The warmth of spring was finally started to etch it's way through the cracks of the city, slowly oozing sunlight across each street corner and alley. It was the kind of weather that he loved the most, easy and smooth. The feeling of it almost made him want to run home just to breathe in all the clean air. Almost. The sun was beginning to set and glancing at the new watch strapped to his wrist, he noticed it was almost seven o'clock.

Shit, I promised I'd be home by now!

Speeding up his leisurely walk a little, Aomine shouldered his bag and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He navigated his way through a throng of teenage girls, who he could've sworn started giggling even harder as he brushed past. Ah crap, he's gonna be pissed, I'm not gonna make it in time. Looking down at his watch again he felt his phone buzz in his pocketed hand. Already knowing who it was from he pulled it out and began to scan the message. Aomine couldn't help the grin that was beginning to spread across his face in spite of himself, but there was no denying it.

Kise was mad.

After having a near run-in with a lady walking her dog, he broke into a slight run. No point in keeping him waiting I guess. Finally rounding the corner after what felt like forever, he arrived on their street. The apartment lay on the corner of two busy roads. Sometimes it got noisy, but he never really minded it. Kise on the other hand was a completely different story. Aomine could vividly remember how he had complained and whined for practically the entire first day about how he was never going to sleep again. Aomine had told him he was just used to being locked up in a hospital. Kise had just scowled and head-butted his shoulder, mumbling something about how could people live like this in his own melodramatic way.

As Aomine turned the door handle to the building, he found it hard to believe that had only been six months ago. It felt like they had been living together for an eternity; but the good kind of eternity, one he wouldn't mind staying in forever. Then again, over the past eight years they had spent so much time together it was practically like they shared the same house.

He jumped up the stairs two at a time, and strolled down to the end of the hallway until he rounded onto their door, apartment 15. Although having no doubt that the door was locked, he tried anyway, the jammed door knob proving his earlier assumption. Fishing as quickly as possible for the key out of the black hole that was his work bag, he noisily inserted it into the door, twisting until he heard a click. With his hand still on the door knob, he turned and dropped the key back into one of the pockets. But before he could even open the door it had already flown open, dragging him halfway through the entrance in one swift movement.

"You're late!"

Aomine put on his most charming smile and held up his hands in surrender. "I know, sorry."

Kise looked painfully cute, black slacks and half buttoned white shirt with a striped tie hanging very loosely around his neck. Grabbing at the tie and pulling it further down in an attempt to remove it he said, "You promised not to be working late today," lips pulled into a frustrated frown. "It looks like you just got home yourself."

"That's beside the point…"

"Hmmm, no it isn't!"

"Will you just get inside already!"

Aomine sighed and stepped all the way through the door, shutting the door behind him. Kise crossed his arms and was still glaring as he placed his bag by the floor and removed his shoes.

"Oi, Ryo, if you frown like that all the time you'll get wrinkles."

"I haven't forgiven you yet."

In two long strides Aomine cupped Kise's face in his hands and closed his eyes, gently resting his forehead on the other's. He could feel Kise tense momentarily but lean right back into him.

"Stop it, don't touch me." he muttered halfheartedly.

"Make me."

Kise lifted his arms and wound them around Aomine's neck, lifting just off his toes so that they stood evenly. "Nah then you would just be more persistent."

"Shut it." he replied, but had difficulty keeping the happiness out of his voice. He felt Kise shift slightly and the delicate touch of his lips against his own, full and warm. He hummed as Kise tightened his arms around his neck, gently pulling both of them farther into the house. His hands subconsciously wandered down from Kise's neck to his chest and around his back down to his hips, managing to slide his hands just underneath the other's pants.

"Mmm, not now idiot!" Kise broke their kiss and headbutted lightly against Aomine's forehead. Aomine made a face as the other tried to draw back. "I'm cooking, plus Tetsu promised to call! Last I heard both he and Taiga were out of the hospital."

"But Ryouutaa," Aomine didn't win often, but with Kise in this kind of mood it didn't look like he would be getting his way at all.

"You can keep your pants on for thirty more minutes, Daiki."

"You're such a fuckin' tease. . ."

Kise couldn't suppress his laugh as he turned to head to their room, finally flicking the tie off from around his neck, "I know, I know." He paused for a second before throwing back the words "But I'm not finished changing, if that means anything to you."

Grinning and shaking his head, Aomine jogged the few steps to catch up, slinging his arm to put Kise in a headlock, "You're an idiot,"

"You too."

It had really been a true miracle. None of the doctors are quite sure how it happened, even all these years later. Just when it had appeared Kise had made a turn for the worse, once all preparations had been made, all the goodbyes said and done, something peculiar had happened. Upon looking at his final brain scans the following morning, it appeared that the tumor was actually slowing down its metastasizing rate; the exact opposite of what they had assumed. From that point on, everything only improved. Within a span of only three years, Kise had returned to almost health. At age 20, he walked away from room 411 for the last time, with a by then familiar figure by his side.

The faint noise of the fan running above them was the only sound as the day drew upon it's final hours. Their arms and legs intertangled together in slight disarray. Kise knew Aomine had fallen asleep a long time ago, but he snuggled up his ear up against his chest. Sometimes when Aomine was asleep or not paying attention, Kise would place his palm to his chest or around his wrist, searching for a heartbeat. It was his validation-that what was happening was real, he wasn't dreaming, or worse, in heaven. The mere fact of Aomine's existence next to him was enough to confirm that he was alive.

Aomine's breath ruffled Kise's hair with each exhale, his chest a steady and measured rise and fall. He's such a deep sleeper. Dork. With his fingertip Kise traced the outline of his arm muscles in faint touches, all the way up to his collarbone and down to his ribcage. He had touched Aomine so many times, but it always managed to make him shiver with contentment when he could truly feel him.

Kise shut his eyes and matched his own breathing with the gentle beat of Aomine's heart. And in the depths of his soul he could feel the warmth that would come each time they held each other, and Kise knew.

I'm home.

-end-

so hello there long time no see! I finally got around to writing the alt. ending to this fic, and I know it isn't terribly long but I really feel like I owed some people after leaving the other ending the way I did!

I will probably still be doing some of the other extras I mentioned before, so this will definitely be updated at some point in the future (〜￣▽￣)〜

~~ahh seriously all of you are so sweet I haven't been on here in forever so i really want to thank all of you!