Everything is black.

It's suffocating.

It's a pressure that squeezes until all of the air is sucked away and there's no strength left to breathe any back in.

He's trying to find someone in that darkness.
He's desperate.

There's a familiar sound that resonates throughout that blackness.
The sound of a ball bouncing.

And suddenly there's a flash of red and the gleam of white teeth breaks through to create an almost blinding light before him.

"I'm Kagami! Kagami Taiga!"

Suddenly the darkness is blown away and taken over by a vortex of color.
The sky, a brighter blue than the ocean, and the vibrant green of trees which relfected perfectly in the ripples of clouds that floated throughout that endless sea above.

The sound of a ball bouncing.
A freshly painted basketball court with baskets that held rims with peeling paint and shattered backboards.

Before him, he stood, at least a foot taller.

"If you'll be around, I'll definitely come by again to play!"

And then, like a bolt of lightning shooting down from the sky, the image is ripped apart.

The boy before him becomes distorted, those colors now spiraling together, the darkness sucking them into the endless void.

He's desperate.

He's reaching, screaming, begging.
He's using all of his strength but there is no sound coming from him.
His throat is torn apart as the last of that color is sucked up and he's left to stand alone in the darkness once more.

He shot up, breathing heavy and body covered in sweat as he was quick to switch his night stand lamp on so there's some sort of light around him.
The small grey analog clock that rests next to the lamp reads 2:35AM.

Hunching forward and bringing his knees to his stomach, he took a moment to collect himself.
How long had it been since he had that nightmare?

He knew why he was having it now.
It was all because he had returned.
Their meeting had been so brief but like a storm, Kagami was sweeping him up and throwing him around like he was nothing more than paper in the wind.

And he was helpless to stop the impending rain that threatened to pour down on top of him.

Would all of the struggle he had went through to get over the boy be for naught?
Would he stumble his way back into the darkness again?

The whirlwind of thoughts were interrupted by the sudden vibration of his cellphone and he lifted his head, tired blue eyes following the sound. Reaching, he picked it up and stared at the screen as it lit up with a message lining the top.
"Hey Tetsu, Satsuki let me drink too much and I can't drive."
Before he could even register the first bit, a second message pushed the other out of view.
"I'm coming over so you better be awake or I'm gonna stand outside and scream until you wake up."

Was he a child?

Without realizing, his focus had moved to the messages and that nightmare was set behind him for the time being.
"Don't get hit by a car on your way over, Aomine-kun."
Before he could even press send, there was a banging on his door that had him nearly falling off of his bed in his haste to silence the noise.
"TETSUUUUU. HEY TETSU! WAKE THE HELL UP!"
Swinging his door open, Kuroko's eyes narrowed at the mess before him. Aomine barely stood on both feet, his shirt half open, belt loose around his waist, jacket hung over his shoulder and dark blue hair disheveled in every possible way.
A crooked smile perked itself onto his lips as he swayed and stumbled backwards, only to be caught by the smaller male who reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Aomine-kun, are you aware of the time?"
He asked the question but knew well that it didn't matter. Aomine simply chuckled and continued to sway, seemingly trying to steady himself but it wasn't working out in his favor. Kuroko kept a firm grip on his wrist to prevent him from falling backwards.

It was then that one of the doors across the hall opened and a disheveled head of red that could have compared to Aomine's popped itself out into the hall.
"What the hell is all that noise?"
That voice immediately sent him back into that nightmare and for a brief moment, everything around him went black. Panic settled in the base of his spine and his palms began to sweat, his heart picking up speed as it raced the blood that burned through his veins.
His grip instictively tightened on Aomine's wrist, who, despite being in a drunken stupor, realized the sudden change in Kuroko.

"HEY! MIND YOUR DAMN BUSINESS, EYEBROWS."
"W-wha..What the fuck?! You got a problem!?"

Kagami stepped out into the hall and Aomine tried to turn to face him but Kuroko yanked and he stumbled forward and would have collided with the bluenette if he hadn't been quick to move to the side to let him stumble his way into the apartment, instead. Eyes hidden by sky blue hair, he bowed his head to the nightmare that stood before him.

"I'm sorry for the disturbance. Have a good night, Kagami-kun."

Quick to close the door before Aomine caught up to himself and tried to go back out, Kuroko nearly found himself collapsing to his knees as he leaned his back against the door. It felt like his legs had ceased to be something solid and were replaced by air.
Looking before him at the mess of a friend that was trying to figure out what was happening, he let out a heavy sigh. If Aomine was good for anything, it was pulling him back to earth. Whenever he would start losing himself, Aomine would show up and yank him right back into reality. Whether it was having to take care of him while he vomited up the prior nights dinner from over drinking or helping him pick out basketball shoes, he was always there to keep him grounded.

He never let him drift back into the darkness; like he knew that it was always waiting around the corner.

"Why the hell did you stop me, Tetsu!?"

He didn't need to respond for the other to get it, even through his stupor.

"God damnit, Tetsu."

There was no further talk of the situation after that point.
"Come on, Aomine-kun."
He led the other by hand, pulling him gently and carefully through his small apartment and to his bedroom. He helped him to get his clothes that smelled much too strongly of liquor off until he was in nothing but his briefs. His skin was warm to the touch, and as Kuroko helped him, he noticed the comparison between his pale fingers and the other's smooth, dark chest.
The sudden realization brought life to his cheeks, the normal pale now scattered with pink as he moved himself back to put distance between them. Being so close suddenly had his mind fuzzy and he wasn't used to it so it frightened him.

"You can sleep here, Aomi-"
"Sleep here with me."

At first he thought it was the alcohol talking until he looked into that sharp gaze and found himself stuck. It was as if he hadn't been drinking the entire night away and his vision was perfectly clear. As if he knew exactly what he was talking about and what he wanted.

And what he wanted was Kuroko.

It was the first time he had found himself in such a situation, and he didn't know what to do. He knew that his heart wasn't responding well as it slammed so heavy against his ribcage that he could swear Aomine could hear it. There was no room for him to think of anything else while he sat so vulnerable in front of this boy. This boy that took everything bad he had ever dealt with and threw it away so easily, as if it were nothing.

He never failed to fill his brain with nothing but thoughts of him.

Even while that nightmare loomed over him, Aomine seemed to take it and rip it apart with no effort at all.

Allowing himself to realize things little by little, he brought himself back down and with twitching fingers, he took that large hand into his own small one.
The size difference nearly made him laugh.
Meeting that gaze which seemed to hold endless patience in that moment, he nodded.

"I will stay with you, Aomine-kun."

With the words, he was suddenly swept up and pulled down so he was on his side, his face pressed into the crook of the other's neck. Aomine's right arm rest above his head and his left arm rest over Kuroko's slim body, keeping him close.
Well, if he thought his heart was loud before, it didn't even compare to how it sounded now. It drummed so heavily in his ears that if Aomine spoke, he was sure he wouldn't be able to hear him. The heat in his cheeks had spread to the tips of his ears and he had to close his eyes in an effort to calm himself. It was then that he breathed in only to inhale Aomine's scent, which sent him further spiraling.
Alcohol, the slight hint of cigarette smoke, and a light musk that he couldn't place. It was a scent he knew well, as it always lingered on Aomine. It was his natural smell. It tickled the insides of his nostils, sending small tremors down his spine and to the tips of his toes.

This was Aomine in his rawest form.

Slowly, he opened himself up and allowed his hands to rest gently on that firm chest before him. Somehow, he felt safe in those large arms. He felt that if he stayed there like that, nothing could reach him. There was a wall put up between them and that ominous cloud that always hung around just behind him.

"Aomine-kun..?"

When he was greeted with silence, he tilted his head back just enough to see that the other was completely knocked out and drooling. He couldn't contain the soft laughter that erupted from him this time, and he simply moved his head back down, resting his forehead against Aomine's chest.

"Goodnight, Aomine-kun."

If he stayed there, just like that, he was safe.
He could be safe in those arms.
He could open himself to this person before him.
This person that pushed every limit set before him and burst through any obstacle that sat in his way.

His past had come back for him but he found that he didn't want to go down without a fight.
And he could fight if Aomine was by his side.

If Aomine was by his side, he could face Kagami again.

He could face anyone.