He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

"He loves me...he loves me not..."

It's a music-like chant that is usually heard on playgrounds and in elementary school classrooms, and it is mostly sung by little girls. Dainty petals from daisies or dandelions cascade to the floor, and it's with anticipation that those little girls will wait and watch, having the fate of their future love lives decided for them before their very eyes.

"He loves me...he loves me not...he loves me..."

And it's with that that a little girl's heart will break. There is but one petal left, and every girl knows that when that last petal is plucked, their fate is sealed.

"He loves me not."

One petal falls. He loves me.

"Phew! Let's take a break, okay?" Aomine breathed, running a lazy hand through sweat-drenched hair.

"Okay!" Kise agreed, taking a quick sip from his water bottle.

"Hey, hand me that."

"Hand you what? My water?" Kise asked, taken slightly aback.

"Yeah, why not? You're not afraid of germs are you?" Aomine snickered.

"No..."

"Then hand it over."

With reluctance, Kise did as he had been told and gave the water bottle over to Aomine. He watched his teammate generously help himself, sipping and slurping, ultimately leaving nothing left over of the water that was not even his own.

"Hey! You drank it all!" Kise whined.

"It's not a problem, is it?" Aomine asked lowly.

To Kise, the only problem was that he no longer had an excuse to take a drink from the bottle after Aomine.

Another petal falls. He loves me not.

"Tetsu! You wanna practice at the street court today?"

"Sure, but didn't you have plans with Kise-kun this afternoon?" Kuroko questioned, not even bothering to raise his eyes from the book that he was aimlessly reading.

"Yeah, well, he canceled at the last moment, so I'm free now." Kicking a rock as he and Kuroko walked side by side, Aomine added, "Sometimes, I just don't get him."

"What do you mean?" Kuroko showed interest in their topic by granting Aomine with his gaze.

"Hmm..." Aomine pondered. "Nevermind, let's drop it."

The third petal falls. He loves me.

"Hahaha!"

"It's not funny-ssu!" Kise complained. "Stop laughing at me!"

"I-it's...it's hilarious!" Aomine shouted, keeling over with amusement.

"Well, the next time you fall asleep in the sun, I'll...I'll-!"

"You'll what? It's not like I'll get burned. My skin is already tanned. It's not porcelain like yours."

If Kise's face hadn't already been bright red from his sun blemish, he would have been flushing uncontrollably at Aomine's comment.

A few more petals fall. He loves me not.

"Why can't we play one-on-one? Come on-ssu! Please, please, please?"

"No!"

The volume of Aomine's voice made Kise shudder. It was loud and strong, so much so that it echoed about the empty gymnasium.

"Just...leave me alone. Go bother Tetsu, or something."

"But I don't want to play with Kurokocchi..." Kise persisted carefully. "I want to play with you, Aominecchi."

"Well, I don't want to be with you right now."

Kise was grateful that Aomine took his leave promptly. He couldn't bear the thought of having Aomine see him fall into tears over a matter so trivial.

More petals fall. He loves me.

"Aominecchi..." Kise breathed, allowing for Aomine to decorate his neck with fine kisses and caresses.

"Kise, you know this is only a one time thing, right?"

He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to be whisked away in the thoughts and the fantasies that Aomine was actually falling in love with him. But that wasn't the case.

"I understand-ssu..."

"We're only doing this because Tetsu and I had a fight and I need to blow off some steam-"

"Aominecchi," Kise interrupted. "Stop talking, please..."

Smirking, Aomine nodded and whispered, "You're right. We're going to finish this without talking."

The final petal falls.

"Aomine-kun, I like you."

"...Really?"

"Yes."

Kuroko's expression remained dull and emotionless, even during such a confession.

"I don't know what to say, Tetsu..." Aomine sighed, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Well, do you like me?"

There was silence between the two for a brief moment. And that moment ended with a gentle, "I do."

He loves me not.

Hello there! Chappy here! :D

Wow, it's been a while since I've written something! I totally feel rusty... I'm sorry if this story is somewhat of a failure. orz

I really wanted to write something fluffy for Aokise Day, but...it turned into angst. Again, I'm sorry. orz

But thank you for taking the time to read! I hope you've enjoyed! (:

- Chappy