Another day, another chapter.

Phew, I'm really late right now! Sorry about that, had a bit here and there to do. Help out a friend and being lazy is not a good combination! But here I finally am with another update! There is no kiss yet, sorry to crush your hope and dreams, hehe. But we're getting there. You know me. Establish relationship. Bonding time. I'm a sucker for those.

Thank you for all the lovely follows, favorites and reviews! I don't know where you all come from but you're all so nice and sweet and I hope you're all enjoying the story!

DAY ONE HUNDRED SIXTY TWO

"Like these?"

"Nah, the sole is too smooth."

Mia scanned the profile of the shoe in her hands, her thumb brushing over the light brown sole as if her fingertip was able to feel the certain aspect he had criticized. Although she couldn't, the surface felt rough. Promising a good grip on the court. Well, at least she thought so. The basketball player beside her had probably a lot more experience than some girl who felt a bit out of place in a sports shop.

The orange-head put the shoe back onto the shelf, walking down the path in front of it to look at the others. It felt nice to be inside the building instead of the cold outside; the sky was already darkening even though it was barely late afternoon.

The seasons surely changed quickly, she mused thoughtfully.

Mia approached the blue haired teen who stood at the end of the shelf, following his eyes which stared at a pair of shoes in the second row. She could barely see them from her angle, the object far out of her reach but it seemed that they did catch his attention because he had been looking at them for quite a while.

"Are they good?"

Aomine glanced at her from the corner of his eye, only for a second, before he looked forward again. The teen shrugged with his shoulders, being a bit wary about his opinion. His deep voice grumbled about a prize he didn't win because of Kise and Kuroko. Making the girl watch him quietly, carefully listening to the little memory he offered more or less.

Curiously she leaned onto her toes, reading the label of the dark pair of shoes. LeBron James. Something which told her nothing but it probably was a well-known basketball player who was famous enough to have his own brand.

"I'll probably just go with Air Jordan's." Aomine muttered beneath his breath, grabbing a box out of the third row.

It was strange to see him interested in something as that. Really putting effort and time into finding a pair of shoes because his old ones are too battered and worn out...she still hardly understood the clear differences between them. Colors? Sure. Quality? Not really.

And at the time as they had wanted to watch the movie and ended up in a sports shop first too, he had looked around as well, a bit half-hearted and never considering to buy a pair for real...until now.

Mia found herself smiling behind his back as she trailed after him towards the counter. She didn't mind in the slightest to spend her time like this with him. Glancing around the shop in silence where all the other equipment was placed neatly on different shelves and tables. Shirts, suits, shoes, bats. There were a lot different objects around, all part of a different sport.

Absent-minded the girl grabbed the rim of Aomine's jacket, tugging at the thick fabric to get his attention while he paid for the shoes. His narrow gaze appeared in her view as he twisted his head around to look over his shoulder, a single eyebrow lifted into the air.

"What?"

"What should we-"

Her voice got easily interrupted by a shrill ringing, the noise startling her to some extent. However, it was nothing but Aomine's mobile phone in the end which he dug out of his jacket's pocket with a frown. The clerk wished them a good afternoon, a polite gesture neither of them really registered anymore as the blue haired basketball player scanned the display of the small device.

"What in the..."

Once more his eyes travelled towards her for a second, as if his mind was measuring something. Weighing options. And all the orange-head could do was wait and see if he decided to voice his thoughts or not.

"Nah, Mia...you still got time?"

She nodded without even thinking. "Sure."

"Hello."

Ah, it was Kuroko.

Mia blinked at him a bit surprised because her tall classmate at her side had been vague why he suddenly had to go towards the convenience store down the street. At first she had been certain it was Satsuki who had texted him, why - she didn't know. But she hadn't expected to see the pale boy so soon after their match. The two of them were friends, yes, but...it must be hard to some extent to talk to another, right? She didn't know much about everything which had happened...but it certainly was too much for a heart to handle that easily.

"Don't give me that." Aomine sneered. "Why'd you suddenly call me out here, Tetsu?"

The boy in front of them stared at them as calm as ever. It reminded her of Nanami, the raven haired girl who easily kept all her thoughts and opinions to herself. Her expression hard whenever she wanted it to be except when she was laughing about her misery...did Kuroko maybe have such a side as well? That could actually be rather scary.

"Let me be direct." He declared. "Aomine-kun, teach me how to shoot."

Her tall classmate quirked his brow, his lips falling as he frowned at his old friend. "Hah?"

To shoot?

As in throwing the basketball into the hoop? The girl hardly thought that was something a high school basketball player should learn this late...although now where she tried to recall a time where the pale boy had made a hit in the match, she couldn't. She had seen him, definitely, running on the court. At the last second he had passed the ball to Kagami but...he never had tried to throw the ball...or had he?

"Are you kiddin' me?" Aomine grunted but the youngster appeared to be resolute.

"I'm serious."

The blue haired teenager bit back a rude retort it seemed, his mouth opening without spilling any words before he glanced at her instead. Mia found herself suddenly in the wrong spot, a bit alien in a situation where she maybe was actually more burden than help. So quickly she shrugged with her shoulders, the dark round eyes looking up at the teen beside her to show her tolerance.

"I don't mind."

"Seriously?" His gruff tune made it obvious that he had expected a lot more struggle.

"Seriously. I do owe Kuroko-san something anyway."

Mia smiled at the quiet boy in front of them who actually returned the gesture with a light smile of his own. Aomine, however, watched that exchange with a scowl. His sharp eyes narrowing at both of them as his mood darkened.

"What are ya talking about."

"Nothing, Aomine-kun." Kuroko exclaimed calmly, his attention already shifting. "So, will you help me?"

"I..." Aomine was about to agree, she believed. His expression was torn between slight confusion and annoyance although the latter won, obviously. "I'm serious, what the hell were you talking about."

Mia couldn't help but laugh, her hands lifting to pull the scarf tighter around her neck to hide her lips. She easily earned a glare for that, something which didn't threat her anymore in the slightest because she had gotten so used to his very being. Even the heavy air he carried around him had become so normal; it was honestly weird if it wasn't present in the first place.

"I'd like to see it, too. You suck at explaining, Aomine. I want to see if I'm the only one who struggles with that."

The blue haired basketball player snorted. "You are just a terrible learner."

The girl shook her head, still amused by the whole situation. "We'll see that then."

"Tch. Whatever, he can at least show me what he can do."

Aomine rubbed his neck, avoiding both of their stares as he chose to look at the passing cars on the street instead. To Kuroko and her, it definitely sounded like defeat. Both teenagers exchanged a meaningful gaze and Mia could suddenly understand how these two boys had become friends in the past. How their friendship worked was still a riddle, a puzzle she probably wouldn't ever solve but she could understand the dynamic which kept that bond alive throughout their middle school years somehow.

Maybe now, after her classmate had hit the ground, their friendship could breath once more?

Mia found herself standing at the sideline. The plastic bag with the shoes Aomine had bought rested beside her feet next to the school bag of the shorter boy, her hands were rubbing her arms absent-minded as she watched how the orange ball crashed against the hoop full force. It bounced backwards, quickly losing its strength before it rolled to Kuroko's feet.

She couldn't help but stare, her nerves dropping as she stared at the pale boy, not trusting her eyes.

He couldn't be serious...he was just as bad as her...?

"How was that?"

Aomine was the first to burst. The vein on his temple was throbbing as he spread the anger he felt with every single breath he took. For someone like him it must be surely painful to watch that. Even Mia had to cringe. How had the tall teen watched her with that stoic expression of his in the past when she had thrown as helpless as that? Well, she was a total beginner...but still.

"You can't be serious!" The blue haired teenager yelled, balling his fists to contain the turmoil inside of him. "How am I supposed to feel if you drag me out here, only to show off your crappy shooting?!"

Kuroko shrugged with his slender shoulders. "That's why I asked you."

"I never said I'd teach you to shoot!" Aomine grunted immediately.

This time even the cool expression of the calm boy fell. He bent down to pick the ball up, his light eyes staring up at the tall basketball player in front of him. Round, blank. As if he was a kid who got rejected, who wasn't allowed to take the last cookie even though it wanted it.

"...why not?"

The mood of Aomine only became worse, Mia mused from the sideline. She could see how his shoulders tensed up, his muscles twitching. They yearned for release in form of a punch or other drastic action because if anything sounded like a bad idea then it was to piss him...which Kuroko apparently did. With a single terrible shot.

Man, it must have been a miracle that he had been so patient with her up until now.

"There's something wrong with someone who beats a guy and makes him teach him how to shoot the next day!"

Aomine's deep voice boomed over the empty practice court. And for Mia it was the second time he had actually really said that he had lost. Yesterday he hadn't mentioned it ever again. On the way back it was rather quiet - the team was not in the mood to talk, obviously. Satsuki had mostly filled the silence with some nonsense, trying to lift the defeated spirits.

But the basketball player hadn't mentioned it once today either.

Her classmate sighed deeply, kicking the ground beneath his feet. It wasn't like him, but it seemed like he actually thought as well that his outburst had been a little bit too much. He lifted a hand, rubbing half of his face as if he was tired, the navy orbs landing on Kuroko's feet.

"I haven't slept since then...I went home." Aomine muttered beneath his breath. "I ate, took a bath...then I went to lie down. But I couldn't sleep." A sigh. "My body was exhausted, but when I closed my eyes I saw the game."

Mia's gaze softened as she watched the broad back of the teen. There were things she couldn't tickle out of him, things he only shared in the presence of Kuroko who quietly watched his old friend. It made her wonder how much else she still didn't know. And how she could offer support...it often felt like she failed at all those things even though she really wanted to help.

"I had forgotten how it felt to lose. My chest feels tight, I feel nauseous like I'm going to puke...and my head is pounding." Aomine's foot still kicked against the pavement, the motion monotone. "I kind of missed it, but now that I've experienced it again, I don't miss it at all...it, it still just sucks."

Ah, that did sound like him.

"But." The blue haired teen started, finally looking up to stare at Kuroko once more. "That's why I want to play basketball again so soon."

"Aomine-kun..."

"Jeez..." Aomine breathed heavily, interrupting his friend roughly who had tried to speak up. The orange-head actually jumped as he turned around towards her, shrugging of his dark jacket as he approached the sideline she stood on. "Talking about it made me want to play."

With a swift movement the tall teen threw his jacket over her shoulders, making her easily disappear in the way too big clothing. But the warmth which had belonged to him a few seconds ago crawled through her wool cardigan, warming her shivering limbs with ease. Mia welcomed that with all her heart, the air had turned colder and colder. She could hardly watch Aomine stand there in his white sweater without a care in the world.

But as he noticed her glance he cracked a lopsided grin, tugging the jacket further around her body to make sure she was drowning in his blue jacket which smelled just like him. A thought which probably let her face heat up, she honestly hoped that the darkness covered her.

"I'll play with you." Aomine grumbled as he turned away from the girl, catching Kuroko's attention who had watched the unusual gentle interaction with curious eyes.

"Huh?"

"I'm saying I'll teach you to shoot, moron." He already sounded annoyed again, but the tone was shallow and empty.

Mia lifted her hands to keep the jacket close, smiling as she watched the teenagers get ready to play against another. Even Kuroko seemed to be a bit surprised, his blank face broken by a smile which she had never seen clearer as now. He easily turned around to her classmate who had patted his head, making him frown with his sudden good mood.

"What are you smiling about?"

"It's nothing." The shorter boy said. "It's just...we used to practice like this a lot in middle school."

Aomine looked taken back a bit, not expecting him to bring up their past which always looked like a very fragile topic. But he easily covered his true thoughts, scowling at the boy in front of him.

"Just hurry up and shoot the ball, idiot. You said you don't have much time, right?"

That was the last push Kuroko needed before he started to dribble the ball. Mia leaned back onto her right leg, content in the warm jacket she had now draped over her shoulders. Right, she had maybe actually wanted to ask Aomine if they should grab some food on their way to the train station. Maybe a little excuse to not just immediately leave after they had bought what he wanted...

But this was better, her inner voice hushed. Nicer. Because he was actually playing basketball willingly with someone else but her and the orange-head was not even comparable to any other teen out there. Though, maybe she could actually win against Kuroko in a battle if it was all about shooting...Mia laughed breathlessly into her scarf, watching the teenagers easily stepping around another. Dodging, aiming and throwing the ball towards the hoop.

"Just ten more minutes." Aomine threw over his shoulder into her direction after he had dunked the ball, much to Kuroko's displeasure. He was supposed to teach him not defeat him.

"I can wait." The girl replied still smiling.

She felt perfectly fine on the sideline, wrapped up in the warmth of his jacket.

She didn't want to go home yet anyway.