A/N: Thanks to everyone who followed and favourited and reviewed, it makes me very happy.
Enjoy!
Here's a freebie: Don't play poker with a kid who can read minds. ― James Patterson, The Final Warning
Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. – Vince Lombardi
You have to get along with people, but you also have to recognize that the strength of a team is different people with different perspectives and different personalities. – Steve Case
Beware the fury of a patient man. – John Dryden
Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play. – Mike Singletary
One thing that you can't fake is chemistry. – Blake Shelton
"Are you okay, Imayoshi?" Susa asked him in the morning when they walked into the gym. His dorm neighbour probably hadn't slept a minute. Susa could hear muffled voices from Imayoshi's room the entire night, because Shiranui-senpai stopped by and stayed over. They called him over too, but after night patrol checked the rooms and left (Susa had no idea how Shiranui-senpai managed to hide.), he refused. He didn't play cards at all, let alone poker for money.
Ever since Imayoshi had exited his room in the morning, he'd had a menacing aura surrounding him. Susa wasn't blind, he knew Imayoshi's personality, and he assumed that Imayoshi must have lost. Big time.
Imayoshi blinked and smiled in the way he knew would keep Susa from asking more questions. "Yes, of course. I'm fine."
"Oh? Imayoshi-senpai! Have you lost your packet to Kouta?" Aya asked in a cheerful voice. She appeared from behind them and after she'd noticed Imayoshi's tired expression, she couldn't leave it without some teasing.
Bullseye. He thought. The loss he suffered was terrible, and there he had thought that playing poker was his special ability. That 'reading minds' was his speciality. Shiranui-senpai had proved him wrong, and won his entire pocket money for the next month… That meant no social life outside the campus, no snacks and no lunches in the cafeteria. Tcs. No way can I call home… If there was anything Imayoshi hated, it would be losing in his own game.
And now, his kouhai was being mean to him.
"I'm surprised you haven't joined us, Aya-san." An evil smile appeared on Imayoshi's face, which usually discouraged people from prying, but Aya seemed immune to it.
"If I had, you would've lost your pants, not just the money, captain." She said mischievously, with a wicked smirk of her own.
Both third years stared at her stunned; both slightly blushing. This first year girl was truly a piece of work.
"What?" She asked. "Be glad Kouta played with you only for money and nothing else."
"Oh?" Imayoshi raised an eyebrow. "Shall we play poker some time then, Aya-san~?"
"Imayoshi…" Susa warned him. "Careful with how you say it."
Aren't you hasty, captain? "I usually don't play for money, though." She smiled and decided to go along with their sly captain.
"And what do you play for?" Imayoshi asked with a smile. "Clothes?"
Susa was inwardly cursing both of these idiots. If anyone overheard them, they would think it was flirting, but those two were just two fools, trying to intimidate each other. Well, they don't interact much…
Aya wasn't fazed by his guess and she smirked. "Favours, preferably." And yes, clothes… She shrugged. "But think twice before you challenge me for a game, captain. Kouta wasn't the only one who taught me how to play."
"Hoooo~ Sounds interesting~" He whistled, already thinking of a good time to challenge her. He would finally get to observe her expressions properly. Summer training camp… Maybe.
######
"No hangover anymore?" Aya asked Katsunori after the morning practise.
He gave her one of his unimpressed looks and grumbled: "I'm not ten. I can take care of myself."
"And I'm not teasing you now." She cleared for him, because his comment stung.
If she wasn't teasing now, it was about to come. He was sure about it. "I'm fine." He answered hesitantly. "How were the practises?"
"Fine. Imayoshi is a good leader. And Aomine ditched both, like usual."
"Like usual…" He pulled at his fringe and leaned against the wall, watching the boys cleaning up. "Who is our first opponent on Wednesday again?"
"Kitamiya high…" Aya's voice indicated she didn't want to meet that team ever again. "But they won't be a problem. The problem will be if one team from the opposite bracket will get into the final round."
"Which one?" Katsunori asked. He didn't remember all the schools in the B-block. As a coach he had no reason to check out all of the participants, just those his team would face. And it was mainly the job of managers anyways.
"Kirisaki Daiichi."
"Are they that good?" He asked with raised eyebrows. They had none of the five prodigies, and Touou had never faced them so far.
"I wouldn't say good… Just big trouble. Our analysis isn't complete yet, but there is something very disturbing about that team. I'll know for sure after I see them playing with my own eyes. And they are trouble only if they progress to the final round."
"Hmmm… That's right." When Robin doesn't like something, she is usually right about it. "Let me know what you find out."
"Sure. And I won't let you drink with Hiroto ever again." She smirked and ran away to get changed.
I knew the teasing would come…
"Have you heard? Irihata-sensei is leaving. Do you know why?" Aki stopped by Aya's desk on Friday when their English teacher didn't come and they were left to self-study.
"I have no idea." Aya played innocent. The entire school knew that Kiku and she had to visit the disciplinary committee, because of the 'post-office' they'd created. And suddenly the teacher in charge of this committee was leaving… "Probably she has some personal reasons." She shrugged.
"Hmmm…" The girl thought with a finger on her lips. She wasn't stupid enough to believe there was no connection. "It's strange though. I mean, no one liked her, but still…"
"Let's say she decided to leave." And I hope she won't cause any more problems for me… "I have no idea what happened, Aki-chan."
Aki nodded reluctantly. "It's good that she is not gonna teach us anymore though." She shrugged too. "I hope a better teacher will come."
"I hope so too." She smiled and Aki returned back to her chair to read her magazine. Not everyone cared about English enough to self-study, but they were keeping respectful silence for those who might.
"Oi, Kagami." Aomine kicked her chair. "Explain this." It'd been some time since she'd last explained English to him. They had no after school study sessions and Irihata had kept Kagami occupied during the lessons.
She turned around with an annoyed expression. "Please." She added to his demand. "And stop calling me Kagami." It annoyed her when Aomine called her by her family name.
"But it is your name, no? Sweetheart." He said, trying to keep his voice down. But with the classroom as silent as theirs was right now, it was near impossible.
"Urgh…" She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Hon –"
His huge palm covered her mouth before she could finish his nickname. No, the class would not know she had nicknamed him 'Honey-bun'. Over his dead body. However, he heard Kano snicker, so they probably knew.
Having Aomine's hand over her mouth wasn't such a bad feeling, but it annoyed her. How dare he cover her mouth so casually? Her eyes narrowed and she was thinking of licking his palm, but god knew where it'd been, and causing a scene like that so soon after the 'whore' comments…
She grabbed his wrist and glared at him. 'Let-go.'
His blue eyes narrowed. 'Will-you-keep-your-mouth-shut?'
Aya rolled her eyes again. 'Yes-stupid.' And she gave a small nod afterwards.
Their small exchange lasted only for couple of seconds, and no-one in the class noticed. No-one except their friends.
"What should I explain?" She asked in exasperation.
"This." He pointed at a lecture in the textbook.
It was the one they'd gone through two weeks ago. "What about this?"
"Everything."
"What?!" Her voice resonated in the classroom. "We learnt it weeks ago! How can you…" She threw her arms into the air.
"Will you explain, or not?" He asked with a yawn and totally bored expression.
With a long sigh she agreed. At least he was trying.
The last few days before the actual competition went by incredibly fast. Aya decided to have a nice long talk with Taiga, so there were no more unsaid things between them. Surprisingly, it had helped them both. Aya didn't have to be careful about what she'd say, and Taiga was suddenly less worried and could concentrate on his upcoming match much better.
"So you have the first match today?" Taiga asked his sister over breakfast. Their coach decided to give them the last day free… or with less training than usual.
"Yep. At 10."
"Why are you up so early?" He stared at her in surprise. "You could have slept for another three hours at least."
"I wanted to have breakfast with you and prepare something small for the boys. Though I think they can win without problems."
"It's the school you had a practise match against right? And you won then."
"And we will win today…" She shrugged. "Your match is tomorrow at 11 AM, right?" She played with her food, and hoped she would be able to go and watch Taiga's first match against the 2 meters tall guy from Senegal. She so wanted to see that match.
"I can't wait." He said, his eyes shining with excitement and challenge.
"Ohooo… So you won't sleep tonight, right?"
"Eh? What?" He blinked in surprise, but after noticing her mocking smirk he frowned. "So what?! I can't sleep when I'm excited, any problem with that?"
"No." She chuckled. "It's cute."
"Don't call me cute!" He growled threateningly.
"Or what?"
Taiga's eyes narrowed. He took a piece of tomato he had on his plate, aimed, and threw.
Before Aya could react, a piece of food ended up in her cleavage. She gasped in the sudden cold sensation and looked down. Tomato juice was staining her white tank top.
"You little…" She growled and grabbed her vegetable, intending to throw it, but then… "You know what… I don't feel like making a mess here. I'll get back at you later on, Tiger. Just you wait." She said calmly and ate the food she was holding in her palm.
An involuntary shiver ran down Taiga's spine. He was in a dangerous position now.
######
Interhigh preliminaries weren't as formal and so the first rounds took place in a small local stadium rather than in a huge city stadium with numerous courts. There was only one court and it looked like a regular school gym, with only a small spectators' area on the second floor. At least they had their own changing room.
"Where is that bastard Aomine?" Wakamatsu growled and walked around the changing room like a lion in a cage. "We are supposed to start warming up in ten minutes."
"He'll be here. I'm sure he will." Satsuki said, but she wasn't so sure about it. He'd been complaining he didn't want to come and play against those weaklings. She took her phone and went out to call him.
"Hmm…" Katsunori was pulling at his curly fringe. "If he's late, we'll start without him." He decided. "Yamaoka-kun, you'll play power forward in Aomine's stead, until he arrives." And he doubted the ace would arrive.
"Ossu." Yamaoka nodded. He hated Aomine (and Kagami), and at the same time, he wanted to defend his position in the team. After he'd played a power forward for a year, he wasn't useless. Against Kitamiya High, they didn't even need Aomine's talent.
Aya noticed that small spark of determination in Yamaoka's voice. Maybe there is something more to him…
She was watching the boys, chosen to enter the court. They were fidgeting, or sitting quietly with tighter expressions than usual. Nervousness was normal; she would be more worried if they weren't nervous. Because from personal experience, she knew that once you become overly-confident you tend to do stupid mistakes, and loose. And she also knew that this slight discomfort would fade away the moment they'd start playing. The best example was Sakurai, who was always nervous, but once he made his first shot, his engines cranked up.
Noticing everyone, she felt a bit sorry for those who didn't get their chance. There were some disappointed faces, but not everyone in the team had an ambition to play in matches; some of them just did it for pleasure. It meant she'd have company in the spectators' area. But still…
And then there was that tanned lazy ass, who stole the light from all the others, and he was late; totally stomping over the efforts of those who wouldn't get to play. You have this one job, Aomine…
"It's time." Imayoshi commanded and left the changing room first, followed by his team. "Aya-chan, you are allowed on the court until they call up the starting line-up." He called after her, when she was about to change direction with half of the boys.
"Okay." She nodded and gave an apologetic look to the boys, "I'll join you in a few minutes." She said, because Imayoshi sounded like he wanted her to be there for some reason.
They hummed in agreement and led by one of the third years climbed up the stairs to the spectators' area.
When they entered the court, Aya immediately noticed Aoyama. He smirked and waved at her as if forgetting the little incident they'd had. Hello dickhead, long time no see~ She hummed inwardly and ignored him.
"Keep close to the team." Katsunori told her quietly as if noticing her sudden discomfort.
"Hm?" Aya turned her surprised eyes at her godfather. Usually it was only Taiga who could guess what was going on inside her head, not anyone else. Was she becoming that open? Or was it because she trusted him? "…Sure. Was I that obvious?"
Now it was Katsunori's turn to look at her in surprise. "What? I just don't like the way he looks at you." He frowned at the boy.
"Oh. Okay. I'll keep close to our guys." She nodded.
She helped Satsuki with filling the water bottles and leading the last strategic meeting before the line-up. It was rather a simple strategy – quick start which was to Touou's benefit and then after luring Kitamiya into a high paced game, slow down to confuse them again.
"Yamaoka-senpai." Aya called out to him.
He turned to face her with disbelief in his eyes: Now-you-talk-to-me? "Yes?" He asked carefully, he still remembered the slap she had given him during the training camp, and he sure as hell wasn't okay with it, but he couldn't get back at her. Not with Harasawa as the coach and Imayoshi as the captain. They both favoured the girl too much in Yamaoka's opinion.
Aya sighed. "We are on one team, we shouldn't be enemies." She was holding out an olive branch; their mutual hostility existed long enough. It was time to bury it.
"We sure as hell aren't friends." His voice was hostile, perfectly giving out the message he didn't like her.
"But right now, we are allies. Listen to me for a moment."
He nodded curtly.
"Okay. You didn't get to play against them before, so… Aoyama, their PF you are up against, used to play football and he has incredibly good footwork." She noticed his uninterested look – he had read Satsuki's analysis. "He will try to sweep you off your feet, or foul. I'm just warning you, so you won't fall on your ass and get humiliated. And whatever he says, it's just to provoke you, don't let him do that."
For a moment he was staring at the girl and she stared back. There was nothing malevolent in her eyes, and she just wanted to help. So far she had done a great job as their manager and regardless of her annoying personality; she cared for all of them.
She was about to turn and leave, but she wanted to add one more thing: "And I'm glad to see you are not giving up your position on the team too easily." She smiled at him.
Eh? He blinked. This was something he never expected to hear from her, as she was always defending Aomine. Maybe he was slowly starting to respect the girl…
######
"Welcome, Aya-chan!" Kano greeted her happily when she appeared in the spectators' area. "We've been keeping a good spot for you."
"Thank you!" She smiled and made her way to the front. She wanted to see.
The two teams lined-up, shook hands and bowed.
"I see, no Aomine this time." Aoyama smirked at Touou's PF. "Are you sure you can stand here?"
Yamaoka snorted. But he had been warned. What a brat. "Let's find out, little boy." He said mockingly, enjoying that the height difference was in his favour.
"Hmmm… Don't be so sure about it, senpai." Aoyama answered, but his smirk seemed fake now.
The tip off went to Touou, and as they had planned, it was a quick start. They were an offensive team after all.
"Sorry!" Sakurai said as he stole the first three points. His nerves dissipated, and all he wanted to do was win. His release got quicker, compared to the last time he had played against this team, and so he caught the opposing shooting guard by surprise.
After those first points; Touou flooded Kitamiya with a series of quick attacks. They were aware of their lacking defense which now relied solely on Satsuki's research. For Touou, continuously attacking was the best strategy; point wars were their speciality.
Of course Kitamiya had lots of chances to counter attack, but it wasn't as easy as it might have looked. Their moves had been analysed and predicted. And despite the fact they had faced Touou before, they felt as if they were facing some completely different team.
Aya was nodding approvingly and smirked. That's how much they've improved… She could see the results of her balance practises, because ever since the training camp it was a part of the usual training regimen.
"Wow…" Kano breathed out. It's been only five minutes and Touou was already leading 26 points to mere 8.
"You've all improved." Aya smiled at him.
"They don't even need Aomine." He said with wide eyes.
"We. It's we, not they. We are all one team." She corrected him. "And we don't need him now. For this match… but there are some opponents that might be troubling if he doesn't appear."
Kano nodded and stared at his team.
The high-paced game they had started continued for the entire first quarter. When it had ended, boys gladly sat down for the two minute break. Suddenly they were happy for their never ending stamina practises, as they watched their opponents completely out of breath.
The first quarter ended with Touou leading 43 – 22.
During the second quarter they slowed down. After the high-paced first quarter, Kitamiya was happy to have some rest, but it only led to more mistakes on their side. For Touou, slowing down didn't mean a decrease of attention, on the contrary, they became even more dangerous.
But there was one player that didn't get to touch the ball much.
Aya watched two power forwards as they were staring at each other the entire time, but the ball rarely found its way to their hands. She had a feeling that Aoyama's task changed to keeping Yamaoka in check, once they found out Aomine wasn't there. Yamaoka only managed to score once, and he missed once. His frustration could be felt all the way up.
Despite Aoyama's lack of basketball skills he had better reflexes than Yamaoka. And thus he managed to keep the Touou's current PF in check.
"Oi, give it here!" Yamaoka shouted at Imayoshi angrily. The first year boy he was guarding was getting on his nerves; all those mocking comments, attempted fouls, and the fact that he could barely touch the ball, were pissing him off.
Imayoshi's eyes darted towards Yamaoka. Hmm… Good position. He thought, but frustration in Yamaoka's voice made him hesitate. Jumping into this PFs' one-on-one with a hot head wouldn't help Yamaoka, then again, they had a huge lead. Imayoshi shrugged, and passed to him. It was almost the end of the second quarter… If he lost some points, then so be it. The only way to deal with Yamaoka, as the captain had learnt, was to let him fall on his ass at times.
"I thought we don't do team-plays." Naito muttered.
"That wasn't exactly a team play." Aya said and watched the two boys playing with interest.
During this game, watching from above, she understood that despite Touou's non-team-play policy they were playing as one team. It wasn't close friendships or bonds between the boys that made Touou a team. It was the ability to know their strengths, weaknesses, place and purpose during the game, and the readiness to contribute when it was needed. It was the thirst for victory that held them together. Not bad at all. Strong individuals willing to cooperate in order to win. Not bad at all.
Yamaoka was dribbling. He tried to fake right and then go left, but Aoyama reacted in time, and cut him off. Tch. You are so lacking, boy… How can you keep up? He wondered. Ah… footwork.
Aoyama couldn't measure up to the third year in strength or height or basketball experience, but he had his reflexes and footwork. So far, it was working. Maybe if I let him pass and then sweep him off his feet… He looked where the referees were. Yep… that could work.
From above, Aya noticed that small movement he made when he was checking out the referee's position. Her eyes narrowed.
Yamaoka found a gap in the defense and was about to get past Aoyama when…
"Watch out!" Aya shouted at him from above, breaking their rhythm.
It was only a split second hesitation, and Yamaoka hesitated only because he was used to listening to her commands during practises – at the time he wanted to avoid it, but listening to her voice over and over again had its effect. Yet, it was enough of a hesitation to notice Aoyama's leg, trying to sweep him off his feet.
"Hmph." He snorted and avoided it, scoring points.
Aoyama turned his angry glare at Aya. She smirked and showed him thumbs up in a mocking gesture. Good-job.
"Hmmm… I never thought he would react to your voice." Aomine's lazy voice echoed behind them.
"Aomine?!" Several players blurted out his name. "We thought you weren't coming!"
Aomine glanced at the digital board with scores, 85 – 43 for Touou.
He yawned. "It doesn't look like I'm needed." He said just when a referee blew his whistle to end the second quarter.
In the smaller gym, players remained on the court during their 10 minute break between half-games and they could go out, if they wanted.
Katsunori noticed the ace, now standing next to Aya. He gave him one of his hard looks.
Get-your-ass-down-here. – was the meaning Aomine could read in Harasawa's dark eyes even in that distance. He had thought that their coach had rather a weak personality and would bend however he wanted, because of the lax approach Harasawa had towards him most of the time. But now, now he witnessed the quiet spark of anger in Harasawa's eyes, and thought it would be wise to obey – just this once.
"Where the hell were you?!" Aya scolded him first.
The boys instinctively took a step back. She was angry, and they didn't want to be near their fiery manager when she got angry.
"Tch. It's pointless for me to play in this match anyways."
She noticed Harasawa's stare.
Her hand shot up and she grabbed Aomine's ear. "Now come with me." She said coldly and dragged him towards the door.
"Ouch. Let go, you witch!" He growled, but it didn't faze her.
When they were out, she dragged him down the stairs and towards the changing room.
He rubbed his sore ear. "What was that for?!" He asked, annoyed and angry.
"Why are you late?!" She asked sharply with her hands on her hips.
"I said it's pointless for me to play. Kitamiya is a joke, not a real opponent." He barked at her a bit more aggressively than intended. "Just like everyone in our block."
Her eyes narrowed, and she threw her arms into the air. "It doesn't matter! That's not a reason for you to be late. And you know it. You are supposed to be here. Period."
"They can handle it fine without me." He grumbled.
Does he realise that he is basically saying 'I trust that you can win without me'? She thought. It was a strange way to show respect towards his team. But it didn't make her less angry.
"You are disrespecting your opponents! If you'd asked to stay on the bench, Katsunori would've let you, I believe. Or don't come at all! But showing up half-way… that's mockery." At the last sentence her voice jumped higher, it was clear; she was against what he'd done. "…towards those on your team who didn't get a chance to play as well." She added.
Aomine's eyes narrowed. "Mother-hen coming out again? I didn't think you were this virtuous." He spat out. For a split second he could see that his words hurt her, and he almost immediately regretted them. But they were already out.
"Well… I didn't think you were this arrogant." She said with a disappointed undertone in her voice. "I recommend you to show yourself to Katsunori, or you're in big trouble. He is not as lax as he appears." She added coldly and left. It was pointless to argue with him over this; he didn't want to understand.
For a moment, Aomine thought he would just leave. But Harasawa's unknown nature was something he didn't want to tempt too much. It was a side of the coach he had no experience with, but he felt it would be a huge mistake to ignore him. And he didn't want to be kicked out of the team.
"Tch." He dragged his feet towards the gym.
######
"Look who's here!" Tada-senpai greeted him with his usual smile.
"Aomine-kun!" Satsuki was about to scold him, when Wakamatsu's voice over-shouted her.
"Where the hell have you been?!" He yelled at him.
"Tch. Stop yelling at me." He said lazily. "It doesn't seem like you need me here anyways." He repeated once again and pointed at the scoreboard.
"You were supposed to be here, you arrogant prick!" Wakamatsu said the same words as Kagami, without knowing.
"Wakamatsu." Imayoshi said calmly, and touched the vice-captain's shoulder, to hold him back. It was pointless to yell at Aomine. And the ace was right; he wasn't needed.
It was enough for Wakamatsu to step back and grumble something incoherent under his nose.
"So, I'm here, ol' man." He turned to Harasawa. He had to endure the coach's stare for several long seconds.
Then, Katsunori spoke up in his usual, bored tone. "So I see. I hope this is the first and the last time you were late. You won't play in this game, but you will remain on the bench."
Something in the way Harasawa said it, made it clear he wouldn't take any arguments, so Aomine frowned and nodded. When he sat down and Satsuki started to lecture him, he raised his palm and covered her mouth. "Shut up, Satsuki. I've heard it." He grumbled and kept frowning at the floor.
For the next twenty minutes he had to watch his team playing. Of course they won by a huge margin, just like he thought. 123 – 59.
After the match, they all gathered in the changing room, which was rather small to fit 28 people in.
"Yes we WON!" Wakamatsu shouted happily, when he took off his sweat-drenched jersey – completely inconsiderate about the two managers.
"Do you need to shout it?"
"We have one more match in the afternoon."
"Shut up."
Several team members spoke up, leaving Wakamatsu frozen on the spot.
Imayoshi just sighed in exasperation.
"Why are you like this?" Wakamatsu asked almost sadly.
"Someone's sure taking a win for granted." Aya mused and shook her head.
"We are one of the top eight teams in the whole of Japan. Of course we think of winning as the only outcome." Yamaoka said, taking off his jersey as well.
As Aomine noticed, Aya wasn't influenced by a dozen of half-naked boys running around, looking for their stuff and changing. She was calmly standing near the door with an unreadable expression on her face.
"True, if you go into a match thinking you'll lose, you probably will. But at the same time, there is only a thin line between confidence, and arrogance." She said casually, but her words hit the mark. "Anyhow, you did well during the match. Good job."
They mumbled their thanks, not looking up to meet the reddish eyes of their second manager.
"Now," Katsunori spoke up to get their attention. All running around stopped, and the boys listened to him. "Our next opponent, Keika Academy, is an average offensive team. You should handle them without much trouble." He was paging through Momoi's research data, and nodding to himself; this school shouldn't be a problem either.
"Ne, Katsunori?" Aya asked; she used his name only when it was regarding basketball and whenever she met him in hallways, he was 'Harasawa-sensei', or 'Coach'. The boys were already used to her addressing the coach by his name, and no one saw it as something overly familiar – the two were family.
"I'm listening." He knew Aya had something in mind, and it could never hurt to hear her out.
"What if you change the starting line up this time? Only first and second years playing? I think we can afford it in this match, and give an opportunity to the others. Plus those who played in the first match can use some rest."
"Hmmm…" He was pulling at his fringe. This was not a bad idea. "Name players you have in mind, and positions."
"Aomine as a power forward, and he'll play the whole match." She gave the boy a long stare, and Katsunori nodded; they'd need him to cover for possible mistakes of the others. "Oyama-kun as a center, but with Wakamatsu-senpai ready to sub him out when needed." The boy nodded, he knew he lacked as a center, and that he had to train a lot more to be as good as Wakamatsu-senpai. "Naito as a point guard, Kano as a small forward and Tada-senpai as a shooting guard." She looked at every one of them as she named them. Kano and Naito exchanged frightened looks – this wasn't expected. "…with third years ready to sub in if absolutely necessary. Oh… And no Satsuki's data before the match." Aya knew those data were just to be distributed after their first match – to not confuse anyone.
"What?" Satsuki asked loudly. She'd spent a lot of time doing her research – well with Aya-chan's help, but still.
"Why?" Katsunori changed Satsuki's question and stared at Aya.
"You've become one of the best eight without Satsuki's help. But aren't you relying on it too much now? And it's only the start of the season. We are facing teams we can defeat without the data now. Maybe we won't double or triple their score, but we will win. And having a team of thinking boys who can analyse and adjust during the game is not such a bad idea. Of course Satsuki can use the research to give you tips during time-outs and breaks." She explained her reasoning.
"Hmmm…" Katsunori was considering her answer.
Even Satsuki had to admit that it made sense. Her research wasn't belittled, but Aya was right, it could be more important when it came to dangerous teams up ahead. She loved her research, so she kept doing them regardless of their importance.
"Fine." Katsunori approved. "We will do it as Aya said. Aomine will take care of covering for mistakes, and third years will be ready to sub you out when necessary. Go through the first page of the research, so you know what kind of team they are. Other than that, go have lunch, walk around, rest and be ready at four."
"Ossu." They mumbled collectively.
"You're dismissed."
######
"Kiku! Hi! I'm so glad you came!" Aya quickly hugged the shorter girl, who came to watch the afternoon match.
Kiku was already used to Aya's hugging habit. "Me too." She nodded. "I've brought it."
"Very good." Aya smiled, eyeing the box of cookies. Then suddenly: "Uhm…" Aya looked at her feet and kicked some small stones away. They were outside, near the gym, where Aya came to meet her up.
"What is it?" Kiku asked curiously. It was unusual for the redhead to look this… guilty?
"I kinda changed the starting line-up for the afternoon." She said with only a half smile. "Wakamatsu-senpai is on the bench, and he might or might not get to play…"
"Oh." There was slight disappointment in Kiku's voice. She enjoyed watching the loud center play.
"…Sorry?"
"Hmmm…" Kiku shook her head. "Never mind, I'll see some of our other players!" She wanted to see this positively, and it wasn't like Wakamatsu wouldn't be there.
"Well then, let's go. The match starts in 10 minutes."
######
"Maaan, I feel so left out!" Ishii whined as he watched his team shaking hands with the opponents. "I want to play with the guys."
"Sorry." Aya said with a culpable grimace. She was aware about this small injustice the moment she had presented her opinion to make changes in the starting line-up. "I'll try to put you in some future match, but we have two very aggressive PFs as it is, and letting you play Kano's position… You'd only compete with Aomine, and it wouldn't do us good."
The boys who were not even on the bench were now the main players of the match. They could manage, she knew. And she was cursing herself for not finding a role for Ishii, but she just knew Yamaoka or Aomine wouldn't let him take their position. For now at least.
Ishii sighed. "I know. It was probably the best choice, though they would probably be better with Wakamatsu-senpai. I'm glad for them, I just feel a bit left out." He said with a forced smile.
"I believe Aya-san will come up with a way to let you play in the next match." Kiku said encouragingly.
"I don't know about that… I won't be here tomorrow. I'm going to watch Seirin's match." She said apologetically. She wanted to see Taiga's match which was at 11 AM, and Touou's third match was supposed to be at 11:30 AM, it wasn't possible for her to attend both.
"And Kirisaki Daiichi's match?" Ishii asked. All teams from their block rotated in this gym. Semi-finals and finals, which were to happen in a week, took place in a city stadium.
"Yep." Aya nodded. "I'm going with Satsuki. Do you want to come?"
Ishii chuckled. "My girlfriend is understanding, but she would get jealous over this, so no. I'm sorry, I can't join you."
"Sure. Consider bringing her in sometime. I think she should know us, to avoid any future misunderstandings."
"I'll ask her." He promised.
######
"You sure you can take us on only with newbies and no regulars?" Keika's captain asked as he shook hands with Imayoshi.
Imayoshi smirked. "Well~ We have good material this year. If you manage to make us sub them all for the regulars, I'll admit you are good. If not, then they are more than enough." His smile turned into an evil grin and he squeezed the opponent's hand stronger.
A vein popped on Keika's captain's forehead and he grinned back. "Be ready to come out."
"Anytime~"
With a content smile Imayoshi returned to the bench. Tada stared at him with worry, he was asked to lead the team of the first years for the first time. Despite the fact that all attacks would be planned by Naito, it was still a huge responsibility. Tada was basically asked to act as a captain during this match.
"You haven't provoked him, have you?" He asked their captain.
"Not too much. Don't worry, you have Aomine after all."
"Tch. You rely on me hell too much." Aomine grumbled, ready to go and warm up.
"Are you planning to lose on purpose?" Imayoshi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't lose." He retorted immediately.
Hmmm… He observed Aomine for a while, then he turned back to Tada: "Then, there is nothing to worry about, Tada-kun."
"Just give me the ball." Aomine said in a bored voice, this time to Tada, and left to have some quick warm up. Tada just stared after the ace and then followed after him.
One of the two referees whistled to signal the end of the warm-up. They lined up and shook hands.
With this line-up, Touou had a slight height disadvantage – the tallest of them was Aomine – at all positions, except shooting guard and power forward. Oyama was staring at the opposing center with determination, and some insecurity, because he was about 6 cm shorter than the opponent.
"I'll go for the tip-off." Aomine said in a firm voice, which didn't accept any arguments. He wouldn't get the first ball that way, but he would definitely take it for Touou. He could feel Oyama's hesitation, and he was aware that if the center goes for the tip-off thinking he will lose, then he would. If someone asked Aomine why he decided to do it, he wouldn't know the answer.
The opposing center smirked at him. "You sure you can take it?"
"Easily." Aomine narrowed his eyes at him. It was annoying when opponents feared him, but it was infuriating when they underestimated him.
All players took their positions. Whistle blew and the ball was up.
Aomine leapt up with a brute force, quickly out-jumping the center and pillaging the ball for his team.
"And you call yourself a center?" He asked with a mocking smirk as he landed on his feet. He was ready to crush this team.
Kano caught the ball with a loud "Uff." The power of that 'pass' was unbelievable. He's never caught Aomine's pass before, because the ace just didn't pass. It didn't matter; he had to make a shot. But he miscalculated and the opponent guarding him stole the ball. It wasn't that easy to play without Satsuki-chan's research.
"Tch." Aomine clicked his tongue, and ran after the ball. He stole it, and made the shot himself. "At least don't lose the ball." He grumbled.
Kano frowned, but didn't retort; Aomine was right. This time, he could've kept it, but he was too stressed, because it was his first official match.
The opponents countered it, or tried to counter with a three pointer, but Tada stopped it easily, and turned it into Touou's second successful attack. The pairing of the two shooting guards was in Touou's favour. Tada towered the shorter opponent by a good 15 cm, and he was sure that after a few more failed attacks, the opponent's three pointers would be completely shut off and he'd give up.
After less than a minute the score was 5 – 0 for Touou.
The opponents managed to get some points with a successful rebound.
After the initial testing, the game quickly paced up. Touou, and mainly Aomine, forced Keika Academy into the game of speed, skill and stamina.
Aomine wasn't considerate whether his teammates could keep up or not. He didn't pass anyways and he could catch any ball that came his way. His opponents were clueless when it came to his streetball moves. Gee', even Kagami is better than the five of 'em.
By the corner of his eye, he however, observed how his teammates were doing. He considered Kano to be one of the weakest at the beginning of the school year, but the boy got noticeably better, quicker and steadier on his feet. Kano was one of the few who stayed over practising almost every day. Heh... Kagami's sure working them to the ground. Naito was like usual, playing his games with a cool head in his calculating manner; he knew exactly when his opponents would falter, but he was faltering too. Tada, was a good shooting guard and it was obvious he often played two positions, he just missed too many of his shots. Surprisingly the weakest of the bunch seemed to be the robust center, and Aomine wasn't sure if it was because of nerves, or just lack of skills and practise.
Why do I even care? He shook his head and made another formless shot.
Because Touou wasn't getting their rebounds and Aomine wasn't really trying, the score after 8 minutes was 36 to 24 for Touou. Too little difference in his opinion.
Referee whistled. "White time-out!"
So they asked for a time-out. Tada thought, happy he could rest for a moment, because apparently their own coach didn't think of using it.
"You are doing fine." Harasawa said. "There is nothing I can advise."
Naito looked at him with a perplexed expression. "That point-guard is pretty skilled." It was infuriating to him, how the opponent's point guard could fake with his eyes. "Any tips on how not to fall for his tricks?"
Imayoshi smirked, he was observing, and he liked how Naito was learning to cope with that slithering snake of the other team. He wanted to get some chance to play himself. "You are coping well, Naito-kun~"
"That's not advice." He retorted.
"Because he is faking with his eyes and sometimes he is not faking at all. It's like a lottery; you are never sure where he is going to pass, right?" Imayoshi asked.
Naito nodded.
"Well then don't look into his eyes, but on the middle of his chest. You'll see his body and limbs move more clearly." Imayoshi shrugged. He used that sometimes and it worked as a tool to annoy opponents as well.
"You sure about that?" He asked sceptically.
"Yes." He sighed. "Aya-san tends to do it too, if you've failed to notice."
Meanwhile, Wakamatsu was enthusiastically giving advice to Oyama. "Just relax! Relax! You are stronger than their center, just leap up with more force, and don't be stiff."
Easier said than done. Oyama thought as he drank. He could feel that he was currently the weakest one out there. Even Kano was outrunning him. I suppose I won't play the whole game. He gave up inwardly.
Katsunori observed the robust boy with a slight frown, because he was the only capable center there after Wakamatsu; the only one to sub Wakamatsu if there were any problems. He had higher expectations of the boy than this. Let's hope it's just stress.
"The next two minutes," Aomine started and stared at his teammates with a wild look in his eyes, "pass them all to me."
Naito was about to retort something, but then he bit his tongue. He wouldn't argue with Aomine, when he had such a look in his eyes.
The first quarter ended with Touou leading 48 – 24. It was as if Aomine was a one-man team. He managed to widen the gap that much in just 2 minutes.
Now, Keika's team was staring at the monster in disbelief. He's a demon. What was the point in trying when Aomine didn't even need his team at all?
During the second quarter, the opponents' team was trying to avoid sending the ball anywhere near Aomine. And Aomine took the small break without complaints. He let the other four enjoy the thrill of crushing their opponents.
Naito slowly got a hang of what Imayoshi had advised. Satsuki persuaded the coach to take one time-out, when she thought Naito might need it to sort out his thoughts, but then the match continued in a steady rhythm.
Missed rebounds, and Aomine's sudden disinterest allowed Keika's team to pull closer to Touou by some points, but not too close. When the score was 74 – 48, Aomine claimed the ball once again. The gap didn't get to one digit difference at all, and he widened it in the last minute by another 6 points.
The second quarter ended with 80 – 48.
"You still think I can't take it?" He asked the opposing center with a mocking smirk. Then his deep blue eyes travelled from one player to another. "Maybe it's time to give up?" The score was indeed like it was the end of a match and not just a half-time.
"Says a spoiled brat?" The opposing captain asked, disgust lacing his voice. He thought Aomine Daiki was arrogant, but he didn't think it was this bad; though he had to admit that the darker boy had the skill to back up his behaviour.
Aomine shrugged. "You are not even a worthy challenge." He turned on his heel and headed out, grabbing his jacket in the process.
"Aomine-kun!" Satsuki called after him. "Where are you going?"
"Out. We are allowed to, no?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
She took a breath to answer, but he shut her up with a raised hand. "I'll be back, don't fret over it." He grumbled and left.
"Stupid Aomine-kun." Satsuki mumbled quietly.
Oyama was sitting on the bench, staring at his feet. If he had gotten those rebounds, the score difference could have been greater. He just wasn't good enough.
"Oyama-kun." Coach towered over him.
"Yes?"
"Do you want to continue, or do you want to sit out?" He asked seriously.
Oyama was staring back at Harasawa and then he averted his gaze in self-pity. "Should I?" He asked, fully aware of his poor performance.
"If you say you want to play, I won't object. But you look like you want to run away."
Oyama shrugged. "Then I'll sit out I suppose." He said with a slight relief in his voice.
"Wakamatsu, go get warmed up. You are playing in the second half." Coach ordered his vice-captain firmly. "You should be rested enough."
"Ossu!" Wakamatsu nodded and took off his jacket. He was actually happy to get to play against that center of Keika. It looked challenging enough.
"That doesn't mean we won't need you." Katsunori continued, still staring at his center who had given up despite the team's lead. "Your training regime will get tougher from now on. I believe you will keep up with it."
Eh? Oyama blinked at the coach. He liked basketball but when he kept comparing himself with the others and their growth, he wasn't sure he could keep up at all. And now, despite his failure – or so he saw it – he was told he was needed. Really?
"Really." Katsunori nodded, catching up with Oyama's train of thoughts. He knew that this boy was too kind and too self-conscious about his mistakes. In a team like Touou, where everyone cared for themselves, he had it difficult. Well, Aya was slowly changing this "each man for himself" mantra, but there was still a long way for his niece to go, and Oyama wasn't in her classroom.
Oyama nodded. "Sure." I'll keep up.
The break passed quickly and everyone gathered back on the court. The ball was in Keika's possession, as they had lost the initial tip-off.
"He ran away?" Aomine asked Wakamatsu, who took Oyama's place.
Wakamatsu shrugged. "Coach told me to play and I don't care about his reasoning."
"Welcome, Kousuke." Tada smirked. "You can get all the rebounds if I miss."
"You are missing quite a lot today." He teased, and asked for a reason at the same time. His friend wasn't usually that inaccurate.
Tada shrugged. "I can't be lucky every day." He was tense because of the sudden match he wasn't prepared to play. It was always like this with him, he wanted to play, and at the same time he hoped he would remain on the bench.
Why've you done this, Aya-chan? He thought and glanced at where Aya was supposed to be. Her eyes were staring right at him, as if she could sense his stare. She smiled and showed him thumbs up: 'You can do it much better! Go for it!' And he noticed someone standing next to her.
"Kousuke? Look up there." He pointed towards the girls.
Wakamatsu looked up and noticed Kiku, who was holding onto the railing with a focused expression on her face. His cheeks flared red upon seeing her there. "Did you have to tell me?" He growled at his friend, who was just smirking under his nose.
"Would you start playing?" Naito's sharp voice reached them, and his pass almost hit Tada's chest. Aomine had already made two shots, while these two senpais were chatting like old ladies on a market. He was rightfully irritated by them.
"Uff." Tada caught it and instinctively went for a shot. His guard had long given up, so he was shooting frees most of the time.
Kousuke got into his position to get the ball if Shun missed – which was highly probable.
But this time, the three pointer went in without scratching the rim.
"Thought you had a stage-fright." Wakamatsu grumbled. He hoped he could get the first rebound.
"I see someone better swapped the first year." The opposing center said in a mocking tone. He could feel that this blonde was much better than the previous one.
"Ha?!" He turned to look at the boy's face and then they both ran towards the opposite basket.
It was a counter-attack. Focused on the Touou's small forward, because they figured out it was the only chance for them to get some points now. Aomine, Tada, Wakamatsu and even Naito were too much to take on, so it left Kano in the focus of his enemies.
Suddenly he was facing two defenders, and he had no idea how to get past them. He wanted to, but he knew he'd lose the ball. Again. His eyes darted towards Aomine, who was unguarded. Keika figured out it was just a waste of time to try stopping Aomine, but they could at least make it difficult for this first year.
Aomine shrugged and motioned for Kano to pass him.
The moment Kano found a gap, he passed and Aomine scored.
"Thanks." Kano said to him.
"I didn't do it to help you." The ace retorted.
"Sure thing, Mr. Ace." He mumbled to himself and smiled. Aya-chan sure sees through you.
Thanks to Wakamatsu's addition and Tada's sudden improvement Touou excelled even without the three regular players. That was a huge blow for Keika, who were losing not to the Touou's regular team, but to a bunch of first years! Their motivation had been shattered in the first half, and it was completely crushed after Wakamatsu had joined.
The blonde guarded Touou's basket with an almost beastly ferocity – even though he didn't have to. And he stole opponents' rebounds as well. And maaan he was loud!
The third quarter ended 114 – 58 for Touou.
"Do we have to play the fourth quarter at all?" The opposing captain asked their coach. "It's obvious we've lost. Why resist?"
The coach was frowning. He hadn't expected Aomine Daiki to be this great, and even the other members of the Touou's team were of high-calibre. His team on the contrary… But it was fully their own fault.
"Don't whine! You train only twice a week! What do you expect? You will play and lose just like you deserve it. Maybe then you will show up to practises." He thundered. It was only a club, and his boys were not taking it seriously at all. Sometimes he wondered why they played at all.
"Now that's interesting…" Naito mused. He didn't like practising that much, but he enjoyed the game and the time spent with his friends. He would never avoid his responsibilities and ditch practise just because he felt like it.
"That's the difference between us and them." Tada shrugged. "You don't become one of the top eight with your hands in your pockets."
Aomine sighed and sipped his sports drink. This was so not worth his energy, but he had to remain there till the very end. "What a load of losers, they don't even bother with guarding me." Underestimation pissed him off, but this ignorance…
"They all bully me!" Kano whined after hearing Aomine's comment.
"You are the weakest one out there now." Naito reminded him, and earned one long accusatory stare from his friend.
"Shake them off then." Aomine told him with a smirk on his face, knowing it was impossible for Kano with his current skills.
"You are both so mean!"
Sakurai was fidgeting on the bench. He wanted to play. He envied Tada-senpai at the moment, but he also enjoyed watching them. It was more of a team play than previously. Tada was coordinating with Wakamatsu, Kano and Naito, and all four made a pretty good team. Aomine-san was playing on his own, but it was just like usual. Sakurai wanted to try and play with this set-up. He felt that he could rely on them a bit more.
Aya smiled when she heard the whistle. "The last quarter is starting."
"It's not even needed." Ishii commented, burning with envy just like Sakurai. He wanted to be down there and play with his friends. And take off some of the defenders that ganged up on Kano.
Kano was the target for the opponents bullying, whenever he got the ball, because they considered him weaker than the others. Keika's team gave up long ago, but they would at least enjoy torturing this poor small forward a bit. They didn't foul him, but they made him feel completely powerless. It wasn't nice to watch.
"I'd love to strangle them." Aya growled as she watched how, once again, they surrounded Kano, making it almost impossible for him to pass, or dribble past them and stole the ball.
Aomine stole it back almost immediately, but Kano was pushed back. It was difficult for him to cope with it. Somewhere in his head he knew that when the three of Keika's players surrounded him, his teammates were free, but it was infuriating.
"It's not nice." Kiku peeped up. She knew the feeling of being the center of something similar.
Naito noticed it, and he refrained from passing to Kano. He focused on the other three, sometimes taking shots himself. By now he saw through the other point guard easily. Maybe it was good we haven't read the report. He thought. They had to figure the opponent out on their own. The satisfaction he felt tasted much better this way.
The game ended with a score: 161 – 58. Touou won. Keika lost.
Imayoshi shook hands with the other captain. "So I see you didn't make us come out at all."
"You have a monster in your team." The boy said.
"I believe there is someone who would oppose you." Imayoshi said with a smirk, his eyes finding the redhead.
The boy shrugged and went to his team.
They bowed, thanked for the game and went towards the changing rooms.
Despite their win, Kano felt terrible. The feeling of complete powerlessness he had experienced was unbearable. He followed after his team towards the changing room staring at his feet the whole time.
"Good job!" Aya's voice reached him, as the girl hugged him around the shoulders. "You did great! I want to break the douchebags' necks for how they ganged up on you."
"Aya-chan?" He asked surprised and raised his head to look at her. He didn't feel like his performance deserved praise.
Her red eyes were smiling at him. "What's with that long face?" She asked. "You did awesome, given the circumstances. And you won! Be proud!"
He blinked. "Eh… well…" Her arm was still around his shoulders and he blushed slightly. "Thank you."
She let go and went around all the others to praise them in a similar way.
"Falling for her won't end well for you." Ishii said to his friend quietly and patted his shoulder. "She is too much for you. And besides…" His eyes darted to Aomine who was now bickering with Aya over something.
Kano followed his line of sight. "Yeah, I know." He smiled. "But I can admire from afar, right?"
"Just don't get broken-hearted over it."
"I won't." He said dedicated to this answer.
######
The banter:
Finally, Aya got to praise Aomine, who was walking at the very front. She naturally hugged him around his shoulders, "Good job, Ho-!"
His palm was over her mouth already. "Don't say it." He growled but he didn't pull away from her friendly embrace. She'd done it to everyone else, who played in this game, so he could enjoy it for a while as well.
Her face twisted in a grimace. Aomine's palm was now rough, and smelled of a basketball. She slapped his palm away. "It smells." She grumbled.
"Like a ball." He said with a nod. "Serves you right, Sweetheart."
Oh, so they know of my nickname? "Really, Honey-bun?" This time she said it.
Aomine took a deep breath to bark something, but the laughter of Tada, Imayoshi and all those who were close enough to hear, just made him blush. "Laugh your heads off, idiots." He growled at them.
"You little witch, I'll get back at you!"
"Just try it, Aomine Daiki!"
######
"Eeek." Kiku squealed quietly when she entered the changing room with Aya and Satsuki, and suddenly there were half-naked boys. She covered her face and hid behind Aya.
Aya and Satsuki giggled at the response. The boys were ignorant towards the reaction they caused. They decided not to waste time with taking a shower; they wanted to go home and rest as soon as possible. It was a difficult day for all of them; mainly the players. Wakamatsu kept his mouth shut for a reason – he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Kiku, but he didn't notice that she was in the changing room with them.
"If you keep making treats for them, you'll see this more often." Aya cleared for Kiku. "Start getting used to it."
Though I said it… Her eyes were staring at shirtless Aomine, tracing his perfectly refined muscles. The trail of dark navy blue, almost black, hair starting under his navel and disappearing in his pants was unbelievably sexy for Aya. She had an urge to trail it with her fingers, to touch Aomine all over. She liked what she saw, everything she saw, and she knew she would like even what she didn't see. Of course it's boxer shorts… She thought.
Aomine was quickly wiping off his sweat with his jersey, when he felt a steady gaze on him. Following his senses he lifted his head and noticed Kagami staring at him. He stopped moving and stared at her.
Aya tracked Aomine's torso back up, just to meet the pair of stormy eyes watching her with an amused and teasing sparkle.
'Enjoying-the-view?' He asked wordlessly with a raised eyebrow and his typical cocky smirk. He didn't want to drag the other's attention to this personal, intimate exchange.
Aya couldn't fight the heat rising to her cheeks. Now you've done it. She blushed and bit the inside of her cheek to calm herself down as she averted her eyes.
The reaction caught Aomine off guard. He expected Aya to stare back at him without flinching or with some smirk and wordless remark of her own. It would've been their usual teasing. But she blushed and looked away (the face she made was something he decided to remember). He wasn't sure what to think of it. Suddenly, he felt embarrassed himself.
You can't, Kagami Aya, you shouldn't… But when he looks so damn good! Being caught staring made her feel embarrassed. Exposed, because she didn't manage to hide it. Yes, she was used to seeing half-naked men, but no, she wasn't used to seeing half-naked Aomine Daiki! It was something else completely. ' the hell? You took his measurements without a second thought! Get a grip, Aya. What changed?
"Aya-san?" Kiku asked quietly when she noticed Aya's blushing cheeks. "Are you okay?"
"Hm?" She blinked at Kiku, finally overpowering the embarrassment she felt. "Ah, yes. Yes I'm fine." She said with a smile. It's nothing.
Katsunori stared at his niece with a raised eyebrow. Oh man, this is gonna be troublesome… He wasn't a father, so he had no idea what to do, or how to cope with a teenage girl in love, so he hoped that Aya would keep her usual, mature demeanour.
"Now, when you are all done and waiting to go home…" Aya clapped and Kiku walked out from her hiding spot behind Aya.
It was just then when the boys realised the shy girl was there the whole time.
At least we didn't talk dirty… They all thought, relieved.
"I-I've made something for all of you." She said with only a little stuttering, and showed them a box she was hiding behind her back. "I'd promised cookies, but… I was trying out mini muffins with banana flavour. I hope you'll l-like the taste." She said and presented her creation, packed into small packages.
"We will love it, Kiku-chan!" Kano said loudly, already reaching for his share.
"She was here the whole time?" Wakamatsu asked his friend.
"Yep… And staring at you." Imayoshi said with a sly smirk. He noticed how both girls behaved, each staring at her preferred guy from the team. "You sure you're not popular?" He teased.
Wakamatsu turned his gaze to his best friend; 'Really?' asking wordlessly.
Tada nodded with a perfect poker face.
Poof – Wakamatsu turned red in an instant.
Tada and Imayoshi were both biting their lower lips to not burst out laughing, at their vice-captain's reaction. They got up and went to take their treats.
Wakamatsu slumped on the bench, facing a locker and stared at his hands. That's not true. Uh-uh, not possible. Ohno-chan would never…
His train of thoughts got derailed, when a small hand touched his shoulder from behind.
"Uuuuhmmm…" The big brown eyes were staring down at him with a question. "D-do you not like banana muffins?" Kiku asked, holding the last package in her hand.
Aya pushed her to go and deliver the treat to Wakamatsu. Kiku wasn't stupid, she could see through Aya's tries to put her near Wakamatsu, but honestly, she didn't mind. She would never find the courage on her own, so having the redhead pushing her forward – by small steps – wasn't bad at all.
Now, when Wakamatsu's hazelnut eyes watched her, she realised it was the first time he was really looking at her face. And it was the first time she was really looking at his face. He had a rather angular jaw and nicely shaped eyes and lips. He frowned often, and Kiku wasn't sure she liked the frown. And now, he was blushing. Whatever the captain and Tada-senpai had told him, it made him blush – under her stare he blushed even more. It made her wonder why. She was no one after all.
Yet, she blushed as well, when his eyes traced her face hidden behind her thick framed glasses.
When staring took too long, Wakamatsu realised the girl asked him something. "Err… Yes!" He shouted. "Yes! I like them!"
Kiku's eyes widened, she was surprised and startled by the sudden loud voice and Wakamatsu's abrupt reaction. She took a step back, tripping over the second bench which was there. She shut her eyes ready for an impact, but Wakamatsu's reflexes were quicker.
He spun around and his arms wrapped around Kiku's waist; he was sitting and Kiku had been close to him.
"Careful!" He said, his face buried right above Kiku's breasts. When he realised it, he let go immediately. "S-sorry." He blushed furiously.
They could hear snickers of the basketball team, who were watching the scene. And then Aya's curt 'Get out!', as she was forcing them to leave.
Kiku was blushing as well. It was the first time she got hugged by a boy. Well… it wasn't a hug hug, it was only an accident, thanks to her clumsiness.
"So…" She spoke up when her heart rate calmed down. "Here." She presented him the package again.
Wakamatsu stared at the small hand, and then covered it with his big one, as he took the treat, "Thanks." his fingers brushed Kiku's palm and lingered there a moment longer than necessary.
This is not real… Both of them thought.
"Now!" He said and stood up abruptly, making Kiku take a step back again – this time not tripping. "We should go!"
A/N: Aaand the preliminaries finally begin. I'm not sure if I described the matches well enough, I hope I did. This is my idea of how it might've been. I hope I managed to keep Aomine in character and I hope you don't mind me changing the starting line-up for the second match - I thought it's just fair to let the youngsters try it out if there is a chance.
/sentence structure, grammar minor wording changed on 18.8.2021/
Let me know what you think and remember, reviews are appreciated but never necessary.
S.