Sorry for such a long quiet. There's no real good reasoning to offer, beyond that I lost the will to keep writing. But I kept getting emails from all your reviews and it made me come back and really look at this story. All of you wanted more, and I wanted to do that for you. So here it is!

I don't know how frequently I'll be updating, but since the new season is up there's a fair chance it will be more often. Also if anything gets revealed in the canon that contradicts parts of this, don't tell me. owo I'm just going to write and focus on the characters more than little details like parents or such. Also, if you couldn't tell, I haven't read too much of the manga. So certain characters or events only mentioned there might not get brought up since I don't know about them.

Ahh, but that's kind of enough rambling. Thank you everyone for your support, and please know it's only thanks to your reviews I found the inspiration to keep this going. You're all lovely, and I hope you enjoy the update even though it's short! Remember- don't be shy about leaving comments, I always love to hear how you feel about the characters/story~

Kasamatsu was, as expected, not pleased.
Neither were his parents. Kise was bearing it all with a weak smile, even though every part of him wanted to argue. He didn't dare explain to his parents why he'd skipped his classes. If they so much as heard Aomine's name he knew the conversation would turn into a lot of "that boy is a bad influence" lecturing. It didn't matter that Aomine was a strong basketball player to them. Kise's parents put more value in his modeling than his sports skill. His mother was adamant that there was more stability and money in an acting career, and his father didn't trust the basketball route after Kise's long strong of skipping between sports in middle school. He got the feeling no matter how long he stuck to basketball neither of his parents would take it seriously.

That used to be fine.
He had Kasamatsu to encourage him when home got to dragging him down. His team, his friends, always helped his mood. But now more than ever there was a rift. Kasamatsu was demanding answers Kise couldn't really give, and the skill gap between himself and the rest of the team was becoming an issue. It had never been before, when they were friends. When they practiced together and didn't keep abundant secrets. But now things were distant and awkward and every question Kasamatsu asked that Kise didn't answer made things worse.

Kise sat on the bench while the team practiced.
There was no more patience for privacy. Kasamatsu was firing question after question on the sidelines, where anyone paying enough attention could hear. Kise kept his eyes on the floor. He wasn't even in uniform. He was still in his school clothes, benched from practice while he got pressed for the second time that day.

The more people got onto him, the more he asked himself if it was worth it.
Last night hadn't been anything remarkable. There had been no more sex, and nothing profound. It was like Teiko all over again, almost. They were friends. They didn't do anything outstandingly couple-esc. Aomine piled up a collection of junk food in the living room and Kise joined him in front of the large television. They watched a few recorded games, then channel surfed and chattered about nothing. It was nice. Simple. Both of them passed out on the couch in the early morning hours, and Kise woke up first and went home. He hadn't had the courage to say or do anything beyond seeking out a blanket to toss over Aomine.

When he got home to change clothes, his parents were ready to sit him down.
He had enough time to get to school for his last class, and then Kasamatsu was immediately on him about practice and questions. He was concerned, Kise understood that. But it didn't make the whole mess any less aggravating.

So yeah, maybe it was childish.
But at some point during the admonishment Kise stood up, ignoring Kasamatsu entirely as he moved to leave. The team stopped practicing. People stared and took to whispering as Kise shouldered a back door of the gym open and left. He didn't even know where to go. Home was too frustrating, and where he normally would have coped with pouring into practice, now even that was unavailable. He took to wandering down the streets without really paying attention to where he was going. All in all, it felt like it didn't matter. He had too much on his mind to worry about location.

"It just feels like I'm having to choose between Aomine or basketball."
"It sounds like they're the same thing for you."

Kise nudged a rock on the sidewalk around with the toe of his shoe.
Kuroko, for all his skills and faults, was a decent source of advice. Kise hadn't so much gone to him as he had been lead there by his own two feet. One minute he was aimlessly moving forward with his head down, and the next he was walking into someone in front of a small convenience store.
It looked like the whole of Seirin was inside, milling around in the uniforms.
It was already so late their practice was out. Kise didn't know what they were doing out together, and he didn't care to ask. Basketball teams were a sour subject now that he felt like he was without his own. At least Kuroko was nice enough to stand outside with him to talk, instead of trying to lead Kise inside the noisy store.

"If you're only playing to help Aomine, you'll never get anywhere."
Kuroko deadpanned the words, and they did more than sting. But he had a point, and Kise nodded. He knew, deep down, this point would come up eventually. But Aomine had been the one to get him into playing. If he played for just himself, and not for someone he cared about, would he be any happier? It was a lot to think about.

"Kise." Kuroko waited until Kise looked up from the ground.
Maintaining eye contact with Kuroko was not always an easy thing, but in the moment Kise was too stressed to maintain any lighthearted or idiotic air. He stared at the shorter with a calm, focused expression.
"Aomine did say the only person who could beat him was himself. And it's true with your copy ability you stand the best chance of being that. But at the same time, Aomine's skill level and attitude make him a disconnected part of his team. If you keep trying to copy him, become him, then you'll likely wind up copying more than just his actions inside games."

Someone from inside the store was calling Kuroko even as he spoke.
Neither Kise nor Kuroko looked away from each other until the words were out in the open. Kise didn't say a word. He didn't nod or shake his head or otherwise give a signal he heard what he'd been told. It was such a cold, painful thing to think about.
Kagami kept shouting until Kuroko turned around.
There was something going on in the store, some raucous Kise didn't look up to investigate. When Kuroko offered a quiet goodbye Kise simply turned around and took to walking away.

Would it be worth it?
Was Aomine more important than his own team? Having to evaluate the worth of someone the day after sort of agreeing to be involved with them was difficult. Moreso, the fact it was a childhood friend.. one he'd watched float away for years and was just now getting back..
Did he really have no choice but to become Aomine in order to save him from his own situation? Kise dwelled on it the whole way home. When he got in far past dark his parents were asleep and the lights were all out. He stripped and stumbled his way into bed and laid still in the silence.

He didn't have an answer when he inevitably dozed off, and he didn't have one when he woke up. All he did have, was a new text message from Aomine.

[From: Aominecchi]
Hey. Good morning. What are you doing this weekend?