Edited 11.03.2021
Ahomine Syndrome
You know that feeling when you know something isn't right? Call it intuition, your sixth sense, whatever. Hana didn't know the correct word for it, but she was practically drowning in it. It started about fifteen minutes ago and, as such, her conversation skills had begun to fail her. Even Momoi had noticed.
"You okay?" Momoi prodded after Hana failed to reply to her earlier question. The black-haired girl was staring into space with glazed eyes. It was quite a change from her earlier attentiveness.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah. I'm good," Hana mumbled in return, glancing over to her companion.
Momoi scoffed at her blatant fib, "Don't lie to me, Imamura-chan, you've been staring over there for a while now."
It was true and the couple she'd been staring at had slowly grown uncomfortable with their believed scrutiny. The male partner was shooting her an offended glare as his companion stood to go pay for their meal. Hana winced guilty, "Opps."
"Don't mind them," Momoi chuckled at her friend, "But, seriously, is something wrong?"
Hana tugged her bottom lip into her mouth, considering her response, "I just feel weird. It's not a big deal."
"Is it something you ate?" Momoi pondered as she observed Hana. The girl did look mildly sick; her face was a pale sheet and green eyes were jumping from customer to customer.
"No, no. Uhm, you know when you feel like something bad is going to happen and your stomach twists up?" Hana explained, "That's how I feel now."
"Hmmm… I know what you're talking about, but I'm not sure how to help," Momoi shrugged her shoulders. It was a common symptom of anxiety, but Momoi didn't think she had anything to be anxious about.
"I'm probably overreacting," Hana admitted with a blush. Her imagination had a bad habit of running wild and filling her with paranoia, maybe now was one of those times. Kind of like this afternoon with Kuroko when she'd gotten defensive since Kuroko had mentioned Midorima talking about her. Wait, Midorima? The pin!
Hana gasped out loud with her revelation, "I lost the pin Midorima-san gave me!"
Momoi jumped in her seat, startled. Wide pink eyes watched as Hana pulled her backpack out and dug through its messy contents frantically. She really needs to clean that, Momoi thought as she narrowly avoided a flying calculator. She prodded gently, "I'm sure it's somewhere. Don't worry about it, Imamura-chan."
Shooting a grimace toward the other manager, Hana continued to dig, "I need to find it. I've had the absolute worst luck this week and if that thing even helps a bit, I want it."
Momoi blinked at her devotion. She sounded a lot like Midorin for a moment there. Momoi tried again, "Maybe you left it in the dressing room?"
The flying paper suddenly stopped and Hana perked her head up to give Momoi a happy grin. A sharp finger pointed toward the pink-haired girl, "That's right! Thank you, Momoi-san! I'll be right back!"
"Wait—" Momoi started but all that was left of her companion was a rush of wind, "I was going to help you?"
Releasing a put-out sigh, Momoi pouted at Hana's vacant seat. At least the other girl had left her stuff which meant she'd be coming back, sooner or later. Unfortunately, that meant she'd have to wait here until Hana's return. Pouting once again for good measure, Momoi decided she might as well get started on her homework.
That was how Aomine found her five minutes later. Momoi had a pencil in her mouth and was chewing distractedly as she worked on her calculus homework. With an aggravated huff, Aomine walked into the ramen restaurant and stood directly behind her. The large shadow that fell over her table was what finally alerted Momoi to his presence.
"Hello? Oh! Aomine-kun? What are you doing here?" Momoi questioned belatedly.
"You never picked up my calls," he complained as he threw himself into Hana's vacated chair. He tossed an arm over the back and leaned comfortably into it, causing the chair to tilt backward. He let out a tired sigh, "Do you know how much walking I had to do? Pick up your phone, woman."
"You called me?" Momoi gaped and fished her phone out of her pocket. There on the screen was the flashing message for missed calls times six. Pink eyes glanced at Aomine guiltily before offering a sincere apology.
Aomine nodded in acceptance only to be startled as a quick hand popped him on the forehead while Momoi barked, "Don't be so rude!"
Cursing he cradled his forehead, "How was I rude! You were the one not picking up the phone!"
"I didn't know! But you canceled our plans! Over the phone, Aomine-kun!" Another bop to the top of his head.
"I'm sorry!" Aomine ducked down to get away from her hand, "Stop hitting me!"
"Fine," Momoi crossed her arms over her chest before tilting her head to the side, "How'd you know I was here?"
Aomine straightened up warily, eyeing her for any more surprise attacks, "We were supposed to come here today, I figured that's where you'd be. I just had to look for the pink hair."
Momoi's hand came up to tug at her hair in response and she shot him a small glare, "But you said you weren't going to come."
"Ugh," Aomine groaned and leaned his head back. He mumbled under his breath, "I felt bad, okay?"
"Awh," Momoi teased him with a happy coo, "That's so sweet, Aomine-kun! But you didn't have to, someone else came with me."
Still leaning his head back, Aomine grunted at her, "You told me. Who?"
"Oh," Momoi paused. She knew Imamura-chan didn't particularly like Aomine-kun and he likely felt the same way. Watching for Aomine's reaction, Momoi replied, "Imamura-chan offered to come."
Aomine didn't disappoint her with his reaction. She couldn't see his face completely but what she could see had tensed up. Looking at the edge of his revealed chin, she watched his lips pull down a fraction. His jaw clenched once before he spoke, "What's with everyone? That girl keeps popping up everywhere."
"I can't speak for everyone else," Momoi hedged, "But she's an interesting person."
"Ugh," a tanned arm came to rest across his eyes, "Interesting, huh? Weird way to say bitchy."
Momoi threw a pencil at him, "Be nice. I like her and most of the other guys do too."
Wincing as the sharp edge of the pencil caught his skin, Aomine sat up and stretched his arms over his head, "Kise doesn't count. Idiot likes everyone with a pulse."
"Well, explain Tetsu-kun then! He likes her too!"
"Tetsu…" Aomine paused as he searched for an excuse, "He's nice to everyone. Even got along with Haizaki."
"Midorin."
Aomine scoffed at her continued pressuring. Scanning his mind but finding no answer as to why Midorima might like her, he shrugged, "Probably some weird crush thing."
"You are so difficult!" Momoi grumped at him from across the table, "Well I like her so you better be nice too!"
"Satsuki," Aomine groaned. He'd been expecting a fellow male to have accompanied his friend today, not some overly aggressive midget. Now, even Satsuki was friends with her- something that was going to get old quick. His friend didn't need any more violent females in her life encouraging her to beat him up.
"Please, just be nice Aomine-kun. She's really not a terrible person," Momoi begged. Her eyes had become large pools of tears and she jutted her lower lip out. If it works for Imamura-chan, it will work for Aomine-kun!
"What is with that face," Aomine grumbled at her. He hated when she got all sad and weepy. He hated when all girls got sad and weepy, but especially Satsuki. Offering a resigned sigh, he agreed, "Fine. I'll be nice if she is."
"Thank you!" Momoi cheered with a happy smile. But contradictory to her smile, her thoughts were a bit more somber. Only if she's nice, he said. This might not be a good idea…
xXxXx
Where is it, where is it, where is it!? Hana fretted. She'd retraced their steps all the way back to the first shop they'd gone to. So far no sign of the obnoxious pink pin. Now, she was digging through a pile of clothes left on the floor of one of the dressing rooms begging for the lucky item to resurface.
"Where could it be!" Hana whispered to herself after she'd finished going through the pile of rejected clothes. She huffed and tossed a sequined dress to the side, "I've looked everywhere!"
"Mommy! Look what I found! Isn't it pretty!" Hana's blood froze. There were only a few things she could think of that would make a little girl that excited and a Hello Kitty pin happened to be one of them. She got to her feet slowly, praying that the little girl had found a teddy bear or something else meaningless.
"Where'd you find that sweetie?" Hana peered around the corner of the dressing room area. About ten feet away in the blouse section, a forty-something woman was bent over talking to a cheerful girl with glasses. In the little girl's hand was her pin. The one she'd spent over thirty minutes looking for.
"It was on the floor! Can I keep it, Mommy? Please, please, please?"
"I don't see why not. It doesn't look like it belongs to anyone-"
"Actually," Hana started from where she appeared beside the duo. Plastering an innocent smile on her face, Hana tilted her head to the side and pointed to the pin, "I've been looking for that for a while. See, I lost it earlier and it was a gift from a friend."
"But," the little girl glared up at her, "I found it."
Great logic, kid, Hana mentally snarled but kept the cute smile on her face, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I'd really like it back, please?"
"Now, just a moment," the mother had straightened up and was looking at Hana in contemplation, "I believe you're a bit too old for such things, yes?"
"Thank you for your opinion, but it was a gift from a friend and I'd really like it back," Hana tried to keep the smile, but dammit, she was pissed. Not only had she unintentionally called Midorima a friend, but the little girl had retreated behind her mother and was sticking her candy-covered tongue out in retribution.
"I'm sure your friend would understand," the mother continued. The little girl behind her waggled her tongue with a smug grin as her mother talked. Honestly, this was too much. Hana just wanted the freaking pin back, none of this other shit. The smooth voice of the older woman spoke again, "Thank you for letting my daughter keep it."
Now, wait a goddamn minute. Hana gaped at the woman and her little devil child. They had turned their back on her and were walking to a different section of the store. The little girl shot Hana one last grin over her shoulder and Hana decided she'd had enough of their bull.
Instead of retreating, Hana decided to follow them silently. When the girl brought the pin out again, she saw her chance and swooped in. Closing in on the duo, she appeared with a happy smile over the girl's shoulder. The mother and daughter yelled in union as Hana snatched the pin out of the child's loosened grip. Then, Hana ran like hell.
"Mommy!"
"Come back here!" The mother screamed at Hana's back, "Thief!"
Picking up speed, Hana kept running before screaming back at them over her shoulder, "It was mine, lady! Can't steal something that's yours!"
"Police!" The woman's voice echoed around the area, "That girl is a thief!"
"Oh shit," Hana coughed out in horror. Taking the nearest turn, she raced down an abandoned alleyway. The sound of the ruckus behind her grew louder and Hana had the delayed thought that maybe she should go find Momoi. Turning on her heel, she raced back down the alleyway to get her friend
xXxXx
"Come on, Satsuki. You're doing yours, why not do mine too?"
"Do your own homework!" Momoi retorted, "You can't cheat off me forever."
"Why not," Aomine drawled as he tried to peek at her answer sheet, "Is that a four?"
"Aomine-kun! Don't-"
The door to the restaurant slammed open, making everyone present jump. A panting mess of black hair collapsed against the door behind them. Letting out another gasp for breath, Hana noticed all the eyes on her before frantically speaking, "Uhm, my apologies! Didn't mean to disturb!"
"Imamura-chan?" Momoi questioned loud enough for the other girl to hear. Across from her, Aomine was watching the scene with raised eyebrows.
Hana quickly made her way over once she heard the other girl. After all the trouble she had just gone through, Hana could care less about the goliath beside Momoi, "Momoi-san! We should go. Like now."
"Wah? What happened!?" Momoi fretted as she looked her friend over. Aomine was subtly doing the same and let out a snort at how disheveled Hana appeared. Her skin was flushed unattractively and her shirt was messily untucked from her skirt. What a mess, he chuffed.
"I found the pin," Hana babbled as she tried to explain and simultaneously dig out her wallet to pay for the food, "It was in that store we went to, but a little girl had found it. Anyway, I politely asked to have it back but the little demon spawn refused. Then her devil of a mom got involved and told me to screw off and I just broke. So, I kinda, sorta, stole it away from the girl? The point is now we need to go because that woman is crazy and she'd probably turn me into a pelt or something."
"What," Momoi and Aomine deadpanned together. Hana shoved her money down, leaving a decent tip, you know since she had practically shoved the doors off. Gathering her backpack and supplies, Hana looked at the two expectantly.
"This is not what I had in mind," Aomine groaned as he stood up and followed Hana's example. Dark blue eyes narrowed on the second-string manager and Hana tried to ignore the shiver that went down her spine. As his eyes trailed up to her own, he scoffed, "She's not a terrible person? Stealing stuff from a kid?"
Hana didn't understand the context of his comment, but it was clearly meant to insult her. She shot a snarl over at the intimidating boy which caused him to raise an unconcerned eyebrow. His angular face had gone from neutral to threatening and Hana backed off her assault. Do not challenge the giant, she noted.
Momoi was picking up her items and looking at her two prickly friends worriedly as she felt the tension spike. Hana was avoiding eye contact with the miracle beside her, but Aomine was doing the opposite as his eyes were laser-focused on her every move. Momoi sighed at his antics, though she didn't comment, "So are you heading home now, Imamura-chan?"
Leading the little party of three through the exit, Hana glanced over her shoulder at Momoi, "No. I need to pick up a new pair of tennis shoes sometime this week. Might as well do it now."
"Oh! We'll go with you!" Momoi offered as a timely opportunity. His friend's statement made Aomine release another silent groan, but he kept pace with the two girls without much complaint. He'd dealt with Kise enough to handle another annoying pest.
Pausing outside and checking the pathways around them for the devil woman, Hana shook her head, "You guys don't need to. I've got this."
"But," Momoi looked up at the dark sky worriedly, "I'm not sure you should be walking alone right now."
Catching on to Satsuki's train of thought, Aomine inputted from the background, "She's right. Hurry up and lead the way." Not that I care, he grumped, I just want to go home.
Momoi shot him a warning glance as Hana's back stiffened, but the second-string manager kept her mouth shut. She liked Momoi and Momoi liked Aomine, so by association, Hana needed to be nice to him too. Even if it kills me. The two miracles heard Hana release a long sigh before her tension released itself and she began to stalk forward, only offering them a quick glance back.
"I told you to be nice," Momoi whispered to Aomine. The tall boy, for his part, didn't look overly concerned and shrugged her scolding off. In his mind, he could be a lot worse.
Meanwhile, Hana's thoughts were running a mile a minute. She was on the lookout for the devil family, trying not to snap at Aomine, while also trying not to let her fear of said boy show to either member. She noticed that Momoi had been right though; it had become increasingly dark outside. The path around them was covered with shadows and Hana forced her paranoia to screw off.
Behind her, Momoi shivered at the uncomfortable feeling she was experiencing. It was about nine o'clock now and the shopping center had mostly cleared out. Aomine was also watching the people pass warily. He'd dealt with a fair share of people harassing Satsuki in the past and from his experience it usually occurred around this time.
"Hey, Momoi-san?" Hana had stopped walking and was looking around the closed stores in confusion, "Wasn't there a Foot Locker down here?"
"Yeah, I've been there before," Momoi responded as she came to stand beside Hana, "Wasn't it just over there?"
"Mhm…" Hana hummed as she looked in the direction. There weren't any lights on down the passway, but maybe it was hidden around the corner. Keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, Aomine watched the two girls chat pensively.
Tuning back into the conversation, he heard Momoi scold Imamura-san, "Don't walk down there!"
What an idiot, Aomine thought as he watched the annoying girl. Sighing out, he straightened up and headed toward her.
"I'm just going to look around the corner," Hana retorted as she slowly crept into the dark passageway. Momoi huffed and steeled herself to head after her, but was beaten by a surprise. Aomine cut in front of her and stalked after Hana's back. As she watched, Momoi let a tiny grin stretch across her face and hurried after Aomine.
"Slow down," Aomine ordered as Hana speed-walked into the shadows. He raised a blue eyebrow when she listened, stopping right on command. Well, that was unexpected.
Realizing her mistake, Hana was thankful for the shadows hiding her blush as she snapped back at him, "Hurry up then. This is creepy."
"Then why the hell did you go down here?" he retorted as he and Momoi came to stand a few feet behind her.
"Bah," Hana huffed out her nose in embarrassment, "I'm not sure right now. Would you be happy to hear I'm regretting it?"
Aomine snorted when Momoi answered, "Yes, can we turn around now?"
A scurrying sound made all three teenagers freeze. Momoi wrapped her arms around Aomine's waist, Hana stepped backward closer to the other two, and Aomine took on a protective edge and snapped his eyes towards the noise. A few tense seconds passed before a tiny mouse scurried out from a crack in the wall. Its tiny beady eyes blinked at them before darting away.
"Wah!" Momoi jumped even further onto Aomine, but Hana and the navy-haired boy let out relieved sighs. Just a mouse, they thought simultaneously. The two exchanged uncomfortable looks before quickly avoiding eye contact again.
The calm was broken by a low growl that had everyone straightening up again. This time Hana yelled alongside Momoi and jumped back to join her hold on Aomine. For his part, Aomine was only a bit startled by the barrage of arms around his waist. As he fought for balance, navy eyes widened at the sight of a mangy dog growling from the shadows.
"Everyone calm down," Hana breathed out. Her arms tightened around Aomine and Momoi. It's just a dog. A very angry dog, but dogs I can handle. The dog's cataract-covered eyes locked on Hana when she spoke and it took attentive sniffs of the ground in front of it before toeing toward their grouping.
"Goddamn trouble magnet," Aomine muttered above her ear. Hana would bet money he was talking about her, but Momoi's pitiful whine distracted her from snapping back. A glance forward showed the dog had started to move closer. When the dog heard Aomine's voice, its growl heightened as it continued to advance.
"What do we do?" Momoi breathed into Aomine's shoulder. Shrugging, Aomine watched the mutt warily.
Since it seemed no one knew what to do, Hana released her arms from around Aomine and took a tentative step forward. The growling lowered in pitch and Hana started to sweat, but she kept moving closer until she was about three feet away. Way too close, her mind inputted unhelpfully, It could kill you so quickly.
"Idiot!" She heard a voice snap behind her. Momoi hushed Aomine as she watched the scene with bated breath. The dog had yet to stop growling and now its fur was standing on end. Hana knelt on the concrete and the dog paused at the sound. A heavy second passed, both observing teens tense in anticipation.
Momoi couldn't contain her gasp as Hana reached a shaky hand out for the dog to sniff and behind her, she heard Aomine suck in a breath.
Hana winced as she felt its slippery mouth prod her hand, please don't bite it off mister dog. I really need it. Oh god, what the hell have I done?
The dog's nose left her hand and started sniffing up her arm and Hana felt her blood run cold. He's going for my neck! But instead of her neck, the dog shoved his nose into her chest and started sniffing manically. Hana couldn't figure out what it was doing, but the growling had stopped and for that she was thankful.
"What's it doing?" Momoi whispered to Aomine as she watched the dog.
Aomine's shoulders were still tense as he prepared to jump to the rescue in case Imamura's stupidity got her killed, "I don't know, but she's the dumbest person I've ever met."
In any other situation, Hana would have yelled at him, but she wanted the dog to remain calm and not murder her. Taking a slow breath, Hana looked down to see what the dog's attention was focused on. She watched as it licked its scarred muzzle with a tongue before lapping at her shirt. Leaning back to get a better view, the dog followed her with its putrid breath.
Squinting down, Hana could just barely see what it was licking. The pin! It smells like that little girl's candy!
Lifting a trembling hand and ignoring the returning growl, Hana slowly untapped the pin. Her actions made the growling stop and the dog tilted its head in curiosity. Removing the pin, she held it out to the dog. Apparently, it understood her meaning because it started to lick the rest of the candy off. Its tongue tickled her hand and Hana let out a soft laugh. The dog whined happily in return, blind eyes peering up at her in contentment.
"Hey puppy," she heard Aomine choke in the background, "Can I pet you?" The dog didn't give a verbal response, but Hana lifted her hand up and patted its head anyway. Her actions made it freeze for a moment before butting its head into her palm. She giggled, "That's a good boy!"
"Imamura-chan?" Momoi let go of Aomine and moved closer to observe the now calm dog.
It was huge. With Hana on the floor, it towered over her by a good five inches. Its blind eyes jolted over to her and Momoi froze until the dog rolled over onto its back to present its stomach and other things. Momoi covered her eyes at the sight.
Aomine let out a startled laugh, "He's huge!"
"Don't be crude, Aomine-kun!" Momoi scolded but didn't remove her hand. There were just some things you don't want to see and that was one of them.
Hana sweatdropped as she scratched behind the dog's ear, "At least we know he's a boy."
"No kidding!" Aomine was laughing in the background. The noise caused Hana to roll her eyes, her fingers scratching under the dog's coarse chin.
"Okay, puppy. I'm going get up now, okay?" Hana's heart broke at the dog's whimper but stood up anyway. Its big head nudged at her hip, making her stumble to the side. She frowned down at him, "Hey, don't be rude."
The dog rumbled at her before trotting over to Aomine. Its big body reached Aomine's hip and in a very cat-like fashion, the dog rubbed against it. The tall basketball player stepped backward as the dog rounded him, his laughter abruptly cut off, "I don't trust it."
"I didn't know you were a scaredy-cat, Aomine-san," Hana teased from the side as she watched the boy avoid the dog. Navy eyes glared and she quickly swallowed her smile. Aomine lost the glaring contest when the big mutt nudged him in the side and he let out a surprised curse. Momoi laughed at the display before coming to stand beside Hana.
"He loves dogs," Momoi offered, "This one is just a little scary."
Aomine was trying to placate the dog with gentle words, but the dog was having none of it. In a move that startled everyone, it jumped up on its hind legs before putting large paws on Aomine's shoulders. Letting out a squawk, Aomine flapped his hands side to side. The dog took the given advantage and lolled its large tongue out before licking a wet stripe up Aomine's face. The boy blanched, "Satsuki! Get 'em off!"
"… I dunno, I think he's cute," Hana rebuked as the two girls watched. Neither one moved to help him.
"Which one? The dog or Aomine-kun?" Momoi teased before vacating her spot when Hana turned around. Green eyes narrowed on the pink-haired girl in promised revenge.
"The dog!" Hana snapped with a blush. Momoi's giggles followed her as she ventured closer to Aomine and his new doggy friend.
"I think you've got a new best friend, Aomine-kun. Should I be concerned?" Momoi teased. After lowering himself, the dog had twined its skinny body around Aomine's long legs, and the poor teenager couldn't move. Aomine gave her a look, before stumbling as the dog pushed him.
"Get 'em off!" He grumped before turning pleading eyes down to the mutt, "Come on boy, go home."
"I'm not too sure he has a home," Momoi mused. The dog's blind eyes turned to her as she spoke, panting happily.
"Awhhh," Hana cooed sadly, "But he's so cute."
"Figures you'd say something like that," Aomine grumbled and pushed the dog's head away from his crotch with a grimace, "Keep out of there, boy."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Hana questioned as the dog retreated from Aomine with a pout and ventured back to her side. She petted his large head affectionately.
"Aomine-kun, be nice," Momoi side-eyed him with a frown. He was doing so good.
"Oi, I didn't say anything."
Trying to control her temper for Momoi's sake, Hana sighed before giving the dog one last pat, "Sorry boy, but I really need to go get some shoes."
"Oh yeah!" Momoi gasped, "I completely forgot about that! Do you think they're still open?"
"Last time I check they were open until eleven if we can find the damn place," Hana bemoaned as the dog nudged her hip and pushed her, making her stumble toward Aomine. What are you doing, Hana glared down at it, don't push me toward that jerk.
"If someone doesn't do anything stupid again," Aomine drawled.
"Are you trying to start something?" Hana snarled back at him with bared teeth. Screw being nice, he's going down. At her change of tone, the dog vacated its position.
"Nah," Aomine chuffed as he watched Hana puff up, "Just stating facts."
"Aomine-kun, Imamura-chan, stop it," Momoi chastised as Hana opened her mouth for a scathing retort. The dog barked his agreement from his place beside Momoi's legs and gave a slobbery doggy smile to the two arguing teens.
Successfully chastised, Hana gave Momoi a regretful glance and stuffed her pride down. Now was not the time to start a fight. If she had to suffer through Aomine's presence, she'd do so quietly. Hana spoke tersely, "Fine. I'm going to head over to the store. If you guys want to come, well, up to you."
"Eh, I'd rather—" A sharp elbow graced his stomach and Aomine blanched. Stop hitting me, woman!
"Sure!" Momoi agreed and started to march ahead with a firm grip on Aomine's uniform. She wanted out of this dark passage as soon as she could. The dog trotted along beside her, making Hana raise an eyebrow. Following Hana's questioning gaze Momoi looked down at the dirty dog, "We should name him."
"Naming him will just get you attached," Aomine drawled. Navy eye's frowned down at Satsuki's tight grip on his shirt. She was going to stretch it out.
"Nūdoru," Hana spoke in the silence. Her tone was decided and Momoi gave her a bland look.
"What?" Aomine blinked at her, unimpressed.
"That's his name!" Hana declared.
"The hell? What kind of name is that!"
"The best," Hana retorted and Nūdoru barked at her voice. Hana motioned a hand to him, "See, he agrees."
"Like hell he does," Aomine denied, "Name him something tough. You saw his face, look at all those scars!"
"Oh, and what would you suggest?"
"Junichi."
"That's even worse!"
"Anything is better than calling a dog noodle!" Aomine turned around and spat at her. Hana straightened up and glared him down. The two worked their way into a staring contest and neither teen wanted to be the first to blink. Seconds passed and they both narrowed their eyes in a contest of willpower.
Meanwhile, Momoi had knelt beside the dog and patted his head with a tiny smile, "It's okay, this is just a weird form of bonding."
xXxXx
Turns out Hana was wrong; the store wasn't the way she'd thought it'd been.
Their little grouping ended up wandering around for a good fifteen minutes trying to find the elusive location. Aomine hadn't shut his mouth the entire time and Hana was giving as good as she got. Their insults had turned from stabbing jeers to childish remarks. Momoi was walking behind the two with raised eyebrows as she listened to their banter. Nūdoru paced happily by her side with a cute jaunt to his step.
"Oh, like you're one to talk!" Hana groaned at Aomine, "You were just as scared as we were!"
"Bull, you practically pissed yourself when he came out. Jumping all over me like a monkey," Aomine laughed at her resulting flush and dodged her swinging hand. Momoi sweatdropped as she watched Aomine rile the feisty girl up.
"I didn't jump all over you!"
"Satsuki!" Aomine called to her for support, "You saw it right?"
Hana spun on her heel and pointed a finger at Momoi with a dark gaze, "You saw nothing."
"Oi, don't threaten her. It's not her fault you're a coward," Aomine smirked as Hana turned back around and growled at him. Sighing in ill hidden humor, Momoi watched them dance around each other. Such a weird way to bond.
"I'm not threatening her and I'm not a coward! If anything, I'm braver than you!" Hana retorted with a vindictive smirk, "I'm the one that calmed Nūdoru down after all!"
Aomine scoffed at her, "You don't get points for stupidity," then he frowned as he heard the dog's name, "And I told you! We aren't calling the damn dog noodle."
"He likes it!"
"No, he doesn't!"
Glancing down to the dog in question, Momoi raised her voice, "Hey, we're here."
"Oh," Hana blinked at the brightly lit store in front of her. She'd lost track of time as she argued with Aomine, which was weird. She'd been enjoying it. She wasn't supposed to enjoy it!
Giggling at Hana's surprised face, Momoi nodded, "Mhmm, ready to go?"
"I sure as hell am," Aomine drawled. Nūdoru had come to stand beside him again and a large tan palm was scratching his ears fondly. Hana watched them out of the corner of her eye in speculation. I guess he really does like dogs… Learn something new every day.
"What about Nūdoru—" Hana began. Aomine coughed at the name and Hana shot him a glare. I'm not changing his name. I will fight you for this. Momoi's pink eyes flickered between the two and she covered her mouth to hide her grin.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Hana finished her question. Behind her, Aomine started to pace as he waited for the two girls to hurry the hell up. He wanted to get this over and done with then go home to crash. Danger-prone madwoman, making me tired, walking all over the place, he grumbled.
"He'll be fine, Imamura-chan. He probably won't even be here when we get out," Momoi consoled the girl. That seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Hana's face collapsed in absolute horror. Momoi tried to appease her and waved a hand, "He might be though!"
"He's a stray, they know how to survive," Aomine droned from his acquired leaning spot against the building, "Just hurry up so we can go home."
Momoi shot her a look that she interpreted to mean sorry, he's a pain. Hana would have to agree with that statement. A pain that happened to like dogs, enjoyed arguing with her and was surprisingly fun to hang around. Yeah, Hana winced, he's a pain alright.
"Bye, Nūdoru," Hana patted the dog one last time before turning around and walking to the door. Her face fell at the sounds of his whimpering which caused Aomine to raise an amused eyebrow. This in turn made Hana blush and she quickened her pace. Don't look so condescending, jerk!
"Finally," Aomine stated as he made his way into the building. The place was empty besides the tired-looking teenager at the front counter. Rows upon rows of shoes were lined against the wall and Aomine went straight to the basketball shoes with an excited gleam to his eyes. Hana heard Momoi sigh behind her before the pink-haired girl followed her friend.
"Need to remember to write all this down for his profile," Hana mused as she watched the two walk off. Moving toward the sale section, Hana hiked her backpack further upon her shoulders. This had been a busy ass day and for once she could agree with Aomine; she was ready to go home.
Coming to stand in front of the display area, Hana frowned. Green eyes scanned the available shoes and her frown deepened. None of these are good for running. She picked up a neon green pair, flipped them over to look for the price, and promptly coughed. Way too expensive!
"Finding anything?" And there she goes, screaming again. Hana flailed as the honeyed voice apologized for startling her.
Shooting a glance over her shoulder at the person, Hana was surprised to see who it was. The teenager at the counter had ventured over to assumedly help her, but he hadn't been prepared for the pair of shoes to fly at his face. The boy was rubbing the back of his neck as he eyed the shoes on the ground.
As reality sank in, Hana began to apologize frantically, "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
A gentle laugh was her answer as the clerk straightened up and dusted off his chest, "Yeah, I'm good. You've got quite a throw there; are you by chance looking for softball cleats?"
"No," Hana denied as she went to retrieve the wayward shoes, "Running shoes. I wore my pair out and yeah, now I'm here."
"Really?" The guy's blue eyes looked over her legs, before nodding, "I can see it. Well, that pair you just tossed at me is probably your best bet."
Twitching at the obvious scrutiny, Hana responded halfheartedly, "They're so expensive. Do you have some that are like, half that price?"
"Hmmm," the guy titled his head before looking at the shelving behind her, "Don't think we do. But tell you what, how about I give you a discount?"
He's lying, Hana noted when the boy scratched his nose. Side-eying him, she questioned, "Why?"
"You know, good faith and everything," the brunette leaned an arm against the wall and smiled at her, "Besides no one's here. If you give me your number, I'll give you a fifty percent discount."
Ohhh, Hana realized. So, that's what his game is. I can work with this. Bringing a hand up to cover her mouth demurely, Hana looked away from him, "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to get you in trouble…"
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the guy's smile grow and he leaned in for the supposed kill, "Positive. I couldn't leave a pretty girl in need."
Blechk, this kills my dignity. Hana forced herself to blush when she looked back to him, "Well, I'd love to accept… you're so generous. It's just that my friend is here with her brother and well, I wouldn't want them to suspect anything."
"Hey, no it's okay," Mr. Brunette grinned, "I'll just give them the same discount at check-out."
"Really!" Hana blinked up at him and gave a full-toothed smile, "You'd do that?"
"Yeah, I've got you," Hana twitched at that, "Just don't forget your part of the bargain, doll."
"Thank you, thank you!" she placed a hand on his arm and tried to project happiness. It was hard to do with his ever-growing grin. Almost done…
Urging her hand to stay still, she watched him pull out a fancy cell phone before she recited Kitano's cell phone number to him. Offering another charming smile and bringing her hands behind her back cutely, Hana spoke, "Well, I'm going to go find my friend now! See you soon!"
"Yeah," the guy offered her a quick wave and another once over, "I'll text you later."
Time to go, time to go, time to go! Hana chanted to herself as she speed-walked toward Aomine and Momoi. As she got closer, it looked like Aomine was having the same issue as her. He had a nice pair of white shoes in his hand but his face was shadowed in disappointment as he complained to an idle Momoi. Due to his complaining, Aomine didn't notice Hana until she was right beside them.
"You should buy them," Hana offered a sneaky grin as she walked up. Momoi jumped away from her and Aomine twitched, both startled.
"Do you want me to go broke?" Aomine grunted and set the shoes back down roughly. His eyes stayed on them for a moment, before looking away unhappily.
"What if they were fifty percent off?" Hana smirked at his interested look. Aomine quickly schooled his face out and raised an eyebrow at her. A few moments later, Momoi was the one to reply.
"Is there a sale?" Momoi pondered and looked toward the storefront where the signs were located.
"Nope, but I made a friend," Hana explained, "And he said that he'd give me, my friend, and her brother a store-wide discount for the night."
"…I'm not sure I like the sound of that, Imamura-chan."
"I do," Aomine offered from the background and picked up the shoes he'd set down, "If he was stupid enough to fall for her tricks, he deserves it."
Hana narrowed her eyes as her forehead furrowed, "I feel like there was an insult shoved somewhere in there."
Aomine shrugged at her, but Hana could see a tiny smirk tug at the edge of his lip as he walked toward the checkout. Beside her, Momoi sighed in bemusement before speaking, "You two are a lot of work."
"Do not compare me to him or I will revolt."
"If you say sooo," Momoi teased and gently nudged her shoulder before following Aomine.
Hana watched Momoi's back then stuck her tongue out in petty revenge. I'm nothing like him. She's mentally deluded.
Their little group made it to the checkout quickly and the brunette from before was there to see them off. He smiled charmingly at Momoi and Aomine, then turned it onto Hana as she put her shoes on the table. His voice came out silkily and Hana was surprised by how much she hated it, "You know, I realized I never got your name, doll."
Oh god. Hana winced when she caught Momoi's and Aomine's stunned faces. Realizing what was happening, Momoi turned away to contain her giggles; pink head bopping up and down as she tried to swallow them. Meanwhile, Aomine continued to stand there, mouth gaping like a goldfish. Waving a subtle hand at him, Hana silently ordered him to turn around. He didn't obey.
Taking a deep breath to help ignore her audience, Hana lowered her head and peered at him under her eyelashes, "It's Mitsuwa Kameko, but you can call me Kameko."
He scanned her shoes and smiled at her when he put them into a bag. As he handed her the bag, his hand reached out and caressed her wrist, "Shibasaki Yoshino. Bye, doll."
Momoi's giggles got louder as she grabbed Aomine's arm and began to drag him out. The tall boy's mouth was still gaping open as he let Momoi tug him along complacently. Hana watched him warily. Her notes, and experiences, had informed her of his impulsiveness so she was awaiting an incoming explosion. As they stepped out the door, it happened.
"What was that!" Aomine asked. His tone was a weird combination of shock, humor, and disbelief.
"That was me never being able to shop here again," Hana answered before giving him a sly smile, "Did you like your discount?"
His mouth gaped open for another second before he continued, "Does that always work?" He questioned before turning to Momoi, "Why don't you do that!"
As Momoi started to answer his questions, Hana began to quietly chuckle. Aomine's eyes were wide, and he looked fascinated with this new information as he quizzed Momoi about seduction techniques. The other manager was trying to explain to him, but he kept firing off new questions every time she breathed. After a while, Momoi started to look frustrated and finally bopped Aomine on the forehead and ordered him to calm down.
"I wouldn't mind going shopping if that happened every time," Aomine finally laughed and pointed to Momoi, "You gotta do that, Satsuki!"
"No!" Momoi denied then turned to Hana, "Please tell me you didn't give him your real number. He was creepy!"
"No, no," Hana's laughter got louder, "I gave him Kitano's. Payback for ruining my shirt and everything."
"Imamura-chan!"
The next thing she knew, Hana felt a heavy presence behind her ,and she slowly tilted her head back only to be greeted by Aomine's lanky form hovering over her. Because of old reflexes, Hana stopped breathing and watched the boy suspiciously. His face was still twitching with the remnants of a smile and humored navy eyes stared down at her, "How often do you do that?"
"Er, whenever someone flirts with me?" She grimaced at how terrible that sounded, "Hell, man I don't know!"
A heavy hand landed on her shoulder and Hana froze, eyeing the tan hand that encompassed her left side completely. As she blinked at it, it tightened into a squeeze and let go. Still gaping at her now cold shoulder, Aomine's voice spoke out again, "You're coming with me next time I go shopping."
What? A silent pause, before she recovered and snapped at him, "Don't order me around!"
His humored drawl responded from behind her, "If you'd shut up, you wouldn't be so bad."
"Momoi-san! Get him!"
Momoi snickered into her palm and shook her head, "Sorry Imamura-chan, I can't tell Aomine-kun what to do."
As Hana silently fumed, Aomine dug a finger into his ear and started walking away, "Seriously, your voice is so loud. Tone it down a bit."
Hana gaped at him before turning to Momoi for help. The other manager just shrugged her dainty shoulders and giggled, causing Hana to scowl at her. Folding her arms over her chest, Hana glared at the two people in front of her.
Double the damn trouble.
xXxXx
"Bye, Imamura-chan! See you tomorrow!"
"Try not to do anything stupid," Aomine had added while Momoi gave Hana a tight hug goodbye.
She had been too distracted by the large chest she was being smushed into to give him a retort at the time but, she could still remember his snort as he laughed at her. Hana frowned at the thought. Jerk-faced potato head.
Now, Hana was on her way home. Her mind was cloudy with the events of the day, and by god, it had been one crazy day. First, Midorima and Kise. Then math with Kuroko and running into Momoi. Lastly, the surprise appearance by Aomine- That was more than half of the team right there!
"What the hell am I getting myself into," she spoke her thoughts out loud. It was so weird. Like, alien invasion type of weird. Less than a month ago, she hated these people. Okay, hate might be too strong of a word. Maybe extreme distrust and an overwhelming disgust for their playing style with a side of envy? Yeah, that worked.
She kicked a pebble down the sidewalk and watched as it bounced into the road, "This is probably some type of life lesson. Don't judge people? Love thy enemy?"
Because these people were nice. Nice-ish. Okay, they weren't that bad. But the point is, they weren't the blood-thirsty sharks she'd spent a year and a half believing they were. Akashi and Murasakibara remained to be determined, but so far the odds were in their favor. Five out of seven was a good indicator of future encounters.
At least, I damn well hope so.
She could see her tiny house now which made Hana release a thankful sigh. Her feet hurt like hell and she'd murder someone for some tea. Hopefully, her dad was home, but if not, she'd need to get started on dinner too. Making her way to the entryway, Hana sighed at the lack of her father's car, "Must be paperwork time—"
A quick shadow danced across her yard to the front steps and cut her compliant short. Spying it creep across her lawn out of the corner of her eye, Hana jumped. Oh my god, what is it!? In fear, she crouched down on the ground and eyed the black mass sitting in front of her front door. Several long, fear-filled seconds passed.
Then, "Woof."
"You've got to be kidding me."
Right there sitting on her front steps was Nūdoru, the dog from the alleyway, with the Hello Kitty pin perched neatly between his teeth. His body mass took up the whole entryway and his wagging tail slapped against the door in excitement. Hana groaned as she stood back up and Nūdoru offered another happy woof before bounding over to her.
"What are you doing here?" She murmured as she petted his large head, "Why did you follow me?"
He headbutted her and she heard something drop to the ground. Looking at her feet, she saw the Hello Kitty pin laying innocently between them. Nūdoru gave a happy whine before rolling onto his back in front of her. Hana deadpanned, "You wanted to give me my pin back?"
A woof.
"You damn dog," Hana drug a hand down her face, "You can't stay here."
Nūdoru whined, gazing at her with unseeing eyes and a sad face. Hana twitched. He rolled over and wiggled his butt back and forth in time with his growing cries. Hana had to look away, causing a louder whimper in response. Facing falling in regret, Hana turned back to the huge animal.
"Fine! But you've got to be quiet!" Hana relented in defeat, "… Dad is going to murder me."
Nūdoru bounced to his feet and licked her hand before following her to the door. Girl and dog stood together before the entryway. Taking a deep breath, Hana opened the door for him and he rushed by.
The resulting crashes she heard were enough to make her pale, "Nūdoru!"
The next morning….
"IMAMURA HANA!" Her father's voice bellowed from downstairs, "WHAT IS THIS!"
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
"Get off the couch! Hana!" Her father's yell transferred into a high pitch scream, "Ah! Don't jump on me!"
Her father and Nūdoru began to bark and scream in tandem. The next thing she heard was a bang from the kitchen then deadly silence. A soft woof was echoed by a frustrated roar, "HANA!"
Heavy hands slapped themselves over tired green eyes and Hana groaned, "Shit."
