Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Part Of Your World
Chapter 4
"Hey, Momoi! You still here?" Aomine called as he walked through his apartment door. He was greeted by silence, which he was more than used to those days, meaning the pinkette was long gone. He sighed in relief, dropping his sports bag at his feet before going about removing his shirt. His muscles ached, his taunt skin was cool from all the sweat he'd collected. His short tresses shifted about his head, settling back into place, before he realized he wasn't alone.
Standing no more than a few feet away from him was O'Mara, and for a moment time around him seemed to stand still. The gentle sway of the silk of her skirt as she stilled under his powerful, scrutinizing gaze. Her chest slightly rising and falling as she waited for him to do something, anything, besides just standing there. Aomine's eyes indiscreetly traveled down her scandalously clad form, the flatness of her belly, the pertness of her breasts, the sleek shine of her legs from her thighs all the way down to her ankles. All of it called to the man like a siren's call. O'Mara felt a faint blush creep into her cheeks.
"Welcome… home…" O'Mara managed to say despite the obvious lump in her throat.
Aomine blinked, falling back into reality as his eyes locked with hers. "Thanks," He grumbled uninterestedly.
The girl watched her owner walk away, leaving his things in the doorway. So there she stood, awkwardly, not knowing what else to do. "Um…"
Aomine stopped once he realized the girl was speaking, his hands pausing, just before he could remove the lose pair of shorts that hung at his trimmed waist. "What is it?" He asked dryly.
"Ms. Momoi… left this… behind for you…" Said O'Mara, handing the man an ivory envelope.
Aomine took it without snatching, looking it over before opening it. It was an invite to the CMPA's annual new owners gala, held at the end of every month. And like the auctions, anyone who was anyone attended and all were welcomed. Aomine was half tempted to crumble the fine parchment, but the young girl's curious gaze stopped him. The mermaid studied his actions closely, the silence being disturbed by the growling of her gut. They both looked down, O'Mara's cheeks burning as she blushed.
"I guess you're hungry," Said Aomine. "Fish?"
"Perch?"
Aomine's brows furrowed, "More like tuna from a can." He corrected. He gave his head a scratch, signaling for the girl to sit and wait while he went to shower.
O'Mara did as she was told, retreating back to the spare bedroom until Aomine returned. She sat there for a moment on the bed, basking in the fact that she wasn't chained to it, before lively chatter drew her over to the small room window. The girl peeped around the heavy drapes, amazed by the world she saw beyond the glass. All along the sidewalks were owners, men in nice suits, with their lovely pets in tow. They all seemed happy, living side by side, and O'Mara suddenly found herself envious. Well if they were pets too, why were they allowed out when she wasn't? She frowned, going back to Momoi's words from earlier. He was protective for a reason, he didn't want anything to happen to her. But still, the outside world seemed to have more wonders than the Nile River bottom.
"What are you doing?" Aomine's voice, appearing out of nowhere, startled the poor girl.
"I was… looking outside…" Said O'Mara.
"Get away from the windows," Said the man as he toweled his hair.
"Why can't… I go outside?" Questioned the mermaid, her own brows furrowing.
"Outside is dangerous," Replied Aomine. "You're safer inside." He was no stranger to yearning for freedom, he'd spent his entire childhood (well on into his teen years) trying to break away from the confines of his home. But now he was a grown man, no longer a stranger to the world. Aomine knew that freedom didn't come without a price.
"Hello! My name is Kise! What sea are you from? What is your name?"
Aomine sighed as he watched his friend make a complete fool of himself, which O'Mara happily took part in. She stared wide eyed and blankly at the blonde haired man, not entirely sure of she should avoid him (since he was all but yelling at her like he was crazy) or welcome his presence because he was attractive.
"She's from the Nile, Kise. She isn't deaf, she can understand you just find." Sighed Aomine. He sat off to the side of the large sitting area, going over last minute paperwork as he smoked lazily on his cigarette.
"Ooooh! The Nile? How exotic!" Kise beamed. "What's it like?"
"…wet?"
"Whoa."Aomine sighed. "I wish my pet was like you. So pretty and exotic." Pouted the blonde.
"You… have a… pet too?" O'Mara questioned.
Kise nodded, "Yeah her name is Kirimi. She's just adorable!"
O'Mara studied Kise's body language as he talked about his pet, a mermaid from the Mediterranean, that he absolutely adored. If an owner could be so kind and loving towards his pet, then what the hell was wrong with Aomine?
"Oh, Aomicchi, are you going to the new owners ball?"
Aomine looked up at this, two pairs of eyes on him expectantly. "No," Was his short reply.
Kise frowned, turning back to the quietly watching mermaid, giving her head a friendly pat. He would never know how it felt to have something precious to him so wrongfully taken, a feeling Aomine knew all too well and tried his hardest to avoid. Kise filled O'Mara's head with tales of his travels around the world with Kirimi, making the young girl want to taste the outside world all the more; and she was determined to. O'Mara, although quiet and fragile, was far from stupid with the curiosity that could put a small, learning child to shame.
After Kise left, much to O'Mara's dismay (she enjoyed his company greatly), she waited patiently for Aomine to go shower. Leaving her with a good ten minutes to do whatever it was she wanted. Once the man had disappeared into the bathroom, the girl quietly slipped out of his apartment. She was taken aback by the soft carpet that lined the long hallways; she had become accustomed to the hardwood floors that lined Aomine's apartment. She felt along the walls, even the texture was different beneath her finger tips, as she made her way to the window at the end of the hall. She opened it; a rush of cool air shifted her curls in and around her face, filled her lungs with its humid life. It warmed her skin all over; the sun Aomine tried to keep out of his apartment tickled the fine hairs along her arms. O'Mara gasped at the world around her, passing owners and pets looking up at her with kind smiles complementing their silent hellos. She motioned to lean forward, to look out at all the different buildings and large signs, when a large hand pulled her back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Aomine hissed as he yanked her up to him.
"I was… just going… to-"
"What did I tell you about the outside?" He raged as he dragged her back to the apartment. O'Mara struggled to free herself from the man's tight grasp, resulting in her being tossed harshly onto the floor. "Pets are not allowed anywhere without their owners," Said Aomine. "You could get yourself in some serious trouble, or even killed!"
O'Mara rose to her feet, "I'd rather be… out there… than in here! All you do… is ignore me… and confine me… within these walls!" She said, her voice rising in volume. "Isn't it… bad enough that… your people came… and took me… from my home? Just for you… to keep me… locked away?"
Aomine took a threatening step towards the girl, "You want freedom? You want a taste of what it's like?" He questioned, closing the space between them. The more steps O'Mara took to get away from him, the more Aomine took to get closer to her, before he finally having her pinned between his body and the wall. "What are you going to give me in return?"
