So yeah, I was inspired to write another AoKise Fic, somehow. I tried to write it so that it is as canon as possible, though. The story is set inbetween Aomine losing to Seirin in the Winter Cup and Kise beating Haizaki in the quarter finals. It's intended as slight AoKise fluff, but well... I'm not really sure what to think of this. I also thought about writing a sequel which would be set reight after Kaijou's defeat against Seirin. So, tell me what you think!
Reviews are, as always, highly appreciated!
The story is dedicated to a friend of mine who just had a week full of exams. So I hope she can relax a little while reading.
Pictures of You
Lost in thought, Aomine Daiki flopped down on his bed with a sigh and stared at the ceiling. Aside from helping Tetsu practice his Phantom Shot, he hadn't really done anything else since last Thursday. The day he was beaten. Beaten by the very boy, he was now teaching and his new light, Kagami Taiga. Aomine felt something tug at his heart. Truth be told, he hadn't thought there would ever be a player that cooperated with Tetsu as well as he did. And, frankly, he was a little jealous of that. Not that he would admit that to anyone, though. Everyone, even Satsuki, thought he couldn't care less that Tetsu had chosen someone else to be his light. He was just that good of an actor sometimes. But he couldn't really blame the boy. Thinking back, Aomine had been an ass during Inter High and even before that, when they were still in Middle School, playing basketball together, had he turned his back on Tetsu once he began thinking there was noone good enough to beat him.
The only one who can beat me, is me.
He gave a soft snort. Well, three days ago, Tetsu and Kagami had made him eat his words from back then. And in all honesty, he was a little glad for that. Basketball slowly started to become fun again. Kagami had proven to be someone possessing the potential to become an equal rival to himself and he couldn't wait to face him once more.
Then again, there was someone else that had been quite a challenge for Aomine. And that someone, too, had managed to beat him. Not in the whole match, though, but he had beaten him nonetheless. Kise Ryouta, the bubbly and bright small forward of the Generation of Miracles, he realized with a start, had beaten him during Inter High. He laughed a little to himself, remembering how the blonde had always insisted, that someday, I'm going to beat Aominecchi during their middle school days. He'd challenged him to 1-on-1 every day after practice, losing every time but still, never giving up trying. Aomine, even though he had never shown it, had admired Kise for his endurance. He wasn't sure if he'd had the confidence to challenge someone day after day without winning at least once.
When he had faced the blonde during Inter High, he had once again been blown off guard by Kise's determination. He still remembered the intensity of his clear gaze, filled with the resolution to win at all costs. But he'd also seen something else in those amber eyes. Something that hadn't been there after they had won their three consecutive championships as the Generation of Miracles. During their time at Teikou, all of them had more or less relied only on themselves, their own innate abilities. But the Kise Aomine had faced at Inter High, while still very much confident of his skills, had also placed heavy trust in his teammates. And Aomine had seen that in his eyes at that time. Kise hadn't craved victory for himself – he had wanted to win for his team. With his team. The tanned male had sometimes wondered what had brought this about, but never found a satisfying answer. Until now, that is. Kise was the first of their old middle school team to know the feeling of losing but now Aomine, too, just like the blonde before him, had suffered defeat at the hands of Seirin. Or, to be more precise, at the hands of Kuroko Tetsuya, the weakest member of the Generation of Miracles by a long-shot. The only one that needed to rely on others for his style of basketball to work, had beaten them.
Ever since he had lost to Seirin, Aomine had been thinking back to his Teikou days more and more. He began to see the way he had changed, the way all of them had changed. All of them, but Tetsu. He couldn't even begin to imagine what the boy must have felt like then. Maybe, a small part of him thought, that was one of the reasons he was now teaching him. To, in a way, compensate for what he had done back then. That, and it had felt really good to spend time with Tetsu again after all those years. Aomine heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he kind of missed his old team. Well, Akashi and Midorima maybe not so much, and he could really care less about Murasakibara, but Kise and Tetsu? He really missed them. Missed the times they went to the convenience store to get some ice cream, the times Kise would challenge him to a 1-on-1 while Tetsu would sit at the sidelines, silently sipping at his vanilla milkshake.
Suddenly, images of the blonde's bright smiling face entered his mind uninvitedly and Aomine groaned in frustration. He'd been doing nothing but lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about all those things for the last three nights and every night, sooner or later, at some point, most of his thoughts contained the annoying model in some way or another. The way he pouted when Aomine made him pay for their ice cream once again. The way he eagerly ran up to him to challenge him time after time. The way he smiled when Aomine agreed. The way he sat on the floor of the gym, panting heavily when he had once again lost to the taller male. The way he had proudly waved his first ever photobook in front of their faces, a smile so bright it hurt, lighting up his features.
Aomine groaned, rolled over and blindly fished for the cardboard box beneath his bed which contained most of his Horikita Mai photobooks and some other things he didn't want anyone, his mother in particular, to see and pulled out one thing after another, tossing everything he didn't need across the room. He'd clean up later. Right now, he just wanted to get his hands on this one book. When his eyes fell on the cover he'd been searching for, he laid down on his back again and started flipping through it, staring contentedly at the various versions of Kise's face smiling at him from across the pages.
.
.
„Kurokocchi! Aominecchi! Look, look!" Kise exclaimed joyfully when he stormed into their classroom during lunch break. Aomine opened one lazy eye at the bubbly blonde and raised his head up from his desk.
„Kise. What is it?" The power forward asked. Kise proceeded to wave something awfully bright and colored into Aomine's face, all the while smiling like there was no tomorrow and literally jumping up and down in excitement.
„My first ever photobook was released today! Here, take a look!" With that, he shoved the thing in Aomine's face, amber eyes sparkling down at him.
„Congratulations, Kise-kun", came Kuroko's short, monotone comment, making Kise turn his head and skip over to the small boy.
„Awww~ thanks a lot, Kurokocchi! You know, it was so much fun! All those people there on the set! It was great! And everyone was just so nice. Especially the make-up artist."
„That's great, Kise-kun."
„It is, isn't it? You want to take a look? Those pictures are really good!"
„No, thank you, Kise-kun."
„E-eehh? Kurokocchiiii~!"
„You wore make-up?"
Aomine, who had been taking a curious peek at the various pictures, turned around and threw Kise, eyebrow raised slightly, a questioning look. The blonde laughed and scratched the back of his head.
„Yeah, well, of course I did. It's just some powder, though. Just so that my skin's not too shiny."
„Huh~ you sure, you're not a girl?" Aomine smirked up at the blonde.
„E-Eh?"
Aomine raised up from his seat and went over to Kise who still looked a little taken aback by the other's silly question. But when Aomine bluntly put a hand on his chest, he felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment.
„No. Definitely not a girl." Aomine stated matter-of-factly.
Kise immediately pushed Aomine's hand away, snatched his photobook from the taller male's desk and glared at him accusingly. With his face still flushing beet-red, it wasn't really all that effective, though.
„O-Of course, I'm NOT a girl, Aominecchi~! So mean!" With that, he scurried out the room, all the while muttering to himself about how stupid Ahomine was.
Aomine sat down at his desk again, grinning to himself. Lunch break usually was boring the hell out of him but today at least, he'd gotten some entertainment. A flustered Kise was always worth a laugh or two. He yawned and took a glance at Kuroko, who was quietly munching on his sandwich, before resting his head on his arms again.
„Wake me once break's over, will you?"
„Yes, Aomine-kun."
.
.
After practice Kise had, as always, challenged Aomine to 1-on-1 and the tanned male had, of course, agreed. Kuroko was sitting at the sidelines of the gym, silently watching the two go at it. It was already dark outside when they stopped, panting heavily from exhaustion, and went to the locker room to change.
„Wait for us at the front-gate, Tetsu."
„Yes."
Kise had started babbling about how he would beat Aomine next time, the moment they entered the locker room. The blue-haired teen didn't really listen anymore, because it was the same every day, anyway. He was used to it. While they were changing, he noticed Kise's photobook sticking out of the blonde's bag, and an idea formed in his mind. Quickly, he pulled on the white cardigan of his school uniform and grabbed the book before Kise could do so much as blink.
„E-eh? O-oi~ Aominecchi! Give that back!"
„But I didn't get a good look at it during lunch break."
„That's because you were half asleep, so it's your fault! Now give me that!"
Kise extended his hand and tried to get a hold of his book, but Aomine held it high above his head, just out of reach for the smaller male. When the blonde tried jumping up and down, the blue-haired male held him at an arms length with his other hand, an amused smirk gracing his features.
„Aominecchi~!", Kise cried out in frustration and gave a small pout.
Aomine chuckled and looked at the blonde. Teasing him was just so much fun. He should really do that more often. He didn't know what it was about him that made him that much more fun to tease than others, but he knew, that he wouldn't stop any time soon. Somehow, he was really glad he had accidentally hit Kise with that basketball a few weeks back. Who knew if he had joined the basketball club otherwise.
„Tell you what, you'll get that back, once you beat me 1-on-1. Think of it as a little... encouragement."
„Eh? Encouragement?" Kise looked at him sceptically before his eyes flashed with determination. „You're on, Aominecchi! I'll have that book back by the end of the week, you'll see!"
Aomine chuckled again.
„I'd like to see you try, Kise."
.
.
The next morning, after hastily cleaning his room, so she wouldn't see all of his precious photobooks, Satsuki came to drag him off to watch the Winter Cup. Aomine barely managed to take his bag with him when the small girl had yanked at his arm and told him to move it 'cause we're late already.
It's not as if he wouldn't have gone to watch, anyway. But he liked to do things at his own pace and didn't care whether he was late or not. Satsuki didn't share his opinion, apparently, always reprimanding him when he took his time. When they arrived, Seirin was already far behind Yosen, a score of 18 – 0 flashing on the screen. Nevertheless, Seirin managed to win and Aomine was just a little proud of his former shadow. But just a little. They were still on different teams, still rivals, though. He went to get something to drink with Satsuki during the break between the two matches, when she told him, that Kise would be facing Haizaki Shougo in the next match. Aomine felt his stomach drop at the mention of the violent boy. Haizaki was someone, neither of the Generation of Miracles got along with particularly well, but they had managed somehow. Until Kise had joined the basketball club, that is.
Aomine was pretty damn sure, Haizaki still blamed Kise for having to quit the team and the thought of those two facing each other on the court, left him with an uneasy gut feeling. He wouldn't put it past Haizaki to pull some dangerous stunts on the small forward. He felt himself becoming pretty worried for the blonde. While Aomine was quite confident that Kise had the ability to win against Haizaki, he didn't want to think about what Haizaki might do after the game once he'd have lost. That's why he pulled out his phone, fingers practically flying across the keys.
Meet me in front of the hallway to the locker rooms after the match. Immediately. Gotta talk to you. -Aomine
Aomine watched the game between Haizaki and Kise anxiously. He knew, what Haizaki was capable of and he knew the guy wouldn't hesitate to use unfair methods. Then, Kise suprised everyone, even Aomine himself, with his „Perfect Copy" and for a second, the tanned male forgot about Haizaki. His tenseness changed into pure excitement upon seeing Kise copy each and every move of the Generation of Miracles. He wanted to face Kise in that state. It would be like taking on all of them at once. And for the first time in his life, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to win at all and that thought alone lit a fire inside him, he hadn't known was still there. Where Tetsu and Kagami had managed to light a spark, Kise was now turning that into a bright raging flame.
This flame turned to ice, however, the second he saw Haizaki purposely stepping on Kise's foot, trying to injure the blonde in any way possible. Aomine took in a sharp breath, his fingers clenching around the rail in front of him. That son of a bitch. Aomine wanted to rip off Haizaki's head right then and there for doing that to Kise. Satsuki threw him a wary look but was smart enough not to say anything to him. He was glad for that. He would have probably yelled at her out of frustration. He justknew Haizaki would do something like that and he couldn't bear not being able to do anything about it. Right now, he wished he was standing on the court together with the blonde. That way, he'd be able to protect him, at least. Thankfully, Kise seemed to be as aggravated as Aomine was and the latter let out a small sigh of relief, when Kise made the final dunk, winning the match. He watched the members of the Kaijou Basketball Club flock around the blonde, ruffling his hair and clapping his shoulder. And he watched Kise laugh and smile brightly with his team mates, celebrating their victory. He sighed, closed his eyes and turned on his heel.
„Go back without me, Satsuki."
„What...? Dai-chan?", Satsuki called after him, but he didn't listen.
Aomine made his way towards where he was supposed to meet with the blonde, not sure if he would show up at all, since he hadn't received an answer. Leaning his back against the wall, he closed his eyes and waited. A few minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching him and when he opened his eyes, he could see Kise jogging down the corridor towards him.
„Aominecchi! You came to watch?!"
„Satsuki forced me to", he replied dryly. Kise chuckled and came to a stop in front of him.
„Figures. Anyway, I'm glad you watched." And there it was again, Kise's bright heartwarming smile. For a moment, Aomine didn't know what to say, before he cleared his throat and looked at the blonde with a frown.
„Your leg?"
„E-eh? Oh, that. It's nothing really. I'm fine. Shougo-kun was playing unfair but in the end it got him nowhere. I just hope he'll leave everyone alone now."
Kise grinned at him, but Aomine raised an eyebrow sceptically. He wasn't so sure about Haizaki leaving quietly, but he wouldn't tell the blonde that. He looked at Kise warily and noticed him squirm under his gaze. At that moment, he knew Kise's leg was far from being fine, but, he decided, he would't say a thing. Kise didn't need Aomine to tell him what to do, after all. After a moment of silence, the blonde scratched the back of his head and grinned.
„A-anyway... what did you want from me, Aominecchi? Calling me out so suddenly. That's not like you."
Aomine scrutinized the other a moment longer before heaving a small sigh and pulling something out from his bag. A book, Kise noticed. He couldn't see what kind of book, though, but then Aomine flung it at him with a casual flick of the wrist. Kise was so startled, he nearly dropped the thing before glancing at the taller male questioningly.
„E-eh? What...?"
„Just wanted to return that to you. Should've done so after our match during Inter High but I forgot, so, my bad. Anyway, congrats on winning. See you."
Kise looked down at what Aomine had just thrown at him and was suprised to see his own face smiling up at him from the cover. It was his photobook. His very first, to be exact. The one Aomine had snatched away from him and promised to return once Kise beat him. He then looked up and saw Aomine turn around to leave. Immediately, he reached out and grabbed the other's sleeve, effectively stopping him.
„W-wait a sec. This is... You said, you'd return it to me, once I beat you, but... I never did, so... why return it now?"
Aomine turned around again and threw him an amused smirk.
„Correction: I said, I'd return it to you once you beat me 1-on-1. You might not have beaten me in the match, but you certainly did 1-on-1, remember?"
Kise looked at his photobook with big round eyes. To say he was suprised Aomine remembered the promise he made all this time ago, was an understatement. Even he, himself, had mostly forgotten about it. Pressing the book to his chest, he glanced up at the tanned male.
„A-aominecchi..."
The blue-haired teen scrunched up his eyebrows when he saw Kise's expression.
„Don't you go sentimental on me, now, Kise. Just take it, and return to your team."
„But-"
„No. Take it. I said I'd return it once you beat me. You did, and now I give it back to you. End of story. I'll see you around."
With that Aomine turned on his heel and started walking away. It took all of his self-control not to rush out of the hall. He didn't want Kise to worry over him, after all. But he just couldn't stand the look Kise had been giving him. So full of unshrouded adoration and amazement, it made his knees go weak. He really didn't deserve it. He'd been a total jerk towards everyone, especially Tetsu and Kise and that's why the blonde shouldn't look at him this way, damn it. He'd manage to distance himself from the model a little, when he heard him call out to him.
„Aominecchi~! Let's play 1-on-1 together again, soon, okay?"
He could literally hear Kise's bright smile in his voice and, because he didn't trust his own right now, raised a hand in acknowledgement. When he stepped outside into the cold winter air, he stopped, closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to clear his head. He still had something to do after all. A short distance away, he could see Haizaki lurking around the players' entrance, obviously waiting for someone. Aomine had a feeling he knew exactly who that someone was and what Haizaki had planned for him. But the blue-haired male wouldn't have that. Nobody laid a hand on Kise, if he had anything to say about it. Cracking his knuckles slightly, he made his was over to the dark-haired youth. Aomine wasn't exactly fond of violence, but if that was what it took to save the blonde from getting into a dangerous fight with Haizaki, then he would damn well throw his principles out the window. With eyes narrowed in the best don't-you-dare-fuck-with-me-expression he could muster, he approached his ex-teammate.
„If you're thinking of taking revenge on Kise, give up."
.
.
Back inside the hall, Kise had watched Aomine leave until he was out of sight, his smile never leaving his face. He couldn't say what made him happier, right now: having won the match and, thus, being able to face Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi in an official match, or Aominecchi – more or less – agreeing to play him 1-on-1 again. He felt hot tears prick at his eyes and butterflies flurry around in his stomach. Until now, he hadn't realized just how much he had missed the blue-haired male. Granted, he didn't know if Aomine felt even remotely the same or if he just happened to come across the photobook while sorting through his belongings, but the fact, that he had remembered the promise he'd made in Teikou's locker room back then, just had to mean something, right?
He wiped the happy tears, that threatened to fall from his eyes, away with the sleeve of his jacket when his gaze fell upon his photobook and he noticed something suspicious. Taking a closer look at it, he noticed just how worn out the book was. The pages were crumpled and dog-eared, some of them had already fallen out of the binding. They had been carefully placed back and attached with some tape, though. All in all, it looked as if someone had looked through the pictures on a regular basis, but who would...?
Kise looked up to where Aomine had been standing only minutes before, disbelief written clearly over his face. He couldn't have. He just couldn't have been the one to... but who else could have been, really? He pressed the photobook against his chest firmly, holding onto it like it was the most precious thing he ever owned.
„Aominecchi..."
~The End~