BACK TO DECEMBER

It's been a year since they last saw each other.

"So how's your sister?"

"Ah, she's okay. Finally got married, with a baby on the way."

"Oh that's adorable."

"Deshou~? Can't wait to be an uncle! Haha!"

"Yeah, sounds nice."

"Ah, yeah... Ano, how are your parents?"

Both boys have now grown up, struggling to still get good grades in University as they juggled work at the same time.

"My folks are doing just fine. My dad was relieved I actually became something. He was always worried I'd not get anywhere," Aomine mumbled, taking a sip of his drink, watching as his ex-team mate leaned back and shrugged.

Kise Ryouta, young model slash basketball player has now transformed into a handsome young man, who not only does modeling but also acting and voice acting. Kise was working on a singing album, too. The blonde has now become a well-known celebrity, and even though he had matured, there were quite a few things about him that have not yet changed.

His eyes were still gorgeous, and still had distinctive gaze in them; one that anyone could easily get lost in. His tempting lips, which would curve into a lovely smile. His laughter. His long fingers. His porcelain skin. His style of fashion that is just simply him. Kise Ryouta was as beautiful as ever.

"Well, your grades at school were terrifying," Kise stated as-a-matter-of-factly, and Aomine snorted.

"Please, as if yours were any better than mine."

On the other hand, the other male sitting in front of Kise was not much less of a sight, either.

That tan skin on taut, strong muscles. A feral grin that just looked sexy on those thin lips. Those eyes that just bore straight into your soul and can see through all your bullshit. He was not any less attractive than the blonde male before him; they were a stark contrast.

Aomine Daiki had grown into an alpha male; and a super gorgeous one at that. His career as a pro basketball player paid off well. He had been all over Japan and to a few other countries out of Japan as well; he was as well-known as Kise was and he considered the two of them as equals.

"Yes they were!" Kise replied, pursing his lips, "I was at the top 20 in my class when we graduated!"

"Yeah, from 30 students, Kise. That doesn't mean much now, does it?"

"Aw! Aominecchi's mean!"

"Since when have I ever been nice?" Aomine shrugged, leaning back into his seat as well.

Seeing these two celebrities in a corner of a cafe, sharing a table, taking sips of their drinks as they laughed was truly one sight to gawk at; and the few girls who had managed to gather up their courage to ask for a photo or an autograph were not disappointed as both men complied to it with a smile.

To any bypassing stranger, they'd seem like how everyone knows them; good, old best friends meeting each other again to make up for lost time. To any who knew the two well enough, though, could see there was something else behind those perfect smiles and well-practiced laughs. The small signs were there. Awkward glances, nervous tapping fingers, eye contact that didn't last more than a minute; none of the boys were comfortable being in each other's presence.

And if recalling everything they went through, it wasn't much of a surprise.

"Ryouta, this is the fourth time in a row, damn it!" Aomine scolded, sitting on his blonde boyfriend's bed as said model dropped his bag on the floor.

It was 1 a.m. and Kise had just arrived home from his modeling work, thus neglecting another weekend with his boyfriend. Weekends were the only days they could spend real time together, and it was also the only time Kise's mom and sister was out of the house (thus Aomine could sleep over). But because of work, Kise was often forced to work on Saturdays, and the shoot could go for hours on end.

When he finally got home, he'd be too tired to actually spend time with the blunette, and he'd sleep until Sunday noon because of his exhaustion, and he'd handle his homework for the rest of the day.

Aomine felt neglected.

"It's not that I'm doing this on purpose, Daicchi..." Kise sighed, deciding to not go anywhere near his boyfriend at the moment and chose to sit on the floor instead. Aomine took that as a bad sign and got even more pissed off.

"But they're over working you, damn it! You barely even have time for homework and sleep," Aomine mumbled, let alone spend time with me, he inwardly added in.

Kise merely rolled his eyes, "Daicchi, it's work. I can't do anything about it. Besides, we still see each other after school, don't we? We see each other every day, and I still make you lunch. Not all boyfriends do that, you know."

"I know, I know! It's just..." Aomine trailed off, watching as Kise laid down on the floor, putting his arm over his eyes. It was an obvious sign of fatigue and Aomine could faintly hear the blonde sigh a few words into the uncomfortable air around them a few minutes of uncomfy silence later.

"Okay, fine. Just give me a minute, okay?"

Aomine raised an eyebrow.

"... what for?"

"To catch my breath," Kise mumbled, just lying there for the next few seconds, leaving Aomine to frown in confusion, before the model finally sat up with small groan and an slightly forced smile, "Okay. So, what do you want for dinner?"

"Dinner?"

"Yeah, dinner," Kise nodded, still keeping that smile as he got up to his feet, "I know it's past midnight, but it's not yet too late. Is spaghetti okay?" he asked as he turned towards the door, "I think I still have bolognese sauce and a can of sardines somewhere..."

"Wait, Kise, what are you talking about?"

Kise turned, leaning on the door frame, "Dinner. Food. I'm gonna cook, Daicchi. For you. Us," he explained, rubbing his eyes absent-mindedly, "And maybe we can cuddle afterwards. Or whatever you want," mumbling his last few words.

"Wha...? Why? That's not what I..."

Kise sighed exasperatedly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Then what do you want, Aominecchi?" he asked, suddenly going back to using a more formal nickname in his slight annoyance. First his lover was complaining about lack of attention and now when Kise was actually going to cook for him, the guy suddenly just says no. What does he want? Can't he just spell what he wants to Kise can do it, get the whole thing over with so they both can be happy? He was tired, damn it. Can't his boyfriend see that?

"I..." Aomine didn't know how to answer that. He wanted to spend time together, to actually do something that they both enjoy, maybe play games or watch some scary horror movie. Or make love, preferably. He hadn't touched the boy in weeks and it was seriously getting to him; but a simple glance to Kise's face clearly showed that the blonde was simply too tired and unfocused to have to concentrate on something like games or movies. Let alone sex.

Taking Aomine's silence for as it was, confusion, Kise decided to just get back to the original plan and walked out into the hall. The faster he got this over with, the sooner Aomine cheered up and the faster Kise can go to sleep.

"Dinner it is."

But only a few steps later, Kise felt Aomine's hand around his upper arm, halting him in his steps. The ace then turned his blonde lover to face him before wrapping his arms around him tightly, lovingly, desperately. Kise could only blink, confused, and half-heartedly replied the soft kiss Aomine dealt to him a mere seconds later as his mind was hazy from sleepiness and fatigue. Did Aomine finally make up his mind on what he wanted to do? From the looks of it, it seemed that his lover would be requesting some bed action very soon... I wonder if I'd pass out in the middle of it, Kise thought to himself, but, as if reading the blonde's mind, Aomine spoke up.

"You don't have to," the tanned boy murmured when he broke the kiss, holding Kise slightly a bit tighter, "Make dinner, I mean. Just rest. Sleep."

Oh.

"Are you sure?" Kise mumbled quietly a minute later, face buried into the crook of Aomine's neck, and the taller one nodded.

"Yeah. Come on, I'll tuck you in."

Now that sounded a bit off.

"Eh? Tuck me in? Aren't you staying?"

"... I'll stay until you're asleep."

Kise's facial expression changed. What did that mean? Aomine isn't staying over then? But why? He always stayed over at weekends. Weekends were the only time of the week Kise could sleep with the other's arms keeping him safe, to wake up to that handsome face in the morning. Why wasn't he staying? Was he mad? But he shouldn't be mad, he knows Kise is tired... Or was there something he wanted but knew Kise couldn't give because of his fatigue?

"Wh- why?" he started, "Can't you stay till morning?"

"No. Not this time."

"Why?"

Kise saw, felt, Aomine's eyes taking him in.

"Won't be able to- Don't wanna tire you out even more," the ace replied, changing mid-sentence, and something clicked in Kise's head.

Oh. I was right, after all.

But before the model could say anything, Aomine had let go. The tanned male had misunderstood Kise's confused silence for silent rejection altogether and simply decided that going home would be best. His parents were already asleep anyway, and he'd brought his house keys with him.

"Daicchi, where are you-" he inquired, honey eyes following the tall male's frame as he walked past.

"Home. You need your rest. I'll see you Monday. Ja ne."

And click went the door.

Yeah, they both still remembered that as if it were yesterday. The day after that small argument, Aomine had somehow kept a distance. He'd give the blonde as much time as he needed and would just wait until Kise came to him himself. Aomine would only send some few standard messages – Oyasumi, Ohayo, Had breakfast yet, Where are you, Home yet, etc – and a few weeks after that, Kise confessed that he's starting to see someone else.

It brought a bitter chuckle every time one of them remembered those last bittersweet moments of them together.

Not that they'd admit it to each other, though.

"Oh, hey. It's seven already," Kise pointed out as he glanced at his watch, "Gotta go. I have a shoot later at eleven."

Aomine shot him a smug look.

"A shoot at fuckin eleven at night?" he scoffed, "They overwork you, man."

Kise just laughed.

"Wonder where I've heard that before."

"Ha, ha," Aomine rolled his eyes, and got up from his seat, copying Kise, "Come on, I'll walk you."

".. eh? Aominecchi, I'm not a child, you know."

"I know. It's not an offer, by the way. I insist."

"Well, don't say I didn't call," Kise shrugged, putting his shoes in the genkan. He had just come home from his job and it had only been a few days after the two had made up after another dumb fight about free time, not picking up phone calls and what-not.

"You didn't," Aomine stated, sick of Kise's too-casual behavior, and stared the man in the eyes, "You ignored me this whole fucking day, Ryouta, only replying when I asked you where you were! The fuck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Kise stared back, too tired to care about Aomine's outburst, "You know I'm working, you know I'm at the shoot, and you know I'd be home late. What else is there to worry about?"

Aomine was finally starting to lose it. The tanned basketball player was never a man of patience, and he had put up with Kise being like this for far too long. Yes, Kise did do his job as a good boyfriend, made him bento, they walked home together, he did reply Aomine's messages once in a while, but a relationship had to be more than just that, damn it! Their whole relationship felt like one big farce with no real intimacy and, Aomine being a hopeless romantic, simply couldn't stand it.

"You have a severe case of anemia and you ask me what the fuck else I have to worry about?!" he yelled, slamming his glass down on the counter, ignoring the water that spilled onto his hand, "I'm your boyfriend, fuck damn it! Don't you know how worried I was?!"

"Well I'm home now, aren't I?" Kise mumbled, "Can we please not have this right now? I'm tired," re-shouldering his bag and walking off to his room. He was so used to Aomine's sudden yells and outbursts it wasn't even surprising anymore. It did hurt Kise, though, knowing that he had hurt his boyfriend that much, but on the other hand, he was simply pissed that Aomine couldn't understand his busy schedule. Did Aomine really think that Kise didn't want to spend time with him? That the blonde would rather be off being blinded by camera lights than home in his boyfriend's embrace?

All he wanted was just to be welcomed home with a hug and a simple "how was the shoot?". All he wanted was to be spoilt rotten once in a while, to tell Aomine of all the annoying crew that tried to flirt with him, the female crew that fawned over him so much it's hilarious, he wanted to share stories and laugh together. Not come home and get scolded, damn it.

He knew Aomine loved him, but this was simply getting annoying. Very annoying.

Kise simply proceeded the walk to his room, too tired to deal with all this shit.

"Hey, Kise."

"Hmn?"

"I just realized, that's the park where we used to hang out when were kids, right?"

The park where we used to date, was what he meant to say, but somehow it felt awkward to say.

Kise turned, following Aomine's stare, and blinked.

"Oh, it is!" he beamed with bright eyes, "Let's go there, Aominecchi!"

Aomine raised an eyebrow, "Don't you have work soon?"

"Psh. They'll be fine without me for a few minutes. It's a group shot anyway, they could put me at the back of the list," Kise grinned, "Let's go!"

As he watched the blonde walk ahead of him, Aomine allowed a small gentle smile grace his lips. It's true what they about first loves, after all. The feeling simply doesn't die down. Aomine doesn't know what to do with the deja vu feeling of it all as he followed his ex-boyfriend down to the park, dark-blue eyes watching as the model flopped down on a seemingly random bench.

"Do you remember this, Aominecchi?" Kise asked with a huge smile on his face, beckoning for the taller one to come closer, "We … carved our names …," he mumbled, looking around for said "carving". His golden eyes brightened up considerably as he then pointed at the tree on Aomine's right.

"There! Ao-ki!" Kise pointed out, and as the older one turned, he could see his former lover was right. The kanji blue and yellow were carved into the bark, with a small plus sign in the middle to indicate some form of relationship between the two colours. Aomine merely smiled – a bit sadly, perhaps – as he stared at the carving, his eyes flashing nostalgia. The carving was barely noticeable now; it had been there for over four years, after all. Five, even. Unconsciously, the Gemini walked over and traced his fingertips over the slightly fading marks on said tree and faintly recalled that this was actually carved a week or two before their break-up.

The tanned male chuckled bitterly.

Yeah.

That day, they had promised each other that they'd try their best to be better for each other. That they loved each other so much they'd still try for it to work no matter how fucked up their relationship had turned out. But in the end, Kise broke it off. And until this day, Aomine still wondered where they had gone wrong, whether it was because of something he did... Or maybe it was because of something he didn't do? God knows he had tried everything he could to please Kise, to make sure the blonde was comfortable with him, but-

"Ne, Aominecchi?"

Kise's soft voice snapped him out of his reverie, and said pro-basketball player turned around, hand in his pockets, replying with a gruff, "Yeah? What?"

The blonde took his time to answer, slightly fidgeting in his seat. He was obviously unsure of what to say, parted his lips to start talking to only pause and close them again. It was becoming a tiny bit annoying to Aomine, seeing as he liked straight-forwardness – Kise had always been straight-forward, maybe he really did change more that Aomine thought he did – and the blunette wasn't patient enough to wait.

"What is it?" he inquired in an attempt to coax the model, but it seemed he had made the wrong move. Instead of giving him an answer, Kise offered him on of his well-practiced model smiles that Aomine could easily recognize and shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied, getting up to his feet and combing his fingers through his yellow locked, "We should go now. Could you..." Kise averted his eyes, "Walk me to the station?"

If the request ever surprised him – which it of course did – Aomine didn't let it show. With a shrug, he walked past Kise, making sure their shoulders brushed ever so slightly, as sign for the younger one to follow him. Unlike their walk earlier to the park, this walk felt slightly awkward and silent. It was mainly because Kise was the trigger to all of their conversations, and now that the blonde was quiet and too absorbed in his own thoughts, Aomine didn't even dare to open his mouth. He had enough reminders to that mistake; and their break up was one of them. Waiting for Kise to move was easier, safer. He had yearned to see Kise, even years after their breakup, but he never had the guts to make the first move in fear of rejection. After all, it was Kise who called everything off. And finally, after waiting for years, his blonde finally asked for a meet-up. Aomine wasn't going to ruin his second chance at getting in good terms with Kise; the break-up hadn't gone smoothly after all and they never actually got a chance to look for closure.

Aomine was very sure it was pure love, real love, so why did Kise just let it all go to waste? Worst of all, why didn't Aomine do anything about it?

It was noon.

Aomine's parents just left a few minutes ago, and Kise could hear Momoi and Aomine arguing in the kitchen about some misplaced kitchen appliances. These things occurred daily in Aomine's household; Momoi was like a younger sister to him and whenever Aomine's parents left, the pinkette would always be left in charge of keeping the house – and also Aomine – in one piece. Kise sunk into the living room chair, rummaging through his back pack.

Today was a Friday and the teachers had given the students of Kaijou a day off due to the passing of one of the tutors in school, whereas Aomine only had to attend school until eleven on Fridays. The blonde had picked his lover up from school, bag filled with sleepover gear and clean underwear. He never bothered to bring any clothes since he had a few stashed away safely at his boyfriend's place anyway, and he always preferred to wear his lover's clothes to bed anyway.

"Oh shut up, Daichan! Be happy I'm actually making you food before I go home!"

The blonde could hear Momoi protest all the way from the kitchen, and he smiled. It was adorable, Aomine's relationship with her. It goes without mentioning that Kise does sometimes get jealous of his lover's protectiveness over their pink-haired ex-manager, but he does understand that she's as precious as a little sister to him, and that he has a strong urge to protect her because she's a girl. Oh well, as long as Aomine loved him more than anything.

Speak of the devil, Kise smirked to himself, as Aomine showed up into the hall leading to the living room, scratching his head as he yawned. The model couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight; Aomine seemed so childish it was actually cute. Not many people in their right minds would associate the tanned, fierce man as "cute", ofcourse, but that was because none of them actually got to see his soft sides, and Kise was glad he was the only one that could see it.

"Hey," Aomine mumbled, walking straight over to Kise before sitting down to the floor by said blonde's feet, dropping his head into his lover's lap. With a few confused blinks, Kise reached out and buried his fingers into those short dark-blue strands, gently scratching the scalp in an attempt to soothe. Aomine lightly purred and wrapped his arms around the model's waist, burying his face into said blonde's stomach, nuzzling it lovingly. Kise chuckled.

"Well aren't you being clingy," he commented softly, his fingers not stopping its movements, and he could feel soft vibrations coming from Aomine's throat as the older one spoke.

"Mhhn. Sleepy."

Kise snorted, "Haha. Yeah, obviously."

"..."

"..."

"Hey, Ryou."

Kise was slightly taken aback – happily taken aback – at the nickname, since Aomine rarely called him with his given name, much less use it so... affectionately.

"... Mmn?"

"C'mere," and the blunette lazily stood up, moving to the middle of the living room, and flopped right down in front of the TV on the floor. Confused, Kise obediently followed, making himself comfy beside his boyfriend.

"Come on, lie down," Aomine instructed, and the blond did as he was told, lying down on his side to face his lover. The second that he did, the ace turned to face him too, and laid an arm on the model's waist. Kise was face to face with Aomine's broad chest, they were close enough that the taller one could kiss his forehead, and yet far enough so that their bodies weren't touching.

"... Aominecchi...?" Kise mumbled out hesitantly, not sure what this was about. He reached out, splaying his palm on the other's chest, loosely gripping the black fabric that covered what Kise knew to be firm muscles.

"Sleep," was the only thing that the Gemini muttered out, and a few seconds later, Kise could feel fingers running through his hair. The blonde smiled.

"...Okay."

Then, silence filled the air. Kise could hear Aomine's steady breathing, and it calmed him enough to actually make him sleepy as well. Not to mention that his boyfriend was still running his fingers through his hair. It felt nice.

Very nice.

And safe.

And warm.

It was a pleasant change. They could barely see each other nowadays, and even when they did, it was limited to only a few couple of hours, and it was mostly filled with arguments and fights. So, to be able to just... relax, like this, taking a nap together on the most shameless spot possible – Momoi was still cooking in the kitchen, after all, what if she came past and saw them like this? – as if they were still those snot-nosed teenagers in Kiseki no Sedai, without a single care in the world, without having to care about their daily nor relationship problems... Kise wondered when they could–

"... Hey. Ryou," Aomine called sleepily, breaking the blonde's train of thoughts. Kise found that he was sleepy as well, though, and could barely get his mouth to work or to form a coherent word. Oh well.

"Ung?"

"... I love you."

Now that got him awake. Kise held back a laugh.

"... Pfft. Getting emotional?"

"Shut up. Forget it then," Aomine grumbled, and again, the blonde couldn't help but smile affectionately. Adorable. Yet, another word that nobody else would think to associate Aomine Daiki with. Slightly tightening his grip on his lover's red shirt, Kise leaned up a bit and landed a soft kiss on the ace's jaw.

"I love you too. Daicchi."

The walk actually seemed shorter than it should have been – Aomine checked his watch to see that it actually took half an hour for them on foot; but why did it feel as if they had only been walking for ten minutes?

"Well, I guess this is it..." Kise started, standing in front of the station – in front of him – the blonde's fidgeting not lessening the slightest bit from before at the park. The ace wondered what it was that made Kise hesitate to just speak out his mind. He knew that Kise knew that they could read each other like an open by now, no matter how long they've been apart.

"Yeah, guess it is," Aomine curtly agreed, his tone coming out a bit harsher than he had meant it to; he swore he could see his blonde ex-lover flinch a bit.

"Yeah... So... I'll... See you around then...? Some time? Again?" the blonde offered awkwardly, and when he saw that Aomine wasn't going to give much more of a response than his usual grunts or shrugs, Kise smiled sheepishly before turning around, walking a bit more hastily than he should have, towards the ticket booth.

A firm grip around his wrist stopped him from going any further, though.

"Ki – Ryouta," Aomine called, changing half-way to emphasize his seriousness, "Don't leave me hanging like that. What did you want to say?"

Kise froze.

What was he going to say? Yes, ofcourse, Aomine had requested for him to speak up his mind, what he was feeling, thinking, just let it all out, was Aomine's unspoke plea, but... Kise hesitated. Should he really? What if this act of impulse could bring more distance in between the two of them? It was bad enough as it was already; Kise knew that he were the one that had created this mess in the first place.

Why.

Why did they have to do this.

Where was all this rage coming from?

"Oh grow up, Ryou!" Aomine hollered from across the room, "Not everything is about you, damn it!" throwing his arms in the air to emphasize his statement.

Why was Kise being so childish?

Sex was all he asked for nowadays and it pissed Aomine off terribly. Sure, it was making love because they did do it with love. Sure, being able to be touch his boyfriend once every week was a lot more than he could ever ask for, especially with the blonde's tight schedule. But seriously? All sex and no real talk? They both knew that the two of them were neck deep in problems – communication problems being on the top list – and every time they saw each other, all Kise wanted was to fuck. They didn't even have pillow talk afterwards since the model was way too exhausted after all of his work! Not that Aomine minded, it was just that... All of this had made him start to feel seriously insecure.

It felt as if all Kise wanted wasn't Aomine; just his dick. Every time the ace had tried talking to his boyfriend about it, the blonde would just refuse, using fatigue as an excuse. Aomine knew he wasn't the best with words, but they needed to talk seriously, and he couldn't get why Kise was avoiding him so much. It was making Aomine doubt Kise's love, their love, his own love towards the blonde; hell it made him even doubt himself! Let alone thinking whether he loved Kise or not; he wasn't even convinced he deserved the model in the first place! They were completely different from each other; their social status being the easiest difference. Aomine could barely believe it when Kise confessed to him in the first place, thinking that it was too good to be true; and even though they had managed to survive for two years, Aomine still hasn't let go of his insecurities.

Plus the fact that they were both men.

And that nobody besides their close friends knew about their relationship. Hell, not even their parents knew. Aomine was an only child and Kise could lose his job if word got out that he was dating a man. All of these obstacles, these problems the two of them refused to talk about – that Kise refused to discuss – were piling up, and two years were enough to fill the bucket. The blonde's distance and lack of intimacy finally got to the ace.

They started out head over heels for each other, damn it, why were they fighting now?

"Me?! This was never about me!" Kise snapped back, sitting on the bed as he clawed into the pillow resting on his lap.

He didn't want to do this again.

The fights, it hurt. He knows that by the end of the night, the two of them will have accomplished nothing besides hurting each other deeply, both emotionally and physically, and Kise didn't want to go through it again. He knew he was wrong. He knew Aomine hated it when he came back home too late because they couldn't spend time together. He knew that he had been too busy with basketball practice and homework and his cursed job that they could barely even meet after school. He knew he was wrong, he felt guilty, and he didn't know what else to do except show Aomine that he loved him unconditionally by giving him his body.

It was all he could do, anyway.

Talking never got the two of them anywhere. Phone calls had always turned out awkward and would usually end up in an argument. Emails turned awkward, too, with the two of them not knowing what else to talk about except discussing their problems, but they knew that that would lead to arguments as well. Kise was starting to feel very very lonely, but he didn't know what else he should do to get back that old feeling of being loved except making love. It was a win-win solution, wasn't it? Aomine could get his usual fill, and Kise could get that sense of their old love back.

So why, why was Aomine complaining now? Was Kise really not good enough anymore? He didn't what else to do, what else to give! He had devoted most of his little free time he had left for the tanned ace at the expense of his own family; he made sure to always sleep over when Aomine couldn't – and make such ridiculous excuses that his sister got suspicious – or make sure that his mother was having a Ladies Night Out every Saturday night, like right now. Kise did everything to ensure Aomine wouldn't leave him; he was all that the model wanted, needed more than anything in the world. The ace was Kise's world and he feared that Aomine would one day leave him because he was too busy, because he didn't show his love enough, because he wasn't as devoted as Aomine wanted him to be.

"Never?! It's always about you! Every time I try to talk to you you just brush it off, say that you're tired or what ever the fuck else but when it's about sex you're never tired!"

"Is that what this is about?!" Kise spat venomously, nails digging into the soft pillow, "Sex?! For fuck's sake, Daiki! If you're tired of having me in your pants then just say so, damn it!"

Aomine growled, frustrated, and ran a hand through his hair. Figures. Typical Kise, to get so fucking emotional, so damn defensive every single time they start an argument., and then draw illogical conclusions. How did it even come to this? The blunette couldn't even remember what had made him shout in the first place.

"What? What are you talking about! I'm not talking about the sex, I'm talking about you!"

"Me?!"

"Yes. You! You avoid me! All the time! Whether it's here, or at my house, all you do is avoid me every single time I try to have a serious talk with you! You – "

"I'm tired, God damn it! Why can't you get it in that thick skull of yours?! I'm tired enough with school and work and basketball and now you throw this to me too?! All I want is to just spend time with you!"

"And what after that, huh, Ryouta? Are we just gonna leave these problems to pile up and pretend they don't exist? I miss you, damn it! Your body is right here with me but you're mind is fucking La-La Land! I don't get off on fucking zombies!" Aomine snapped, and he regretted his words the minute they left his mouth, but what could he do? Milk has been spilt and all he could do was watch as Kise held back angry tears and fumble to make a comeback.

"Zombie?" Kise scoffed mockingly, getting up from the bed and throwing the pillow on the ground, "Oh, so I'm not a slut anymore, huh? Well tell you what, Aomine Daiki, this zombie has had enough! If you can't fucking appreciate all the shit I do for you then what the fuck am I still here for?!" the model shouted back angrily, hands clenched tightly by his sides.

Aomine growled at that response. Why could Kise think logically for once damn it?!

"Me?! I don't appreciate the things you do? Look who's talking! Do you have any idea how alone I am feeling?! I get that you're busy, but seriously, you can't give me 15 minutes of your time just for a phonecall – "

"Phone calls end up bad and you know it! All we do is fight!"

"You think I like it when we fight?! Do you know how useless I feel now that you never tell me what's going on in your life anymore? I don't even know what's going on in your head anymore! I miss you, Ryouta!"

"I – !"

But Kise had only managed to open his mouth to just lose his voice and have a choked sob replace it instead. What? What else could he say to try and fix this mess? Was proving his point even worth it anymore? Why were they fighting in the first place anyway? It was just about coming home late, and then suddenly it led to mentioning other mistakes they did in the past, and in the end it just... Kise has had his fair share of manly sad tears in their relationship, but he has now had enough.

Their relationship had been so happy, and it was all going downhill now, all these fights and arguments and Kise just couldn't take it anymore. They have been dating for two years now and for the first time ever, Kise finally broke down onto his knees in front of his boyfriend. His hands, quivering from all the emotions racking through his body, came up to cover his tear-stained face. His shoulders were shaking, he felt light-headed and it was getting very difficult to breathe. Kise was crying out from the bottom of his heart, and it showed in the heartbreaking wails he let escape. Not that he could hold it in, anyway.

Kise was crying.

His angel was crying and all Aomine could do was just stand there in shock.

Never, in his whole life, had he ever seen Kise cry like this. Sure, he had witnessed a few crocodile tears or happy tears, Kise might have cried once or twice, but it was never ever as heavy like this. His strong muscular build now suddenly seemed even more fragile than ever, and knowing that he was the cause of those heart wrenching wails and sobs made his stomach sink.

Hesitating, Aomine walked over and reached out, kneeling beside the blonde and taking his lover into a tight embrace. Kise didn't even fight back, he just sobbed there and hugged Aomine back, clinging to him as if he were his lifeline.

They loved each other so much; but why did they fight?

Where did they go wrong?

Aomine was waiting, he wanted to hear what the model wanted to say, and Kise knew it. They stood there in silence, with the shorter one focusing his gaze onto his fancy shoes, counting the sand stuck in between the tiles they were standing on. He didn't know what to say, or how to say it. He had missed Aomine these past few years, and nobody he dated had managed to make him forget about Touou's ex-ace. He already admitted from long ago that breaking up with Aomine was the biggest mistake he had ever made in his life; Kise's "freedom" meant nothing else but missing the blunette, wishing that he had given much more effort. Kise wasn't the only one trying; he now realized that Aomine had given it his all and all Kise did was trample on what they had built for two years that day when he decided to break it off and start anew with someone else.

And all of that he did simply because he didn't want to argue anymore.

How childish could he possible get?

"... Kise?" Aomine urged, and the model took a deep breath.

Here we go.

"I... I missed you. Everything about you. Your tanned skin. That arrogant smile. Your arms around my shoulders. The feel of your hand clasping mine..."

Kise took a breath.

You can do this, Ryouta. Just get it out of your system, you can worry about his reaction later on.

"... Our one-on-ones."

A bittersweet chuckle.

"Our stolen kisses in the open basketball court when we thought nobody was looking. The late-night phone calls when I missed you so much I thought I couldn't stand it... The silly arguments we get ourselves in when we buy food at the convenience store together, haha... Or those crazy times when we thought, fuck it let's just skip school, just so we can spend time together by the river, before I finally had to go for work..."

Kise's voice started to shake.

"Our.. Our fights..."

"..."

Aomine patiently waited.

"I missed them. Everything. Everything about you, and I regret everything I did and said. I'd go back and change all of it if I could, but..."

Kise forced a laugh, forced himself to talk even though the tears were now already slowly spillling.

"Haha. I.. I just want to say that I... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I've missed you, and I... I still..."

"...?"

"I still love you, Aomine Daiki."

"..."

"I'm not asking you to take me back. I just wanted to tell you this face to face. I know that by now, you might have someone else already," it hurt to say the word girlfriend, "but I'm going to wait for you. I'm glad you made time to see me today. It was... very nice to be able to talk to you again..."

"..."

Was Aomine just going to stand there, watching him? Of course he is, Ryouta. What else would you expect, suddenly coming up to him like this? Yeah. Point taken, conscience. Maybe it was time for Kise to really leave now. Straightening up, Kise sniffled, wiped away his stray tears and flashed his automatic camera-smile. A smile had always been Kise's number one defense against disappointment, and this time was no different.

"Well, thank you again. And bye!"

And with that, the blonde turned around, leaving the blunette standing there, still not properly digesting the confession his ex had just made. When Aomine had come to his senses, Kise had already purchased his ticket, and was on the way to the platforms.

Aomine dashed inside.

"Kise! Kise wait!'

The ace's strong, deep voice echoed through the station, turning most of the crowd's attention to the two celebrities. Kise ignored all of the stares, though. All that mattered now was that Aomine had actually stopped him, called out to him – what was he going to say?

"...Hai, Aominecchi?"

If Aomine said he didn't notice the hope in the tone of Kise's voice or eyes, it'd be a total, blunt out lie. And he'd be lying if he didn't feel that same hope inside him, too. Being single for years and not being able to hold a stable relationship with anyone else for longer than six months had to be a sign, right? There was nothing that Aomine wanted more than giving their relationship a second chance, and now here it was being served to him upon a silver platter. But the ace knew the risks. What were the chances they wouldn't repeat the same mistakes? Sure, they've matured, but that couldn't guarantee much, now, could it?

"... I'm sorry."

Kise blinked.

"Eh..?"

"I'm sorry, Kise," Aomine repeated, scratching the back of his head, standing awkwardly in front of his ex lover, "But I can't... We can't just pick up where we just left off, if that's what you're implying."

Ah. I knew it.

"Oh..."

Kise tried his best to smile.

"Oh, well that's okay. I mean, I – "

"I'm not done yet."

Eh?

"... Okay...?"

"There's.. Too much has happened over the past few years. You and I both also know that we've both changed. We can't... We can't just continue on where we left off just like that. We were kids back then."

And Aomine couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face as he watched Kise's eyes light up with more hope, and – was that joy he saw?

"You want to start over?" Kise offered hopefully, chewing on his lip nervously, a genuine, shy smile gracing his porcelain face. Aomine couldn't make out which made him happier; to be able to make Kise smile again or to be able to make a fresh start with the person he loved most.

"... Yeah," he nodded.

Kise stuck out in his hand, a wide smile on his face.

"Hajimemashite! I'm Kise Ryouta, model and entertainer!"

Aomine chuckled and took the hand presented to him in a firm handshake.

"Aomine Daiki, basketball player. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"

Author's Note:

Kill me now.

The fuck did I write.

R&R please :D