which of them you like mostly.

↘ “... At least Y/Ncchi tells me that I am improving my grades so well and she’s proud of me!”

↘ “Yeah, yeah. But she shares breakfast with me, so you have nothing to brag about, you idiot!”

↘ “Ehhh? Se knows the names of my favorite snacks by heart. Also Y/N-chin says I’m cute. I think, I won.”

↘ “I don’t want to say anything, but I know her best because we were in the same class for two years, nanodayo.”

↘ “Shintarou, you’re wrong. I am on the student council with her and as captain I have had the most interaction with her since she is our manager.”

↘ You have to stop it or there will be a fight.

↘ So you greet them and they immediately smiling warmly at you. You ask if anything happened and where did these letters come from in your locker. Of course, Seijuurou wants to answer you right away, but you interrupt him once again, saying in a shyly voice that you are so glad that they have decided to say ‘Goodbye’ to you before leaving school and that they are your best friends for the rest of your life.

↘ Then Akashi loses his ability to speak and literally doesn’t know what to say when you tell them that it has been a truly amazing three years of friendship between you and them. You also hope that in the future you will still see each other from time to time to talk about life or about what will happen in your High Schools.

↘ Oh, Lord. You’re so dense. I can’t breathe.

↘ Then blonde one laughs awkwardly and nods his head as he tries to save all of you.

↘ After a short moment, you decide to hug them, thanking them one by one for their support, all the lucky items, chocolate milk from vending machine, eating dinner together and walks to home.

↘ In the end, you wish everyone good luck in their new High Schools and promise that you will meet again with them as soon as possible. You hug all five colorful letters to your chest and bow slightly as you retreat.

↘ Only then all five basket players sees, or rather hears, Kuroko calling your surname. You smile broadly as you wave your friends one last time. Your figure run up to blue-haired, immediately starting a conversation about the school you have chosen together. Yes, yes. Both of you chosen Seirin High.

↘ And then the members of the Generation of Miracles understand that they have forgotten about Tetsuya – about someone with who you spent even more time than with the rest of GoM squad; you both went to the library together, you talked about basketball together, you watched the team behavior changes and you also went out (as friends) for shakes together.

↘ Aomine is the first to laugh, catching the attention of the other four boys.

↘ “Oi, yeah. The shadow is never visible.” He says in an amused tone, shaking his head. “And Tetsu was a shadow not only for us, but also for Y/N.” He adds quietly, looking at the former teammates. “Anyway, I’ll be the one who get Y/N, none of you can beat me.”

↘ “Oh, Aominecchi, don’t think you will win when I like Y/Ncchi too.” Kise adds, turning around.

↘ “Y/N deserves better than the two of you, nanodayo.”

↘ “Ehhhh, I’m coming home. Then I’ll call Y/N-chin. I miss her already.”

↘ “Good luck then, friends. See you all at the first competition.” Akashi interrupts their argument, smiling. “We will see who Y/N will choose and which team she will support.”

↘ If they only knew that you would soon be supporting the Seirin basketball team...

[himuro-en-la-zona]

Con un día de retraso, ups. Day 2: inner jokes

No era muy normal que un chaval de primero fuese a molestar a los de segundo durante el descanso, pero Akashi, que era de todo salvo corriente, lo hacía con tal naturalidad que a casi nadie le llamó la atención. Salvo a Nijimura, claro.

(En AO3)

Alguien tenía que decirlo. Y ese alguien, como no podía ser de otra manera, tenía que ser Aomine. —Aomine-kun, creo que tienes demasiada imaginación —apostilló Kuroko. Imaginación o no, ahí había un hecho objetivo: justo cuando Midorima faltaba por primera vez a entrenar, aparecía en la dentadura torcida de Nijimura algo sospechosamente verde. Que podía tratarse de una casualidad, por supuesto, pero pensar que Nijimura era uno de esos ogros comeniños de los que hablaban los cuentos era mucho más divertido que escuchar las mierdas que Akashi o él tuviesen que decir sobre la nueva estrategia a seguir por el equipo. —¿Tú crees que Mido-chin sabía bien? —¿Midorima? Ni de coña. Fijo que sabía a… a… —Aomine pensó en algo asqueroso y verde— a bizcochos hechos por Satsuki. Murasakibara se llevó una mano a la boca. —¡Vosotros dos, a callar de una vez! —rugió Nijimura antes de indicarle a Akashi que siguiese con su coñazo de discurso. Había que reconocer los méritos de Akashi, que estaba codo con codo con Nijimura, el asesino de su mejor amigo, sin decir ni pío. * —Aomine-kun, eso es un trozo de lechuga —dijo Satsuki cuando Aomine le comentó lo de la muerte trágica de Midorima. —O eso es lo que él quiere que creas —continuó Haizaki con tono burlón. Ante eso, Aomine esbozó una sonrisilla de superioridad que sacó otro resoplido de Momoi. * Como era una persona decente, Momoi se decidió a decirle a Nijimura que tenía algo verde entre los dientes. Así se acabaría de una vez por toda la tontería esa de que el capitán se había comido a Midorima. —¡Capitán Nijimura! El capitán se dio media vuelta, con una ceja alzada y una mueca de no esperarse nada bueno de la vida. A su lado estaban dos chicos de segundo, de la clase de Nijimura, mirando a Momoi con gesto inquisitivo. Quizás decirle algo tan vergonzoso con ellos dos delante fuese hacer que el pobre Nijimura, que era bruto, pero simpático, pasase un mal trago innecesario. Ahora bien, menudos amigos tenía él para que ninguno le dijese nada sobre la lechuga. —¿Pasa algo? —Emm —Momoi miró al suelo, en busca de una excusa convincente, y jugueteó con sus dedos—, ¡nada! Era para decirte que has mejorado tu velocidad. ¡Muchas gracias por tu esfuerzo! Los amigos de Nijimura se miraron entre sí antes de darle a él un codazo de esos que no deparaban nada bueno. —¿Ah, sí? Pues me alegro —contestó Nijimura en modo automático, sin saber muy bien qué decir o hacer. Solo puso una sonrisa medianamente cordial, exhibiendo con un orgullo involuntario el trozo de lechuga (o de Midorima) que se había asentado en sus dientes. * Acabó el entrenamiento y nadie, absolutamente ningún miembro del equipo de baloncesto juvenil más prestigioso de Japón, tuvo el valor de acercarse a Nijimura y decirle que tenía restos de comida en los dientes. —¿Qué le pasa hoy a la gente? —Nijimura frunció el ceño. Akashi lo miró con una calma que no reflejaba en absoluto lo mucho que se estaba riendo por dentro. Su fachada magistral poco importó, teniendo en cuenta que Nijimura seguía con la vista fija en el resumen del día que luego tendría que entregarle al entrenador. —No pongas esa cara, Akashi, que sé que tú sabes algo. Quizás la fachada magistral no era tal. —Han surgido bromas sobre la falta de asistencia de Midorima. No es nada por lo que haya que preocuparse —aclaró Akashi. —Ya, claro —respondió Nijimura con su tono más sarcástico—. Pues mira tú qué cosas, pero diría que el chiste iba más por mí que por él. Algo de que yo era un ogro comeniños o algo así. Quien tendría que estar ahí manteniendo el tipo debería ser Aomine, el artífice de todo este tinglado, y no alguien parcialmente culpable como Akashi. —¿Tengo pinta de ser tan mal bicho o qué…? —preguntó Nijimura por lo bajinis, casi más para sí mismo que para Akashi, que apartó la mirada de él para no morir de la vergüenza. Vergüenza hacia sí mismo. Nijimura podía ser muchas cosas, pero un “mal bicho”, como lo decía él, sí que no era una de ellas. Cierto era que podía pecar de ser un poco más agresivo de lo normal en su forma de hablar, pero era más su forma torpe de expresarse que una falta de empatía o respeto hacia los demás. Si acaso, Akashi lo definiría como una persona con un gran corazón. Era hora de contar la verdad. —Nijimura-san, la broma comenzó porque tienes un trozo de lechuga entre los dientes. Nijimura lo miró como si no hubiese entendido nada de nada. —¿Qué? —La lechuga, al ser verde, hizo que Aomine lo relacionase con Midorima. —¡No me expliques el chiste, joder! —Nijimura se levantó de la silla, casi tirándola en el proceso. Akashi se sobresaltó— ¿Nadie podría habérmelo dicho antes o qué? De esa panda de imbéciles me lo esperaba, pero tú, Akashi… Te creía más maduro, ¿sabes? Dicho eso, se fue a enjuagar la boca al cuarto de baño. Akashi Seijuurou tenía doce años y un corazón roto.

* Al día siguiente, Midorima volvió sano y salvo al instituto, fuera de las fauces de Nijimura. No sabía por qué sus compañeros de equipo se sorprendieron tanto al verle. No era algo que el Oha-Asa le hubiese advertido. * No era muy normal que un chaval de primero fuese a molestar a los de segundo durante el descanso, pero Akashi, que era de todo salvo corriente, lo hacía con tal naturalidad que a casi nadie le llamó la atención. Salvo a Nijimura, claro. —¿Qué quieres? —Cada palabra de Nijimura sonaba como un escupitajo. Akashi no se dejó achicar. —Buenos días, Nijimura-san. Quería hablar contigo por lo de ayer. —Hizo una pausa, esperando a que Nijimura le preguntase algo—. Te debo una disculpa. —Te escucho —Nijimura apoyó la barbilla sobre la mano, cansado y dando sorbos a un zumo de pomelo de máquina expendedora. Escucharle era imposible cuando estaba montando un escándalo con cada sorbo. En fin, a Akashi no se le daba muy bien hablar de determinados temas (jamás le inculcaron el concepto de disculparse después de haber hecho algo mal porque él, sencillamente, lo hacía todo bien), de modo que su disculpa consistió en sacar un sándwich de mayonesa y atún de una bolsita y comérselo lentamente, observando a Nijimura sin pestañear. Nijimura siguió sorbiendo su zumo, sin enterarse de nada. Sabía que Akashi era algo rarito de más, pero esto ya daba un poco de mal rollo. Akashi se detuvo en cuanto se dio cuenta de que se había manchado la comisura del labio con mayonesa. —Iré así a entrenar —aseguró Akashi con tono firme. Aunque Akashi tuviese unas intenciones de lo más sinceras para con Nijimura, se estaba aprovechando un poco de su bondad; sabía de sobra que su capitán no le permitiría ir por ahí haciendo el ridículo. Era demasiado bueno como para eso. —Venga, anda, no seas imbécil. —Nijimura dejó el zumo en el pupitre y sacó un pañuelo usado del bolsillo. Con esa asquerosidad le limpió la boca a Akashi. ¿Se podía considerar eso un beso indirecto?—. Déjalo estar, ¿vale? Lo pasado, pasado está. No le des más vueltas. Además, tampoco es que sea culpa tuya. —Pero fui cómplice. —No me puedo enfadar contigo porque te rías de una broma, Akashi, y menos cuando tienes una sonr… Akashi se quedó a la espera de que Nijimura continuase. Nijimura se sonrojó de arriba abajo. —Pues eso, que no pasa nada —Nijimura volvió a refugiarse en su zumo, mirando con aire ausente a la silla de su compañero de delante. *

La trágica historia de cómo Nijimura devoró a Midorima y luego este superó a la muerte pasó de generación en generación. Por ejemplo, Aomine se lo contaría a Kise al año siguiente para que tan bella historia no cayese en el olvido. Kise, ahora portador de un conocimiento todopoderoso, lo guardó consigo hasta que conoció a Takao, el compañero de equipo de Midorima. Él era el siguiente elegido. —No es para tanto —protestó Midorima. —¡Tío, que te confundieron con una lechuga! —Takao se secó una lagrimilla—. Ay, qué pena no haber estado en Teikou por aquel entonces, de verdad, porque menudas risas… —No es momento de cháchara, sino de entrenar —dijo Akashi con gesto serio. Eso era lo que habría dicho Nijimura en su lugar.

* Akashi se las había apañado para poder quedar a cenar a solas (importante: a solas) con Nijimura. Casi tuvo que mover cielo y tierra para conseguirlo, pero no se arrepentía de haberse esforzado tanto; un rato con Nijimura era impagable. Decidieron ir a un restaurante coreano que les había recomendado Momoi. Los precios eran más que asequibles y Nijimura había comentado que tenía ganas de probar la barbacoa coreana, así que la idea, y no era por ser vanidoso, era perfecta. A Akashi hasta le conmovió un poco ver a Nijimura tan entusiasmado preparando la carne y colocándola en una hoja de lechuga que tenía en la mano. Akashi dio un bocado a su lechuga con complejo de plato. Delicioso, sublime, ¡extraordinario! Tal y como cabía esperar de cualquier cosa que hubiesen preparado las manos expertas de Nijimura. —Sabes que yo no he hecho casi nada, ¿no? —Nijimura alzó una ceja. La mano que no sostenía la lechuga estaba libre y sobre la mesa, de modo que Akashi se la rozó con  algo que en algunas culturas catalogarían como afecto. Era un gesto inequívocamente romántico, así que, ya que estaba en la situación, Akashi debería dar un paso adelante (figuradamente, puesto que estaba sentado) y confesar sus sentimientos. Ahora o nunca. —Nijimura-san, hay algo que tengo que decirte —empezó a decir Akashi con una sonrisa tímida que difícilmente asociaría alguien con su típica cara de autosatisfacción. Temblándole los labios, Nijimura le dedicó una mirada de lo más penetrante antes de decirle: —Espera, que tienes un trozo de lechuga en los dientes.

[codename-bewareofthefangirl]

Hi hi!! AkaMido anon here! I'm in need of some...you know...Akashi in love with Midorin. *blushes crazily and hides my face to your chest* So I wanted to ask, is it possible to ask for more than 1 prompt? I mean, if you accept ofcourse, can I have a (longish?) fic with #16sentence, #12dialogue and #14dialogue all in one together? Maybe break my heart for a long while then a small promising-happy-ending? I love the way you write internal monologues btw ^-^

Hi my sweetdear! *pat happily his head* I’ve finally written it! Sorry for the wait! Iswear, I’ve tried to make it angsty but the fluff and the fun conqueredeverything and I don’t know why, I hope you’re gonna like it either way. Thanks also for yourcontinue support!

Have a goodday!

 In the most inappropriate moments

 Midorima groaned again, shifting uncomfortably in hisposition, seated on the hard ground.

“Shouldn’t we try to move again?” Akashi whisperedhesitantly, seated a bit far from him.

“Akashi, please.” The other growled and his formercaptain stretched the lips in a thin line, “This is all your fault.”

“I disagree.”

“That’s because your pride is too big to admit it. AllI know is that one of us is right, the other is you.”

Just to describe their situation briefly, they werefucked.

It was half past ten in the night and they were lostinto a woods, without signal, a decent backpack, food or water. Not mentioningwithout a proper map. And, Akashi had sprained his ankle falling in hole whilethey were wandering around with only torchlights to light up the path.

Ah, they were obviously arguing too.

They had started arguing five minutes after havingentered the wood, fact that brought them to focus more on their unresolvedproblems than on the path and consequently lead them to lose the way back. Or theway in general.

Why did this happened?

Simple answer: because Akashi couldn’t act like anormal person, no. He, having decided that he wanted to fix up things withMidorima, had first organized a training camp with all the former players ofthe Miracle of Generation, without leaving them choice to participate or not.He had threatened them to come. Then the previous night he had, or that waswhat Midorima thought, food poisoned all the others so that the next day theonly ones capable to raise from the bed were them two. Finally, in theafternoon he had dragged Midorima away with the excuse of the good weather andthe necessity of a daytrip in the woods to a famous, mysterious shrine.Midorima couldn’t even understand why Akashi had thought that talking thingsout while going on an excursion was the best idea, but now he didn’t even wannaknow.

He was cold, without ideas and hungry.

And mad, so mad with Akashi that if the boy hadn’t hadalready hurt his body by himself Midorima would have surely done it in his stead.

Even because, during the time they spent together,instead of clearing the past misunderstandings, they had just accused eachother of every, petty things that happened since the first year in Teikou. Notreally useful.

 In the end, tired of the silence, the hostility andthe guilt, Akashi tried to stand up, wobbling. Midorima glared at him.

“What are you trying to do?” asked while looking athim resting unsteady against the trunk of the tree they took cover under.

“I’m going to find the way out,” he calmly repliedwith all the dignity he could muster, “Staying here doesn’t help us.” Commentedsharply.

“I doubt that moving around with that ankle andinjuring yourself more is gonna be of any help.” Midorima replied bluntly,fixing his glass. As always, a small part of him admired Akashi for hisdetermination.

“Then come with me and let’s search it together.” Heoffered, giving Midorima his back. But the other boy didn’t need to see hisface to recognize the implicit request into his words. What an Emperor.

“If you need help, just say it normally.” Hissed,standing up and grabbing his arm to stop him, and the boy grimaced, “As youshould have done instead of bringing us here. Really, can’t you do anythinglike the other, normal people?” Added salty, passing an arm around his waist.

Akashi adjusted his own arm around Midorima’s shoulderand leaned on him, as his ankle was throbbing with pain; not that he was gonnaadmit it.

“Everything would have gone smoothly, if you only hadlet me speak till the end.” He murmured in his defense, offended.

“You started a monologue were you defended yourself.That’s not how discussions go, nor how you fix up things.” Midorima bluntlyshut him, starting to walk without a proper aim. All the trees looked the same,he didn’t remember where they came from nor how read those damn stars like ananimal.

“While you walk, keep the phone in your hand, maybe wecould find signal.” Midorima ordered with a sigh and Akashi, scowling did as hewas told.

“I was just trying to find the right words.” He upheld,“You interrupted me immediately and brought up again my madness and “abuse ofpower”.”

“That’s was he problem. Together with cutting everybonds, using us only to win and destroying our minds.” Midorima listed plainly,taking a casual turn; he felt Akashi’s body stiffening against him, butcontinued, “Without mentioning your behavior during the first high schooltournament, you Emperor. Not even a handshake.” he remembered in a mutter andnow Akashi caught the hurt tone in his voice.

“Well, I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it all. Andwhen I finally understood my mistakes, returning to my original self, it hurt alot. I knew that I couldn’t restore everything easily, I understood the amountof pain I’ve inflicted to you…but I was lonely too. I suffered too.” Explainedanimatedly, gripping hard around the fabric of his sweater.

“Want do you want then? That we just hug you again andpity you?” Midorima roared, still feeling the humiliation he caused him intheir last match.

“I JUST WANT TO APOLOGIZE!” Akashi burst into apained, angry yell that startled Midorima, who immediately turned to look atthe boy who kept his head low.

“You what?” Mumbled, blinking at him. He probably hadheard wrongly.

Akashi lifted his head and looked him in the eyes,firm and desperate at the same time.

“I wanted to apologize.” Repeated in a murmur, “I’msorry for having left you alone back in Teikou. Sorry for having betrayed yourtrust. I’m sorry for having been the Emperor. I’m sorry for having underestimatedand belittled your team, refusing your handshake. I’m really sorry.” Heearnestly apologized, trying to convey with his stuttering words the guilt thatwas eating him from the inside.

Midorima didn’t have words to reply. He wasn’t readyto confront an apologizing Akashi. He couldn’t even remember the last time hehad apologized.

“I thought that maybe we could start restoring newbonds again. That’s why I brought all of you here, that’s why I dragged you intothis damn wood, that’s why this afternoon I started talking from the past. Ihad a lots of things to say and explain, and lots that I wanted to ask…” Hisvoice dimmed in a whisper.

Midorima’s glasses slide down his nose and he feltblushing. Now, he was the one feeling guilty.

“Akas-”

HONK!

A big truck sounded its horn and made them jump ontheir feet; they got so startled that Akashi lost the grip around Midorima andfell on his back before the other boy could catch him in time. Midorima widenedhis eyes, looking astonished in front of him, while Akashi looked around as ifhe was waking up from a dream.

“We are…out?” he observed incredulous, frowning at thesight of the empty, silent street on which side they were standing dumbfounded.

“I think so.” Midorima agreed, instinctively cleaninghis glasses with the hem of the shirt.

“How?” Akashi inquired shaking his head.

“I wasn’t paying attention, actually.”

“Me neither.”

They exchanged an amazed glance and twin smirksblossomed on their lips.

“I can’t believe it.” Midorima whispered trying toconceal his amusement.

“But we didn’t arrive from here this afternoon, sowe’re still lost.” Akashi noticed, narrowing his eyes.

“Better than being in that wood.” Midorima exhaled adeep breath of relief, shrugging, and stretched his hand to Akashi.

“So? Now what?” the boy accepted it gratefully andstood up, unsteady.

“I don’t know. I didn’t think we’d get this far.”Midorima honestly admitted, “The phone?” asked hopefully, but Akashi grimacedlooking at the screen.

“It seems the battery has run out.” Told him blanklyand Midorima felt the need to slam his head against something.

“Well, since you can’t walk, we can only tryhitch-hiking.” Dared to say, fixing his glasses and Akashi sighed, exhaustedly,but nodded.

 After fifteen minutes, they were luckily sat in theopen trailer of a small truck; the driver, a local farmer, after laughing attheir misadventures, had kindly accept to bring them to the hotel, which theydiscovered was two hour by foot far away from there. Midorima had picked upAkashi and helped him sitting comfortably, and now they were in silence next toeach other.

Midorima looked at the pearly moon that shinedbrightly in the sky. He was still thinking about what Akashi had told him,knowing the boys was waiting for an answer. Now, all the negative and confusedemotions he felt before were melting in the quietness of the dark blue sky.

“Akashi.” called and felt him shifting nervouslybeside himself, “All the things you wanted to say and explain. All the thingsyou wanted to ask, tell me. We’ve time, I’ll try my best to not interrupt you.”Midorima offered, searching for his red, amazed eyes.

“I-” He stuttered confusedly, happiness for havingreceived a second occasion and fear of messing up again mixed in him, but thenhe took a deep breath, “Okay.” He manage to reply quietly.

And Akashi told him everything from the start. Thecoach, his fears, the situations of his family and the issues he had with hisfather. He told him how he felt losing himself, being incapable to reason andto care about them properly. How victory became the only important thing. Hearrived talking even about the recent matches: the jealousy he felt seeing himand Takao pairing up, the high due to the crushing victory and finally the voidhe fell into when he returned to his original self. Scared that it was toolate. Scared that he couldn’t be saved or forgiven anymore. He listed patientlyall his attempts to find a way to restore things as they were before, to fixall of them again.

Midorima listened to him silently, just making smallcomments here and there.

“So, this was the last attempt to bring us together?”Asked Midorima thoughtfully. It was a lot to take in, of course, but he wasfeeling more and more relieved as Akashi told him everything. He wasdiscovering that the boy he had loved was still there.

“Yes.” Akashi nodded with an embarrassed smile, “Ithought it was a good idea.”

“That’s questionable.” Midorima harshly shot him down andhe glared, “However, I have to think then that yesterday you didn’t food-poisonedthe others on purpose?”

“I’m not a killer.” Akashi coldly replied, offended,and Midorima smirked.

“You tried to stab Kagami with a pair of scissors.”Reminded him, arching an eyebrow.

“First, I thought we had agreed I wasn’t completelymyself at the time;” argued lifting his chin, “Second, I knew he could dodge.”He wanted to add, “Because I’m never wrong.” But bit his bottom lip andrestrained himself. He was trying to be humble.

However, Midorima seemed to have read him, as hechuckled a bit.

“Leaving this aside, why the trip outside then?”inquired again and he saw Akashi blushing slightly.

“You were the one I desired to connect with the most.I needed to have you back. I hoped the excursion could bring us together andmake the tension vanish. I hoped being outside and far from everything elsecould help me find the courage to tell you everything and apologize properly.”Whispered bitter sweetly, bringing his knees to the chest “Not the best plan inthe end.”

“Yeah it was a horrible plan, you should haveapproached me like this from the start.” Midorima agreed, making him curl onhimself more, but then continued, “But if that is what you needed to reach thispoint, than I’m glad to have gone through and survived that hell.”

Akashi’s head perked up and his scarlet eyes shone.

“I’m relieved” thanked him with a small, grateful andgiddy smile, “Losing Midorima’s friendship had been my greatest defeat andregret.” Admitted softly, looking with fondness at the sky.

His words froze Midorima on the spot.

He had forgotten Akashi was born to be charming andadorable when he lowered his defenses.

“You…!” he cursed rubbing his forehead and Akashiglanced at him perplexed, “You are the worst. You should stop saying those kindof things.” Growled, glaring at him.

Akashi blinked: what had he done now? He thought tohave been sweet or at least friendly saying those things, why Midorima was mad?

“What kind of things?” asked confused, his heart onthe verge of shattering.

“The kind that makes me want to kiss you in the mostinappropriate moments.” Midorima revealed with red cheeks but a firm,unwavering gaze.

Akashi heart didn’t shatter. It stopped. Then startedbeating again so fast it could fly out of his chest.

He blushed furiously, taken completely by surprise.

“Like, for example, in the trailer of a truck in themiddle of the night, after a day spent arguing?” wanted to verify, in a hopefulvoice. This was too good to be true.

“Exactly.” Midorima assured him, embarrassed, annoyedand nervous altogether.

“Then,” Akashi whispered with a smile escaping hislips, “I wouldn’t mind it.”

Midorima risked to choke with his own saliva, butmanaged to compose himself rapidly.

“You asked for it. I’m not joking.” Mumbled as awarning, but, seeing Akashi looking expectantly at him under the moonlight, hecouldn’t restrain himself. He leaned towards him and, with a kiss, cleared thepast misunderstandings and opened the doors to a future of happiness for bothof them.