Another day, another chapter.

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Finally. So a new update, a little time jump and I hope a lot of fluff. I'm again a bit uncertain if I was too quick so I'd be glad to hear your opinion. I'll maybe edit it later one.

Thanks for all the follows, favorites and reviews!

DAY NINETY NINE

"It's all your fault."

Aomine lifted his gaze from his seat on the other side of her table, his expression forming a frown as he glared at her. He pushed the black and white fabric away from his side, falling further back into his chair which only made the orange haired girl scowl at him more.

"No way, you're helping out, Aomine."

"Tch...if you beat me in basketball, maybe."

"You know that this is impossible!" Mia called out, pointing at the tall teenager who slumped down further into his chair to emphasis his point.

She was actually supposed to be on the other side of the room with her other classmates who were coloring and writing different flyers for their haunted house. But then a classmate of hers approached her, asking...well more or less begging her to change their tasks, because apparently the blue haired teen was scary and a pain to deal with.

And the other girl had been so certain that it would be great to work with the 'tall, dangerous looking guy' in the back of the class.

Mia liked to help out, she surely did. But she didn't know how to feel about being labeled as the 'girl who was able to talk with him without crying'. What did her classmate expect, she wondered. That Aomine was one of those typical protagonists in those romantic novels? There was no way that he'd be the so called 'bad boy' who turned out to be an 'only you can change me' guy. He was even a bad boy to beging with - Aomine was just completely lazy.

The girl pursed her lips as she slowly formed another small ghost puppet out of the materials they had on the table, her gaze glimpsing ever so carefully at the annoyed expression of the basketball player in front of her.

Aomine as someone who was in truth cheesy and soft on the inside...

Mia suddenly let go of the doll as a handful of giggles bursted out of her mouth she couldn't restrain. At the sound of her laughter the blue haired teen leaned forward once more, his elbows landing onto the table to support his upper body.

"What?"

"N-nothing!" She breathed, still trying to keep her voice down but it only made him more eager to find out why she had suddenly such a change of mood.

But the thought was just so ridiculous!

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Aomine asked again, a single eyebrow lifted into the air.

The frown on his face had at least disappeared, his expression relaxing as he watched the girl in front of him slowly calm down. The smile on her lips was still present as she blinked away the few tears in her eyes the picture in her mind had caused. They still had to finish a handful of puppets for the decoration and if he wouldn't be so lazy in the first place they'd surely be a lot faster.

"I'll tell you if you help." Mia offered.

"Tch." Her tall classmate clicked his tongue dissatisfied with her idea, but after she didn't give into his half-hearted glare, he sighed heavily.

It looked a little painful to watch him stuff the fabric with too much wool, the little ghost puppet would surely end up a bit deformed thanks to his rough treatment. But it was something. And in the end it was supposed to be a haunted house, so maybe it would even fit the image they wanted to achieve.

"Stupid points..."

Mia smiled at the sight of his helpless stuffing and tying. Who would've thought that she was able to make him actually do something? Satsuki would be proud of her! Quickly, she grabbed her abandoned puppet, tying the thin thread around it to secure its form. Even though the orange-head could agree that her tall classmate was hard to handle, she didn't understand why the female student had been so eager to get away.

If Aomine was actually working it wasn't so bad.

Her body jumped slightly as his long legs bumped into hers once more beneath the table. That was maybe the only thing which bothered her. That guy was too tall for his own good, even though she had already withdrawn her legs and feet she could always feel his whenever he shifted around. It wasn't that much of a big deal to be honest. However, Mia couldn't help but notice how aware she grew of all his movements whenever he was close by.

It was as if she expected a blow in the very next second which was just ridiculous.

The orange-head narrowed her gaze at the small puppet in her hands, trying to concentrate onto it before she once again felt how his calf pushed her left leg aside to stretch his one out a bit more. Biting her tongue Mia pushed back against him with her own thigh. How much space does that guy need anyway?

At her sudden action Aomine looked up from the doll in his hands. His eyes blinking at her a bit surprised before a lazy grin tugged at the corner of his lips.

With a bit force he brushed against her left leg once more, claiming the spot he had previously found back, which was enough to catch her attention. Mia looked up startled, their gazes locking as she had to keep herself from turning red again. It was so damn stupid but she could feel his body heat through the fabric of his pants, the body contact so close and subtle although it still was nothing which could be called casual.

The basketball player really used any opportunity he found to escape the task at hand.

Biting her bottom lip Mia tried to force his leg away once more. But after he had noticed her intend, it was obvious that he wouldn't let her do that, instead he used his own strength and other leg to lock her in place. And thanks to his unbeatable muscle strength it was a battle he won easily.

"Aomine..." The orange-head growled as her head slowly but surely turned into the dreaded shade of red she had tried to avoid.

"You're blushing." He pointed out as tactless as ever.

The amusement was written across his face. The grin on his lips only growing as she tried to free her legs in vain, but it was impossible against someone like him. She had known he was strong but now she felt it for the first time just how big the difference between them was. God, she wouldn't be able to beat him even if she started to work out. It felt like her limbs were crushed whenever she tried to kick out.

Mia's lips pursed in defeat, her eyes ghosting from left to right but all she had as a weapon was one of those silly little puppets. Desperate enough to try anything, she grabbed one of the finished dolls. Her arm rose into the air, ready to throw it against his head to at least cause a moment of distraction-

But it wouldn't be Aomine, the trained basketball player, if he didn't foresee her idea. The teenager's left hand darted out, grabbing hers which held onto the puppet, so fast that she didn't even realize that he had moved in the first place.

With wide eyes she let go of the small ghost, the item bounced onto the table until it rolled off onto the floor beside them. Damn him and his reflexes! How would she be ever able to beat him in something else beside video games if he was like this? A lazy human being shouldn't be able to react as fast as he could! Mia couldn't accept that.

Still glaring at his ever so arrogant expression, she tried to find something else in the depth of her mind which could help her. But the only thing which sounded reasonable was to call out for help, two against one always made it easier. Unfair, yeah. Although who cared about such stuff if it meant victory against the stubborn tall guy in front of her?

Well...maybe the childishness of all of this stopped her.

Their corner in the room was rather empty because the other students had pushed the tables and chairs in the front aside to create more working space. A handful of teenagers were crawling across the floor to cut and nail a long black cloth onto thin wooden planks.

Her classmates who were busy with the flyers sat at four tables which were pushed against another, discussing which motif and color should be used next. Loud noise and laughter echoed from the corridor into their classroom. Not to mention that Mia had probably disappeared behind Aomine's broad back from their point of view.

If they saw the situation they'd probably laugh anyway...

And how could Nanami leave her! The raven haired girl had apparently found a senior who was helping her out.

But still!

She could use some help here...

Her swirl of thoughts came to a halt as Aomine pushed their hands down. She hadn't even realized how her arm had been frozen in place, the clash of their struggle still in midair until she felt the cool surface of the desk beneath the palm of her hand.

Mia's eyes flickered towards his hand which still lay upon hers; blocking her from any harsh movement she could've planned. It had been a while since she had held his hand. The days had passed, burying the memory beneath homework and school. But now where she felt the familiar rough skin against her knuckles it all came back with a wave of emotion.

Gosh, just when she had been sure her heart would never try to escape her ribcage again...

She felt like one of those idiotic characters on a show, those fools who were easily swayed by small actions while whining on and on about their 'oh so fragile feelings'...but in truth it was all so hard to grasp. It was difficult to understand and hard to put in order...there was no manual to look up her questions...there were no right answers.

No script or dramatic past. No director or plan.

There was only you, your brain and your heart. And they all yelled and shouted at another. Making her head spin in circles and her nerves tingle even though it was all nonsense in the end.

And his fault.

It was always his fault.

"Ahomine..."

"Hah?" He probably intended to sound a lot more threatening. But his voice was quiet and gruff, the annoyance barely audible to her ears.

Mia stared at their hands, her fingers slowly lifting until they were able to slip through his longer ones. It was neat how easily they fitted in between his. His skin taking on a darker shade next to her pale one, or at least it looked like as if it did in the afternoon's sunlight. Either way, it was a strange sight...their fingers intertwined like this.

She nearly wished she hadn't done it as she felt the grip of his hand tighten. His rough fingertips were pressing against the back of her hand while hers were still hanging lazily in their grasp. She froze in her seat, the blood rushing into her head where it settled into her cheeks. Why did she never think things through first? Mia's toes curled in discomfort, the hold of his legs slowly loosened up, but the orange-head had problems to find the courage to even look into his eyes.

He could be laughing.

Or grinning.

Or worse.

The girl wouldn't survive that. Not now.

So as she finally did look up, ready to lung at him and his stupid, arrogant grin, she was surprised to see him stare out of the window instead. That only made it worse, her mind gushed in panic. It didn't fit him and his blunt attitude. How was she supposed to handle that reaction!

Weakly, the orange haired girl leaned onto the table for support. She changed her mind. She had been prepared for some snarky comment. It would have given her enough strength to counter it with something else...maybe...probably...well...no, not really. But it would've been something familiar and not...this.

Mia supported her head with her free hand, her skull felt suddenly heavy enough to crash through the floor beneath them. But as her palm came in contact with her chin and cheek, she could feel her skin burn. As if it was close to go up in flames - the girl sulked at that. It was always her and never him who reacted like that.

Even as she tightened her grip on his hand as well, pressing her soft fingertips against the back of his hand, he didn't flinch or jump like she had. That wasn't fair, she thought. She lacked a poker face and was so easy to read. It wouldn't surprise her if he was able to hear her heart throbbing because the organ was trying to strangle her again it seemed.

But he was so stupid, her inner voice mumbled while her eyes stared at their joined hands. So stupid and mean.

As Aomine suddenly shifted in front of her, she quickly looked up. It was hard to watch him slowly copy her stature. His free hand was cupping his chin while his deep blue eyes wandered towards their hands where they lingered for a while. It was impossible to read the expression on his face. Or at least it was for her because it neither showed annoyance or nothing at all.

It was just calm.

Quiet and wordless just like this moment between them. This time there was no excuse like on his birthday. She had done that, still uncertain why exactly, but it was her who had intertwined their fingers.

"We're never going to finish these stupid dolls..." Mia mumbled weakly.

Aomine looked up at that, their gazes finally locking as a lopsided satisfied grin graced his lips. To prove a point she didn't know, he squeezed her hand, his strength easily hindering her from loosening her grip.

"I don't care."

Mia started to smile at that. The uncertainty was still there for sure, but it made it less scary when he was looking at her like that. Not mocking. Or mean. He was just being himself...well, maybe less jerk-like if she could call it that. Whatever it was, it was enough to make her actually admit it.

She liked holding his stupid hand.

And maybe she did like her lazy classmate kinda as well.

Maybe.