Aomine was nervous about leaving Kise home alone all day, but the doctor had ordered the blonde to get plenty of rest. Unfortunately, Aomine had not been excused from school himself. After six worried goodbyes, the tanned man was forcefully pushed out of his own apartment, as Kise gave him one last kiss before slamming the door in his face.

So Aomine went through his day alone, the blonde always at the edge of his mind. He was a nervous wreck all morning, and his friends were quick to notice when lunch came around.

"Aomine, what happened yesterday? After they took Kise to the hospital?" Kuroko asked, his eyes wide with concern.

Aomine sighed, running a hand through his hair. "They wouldn't tell me anything until he woke up. But they said he was suffering from an ED."

Murasakibara blinked. "Er, an erectile dysfunction?"

The tanned man's face scrunched up. "Oi, no. An eating disorder."

Kuroko gasped lightly, his heart aching in his chest. "W-what kind of eating disorder?"

"Eh, Anorexia? The doctor wasn't actually sure about the diagnosis. Kise has an appointment with a psychologist in a couple of days. That's when we'll know."

Midorima grimaced, pushing his glasses back into place. "So that's the reason behind the sudden switch between soda and water."

Akashi nodded. "And the smaller amount of food he's been eating."

"And the excessive exercise," Kuroko mumbled.

A heavy sigh fell from Aomine's lips. "It was right in front of us…"

Murasakibara frowned. "Kise-chin is a really good actor…"

Aomine scowled. "He is, indeed."

XXX

When Aomine arrived back home, expecting the absolute worst, he was more than relieved to find that Kise was fine. Other than the fact he was running around the apartment like a madman, mumbling to himself as he appeared to be searching for something.

Aomine raised a brow as he stepped in front of the now crawling blonde, stopping him in his tracks. "Oi, what are you doing?"

Kise laughed sheepishly as he stood to his feet, scratching at his cheek. "Eh, Daiki-cchi~ When did you get here?"

The tanned man grunted. "Doesn't matter, what are you doing?"

The blonde sighed, avoiding his boyfriend's gaze. "Ne, I lost my earring…"

Aomine stared at him for a long while before snorting. "That's it? That's what's got you going crazy?"

Kise crossed his arms, puffing his cheeks into a pout. "Don't make fun of me! That earring is important to me!"

"Eh? Why?"

The blonde paused, his fingers instinctively raising to his earlobe. "I-I mean, the earring itself isn't, but I've gotten so used to wearing it! I feel naked~!" he whined.

Aomine sighed, rolling his eyes. "Oi, calm down. I'll go out and buy you another one, okay?"

Kise stopped in his tracks, looking up to the slightly taller male with wide, awe-stricken eyes. "R-really, Daiki-cchi?"

Aomine felt his cheeks begin to warm, and he quickly averted his gaze, huffing under his breath. "If it'll keep you from trashing my apartment anymore."

Kise smiled softly, dancing over to kiss the other man on the cheek. "You're the best, Daiki-cchi~"

"Yeah, yeah. Go back to bed, Ryouta. I'll be back with your precious earring."

XXX

When Aomine came back home for the second time, he found the blonde sitting eagerly on the sofa, bouncing up and down in excitement. Rolling his eyes, the bluenette walked over to him, pulling the earrings out of his pocket. He'd been a little too upset when he found the store only carried them in pairs, but he figured if it meant Kise would stop acting like a Tasmanian devil, he would spend the money on the extra useless ring.

Kise eagerly stretched out his hands, like a baby reaching for a bottle. Aomine grunted, sitting beside his stupid boyfriend. "Let me do it."

The blonde immediately stilled, his only movement being his hand flying to his earlobe. Biting the inside of his lip, he noticed Aomine's bewildered expression. He smiled sheepishly, slowly releasing his ear.

"Sorry, I just don't usually like people messing with my ears."

Aomine blinked. "Well I don't have to. I just thought it'd be easier, since I can see it better."

Kise continued to chew the inside of his lip, hoping not to look as troubled as he felt. He nodded. "No, that makes sense. Just, be careful, okay?"

The bluenette raised a skeptical brow but leaned in closer, preparing to insert the ring. He paused, his hand still hanging in the air. Kise held his breath, avoiding his boyfriend's gaze.

Aomine cocked his head curiously, lightly fingering the blonde's earlobe. "I didn't know you had a scar here."

Kise shivered at the mere mention of it, but he laughed it off. "Oh, yeah, Yori accidentally snagged it once, haha."

Aomine merely hmmed as he continued to inspect the scar. Kise's heart was beating far too fast, his mind racing. Though it was true that Yori had 'snagged' his earring once, it had been far from an accident.

It was during one of their one-sided fights, over modeling no less. Kotaro had been furious that Kise had once again chosen a photoshoot over staying home alone, whilst he stayed behind at school, himself. Kise had only had the earring for a couple of months, but it was another thing Kotaro had warned him against. Back then, Kise hadn't cared much for listening to his boyfriend, no matter how many times he pushed or hit him. But that day was the changing point. That was when Kise realized it wasn't just going to stop with simple things like that.

Kotaro had been so infuriated that he'd literally tackled the blonde onto the ground, pinning him underneath himself as he grabbed hold of Kise's wrist. He'd laughed darkly before muttering the words, "Oh, dear, Ryouta, what have you done to yourself?"

Kise had originally thought the question was rhetorical, a mere reference to the situation he now found himself in. He was only half right. Whilst the blonde was eagerly trying to free himself, Kotaro had pulled a knife from his pocket. Kise found this out when his abusive boyfriend slammed the blade into the palm of his hand, making him scream in pain.

"Yori, what the hell!"

Kotaro had slammed his head onto the floor with his knee, continuing to dig the blade in deeper. "You've always been rather clumsy, Ryouta."

The blonde bit back another scream as the man pushed harder, the knife's point burrowing deeper into his skin, and tears came to his golden eyes. Once Kotaro realized he wouldn't be receiving another response from that, he tossed the blade aside, and his eyes fell upon something shiny. He grinned, leaning down to whisper into Kise's ear.

"I told you not to get this, didn't I?" He lightly grasped the earring, and Kise instantly knew what was coming. He squeezed his eyes shut as the ring was pulled straight through his skin, eliciting a heartbreaking scream from the blonde.

Kotaro had smiled, twisting his newfound treasure between his fingers as Kise's ear and palm bled profusely. "Maybe you should listen to me more, Ryouta," was all he said as he stood to his feet and went to bed.

Kise didn't even notice Aomine putting the earring into his ear, gently clasping it shut. He only realized he was done when the tanned man stood and made his way to the kitchen. Kise raised his hand slowly, allowing his fingertips to graze the ring.

"Th-thank you, Daiki-cchi."

"No problem, baby."

He smiled to himself. Aomine was no Kotaro.