14 – when fantasies are shared: part 2
Under the light of lantern strings, half hidden by the shade of a cherry blossom tree, Yasuka stood. She carried her purse in one hand, a bag of fairy floss in the other. As the onlookers passed by, she tore a piece away and placed it against her lips.
Aomine didn't break eye contact with her even as she swallowed.
"Damn it." He swore.
"I'm not sharing."
"You will. If I beat you."
"Oh, please. In what game?"
Aomine glanced around, scanning the crowded street for an option. "That one." He declared, pointing across the street.
"The 'knock-em-down' can game?" she asked, to which he nodded.
Yasuka, though sending him a stern look, eventually let her posture drop. "Let's go." She decided. "One game, and you can have the fairy floss if you knock more cans over than me."
"Bring it."
"You bet I can."
As with before, Aomine seized her hand. Though their fingers didn't curl around each other, and Yasuka's yukata sleeve fell forward to disguise it, he held her hand just as steadily as he had been doing before. Poor excuses were in abundance that night, beginning with Satsuki ditching the two of them for the toilet.
It didn't take long to figure out her true motives, taking into account that Satsuki was dead certain Yasuka liked Aomine.
Once safely across the street, having avoided the shifting movements of the masses, Yasuka stepped forward towards the stall manager.
"Two games, thanks."
"Sure thing. It's three shots per game." The man said, even as he handed over the red, plastic balls.
Aomine took them, before shooting a cocky grin in her direction.
"I'll go first." Yasuka cut in, facing the pyramid of cans.
There were six in total, three on the bottom. She knew her best chance of winning big was to hit one out from the bottom row, but as she lifted her arm and threw the ball – she missed.
When she tried the second time, the ball flew through the air. It arched upwards, grazing the top can. It clattered to the ground, and though it was just one hit, Yasuka couldn't resist showing Aomine her smug expression.
"Tch." He scoffed.
"Shut up and let me concentrate."
Yasuka prepped for her third throw by imagine his face. Smug, arrogant, despicable – and just the tiniest bit attractive. As the ball fled her fingers, she knew she had messed up. Aomine was always finding ways to distract her, however unintentionally. But it hardly changed the course of the ball, which knocked over only two more cans.
"Good try." The stall runner enthused, smiling pityingly.
Yasuka managed a half-smile in turn, but said nothing as he gathered her choice of prize.
"So you have a pick of the slinky, or the beanie." The man explained, offering the two items.
Yasuka had only to look at the pink, cat-shaped beanie to decide. "Definitely the beanie." It even had crappy, sewed-on cat ears.
"There you go then. Now, young man, it's your turn."
Aomine wasn't listening. It seemed his competitive spirit had been awaken, as he rolled his shoulders back and cricked his neck. The look in his eyes, Yasuka thought, could even be called demonic.
"I'll show you how it's done." He vowed to Yasuka. She took a step back, tucking the beanie into her yukata's floral-printed obi.
Aomine kept the ball in his hand, securely gripped. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to take him on the bet – he was Tōō's ace after all. When Aomine threw the ball, it was all in a blur too fast for her eyes to track. It sped through the air, and Yasuka had only the time to notice Aomine's faint smirk, before the pile of cans all but exploded.
They went in all directions, knocking the entire pyramid over as they toppled. While Yasuka and the man in the stall stared in open amazement, Aomine let his hand fall and not much else; he refused to let anyone believe he had actually tried.
"Shit." She murmured.
"I- uh, your prize!" the stall manager declared. "You can pick either that giant white bunny, or the panda."
Yasuka slid towards Aomine. "Pick the panda." She ordered.
"Shut up, it's my choice." He hissed back.
Yasuka took another step closer, placing her free hand on his shoulder to aid her as she stood on her tiptoes. "Please?"
He glanced at her, before rolling his eyes. "Fine, the panda."
The man in the stall nodded, before beginning to unhook the toy from the wall. Yasuka was smiling brightly, thoroughly pleased that she had gotten her way.
"Fairy floss." Aomine reminded.
Pouting, though trying to be angry, Yasuka thrust the bag at him. Aomine took it in one hand, smirking triumphantly.
"Here you go." The man announced, holding the stuffed panda out towards them.
Yasuka, now with both hands free, stepped forward to take the toy. It was, despite her height, almost the half her length, or would have been had it not been designed to look like it was sitting.
"Thanks so much!" Yasuka said cheerily.
Though the man looked like he was tempted to say something, probably about them not coming again for fear of losing all his prizes, Yasuka was already turning away.
"Hurry up." Aomine called over his shoulder.
With the bear held securely in her arms, Yasuka forced her way through the crowd and towards her companion. Considering that the night was drawing on, the press of people was beginning to thin out. Most were assembling for the annual fireworks show.
Recalling Aomine's declaration that he came specifically to see them, Yasuka asked, "Do you want go find somewhere to sit down? Before the fireworks start?"
"That's what we're doing."
"Hey, don't get shitty with me; I was just asking."
"And it was a dumb question."
"Well, sorry for not being able to read your mind." Yasuka retorted with heavy sarcasm.
Aomine felt his irritation "Do you ever shut up?"
"Will you ever stop being a jerk?"
As he had nothing more to say on the matter, he held his silence and she held hers. Yasuka had to keep a brisk pace to even keep up. It was a credit to Aomine that Yasuka trusted him enough to follow his lead, without ever asking where they were going.
As it turned out, Aomine was leading them away from the festival. The streets around the area cut into a small hill. Trees of varying ages lined the way, their leaves littering the ground. The night had long since come, a darkness lit only by the stars. It didn't bother Yasuka in the slightest – she loved the night.
"So, Aomine?"
"What?"
"Do you want the toy?"
"Why the hell would I?"
Yasuka grinned to herself. "So I can keep it, then?"
He turned to stare at her. "Why?" he wondered.
"Why not? You can't just want to throw it out, can you?"
Aomine stopped walking for the moment. He faced her, frowning for no particular reason. Yasuka had supposed it was just how he looked when in thought. "So can I?" she insisted.
"If you want." He said dismissively.
Her lips curved into a small smile. "Thank you, Aomine."
"It's not a big deal."
"But I should give you something in return, right?" Yasuka knew her plan was coming to fruition. There wasn't much she found interesting anymore, though Aomine had the right to claim he was exactly that. It was why Yasuka loved to tease him so much.
He shrugged lightly, before almost being knocked over to the ground. "Hold this." Yasuka ordered, shoving the giant panda into his arms, one of which still clutched the bag of fairy floss.
Aomine opened his mouth to argue, only Yasuka never gave him the chance. She was reaching for the beanie, safely tucked into her obi this entire time. He thought it looked horrible, a crappy little hat made for little girls as a consolation prize. Yasuka could probably have guessed his thoughts by the scowl he wore.
"Here you go." She proclaimed, before stepping forward and jamming the beanie onto his head.
"Ow! Nakamura, you fu-"
"But you look so cute, Aho-mine!"
Yasuka stepped closer, reaching up to adjust the hat. Aomine glared down at her, but she merely smiled and flicked one of the ears. It was surprising to have to stand on her toes to be tall enough to look straight into his eyes. She'd never noticed that his irises were darker around the outside.
Aomine found that he froze, even if it was just for a second. He, in a way he never had before, lacked the will to push her away – he liked being this close. He could almost see the breath pass from her lips, coloured pink with lipstick. Even her eyes, a simple green, seemed more magnetic than usual. Perhaps it was the smudges of black around them, where she had accidently rubbed her mascara off.
Yasuka didn't seem so untouchable now.
Maybe that was why he leaned in closer, feeling like the fireworks had already begun.
Maybe that was why he kissed her.
Please feel free to leave a review! It can be about literally anything (your thoughts, what you think will happen next, good or bad). I don't really have much more to add...
Next chapter: Fireworks. They shoot up, explode so suddenly - leaving behind nothing but a smoky trail. Aomine can't help but think of the whole thing as a little idealistic.