Kise stared down at his food, poking at it in disinterest. School was over, and he sat alone at a table at Maji Burger, though it wasn't long before a group of familiar faces found their way over to him.

"Kise? Are you alright?"

The blonde looked up to find Kuroko, Akashi, and Midorima. Smiling, he beckoned for them to join him. "Oh, yes~ Sit, guys, sit!"

The three did as told, but Kuroko refused to look away from the blonde's eyes, though Kise pretended not to notice his staring gaze.

"Where's Yori?" Akashi asked.

Kise smiled, taking a drink of his water. "He had to stay behind."

Midorima blinked. "What are you drinking?"

"What I always drink~"

The green haired boy shook his head. "You always drink that fruity soda you like so much, and there is no carbonation in that drink you're holding."

Kise laughed softly, though his heart was racing in his chest. He felt so on edge today, but he kept his usual appearance, having mastered the façade long ago. "Well now this is what I always drink~"

"Are you trying to lose weight, Kise?" Kuroko asked, eyeing the small amount of food before the blonde, that was obviously untouched nonetheless.

Kise sighed softly, but his smile stayed in place perfectly. "No, just trying to be healthier. My agent says I tire out too quickly."

"Does Yori say that, as well?" Akashi asked, and Kuroko elbowed him in the ribs, a mutter of 'pervert' under his breath.

Kise continued to force his smile. "No, so I must be doing something right~"

Or so he wished.

XXX

"Yori-cchi, please!"

"We're not having this discussion, Ryouta."

"It's one party! My agent says-"

"Your agent is not the boss of you, I am!"

Kise flinched as Kotaro turned to face him, fury in his eyes as he stepped closer. "I-I know, but-"

"No! I'm not going, and neither are you!" he yelled, shoving the blonde backward. "Fuck your agent," shove, "fuck your modeling," shove, "and fuck you!" With one last push, he sent Kise flying into the wall, his head creating a loud thud as it collided against the surface.

It wasn't hard enough to knock him unconscious, but it was enough to make his vision spin as Kotaro continued moving toward him. His heart leapt in his throat as panic took over his body, the only thought racing through his dull mind- 'I have to get out of here!'

Kise lunged toward what he hoped was the door, as his bearings were still unclear, but it was for naught as Kotaro grabbed him by the shoulders, flinging him to the floor. Before he could even register what happened, there was a sharp pain in his stomach, and it wasn't long until he tasted something metallic in his mouth. He groaned as he bit back tears, and all he could do was lie there, eerily still, praying for it to end soon.

XXX

Kise awoke rather late the next morning. Reading the clock as 10:16, he couldn't bring himself to even care for his tardiness. All he could feel was pain, and he slowly pushed himself from the bed, making his way to the restroom. He groggily looked at himself in the mirror, cringing at the sight he saw.

His hair was a mess, golden eyes bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. A trail of dried blood still ran from the corner of his mouth down to his chin, and his skin was as white as snow. Slowly, carefully, he lifted his shirt, wincing at not only the pain the motion caused, but the sight he saw. His entire torso was covered in purple and yellow bruises, and in some areas, there was a distinguished shape of a shoe. He lightly fingered one of the darker bruises, hissing in pain as he doubled over.

Today was not going to be fun.

XXX

Kise arrived at school just in time for lunch, having spent most of his morning practicing his 'I'm fine' act. He grinned as he sat beside his friends, refusing to take mental note of the empty space beside him.

"Hey, guys~"

Kuroko blinked. "Kise, you look terrible."

The blonde laughed heartily- a little too heartily, perhaps, and he mentally cursed himself for it. "I didn't sleep well."

Aomine raised a brow. "You and Kotaro have a little too much fun last night?"

"You could say that, ha."

Akashi stared at the blonde for a long moment. "Is he being held back again?"

Kise shrugged, and then he said the most honest thing he'd said in the last two years- "I don't know, I haven't spoken to him since last night."

Midorima adjusted his glasses atop his nose, looking at him curiously. "He didn't tell you goodbye this morning, at least?"

Kise smiled, shrugging it off, "I was really tired."

Before anything else could be said, Kotaro swooped in, placing a kiss to the blonde's cheek. And suddenly, Kise's wounds didn't seem to be a big deal anymore, as his cheeks burned slightly with a shade of red, and his heart skipped a beat, just as it used to when Kotaro appeared.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

XXX

How wrong he was to think that. As soon as the couple was in the confinement of their home, Kotaro was yelling at him for being so irresponsible.

"You can't just stay in bed all day," he'd said. "You make me look bad!"

Kise had already begun crying, not being able to hold the tears back any longer, and that just set the other male off even more.

"Stop your fucking crying!" he exclaimed, his fist colliding with Kise's face, sending the blonde backward. He stumbled over his own feet, landing on the floor below, and Kotaro sent a kick to his chest, directly hitting one of his fresh bruises.

"Why can't you do anything right?"

Kise curled into himself, his body racking with blow after blow, until Kotaro groaned heavily, and Kise could hear the tiredness in his voice.

"…Ryouta, this was a bad idea."

Kise's blood ran cold, his heart stopped, and suddenly all he could hear was his boyfriend's words.

"The truth is, I've been seeing this girl for a while. She's cute. Way cuter than you. And she's smart. And you know what? She's better than you in every way."

The blonde couldn't even react, his body was completely numb. It would've appeared to any outsider that Kotaro's words were falling upon deaf ears, but they both knew that Kise was hanging onto every word he breathed.

"So I've decided," he continued, "you're no longer welcome here. And, I'm going to ask her to move in with me. Tomorrow."

Kise finally flinched at the force of his final word, and suddenly, his brain was working all too fast.

Kotaro was breaking up with him. This pain was ending. He'd never have to worry about saying the wrong thing again. He had been cheating on him. For a while. How long? He didn't know. It didn't matter now. But wait.

His heart clenched.

Where was he to go now?

XXX

Aomine grumbled as he was forcefully pulled from his sweet slumber by a knocking at the door. Muttering under his breath, he wondered why anyone would be looking for him at two in the morning. Regardless, he never expected Kise to be on the other side of the door.

He stared at him for a long moment before opening his mouth, ready to ask what the hell he was doing here at such an hour, but he stopped when the fog of sleep cleared from his mind, and he took in the sight before him.

Kise was slumped over, a single bag that seemed to hold everything he owned slung over his shoulder. His skin was pale, and his eyes were red and puffy. His lips were even swollen and chapped from where he'd bitten them too much.

Aomine sighed, opening the door further. "Come in…"

XXX

"So, he just dumped you? Out of nowhere?"

Kise sniffled, tears still in his eyes as he nodded. Of course in his story for Aomine, he'd left out all the fights and violence- and really, everything. He'd only told him that Kotaro had met someone new, and that he'd ended their relationship.

The tanned male sighed, running a hand over his face. "Shit. And right after you moved in together, too. Is your apartment already gone?"

Kise nodded. "Yes, they found a new occupant rather quickly…"

"… Is that all you've got?" he asked, nodding toward the blonde's bag.

He smiled softly, sadly, as he looked at his belongings. "Yes… I was never much for material objects…."

"I know, you always cared more about people."

Kise laughed lightly, but it was cold and bitter. "Look where that got me…"

Aomine frowned deeply, taking in his friend's appearance once more. "Kise, why did you come here?"

The blonde's eyes widened, and he quickly spoke up, "I'm sorry! I can leave, I don't want to intrude!"

Rolling his eyes, the bluenette shook his head. "Dumbass, you're welcome here anytime. I just want to know why you chose me."

Kise blinked. "Oh… Well, you're the only one with an apartment to yourself…"

"You were hoping to stay here, then?"

He fidgeted nervously, biting the inside of his lip out of habit. "Y-Yeah… If that's okay, just until I can find a place!"

Aomine nodded, "Of course. Stay as long as you need."

A small smile graced Kise's lips, and for once, it was real, making Aomine's heart skip a beat in his chest. "Thank you, Aomine-cchi…"

The tanned man blushed slightly, looking away from the blonde. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, I'll show you your room."