Aomine showed up to the dilapidated third gym just five minutes after 5pm, pushing a computer chair in front of him.
"Good, you're here on time, Sato," said Aomine, walking into the gym. "Now, I couldn't find a wheelchair for myself, but I think this'll work just fine." He pushed the chair so it was next to Ren's wheelchair, and sat down on it. Taking the ball from Ren, he threw it towards the basket, and it went in flawlessly, without a hitch.
Ren stared at Aomine, eyes wide. "Wow, you really are amazing! You play wheelchair basketball better than me, and I'm the one in a wheelchair!" he said, laughing good-naturedly.
"Hey, I don't get something. How can you joke about it like that? Doesn't it depress you? I mean, you used to play basketball before, right? How…can you stand it? I don't know what I would do if that happened to me," Aomine said suddenly, turning his chair to face Ren.
"Hmm…well, it is depressing, I suppose," Ren said after a while. "I was a second string player on my team in middle school, so I never got to play in an official match. I figured I'd work hard and becoming a starting member in high school, but then this happened in my last year of middle school. After I regained consciousness…well…never mind that, now. There's no point in being depressed about something you can't control, you know? You might as well make the best of the situation."
Ren shifted his gaze towards the basket, and attempted a shot, but the ball bounced off the rim. "Even if I can never stand on the court again, practice with a team again, play in an official match for the first time…basketball is still fun. That doesn't change."
And it was at that moment where Aomine decided he would train Ren until 100% of his shots made it through the basket.
Days turned into weeks, turned into almost two months. Aomine and Ren met on nearly every day of those two months and practiced for hours upon hours, until unknowingly almost, a strong friendship developed between them.
"Yo, Ren!" Aomine greeted, stepping into the gym.
Ren turned around, wheeling himself towards Aomine, a huge grin on his face. "Daiki!"
Aomine clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Listen, I can only stay a couple of hours today. Satsuki's making me go shopping with her," he said, pulling a face.
"Shopping…like a date?" Ren asked, cocking his head to the side.
"With Satsuki? Never," Aomine said, laughing "Hey, would you like to come? It'll make it a lot less boring."
Ren's face lit up. "I'd love that!"
Aomine grinned back. "Actually, let's skip practice today. We can grab some food and hang out before meeting up with Satsuki." He walked behind Ren, grabbing the handles of his wheelchair.
"I can wheel myself, Daiki. You don't have to do that," Ren protested.
He shrugged. "I want to. This way we can talk easier while we walk, and you can give your poor arms a rest. I mean, the rest of you is so skinny but you've got killer biceps from wheeling yourself around all the time," Aomine pointed out, laughing.
"Well, if you want to then. I won't stop you," Ren said, smiling to himself. He was glad Aomine was standing behind him, so he couldn't see the light blush appearing on his pale cheeks.
"Why are you so skinny though?" Aomine asked, once the two were on the street. "I mean, don't people get fat when they just sit around?"
Ren laughed. "It's hard to work up an appetite when you're not moving around you know. So I just eat the bare minimum. Although I have been eating more ever since we started practicing together."
"You're a growing boy! You need to eat well," Aomine chided. "Doesn't your mother make you eat a lot?"
"I live alone," he said simply.
Aomine stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "You're shitting me. What the fuck? Where are your parents?"
"I…another time, Daiki. Not right now."
Aomine sighed softly, wheeling Ren over to the side so they wouldn't obstruct anyone's path. He crouched down in front of the wheelchair, facing his friend. "Hey, we're friends right? So just tell me now, and get it off of your chest, okay?"
Ren looked at Aomine for a few moments before sighing. "Alright. Before my accident, my parents had secured jobs with National Geographic, and as a whole family we were going to be moving around and seeing the world, you know? And after, well…I mean, they had just landed their dream jobs. They couldn't just drag me around, right? It would just bother everyone. So when my parents asked me if I'd be okay alone, I told them I would. And so my parents left, taking my siblings with them, of course." His voice was monotone by the time he finished the story, devoid of any emotion.
Aomine stood up silently and took the handles of Ren's wheelchair again. "You're having dinner at my house every day from now on, okay? My parents are away on business trips sometimes, but I can cook, too. And you can sleep over whenever you want. Actually, I'd like it if you slept over."
"Daiki…"
"I'm not taking pity on you, if that's what you think. I've wanted to ask you to come over a bunch of times, but I didn't 'cause I thought your parents would be super strict about you going over to peoples' houses and stuff. But now that you live alone, that isn't a problem. So after practice tomorrow, we're going to my house for dinner," Aomine said with an air of finality.
Ren laughed softly, glad again that Aomine was behind him, because his cheeks were really, really red now. "Thanks, Daiki. I'd love that."
Aomine was flustered for a moment, hearing the word love and his first name uttered together by the younger boy. "G-Good," he stammered, his cheeks turning just a shade pinker, glad Ren's back was to him.
Eep, I'm having way too much fun writing an Aomine-centric fic. So much fun that I'm probably going to be updating daily, or maybe two chapters a day, idk. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I would greatly appreciate any reviews, criticisms, etc. Thanks a bunch! - sarah
