...I went through hell while writing this.

Other than the fact that the writing process itself was hell (because, let's be real, writing itself sprang from the seventh pit of hell), not many hours ago, I accidentally deleted the chapter from my notes (of which I had zero backup whatsoever), lost about seven years of my life and had a major existential crisis in the midst of searching for ways to retrieve it but finally I was blessed and managed to save the day (and the chapter).

Y'all bet I want lotsa comments to get back all the life I lost while thinking I had to rewrite this whole chapter. Ready your fingers and type. Don't be lazy or shy.

But before that, enjoy the chapter!

XXXX

Taiga only came to because of the sound of keys turning in the lock. The door opened and shut gently, there was shuffling, a plastic bag being dropped on the floor, followed by soft footsteps. He didn't have to turn over his shoulder to know what - or rather, who was making that noise.

It was Aomine; Aomine and his ever-so-subtle interactions with his surroundings. Kagami had never noticed exactly how inaudible Aomine was, up until he decided to mope for his broken heart and sleep in his bed for days. A week, to be exact. See, after he learnt that his girlfriend - ex girlfriend - cheated on him, Taiga lost all mood for interaction with...anything really. Be it people, be it things, be it emotions; yeah, he was done with all that. Especially emotions. Yeah, those were a fucking plague. A disease.

Okay, it wasn't as if he wouldn't love ever again or stupid shit like this, just because a stupid girl decided to treat him like jack shit. Although Estella's infidelity had hurt him deeply, although it had made him feel slightly inadequate until Aomine smacked the shit out of him and yelled, you are fucking good enough you piece of dumb diarrhea shit, Kagami never thought of cheesy soap opera shit. He just wanted to be miserable for a while, okay? He just wanted to isolate himself until his broken heart healed.

Was that so hard to understand?

For some people - his teammates mainly - his reluctance to get out of bed and drink himself to oblivion or hook up with another chick, was the most abnormal reaction possible. In fact, after the news of his break up spread around, a lot of his friends from the team busted in his room and tried to yank him out, only to be snapped at and turned down. Exasperated at his denial, they left.

Except from one. And that one was Aomine.

Aomine didn't...he didn't bother him. He didn't question his behavior, he didn't judge it - he just accepted it. He accepted the long silences, he accepted the swinging moods, the nonchalance - everything. The only times Aomine actually bothered him to do stuff was to either get up for practice - Coach wasn't fucking around if one missed practice - or get some food in his system.

He stayed. Despite Taiga being at his worst, Aomine hadn't shown any intentions of leaving Taiga's (their) room. He didn't say why, he didn't say for how long he would be staying but truth to be told, Taiga had never been more glad for his presence before. Because as much as he would love some peace and quiet in order to heal, he didn't want to be alone. Or feel alone.

He wanted to be left alone but he didn't want to be lonely - was that too strange? Even if it was, Aomine's presence did both things at once.

And slowly, Taiga was getting better. A lot better.

There was more shuffling for a few minutes, the plastic bag rustling, then a laptop rumbling to life, followed by the soft familiar humming of a sports announcer. Taiga finally turned on his other side and chanced a peak from under his duvet. Aomine was sitting on the floor, his favorite teriyaki burger halfway done and a football game streaming on his laptop, five minutes in.

Then suddenly, a pair of blue eyes were on him. Taiga swallowed nervously, suddenly unable to find proper words to say.

"I bought you cheeseburgers," Aomine muttered before turning his attention back to the game, "Eat up."

"With extra cheese?"

Aomine smirked. "Always."

Taiga smiled, despite himself. "You know me so well."

It was supposed to be cheesy, teasing even, but Taiga knew it was actually true; Aomine did know him well, even though they generally struggled deeply with communication. He understood his whims and adjusted himself accordingly, knowing when to fight back and shut up when Taiga needed space. How on earth did he do that, Taiga had still yet to fathom.

Not bothering to stand up, Taiga literally slid his six-four body out of the bed, crawled on his knees, until he was sitting next to Aomine. Rummaging inside the noisy plastic bag from before, he grasped a still-warm burger, munching it down while watching the match on Aomine's laptop. Or rather, half-watching it. His thoughts were scattered all over the place once again; some drifted at his ex, some at the practice they had tomorrow, some at the fact that he didn't really want to go to that practice, but somehow, most of his thoughts were occupied by the blue-haired man sitting in silence next to him.

Although Aomine had told him that those strange behaviors of his, the harsh words, the mean looks, weren't Taiga's fault, the redhead still had oh-so many unanswered questions. For example; then what is the fucking problem? Why are you here now? Why are you helping me? How long are you staying?

Please stay.

Brick-red eyes glanced at Aomine, taking in the sharp-edged face, the focused blue eyes, the parted lips, the tongue Taiga knew well and, incidentally, knew Taiga just as well, peaking in between. Aomine was licking grease off his fingers and Taiga had to stop and swallow a little because he found the small action excessively hot, which was ridiculous - he was still recovering from a heartache, goddamn it.

Well, sort of.

"Take a picture," Aomine muttered, eyes glued on the screen, "It'll last longer."

Ashamed and startled, Taiga averted his gaze and sulkily bit into his cheeseburger. "Shut up, I just got distracted."

"Yeah, my good looks are distracting; I've heard of that one before."

"Don't be an ass."

Aomine snorted sarcastically. "You are what you eat."

"Then I guess you're currently a teriyaki burger."

There were a few moments of silence, moments during which Taiga saw the realization dawn in Aomine's features. Then, the blue-haired man snapped his head at Taiga's direction, glaring daggers. "You motherfucker."

Needless to say Taiga dissolved into hearty laughter. It surprised him but he didn't hate it. Not at all.

Aomine, though, growled, "I hate you, you're so fucking lame." He buried his face in his hands but his shoulders were shaking with mirth. "Oh my God, you're lame."

"No way, I'm pun-tastic."

"It wasn't even a pun, you dumbass!"

"Izuki-senpai used to say that, if the joke makes people hate you, then it's a successful one," Taiga grinned.

Aomine looked over at him with a forced-serious expression. They stared at each other before bursting to chuckles, seconds later. Aomine was smiling genuinely, one of those smiles that made him look way younger and way more...beautiful.

Wait...did I just call Aomine beautiful?

Before Taiga got the chance to entertained the newly-occurred thought, Aomine spoke. "So... I see you're feeling better?"

He was careful, questioning and not stating, as of afraid he'd set off a ticking bomb. Taiga glanced down at his folded legs, good mood evaporating. "Well," he sighed, "I'm getting there."

"Good," Aomine nodded. Then his eyes drifted back to the laptop's screen. Taiga followed his lead, not knowing what else to say; not willing to say anything else.

"Just remember that it wasn't your fault."

Taiga smiled. "I know."

Thanks for reminding me, he really wanted to say but somehow couldn't find the right way to. Instead, he pretended to pay attention to the game as he finished the burgers Aomine bought for him. Then a thought slowly came to him.

"Did you pay for all these?"

Aomine frowned. "Yeah, why?"

Taiga sought out his wallet. "How much?"

"Nothing."

"Huh?"

Blue eyes rolled. "You don't gotta pay me back; it's my treat."

"But-"

"You're buying next time, chill."

Taiga stared at Aomine, pouting a little. Then he sighed, accepting the treat. "Thanks."

For everything, really.

Even though you're the biggest asshole known to humanity.

Sometimes Taiga thought that he should be mad at Aomine for all the things he had said or did not so long ago; call him out on the shitty way he had treated him, whilst not being able to figure out what the fuck was wrong with himself. Taiga wasn't Aomine's punching bag, or anyone else's for that matter. And he should have been mad for being treated as such.

He wasn't. Well, he was a bit bitter, especially at Aomine's denial for explanations. Taiga didn't get him; he couldn't understand shit.

Though Aomine had said he would explain, when Taiga wasn't upset over his ex anymore. And that was what kept Taiga's anger away.

The loud sound of paper crumbling suddenly snapped Taiga out of his reverie. He looked up for just one second to see Aomine's fist tightening around the paper bag of his last burger and then, with a flick of his wrist, said paper ball landing effortlessly inside the plastic bag.

Taiga knew he shouldn't be awed; he'd seen Aomine do this more than a lot of times. Yet, God fucking damn it, it got to him every time.

"How the fuck do you do that?"

"Hm?"

Taiga shook his head, chuckling. "How do you just..." He gestured, indicating a shooting motion. "...and it gets in?"

Aomine simply shrugged. "I don't know, I just do it."

"Teach me."

"Huh?"

"Teach me how to shoot like that."

"What?" Aomine looked highly amused. "You are the last person in this world who needs shooting lessons."

"I can't shoot like you do."

"Well, no shit. You're not me."

Taiga rolled his eyes and mocked Aomine's default sullen expression, as well as his voice when he said, "The only one who can shoot like me is me." Then he scoffed. "Don't start with that bullshit again."

Aomine whacked him at the back of his head in retaliation. "Shut up, dumbass." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I'll teach you how to shoot. Though I have no idea how I'm doing it so you'll just watch me do it and then try it yourself."

Taiga felt the edges of his mouth stress to a grin. It was the first time Aomine had agreed to show him anything; usually, he just challenged Taiga to "educative" matches - like the one during which he talked to him about the Zone - but it was never an actual lesson. Somehow, it made Taiga...happy.

"Perfect."

Aomine's blue eyes lingered on him, hard as stones, unreadable but intense. Flooring, was fitting too. Somehow, it felt as if the temperature in the room dropped a lot of degrees, and Taiga's stomach flipped anxiously in response, words staggering in his throat. He wanted to ask what had changed so suddenly, but before he gathered his wits to speak, Aomine was back to staring at the laptop's screen.

"Are you...", Taiga chanced nevertheless, "Are you okay?"

"Yep."

It was a lie. Aomine wasn't looking at him and his shoulders were unnaturally stiff. Taiga was doubting Aomine was even breathing.

Land mine, Taiga mused immediately, Don't step on it.

He didn't press it; Taiga knew better than that. As much as he hated not knowing, Taiga wasn't in a state for a serious, and perhaps emotional, conversation.

They watched the rest of match in tense silence. Taiga half-heartedly finished the burgers Aomine bought for him, before he was forced by said blue-haired man into the shower. Get in there, you stink, Aomine had grumbled while pushing him in the bathroom. Taiga couldn't argue, he had no energy to. Also, he didn't want to worsen the things between them, not now.

They would fight; they would scream at each other at some point, Taiga was almost certain about it. Whether they fell apart or not afterwards, only time would tell.

XXXX

A few days later.

They were on their way back from the pizzeria, Taiga's treat after the burgers. Coach had been in a terrible mood that day - he had muttered something about his wife riding his ass about something so he was going to ride their ass in return - therefore practice was extra cruel. As a matter of fact, Taiga could barely keep himself up. In fact, all he wanted was to devour two of the four pizzas they bought and snuggle his comforter to tomorrow.

Aomine, on the other hand seemed to be in a rather good mood, humming some familiar melody which Taiga couldn't quite name. There was an actual skip in his step. Taiga chortled, "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing much," the other shrugged, "Practice was cool and I am treated to pizza."

As much as Taiga could relate to the fact that eating that pizza was the highlight of the day, he couldn't agree about the practice as much. "Practice was torutre."

Aomine smirked. "Nah, y'all are just weak."

"Shut the fuck up, you basketball freak."

"As if you aren't one!"

"Well, not as much-"

"Taiga?"

At the sound of a third voice, both men came into an abrupt halt. Although Taiga wasn't sure what went through Aomine's head at the sound of it, he knew exactly what went through his.

Rage.

He knew that voice, he knew it very well; he had heard they voice speak for hours, he had heard that voice laugh, giggle, tremble, moan - everything. He knew to whom it belonged. Nevertheless, he slowly turned around, only to see his beloved ex-girlfriend staring at him with wide, expectant eyes. Apparently, she could see his tense expression because she shifted on her legs and cleared her throat.

"I," she started, "I am-"

"What part of 'I don't want to see your face ever again' didn't you get?", Taiga growled. He couldn't recognize his own voice.

Estella took a careful step closer to him, brown eyes pleading. "I've been trying to contact you... To explain but-"

Taiga felt a cruel smile spread on his face. "Explain what?"

Her face twisted. She swallowed and reached out to touch him but Taiga shifted out of her reach.

"I want you back," she sighed in defeat, "I wanna make it better."

Taiga was unpleasantly surprised by her audacity. "Well, bummer. We're not on the same page."

"I love you!"

He tightened his fingers to a fist. He had started to see red.

How fucking dare she.

"Fuck you," Taiga enunciated slowly.

"Taiga, I-"

A hand on his shoulder recovered Taiga from his rage-induced daze. He hadn't realized he had been trembling until his body relaxed under the touch.

"Kagami," Aomine spoke in Japanese. His voice was slow, even. Calming. It was like a wave of cold water over his raging fire. "Let's go."

Taiga looked up and their gazes locked. Blue on red. There was an unfathomable serenity in Aomine's gaze, an immerse tranquility that Taiga didn't know where it came from but he was somehow glad it was there. Because it calmed him down too. It soothed his roaring heartbeat.

And then, as if hypnotized, he said, "Okay."

They both turned around and without spearing another word or look to her, they started walking back. Yet, it was ever so unfortunate that she didn't get the message right then, because she spoke again. And the problem wasn't that she spoke; the problem wasn't what she said.

"It all goes according to your plan, huh?"

The problem was to whom she was saying it.

Taiga looked over his shoulder, ready to snap, ready to bite back something witty, but it all died in his throat when he saw her glaring daggers at Aomine's back. A sarcastic smile broke onto her face.

"Now that I'm out of the way," she said, "It's easy for you to get to him, right?"

What the fuck was she talking about?

"To bone him," she kept on, "To have him all to yourself. Isn't that what you want?" A cold laugh. "I must admit, the dick is pretty good but are you that fucking thirsty about it that you got out of your way to tell on me and break us up?"

It dawned on him. She was talking about that nonsense again; about Aomine theoretically having feelings for him. And in such vulgar manner too.

"He's my friend," Aomine murmured indifferently. He had half-turned to look at her, eyes cold and sharp, like diamonds. "I wouldn't let the likes of you treat him like shit."

"Bullshit," she scoffed and then her face twisted in disgust. "You're no hero; you're just a fucking faggot."

Taiga saw red. His whole body convulsed with vicious anger, caustic words on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to let her in on a piece of his mind, he wanted to hurt her, insult her. So, he clenched his jaw, ready to take a step forward. A swift palm on his chest, however, halted him on his tracks.

"No," Aomine murmured urgently. He wasn't looking at Taiga. "You're better than this."

"But..!"

Aomine shook his head. "She doesn't deserve it. None of it. Let it go. Let's go home."

They exchanged a tense look, moments ticking by slowly, thick like molasses. There was something in Aomine's eyes, something Taiga hadn't seen before but he could figure it out. It was panic. But why was Aomine panicking? Why would he be panicking?

Perhaps...perhaps she was right? Did Aomine really have feelings for him?

Shit. How was this possible?

"Kagami," Aomine repeated, pulling him out of his daze, "We are leaving."

Taiga swallowed and nodded. "Yeah..." He tossed a final glance at his ex, scoffing in English, "I don't wanna hear anything from you. It's over. We are not getting back, ever." Then he growled. "And don't you fucking dare speak to him like this again, got it?"

She cackled, sarcasm written all over her face. "How sentimental. I'll cry."

"Listen here, bitch-"

"Kagami," Aomine's voice rang again, low and commanding. The hand on Taiga's chest had clenched over the shirt. "We are leaving."

Clenching his teeth one final time, Taiga stalked off towards their place. He could hear her shout something after him but his blood was roaring in his ears, numbing out every other sound. He could feel anger pouring out of him in tidal waves, his stomach quivering in response, his thoughts a bundled mess of emotions but he didn't know which one to entertain first. Was that foul-mouthed girl really the same girl he fell in love with? Had she been pretending all the time?

Had Taiga been that much of a fool?

His ears were buzzing with her words; sweet nothings she whispered after sex, words of betrayal, the harsh way she spoke about Aomine...

Aomine.

Taiga halted on his tracks and looked over his shoulder, only to see said blue-haired man, slowly approaching him. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his eyes were fixed on the ground. He looked tense. How could he not be, really? After all the stupid shit she said, Taiga was surprised that he hadn't reacted in the slightest way.

He didn't...he didn't deny anything either.

Taiga waited until the other caught up with him and they quietly walked their way back. Taiga breathed, he breathed slowly in his attempts to calm down his invasive thoughts of Aomine's supposed feelings for him. It unnerved him to no end. It stressed him out that Aomine hadn't denied her words; that Aomine's wasn't saying anything to defend himself; that Taiga couldn't read Aomine's face.

What would Taiga do if Aomine had feelings for him?

The question tossed and turned in his mind, but the answer was nowhere near to be found. So Taiga didn't speak. Aomine didn't either.

They were eating their pizza in silence when Taiga couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Is she right?"

Aomine lifted his eyes at Taiga's direction lazily, reluctantly. "What?", he drawled.

Taiga swallowed and averted his gaze. "Is she right?", he repeated, "Do you...have feelings for me?"

Once the answer didn't come right away, Taiga looked up. Aomine was pouting, picking a pepperoni slice off his pizza and plucking it in his mouth. Then he said, "What would you do if I did?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"So do you."

Taiga clenched his jaw, mildly irritated. "Well," he sighed, "I wouldn't know what to do. I'm...I'm not..." He paused, not knowing how to continue. He just chuckled humorlessly. "How could you possible like me, though? You barely even tolerate me."

"Then there you have it," Aomine muttered tightly, "That's your answer." When Taiga stared at him in confusion, he rolled his eyes. "I don't like you, dumbass. Not that way, at least."

Somehow, Taiga knew he should feel...relieved? Probably that was the right word. After all he wasn't even remotely ready to deal with someone else's feelings, not when his were so fucked like that.

Then why did he feel his stomach drop as soon as these words left Aomine's mouth?

"You're my friend," Aomine added, voice low. Forced almost. He wasn't looking at Taiga. "You're my friend and teammate. Nothing more complicated than that. So don't worry about it."

"Okay." Taiga licked his lips. "Okay, good."

That was what he tried to convince himself at least.

They didn't talk about it anymore. They didn't talk at all either. Food was finished in silence, then they just lazed around all afternoon. Taiga rooted in his bed, unwilling to pay attention to any of these thoughts in his head. How he wished he wouldn't be able to think! Because as soon as his mind went back to the conversation he had with Aomine earlier, his entire body prickled; his stomach shifted unpleasantly. Yes, he was still upset over his stupid ex and her idiotic words but, honestly? He had grew out of the angst a few days ago; now, he was just angry. But for Aomine though... It bothered him. Their stiff conversation from before bugged the shit out of his life indeed.

Problem was that he didn't know why.

Do I want him to like me?, Taiga wondered. Why the fuck would I want that?

"I'm taking a shower," Aomine mumbled out of the blue but Taiga barely noticed. He was busy having a small existential crisis.

Was it him that harbored feelings for Aomine after all?

Spooked beyond belief, Taiga jolted to a sitting position and pushed the balls of his palms in his eyes. What the fuck, that was plainly absurd! Yes, of course he liked Aomine, of course he cared about him but...as a friend?

These feelings were friendly, right?

Right?

Yeah. Exactly. They were just friendly. Only friendly.

As if he sensed his inner conflict, Aomine chose that moment to step out of the bathroom, clad only in a pair of blue boxers. Taiga's thoughts went completely silent, brick-red eyes taking in the tanned skin, the lean muscles and the way they stretched said skin as Aomine moved his arms to dry his hair. His mouth went dry and he swallowed. Then, there was lust. Yeah, Taiga was very familiar with lust. After all, Aomine was someone who brought up that feeling and scorched everything inside Taiga.

But lust wasn't like, or, God forbid...love.

Was it?

A tad dazed, Taiga stood up from the bed and walked up to Aomine. The blue-haired man had his back turned to him, looking for something in their closet, but nevertheless, he reached out and took hold of Aomine's hips. Just like that. As expected, the other jumped out of his skin and half-turned towards Taiga. He was frowning.

"Are you an idiot? You scared me."

Taiga didn't speak. The towel was resting on Aomine's shoulders, his hair was messed up and wet and sticking to every possible direction; it made him look way younger than he was. It made him look fucking beautiful.

Aomine stared at him hard. Although Taiga didn't know what kind of expression he was wearing, it seemed like Aomine was trying to read through it either way.

"Kagami?"

God, my name sounds incredible on his lips.

"Are you alright? You're creeping me out a little."

Chuckling, Taiga simply reached out and cupped both of Aomine's cheeks. Then he leaned in and stole a chaste, sweet kiss. Warmth spread all over his chest. This was easy, like breathing; it was familiar. But that had almost always been the deal with Aomine.

God, how much had he missed that. After not having it for so long, he realized how much he needed this sense of comfort.

However, there was a frown on Aomine's face when Taiga finally pulled back. Before Taiga had the chance to speak, the other grunted, "This is not a good idea."

Any other time, Taiga would have gotten discouraged and he would have backed off. Not this time. He leaned in again and rubbed their noses together. "I need you," he whispered. He really did. In an odd, twisted way, he needed Aomine.

He felt Aomine shudder. "No." He was relentless. "You're upset with your ex, you don't really want this."

"You know that I always want you."

It wasn't a lie. Perhaps, it was the only real thing he felt these days.

Aomine shook his head stubbornly. "No. No. It's a bad idea."

...and that hurt more than Taiga would have ever expected. As if burnt, he retrieved his hands and took a step backwards. The pang of rejection sat heavily in the middle of his chest, leaving him a tad breathless. "Should have known," he chuckled with no humor, "I should have remembered that you don't want to be intimate with me anymore. Sex with me is boring after all, isn't it?"

He saw Aomine's features twist. "Shit," he huffed, "Shit, no. It's not that. It never was that. I love...being intimate with you."

"Then what? You have a girlfriend?"

Aomine pushed a restless hand through his hair. "Fuck, no! It's just..." His jaw flexed, his fingers pulled at his hair. Then he just sighed a, "Fuck it," and smashed their lips together.

Taiga didn't spare a second thought on it as he pushed Aomine on his bed. It was desperate this time; their lips, their tongues, their bodies, were all rutting against each other deliriously. Aomine's short nails were digging painful paths on his back, sharp teeth marking his neck but Taiga couldn't bring himself to care at all. A fog of delicious frenzy had taken over his mind, erasing every thought other than how beautiful his name sounded sighed by Aomine's lips.

His vision blackened as he came undone. His blood sang in ecstasy as Aomine's body trembled under his.

God, I had missed this.

Indeed he had. He had missed the thrill, the lack of boundaries, the intensity of it. With his ex, he always had to hold back as she got overwhelmed by his power. With Aomine...he went all out and got it back just as intensely.

All too soon after he came, Aomine dozed off in Taiga's arms. Slightly amused, Taiga cleaned then up and laid back in the bed, playing with Aomine's hair, tracing the prominent veins on his arms, just like the old times. Before they interrupted...what they had. Before things got messed up.

Unlike the old times, though, Taiga was unable to sleep that night. He stayed there awake, staring at how peaceful Aomine looked in his arms, wondering what the hell did this mess of emotions he was currently experiencing mean, and what he was supposed to do with them.

He would find out soon enough. After all, the shadow always made the light shine brighter.

XXXX

Shower me in comments; read the A/N at beginning of the chapter to remember why. Also, like, comments raise my morale.

Yell at me on tumblr too, if you want, at blueregina06 dot tumblr dot com! I'm ready!

Thanks for reading!