(A/N: So this story - Mercurial - was really, really meant to be a oneshot. But then... then bunnies appeared. Oh well... I just can't seem to get over this AU so I thought, "heck I'll properly end it" and then perhaps the bunnies will disappear. Please do let me know if you think it is better as a oneshot. If it is so, I will gladly go on a bunny hunt. Or perhaps try to move those bunnies to somewhere else?)


"There is something definitely fishy about him. I am telling you, he always goes out by himself during lunch break if we are at the station. He never eats with me anymore!"

"Perhaps he is just sick of eating burgers."

"I – I don't eat burgers all the time."

"When was the last time you had something other than burgers in the last month?"

"Ah... um..."

"Exactly my point."

"But Dai-chan likes burgers too... you know."

"True but burgers every day might be too much even for Aomine-kun."

"Hmm well true."

"Stop agreeing about it! And this is not about me or my eating habits! This is about just how weird Aomine has been for the last two months!"

"I don't know, sure I realised he has become happier, more energetic perhaps? But not necessarily 'weird'."

"You only see him once every two weeks or so Tetsu-kun. While I would not exaggerate as Kagami-kun does, Dai-chan has been a little weird... I mean, we used to have dinner together at least three times a week. Now he is either not at home till very late or he collapses to bed when he comes. I send him a message and he only replies the next morning talking about how tired he had been and just fell asleep right away..."

"Yeah. He often complains about sore muscles at work as well. It is crazy."

"Hmm... Not having time for you guys, being tired but happy and energetic? Perhaps he has a girlfriend?"

Kagami gasped in horror,

"Impossible!"

"Hmm... Tetsu-kun might have a point."

"Don't agree with him Momoi! How is that possible? Who would go out with that prick?!"

"Are you perhaps jealous due a hypothetical girlfriend, Kagami-kun?"

"What?! Why would I be?"

"I don't know, you tell me?"

"I – I... He – he is not... I - I would never... Damn, stop talking weird shit. I am his colleague! So I am just concerned because I literally leave my safety and life in his hands every day. And... you know... I would never... I mean you are the only..."

A completely flushed face and awkward stuttering simply looked lovely on Kagami's face and Kuroko smiled, Momoi did as well, rather bittersweet though; sure, her infatuation with Kuroko was long gone by now at a deep level but it still felt strange to watch the two like this...

"I know Kagami-kun. I was just teasing you."

"Argh! Don't do that..."

"Are you two finished with your flirting?"

"Hey we are not flirting! Damn... Whatever. Look this thing with Aomine is serious."

"I am not sure why you two are so concerned. He seems happy and good. Perhaps there is a reason but so what."

"He wears cologne! Kuroko, I am telling you, Aomine started wearing cologne! He sometimes even plays with his hair before he goes out. Goddamn it, he even has male fashion magazines amongst his gravure archive in his drawer. I saw them!"

"Actually the other night when I went to his place to grab something I also saw a large number of shopping bags... It seems he went shopping and bought many clothes for himself. I mean sure he is not like... say Kagami-kun, he does dress decently, but still he never goes to shopping by himself and whenever he buys something, it is either a single t-shirt or pair of pants at a time, never so many things..."

"What you do mean he is not like me and that he dresses decently? I dress decently too!"

"Only if you call wearing the same black t-shirt and baggy pants every day as 'decent'."

Kuroko drooped his eyes as if lamenting,

"He has only one t-shirt that is not black and he has six of those same pair of baggy pants. It is despairing."

"What?! Despairing? I just – I just like... to be comfortable."

"Aomine's style is quite comfortable and laid back but at least he tries you know..."

Momoi's eyes were judging and so were Kuroko's, Kagami shook his head in disbelief,

"Please. Why is it again about me?! I am not the subject matter here. Aomine is. And I am telling you he is being weird. For God's sake he sometimes comes from his lunch break... um... all sweaty and he... even takes a shower."

"Oh..."

"Definitely a girlfriend then." Momoi commented with insight, sipping from her vanilla latte.

"Or a boyfriend."

"Hmm... You think so, Tetsu-kun?"

"Why not?"

"Well it is probable I guess."

Kagami's face flared up then again,

"What – What do you mean 'a boyfriend'?"

"Oh... You didn't know?"

"Dai-chan never told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Well he is bisexual."

"More like bicurious, I think he never dated or slept with any guy except those few times during high school..."

"Not like he dated many women either though."

"Hah, you are right I guess."

"Are you telling me that my partner has been bisexual and I never knew about it?!"

"Seems so."

"Pretty much."

"I cannot believe this! I cannot!"

"Why are you so flustered? You are gay."

The comment seemed to make Kagami blush even a darker shade of red and it was quite a sight,

"Kuroko! Ugh... It is just... I mean he talks about breasts and everything and he makes these godawful obscene jokes..."

"Well, he is bisexual..."

"I actually have a theory that since he is what society deems to be the 'perfect manly man', to alleviate for the possible emasculation that might be imposed on him due to his sexual orientation, he specifically emphasises his love of female form."

"What?"

Kagami was more confused then surprised at this, Momoi sighed, Kuroko smiled,

"What I mean is: he is trying to hide just how much he craves men by always talking about breasts."

"It is childish, really." Momoi added, Kagami pondered then...

It kind of made sense.

.

.

.

.

"That was awesome..." Kise lied on his back, barely breathing, obviously every drop of energy drained from his body. Aomine smirked at the sight as he himself sat down near the blond,

"Awesome? You lost."

Kise pouted and turned to Aomine,

"So what?! I have been playing for less than two months. It is normal that I lose to you. But I will win. Eventually."

"Sure, you will win, if I lose an arm or a leg or something..."

"Argh, you are so arrogant! But you will see. One day I will wipe the floor with you."

Aomine laughed at that which only increased Kise's pout. A few seconds of silence passed comfortably, both much at ease in each other's company. Then Kise's pout resolved as easily as it had appeared and he wandered his gaze over Aomine's body,

"Hmm... You are wearing the t-shirt we bought the other day?"

"Uh yeah, all others were in laundry. I better do some housework one of these days. My house is like a battlefield."

It was a lie. Not the latter part, that – that was definitely true. The part of all others being in laundry was definitely a lie though. Aomine had just been trying to look... good. And he knew why too. The thought brought little butterflies of anxiety to his stomach, which he both hated and loved.

"I am sure it is... I cannot imagine you doing housework. Well, I am glad you liked the clothes. They were pretty much your style but just a tad bit different too... I was unsure if I was imposing something you did not like on you so..."

"I hate doing housework but when I actually start I am very efficient and good at it. I guess I am naturally good at everything huh? Plus, really, no worries. I would say so if I did not like things we chose and I did a few times too... I cannot even imagine myself in that crazy bright green scarf you tried to buy for me. All in all it was funny though, I was scared it would take long but we finished pretty quick. I hate long shopping sprees..."

"'Naturally good at everything'? You sure are naturally good at having a huge ego, sir. And, that was not 'crazy bright green', that was 'lime green'. It would have looked pretty good too but alas to each his own! And, I do know when to shop for long hours and when to shop quickly, it isn't hard to see that you don't like spending so much time shopping."

"Satsuki loves though! And she drags me into it as well..."

"Oh so you do go on long shopping sprees..."

"Yeah! It sucks."

"Why don't you just reject her?"

"Ah, I just can never say no to her somehow..."

"Well you did say she was your best friend..."

Kise's gaze had lifted up to the sky now and he looked dazed, in thoughts and his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and Aomine thought for a second; he was not the most adept in the game of wooing but he just wanted to ensure he had set the basics clearly:

"More than that actually..."

"Oh..."

Ah... Kise's lips tightened into a line then. Could Aomine interpret this as something?

"She is more like a sister to me. I could not feel any more brotherly towards her if she was my real flesh and blood sister, I believe."

"Oh..."

Had he rectified the situation? Had there been a situation in reality? Aomine was really not skilled at these things. A few seconds of silence, not so comfortable now and Kise shot up,

"Let's play one more round."

"Are you out of your mind? You almost collapsed before."

"Nah, I am good! I am all energised! Come on!"

"Don't be stupid. It is cold too. It is still February."

"Aaoominecchiii... Please..."

"Stop begging me. It won't change a thing. I can't. You know what day it is."

"What?"

"It is Friday. I have the game with Kagami and Kuroko tomorrow morning, like every week. I cannot spend all my energy tonight."

"Oh and here you were talking about how undefeatable you were..."

"Oh I will defeat them tomorrow regardless, I just don't want to do it in a lame fashion, out of breath and all..."

"Sure, sure."

"Well you can say anything you like but no."

"You are so mean..."

"I am so generous that I not only taught you how to play ball but am actually enduring your miserably weakass play every week too many times."

"My play is not weakass or miserable! You yourself said that I was improving at a speed you've never seen before!"

Kise was pouting again as Aomine had gotten up and packing his bag,

"Yeah well, you are improving fast. It does not mean you have improved to a degree where your play is worth my time."

Kise did not debunk that so Aomine turned and was surprised at the genuine haze of self-doubt that clouded Kise's face. He felt guilty.

Great...

Aomine sighed and packed Kise's bag as well – not that there was much to pack – and motioned towards him, offering his bag,

"But... since you are such an eager student and I am such a greathearted teacher, I will buy you a drink. For motivation. You know."

Kise sighed and took his bag, not saying anything but following Aomine's footsteps as they walked to the exit of the court and then of the sports complex where they regularly played basketball. It was close and convenient to both their homes and the police station where Aomine worked so they sometimes even played one-on-one during Aomine's lunch break.

The first one to break the silence on their way to the classy but not so uppity bar they frequented now and then was Aomine as the guilt had taken over his guts and he felt the need to say something to lift the obvious defeat that surrounded the blond,

"You are... quite good you know. I truly have never seen anybody who played so good in such little time. Plus... it is like magic but you are actually able to copy my moves. So quickly too."

He was trying but praising others had never been his forte, he truly was a vain man and praised himself the most.

A tiny smile crept back to Kise's face regardless,

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean even Kagami... He knew basketball from before and he still had grown in a slower pace than you. And uh... He did beat me a few times during high school, well not just him, on one-on-ones he can particularly suck, with Kuroko he is pretty formidable though."

"You play with them every week too..."

"Yeah, it is fun. We also have a game once every two months with more of our rivals and friends from high school and middle school."

"But you mostly talk about Kagami... and Kuroko."

"Obviously. I mean they are my closest buddies. At least Kuroko is. Kagami is... just Kagami. He is my partner too at work so..."

"And you had once said that you had a bout of angst late middle school and for some time did not even enjoy basketball and it actually took a defeat to make you like it again... Was it Kagami? The one who beat you then?"

"Yeah. Well, him and Kuroko as I said..."

"I see..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

For the rest of the four hundred metres that they walked the time passed without either saying anything and Aomine started worrying whether he had said anything problematic again. Just when they were about to enter the bar, Kise mumbled in a silent tone,

"You know... If I knew you back then. I would train harder than anybody and I would be the one to beat you. I would definitely defeat you."

The statement gave a peculiar pleasure to Aomine that he could not properly define, not that he cared much to define, he simply smirked and Kise also donned his signature bubbly smile the moment they were in the bar. Then he almost skipped to the counter and hopped on a stool.

"A Persimmon Martini. And he's paying."