Hooray ID: It's going to take Aomine a little longer to fix this problem. Don't worry. He will... eventually!

Thank you all for the wonderful support! I know this story is Rated T but this chapter I'm not sure if I should keep it or change it to M. The only reason is there's a lot of language in this chapter. A LOT of language. Please keep in mind this. I know it says that T is for 13 and older but let's face it. I know six years old who have a worse potty mouth than what I wrote so. Anyways, There's going to be four more chapters for this story so we're almost there! Also, this is probably the longest chapter I've written so I hope you enjoy every single bit! There's a lot a major time skip between the last chapter and this one but I promise that this is the only one!

Okay, enough of my rant.

Chapter Fourteen!

Five months. Six days. Three hours. Twenty-seven seconds.

That's how long it's been since Aomine has seen his precious blond. That's how long he's been drinking his sorrows away. That's how long he's been smelling cigarettes every night. No matter what he tried, he couldn't forget about him.

He couldn't forget about Kise.

The brightness of the soft blond hair. The fierce golden eyes. The contagious bubbly laugh. The delicious pleasure screams. The addicting smell of strawberries.

Aomine Daiki was obsessed and it was driving him insane.

Over and over again, that particular night resurfaced in his brain. Once it does, he always finds himself in a random bar being seduced by women left and right. He figured it was the uniform.

Every night, he would take out his frustrations on these women in which they end up slapping him for being so rough and walking out the door without looking back. The brute didn't care. Once he got a taste of the sun, nothing could compare.

Around the second month, the Chief noticed Aomine's decline in the field so he was forced to sit at a desk until he could come back to his senses. Everyone became really worried when the brute agreed to it without any fight. Wakamatsu has tried multiple times to ask him what has happened but Aomine has refused to speak. The blond officer figured it was something to do with Kise since the day the model came out to the media, Aomine sunk even more.

It was a few weeks after that particular day. People saw Kise and another male together and the paparazzi was wondering who he was. The model's manager thought it was a good idea to hold a press conference so all questions could be answered.

That's when Kise came out as gay.

The media was shocked but after they overcame it, the media fully accepted it. In fact, the model is more popular than ever. Wakamatsu could never forget when the entire force started whispering to each other and looking at Aomine. Who could forget the time the model came to the station specifically for him? The brute just blankly stared at the TV, clenching his jaw tightly. The blond officer couldn't forget either when the media asked about the "large tan male" that he was seen with. The blond laughed before rubbing the back of his neck and replied with one sentence.

"No one important. He was just someone that wanted a dance. Nothing more."

The whispers in the station grew louder and his partner left work early that day. He didn't come back for the rest of the week. Once he did, he was worse than before. He constantly smells of alcohol and is much easier to piss off.

Wakamatsu has no idea what to do.

Neither does Kagami.

The redhead started to notice his best friend acting differently literally the next day. He invited him to lunch and when he went to the station to pick him up, the brute was dragging his feet, the dark circles under his eyes weren't being secreted. Kagami asked him what was wrong but was always the same answer, "Just couldn't sleep."

Over the next few weeks, he would stop by to check on the bluehead and every time he would, he would only end up being worse. He became really alarmed when Aomine told him that he was put on desk duty with no fight in him. From that moment on, Kagami vowed that he would hang out with his best friend every week, at least to see if eventually, he would say what has gotten him so bad.

The redhead waited patiently for the next few months, playing one-on-ones and going out almost every night. He figured out his best friend was heading towards the bar after work since the third month and vowed that he wouldn't let that happen anymore.

Little did he know, Aomine has collected many bottles and put them in his kitchen so he didn't always have to go. It saves him walking time as well.

Now, it's been five months, six days, seven hours, and twenty-one seconds.

Only two more hours until his best friend picks him up from work and force him to play ball. The brute really doesn't care anymore. He's just living life by counting the hours until he could hold a bottle in his hand once again.

Aomine blinked a few times before connecting the pen to the paper once again. He started off good until he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. He didn't need to look up who it was.

"Wakamatsu."

"Aomine" the deep voice grumbled. The brute kept writing on the paper, waiting for his partner to continue talking.

"You didn't eat any lunch."

"Not hungry."

"You have to eat something though."

Aomine sighed heavily and gripped the pen tightly.

"Is Kagami coming again today?"

"Yeah."

"Oh okay. You'll eat with him right?"

The brute grunted and returned back to his writing. Wakamatsu sighed and slowly made his way back to his desk, not uttering another word. Aomine focused on the task at hand and the next thing he knew, he finished the one paper. He set it off to the side and grabbed another from the mountain of desk work that still needed to be done. Wakamatsu shook his head as he set another case on top of the pile before walking away.

The hours went by at a snail's pace, almost making the brute fall asleep in the middle of the station. At last, when it was the end of his shift, he finished three more. He saves the rest for tomorrow. As he put on his coat, he heard the familiar redhead talking to his partner in a low whisper. He grunted as he made his way slowly to the front door.

"Alright. Don't worry. I'll feed him after our game. Thanks, Wakamatsu" the redhead waved to the officer before smiling at his best friend. "Are you ready to go?"

The brute shrugged his shoulders. "Sure."

Kagami sighed and headed out the door, hoping his best friend would follow. The walk to the court was quiet as always. The redhead has stopped asking to see what was wrong a while ago. Once Aomine is ready, he will tell him. They're best friends after all.

They got to the court, unusually they were alone, and quickly changed into shorts and a T-shirt. They stretched, warmed up with a couple of dribbles before starting their game. At first, it was going good. Aomine was somewhat in the game, noticing when Kagami tries to do a crossover dribble and snatches the ball before he could complete the move.

He doesn't know when things started getting bad.

It was probably when he started seeing blond instead of the obvious red hair in front of him. Or replacing the fierce red eyes in front of him with golden orbs. His heart couldn't take it. It was more painful seeing that than hearing Kagami dunking a ball, making him the winner of this game.

Kagami has finally beaten his best friend.

Aomine didn't care. He just wanted to get out of here, go back home and feel the familiar burn going down his throat.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" the venom in the other's voice surprised him. The brute raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? You won" Aomine shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the fence, being careful not to change the other's appearance in his mind. Kagami spun around with fury in his eyes. He marched over to the taller male and gripped his shirt into his fist.

"Aomine Daiki stop fucking bullshitting with me! I didn't win anything! For the past few months, you've been either drunk, depressed, or a straight-up asshole! You don't eat! You don't work! Hell, when's the last time we had a decent game?!" the redhead yelled.

The brute narrowed his eyebrows. "Like every day! You have been forcing me to come to this stupid court with you and play ball! I do eat and I do work! Desk work is still working!"

Kagami scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You've always hated desk work! Why is it okay now?!"

The brute got off the fence and made his best friend stumble back a bit. "Why the hell do you care?" he seethed in between his teeth.

Kagami let go of the shirt and crossed his arms over his chest. "We're best friends you fucking idiot. I'm always gonna care. Now, stop being a little bitch and tell me what's going on with you! I'm sick of waiting!"

"There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Bullshit and you know it!"

"You're fucking bullshit!"

"Is it because of Kise?!"

The brute froze. He hasn't heard the name since his coming out was made public. It was on every TV channel, magazine, and radio station. There was no getting away from it. Hearing that name brought all of the painful memories he's worked so hard to keep out back up again. Fearing he might actually start crying, he bit his bottom lip and looked down at the ground, forcing the emotions back in him.

"No. It's not about that stupid blond."

"Fucking liar."

Aomine huffed and went to grab his things. "Fuck off Bakagami. Leave me the hell alone. I don't need you to watch me like a desperate parent. Just because you're becoming a dad doesn't mean you can play that card on me" he muttered and started to walk off.

"Fucking coward! Just tell me what's going on! We're best friends! We're supposed to tell each other everything!" Kagami roared in desperation.

"Yeah! We are supposed to tell each other everything! Then, why didn't you tell me that you were dating Narumi!? I have to find out from Tetsu! What about the engagement!? When were you going to tell me that?! I didn't know about it until a month before the goddamn wedding!" Aomine's voice boomed across the place.

Kagami left his mouth agape.

"What about this baby? The only reason why you told me about the kid was because you wanted me to be the godfather, which is a horrible decision really because I don't even like your wife in the first place! She stole the love of my life!"

The redhead gasped while Aomine froze again. Now, he's done it.

The brute clenched his teeth and faced the ground once more. He gripped his things and made his way back to his place, hoping that the redhead would leave him alone.

He got his wish.

Aomine arrived home and quickly took the last three bottles from the fridge. Turning the TV on as background noise, he was somewhat pleased to find that it was a sports channel that was playing. He slowly jugged the bottles, trying to make them last, not really paying attention to what's on the screen. When he got up to throw them away, he heard a familiar laugh.

A laugh that has haunted his dreams for months.

He turned around to find Kise staring at him through the TV screen. His hair grew longer, almost to the point where it could be pulled back in a bun. His pale screen had a hint of tan, he had no more earrings, in fact, the only thing that stayed the same was the piercing golden eyes that he loves.

"I'm so happy that your career is really taking off! Especially since you'll be staring in an upcoming movie that will be released at the end of the month" the reporter smiled brightly. Kise laughed again and scooted closer to a male that Aomine didn't notice until now.

"Yes. Kise did an amazing job working with me through the movie. We hope that the fans will be delighted" the male spoke in a deep voice, making the reporter almost swoon with joy. Aomine's heart clenched when he saw a hint of blush across Kise's face.

The reporter's eyes widen as she looked between Kise and the male that spoke.

"I-Ito-san? Does this mean what I think it means?" the reporter shook with joy. The male, Ito, looked to Kise and winked at him, making the blond blush even more. Ito smirked playfully and wrapped an arm around Kise's waist tightly.

"Yes. Kise and I are dating."

Aomine dropped the bottles onto the floor, not hearing the glass breaking into pieces.

The reporter screamed with delight as Kise chuckled shyly. "R-Riku-kun…" the blond muttered softly.

"Already using first name bases?!" the reporter quickly talked to the cameraman, asking if he's getting this. While she had her back turned, Ito smiled charmingly and planted a soft kiss against his lover's lips.

He muttered something too low for the microphone to pick up but Kise smiled brightly after he heard and started to answer all of the flushed woman's questions.

The brute heard enough. He shut off the TV and started to grab his things quickly. He needed something stronger tonight. Quickly, he rushed out of his dirty apartment and headed down the stairs. He ran to the nearest bar and ordered anything that was strong. He just wanted to forget what he just heard. He knew that eventually Kise will move on from him and find someone that's better suited. He just didn't expect it to be this soon.

Or the pain that came with it.

Sadly, he couldn't get away from it because of the TV at the bar was still playing Kise and whatever his face's interview. He asked for the entire bottle from the bartender and began chugging from it. The bartender raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

When Aomine almost finished the bottle and he started to see the walls sway, he smiled drunkenly. At this stage, he knew he couldn't think straight which means he can't think of… what was his name again?

"Pfft. Ito-san could do so much better than that whiny brat" he heard someone from across the bar yell out. He could tell that the male was drunk as well.

"You don't think that Kise-kun and Ito-san are super cute together?" he heard a female voice. Aomine turned around to find a female with blond hair and green eyes pouting with a guy that had his height, brown eyes, and black hair. He had a scar across his left eye, making him ten times scarier than a normal guy looks.

It didn't scare the brute one bit.

"No, I don't! Kise is just a whiny brat that thinks he could get whatever he wants! I don't think he's gay either. Like, have you seen the many women he was surrounded with? He probably fucked all of them!"

Aomine had enough. He ripped himself off the stool and made his way over to the male.

"Take that back" he heard himself mutter. The male snickered and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why should I? It's the truth isn't it?"

"Probably not as true as you being a crying pussy that hasn't gotten laid in years" the brute smirked back. The male roared and threw a punch at the brute. It landed on his right cheek and he stumbled back. The male didn't stop there. He lunged himself on top of the brute and started to punch his entire body, mostly his face. The brute also threw his own punches, focusing on the other's stomach.

When he heard a loud groan, Aomine grabbed an empty bottle that fell on the floor and smashed it on the other's head. Both bleeding, they kept continuing on until the police arrived. The male was pulled off the brute, screaming at him that it won't be the end of it and was hauled away in a cop car.

Aomine felt his coworkers eyed him as they slapped the handcuffs on his wrists that are behind his back and led him towards their own vehicle. Neither one spoke to each other as they drove him to the station. Even the station grew quiet when a bloody Aomine walked through the doors in handcuffs. Instead of taking him to the holding cell, they took him to the Chief's office, where an angry Wakamatsu and a disappointed boss were waiting.

"Thank you, gentlemen. Leave us" the Chief's voice echoed through the room. The two officers that had a hold of Aomine saluted and walked out the door.

The Chief leaned back into his chair and cleared his throat.

"So, Aomine? Any explanation as to why you were found drunk bar fighting with a random stranger?"

The brute kept his gaze on the floor, hoping it will help the spinning of the room better to manage.

"Didn't like what he was saying."

"That doesn't give you the right to start beating on him!" Wakamatsu yelled furiously. The Chief raised a hand, silencing the male.

"First your actions out on the field became sloppy. Then, the slow progress of desk work. Now, it's a bar fight. I'm sorry Aomine but I have no choice but to suspend you from the police force. You've become a threat to yourself and to those around you. In two weeks, I'll be expecting you to come to my office and explain why you should be let back in. If I don't find any progress in your recovery, you will be terminated effective immediately. Do I make myself clear?" the Chief raised an eyebrow.

The brute slowly nodded.

"Yes, Chief."

"Good. Wakamatsu, take him home. Make sure he eats and takes a shower. He reeks of alcohol" the Chief sternly said. The blond saluted his superior officer and grabbed the brute by the arm and harshly tugged at him to exit. They walked together to the squad car quietly, making no noise as they got in and Wakamatsu started to drive. When they were almost halfway to their destination, Aomine spoke up.

"I slept with him."

The blond nearly hit the curb as the statement surprised him. He was about to yell at him when the brute continued on. He told his partner everything. From when he first found out his love for his best friend to the day Kise left his life for good. Once he finished his story, Wakamatsu sighed heavily.

"I figured it was something to do with him. It was obvious how you felt about him."

The brute looked at his partner in a curious stare. Wakamatsu rolled his eyes.

"Really? You didn't realize that you were in love with him until recently?" the officer sighed heavily as he made a left turn.

"No. I knew since the last time we played ball together. I just didn't accept it until the day I forced him out of my life."

The blond shook his head as he parked in front of the building. "You're an idiot Aomine. Why the hell would you let him go?"

The brute took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling.

"It's better this way."

Wakamatsu murmured something under his breath before exiting out of the car. He walked to the passenger side and helped Aomine out and into the building. It was a bit difficult helping the big male up the stairs but they managed to make it to the front door. They opened it and the blond help him make his way to the bathroom.

He sat him down on the toilet with a gasp.

"You need to lay off the beers. I swear you gained weight" Wakamatsu stretched out his back. Aomine rolled his eyes and grabbed a hold of the counter next to him. "Hurry and take a shower. I'll leave some clothes for you and start making something."

"You don't have to-"

"I do. Chief's orders."

The blond slowly walked to the door but paused and tensed up. "Look, I'm sure you have your reasons why you did the things you did. It doesn't mean you can throw your entire life away. I mean, what was the number one reason why you joined? To protect people, right? If you get fired from the police force, you won't be able to keep that dream."

The blond rubbed the back of his neck.

"Your mother would be very disappointed," he whispered, barely audible for the drunken brute. Before Aomine could react to what his partner said, the blond continued. "Please recover from this. Make your friends proud. Make the chief proud. Make your mother proud. That way, we can both get back onto the field to do what we do best. Fight bad guys and protect the public. We have to protect them so everyone could be safe. That's your dream, right? Is it still?" he gripped the doorknob.

The brute's heart tightened in his chest. He hasn't thought of his mom for the longest time. He felt guilty.

Without uttering another word, the blond officer exited the bathroom. Aomine stayed sitting for a while, replaying his partner's words over and over while trying to make the world stop spinning. When he figured he can stand on his own, he turned on the water, stripped down and started to wash his entire body. Feeling the hot droplets hit and roll down his body felt amazing and somewhat sobered him up. Once he finished, he stepped out, wrapped a towel around his waist and went into his bedroom.

There on his bed laid a red long sleeve shirt and black sweatpants. He raised an eyebrow as he picked up the shirt. He doesn't remember owning a long sleeve, especially this small. He shrugged his shoulders and tried to put it on. With a couple of tugs and a few adjustments, the shirt slid on nicely, showing off the brute's biceps. He put on the rest of his clothes before heading to the kitchen. On the dining table was a smoking hot plate of white rice and grilled chicken.

The brute's mouth watered.

He doesn't remember the last time he ate a home cook meal, too lazy to make any food himself. He engulfed the entire thing within minutes and set a reminder to buy his partner a gift since he let a ton of leftovers.

While the brute ate his food, the wheels in his head started to turn.

He knows that what he's doing is ridiculous. Sinking lower into the heartbreak pain is going to end up ruining his life. He especially would never forgive himself if he was fired from the force. He joined because he wanted to protect people. He wanted to save them before it was too late.

Just like his mom.

His mother was one of the top detectives in the district. She won countless awards, helped solve multiple crimes, and even shook the Prime Minister's hand. She was a brave woman that would never back down from a fight, especially to protect the people she loves.

Aomine doesn't remember the exact details of what happened that day except that she didn't show up to pick him up from school. He waited for hours at the front until he saw her partner walking up to him with a sad look on his face. At that moment, he knew. He knew his mother was gone from this world and he would have nowhere to go.

His mom's partner began talking to him saying that "she died a hero" and "she wanted to you know that she loves you very much" and things like that. Aomine knew all of that at the time. He knew that she will always be known as a hero and she will always love him. In fact, she would tell him every single day.

He was proud to be her child.

Now, he felt sick to his stomach. He felt so guilty and disgusted with himself. Wakamatsu was right. His mother would be very disappointed with him.

Finishing up the last of his meal, he put the plate in the full sink and sighed heavily. Well, if he's going to get his life together, he might as well get his place cleaned up first.

Starting in the living room, he casually started things up, being aware of the slight pain that's still in his head. For minutes, he worked all over the place, either throwing trash away or putting his dirty clothes in the hamper. Once it was pretty much clean, he put his clothes in the washer before tackling the last struggle.

The dishes.

Letting out an exhale, he looked at the massive amount of dishes that needed to be cleaned. He grabbed his sponge and started to scrub away. He doesn't know how he did it, but he finished with all the dishes clean and soap in his hair and cheek.

Collapsing on the chair, he smiled a bit for the first time since that day. It felt good. Putting out his phone and opening his camera, he began to laugh hysterically at the way he looked. He doesn't know what came over him but he felt extremely wonderful.

A knock on the door interrupted his laughing. He got up, wiped his cheek, and opened the door to find one of the last people he'd expect on the other side.

Aomine raised an eyebrow at the male staring back at him. His hair and clothes were dripping wet, his hands were slouched to the side, and there was redness underneath the other's eyes.

What stood out the most was the faint handprint on their left cheek.

"Long time no see."

"I know you don't want to see me but I have nowhere else to go" the other rubbed one of his arms for comfort. Aomine sighed heavily and leaned against the doorway.

"Why don't you go back home?"

The other flinched, making Aomine become worried. The other bit his bottom lip. Noticing the nerves in the male in front of him, Aomine reached out to grab his arm and slowly soothed him.

"What happened?"

Aomine was met with dark crimson eyes filled with tears before he got his answer.

"I'm leaving Narumi. She's been cheating on me since before the wedding with her brother's best friend."