*Disclaimer*
A.N.: This is a very Kagami focused chapter but as long as I feel inspired to write this, I must. What I want is to show their children side. The way they relate to each other and the way they change over the years, so there will be some chapter solely focussed on their changing friendships.
Happy Birthday to my favourite tsundere! Thank you for being born!
(I'm sorry for the big wait. This chapter has been ready for a while but I simply forgot about it. The next one is nearly finished and I hope it will be up in a few days.)
This almost feels like Christmas in July!
xxx
It was cold outside his bed. It truly was.
Despite being the first day of Christmas break, Taiga just wasn't in the mood to go and do something fun. And the reason was… he felt lonely. Really lonely. All his friends had gone home for the holidays and he was left behind feeling sorry for himself.
Not that Christmas would be fun back home with his old man but… No, he would feel lonely too. Alex would probably be working anyways.
That being said, with a laziness that was usually reserved for when he was sick, Taiga only left his bed around noon, when his stomach started to really complain and prepared himself to drag his body downstairs for lunch. The common room was deserted; giving it a much more open atmosphere and making it look bigger than it had ever been. Once or twice he caught the sound of a cough or snore, from the few students that had stayed behind to study for the H.O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s. But that was the full extent of life in the tower.
He left quickly and crossed the hallways mechanically, the stair changes already imprinted in his mind. Reaching the main hall was a shock. The House tables, carefully separated through the year, were tucked to a side, and the few students that were left in the castle – no more than fifteen or twenty – and the teachers, were all eating away on the same table regardless of House or year. It was strange to see. And though he wanted to feel angry at that, without the usual uniforms and caps, there was no distinction between students and Houses. Everyone was suddenly the same.
Lunch tasted funny in his mouth. The whole thing was strange to him. He was not used to mop around and all this lethargy was getting on his nerves. Back in America he barely had friends to begin with! This last months had really turned him into a spoiled brat. He could certainly handle a couple of weeks alone!
"I'm so pathetic…" He really should get over this quickly. No one was looking sad or lonely. Surely there were plenty of people he could talk to and maybe try and make some new friends. Yeah, that was a plan!
So, with a renewed determination, Taiga tucked himself deeper in his warm clothes and forced another serving of chicken pie in. He would get out of this slump and he would find something fun to do and he would not, definitely not, waste his holiday!
"Oi! Bakagami! It's you!?"
The voice itself made his eye twitch, almost like a Charlie Horse, and he turned to watch the dark skinned blue haired boy approach him from the other end of the table.
"Ahomine." He was definitely not that desperate for known people.
The Slytherin watched him with intent, almost as if he was studying him.
He didn't like that. What was the bastard trying to pull? So he met his gaze fully and intently glared back as he ate a few more bites of his pie. That seemed to make the other happy; strangely enough.
"Good thing I ran into you, I'm bored as hell! Oi, come racing me!"
Oh, now that was a plan! "When? I need to grab my broom."
"Now, Bakagami!" Aomine was grinning and he could almost swear that he was about to skip on his feet. "Meet me in the field!" And he just ran off.
Well, he wasn't going to say no to that! Suddenly his pie tasted twice as delicious, but it definitely wasn't Aomine's doing; he just felt like playing Quidditch against a strong opponent.
xxx
He almost flew through the castle to and with his beloved Fire Hurricane. The prospect of a good match and a strong opponent making him lighter.
Ahomine was already on the field waiting for him, looking just as impatient to start, his regular broom in hand and a Quaffle on the other.
"Finally! Why so slow?" The other urged when he approached, completely ignoring the fact that he was running full speed towards him. "Come on, Bakagami! While we're still young!"
"Shut up, Ahomine! You won't be so eager when I kick your ass!"
He was already half on his broom, ready to take off, when a chocked gasp made him pause. And sure enough, Tatsuya was looking like he had swallowed a toad, sitting only a couple yards away, next to a very bored looking Murasakibara and half his size in candy and sweets surrounding them.
"Tatsuya?!" Oh, he did not expect the other to be here. Didn't Tatsuya-ni spend his holiday time with his family?
The brunet made another chocked noise, started a motion to greet him but gave up halfway and tried to make himself look small next to the other without meeting his eyes. Taiga felt slightly sorry for him without really understanding why he should. The guy had betrayed him. First from the back and them openly. No matter how pathetic he looked, he should stay angry with him. But unfortunately for Taiga, his heart was way too soft.
"Ah, right… Uh… I forgot. Sorry 'bout that!" Aomine looked upset when he motioned Taiga to get closer. His tone was serious but soft when he started explaining the current situation. "So Testu told us about the situation with your brother – don't be mad at him – and last week, when those idiots nearly ruined Christmas, Akashi thought it would be a nice opportunity to snatch him away. So… he's doing this… punishment thing – because of the Christmas episode, that's what he thinks – but really now, he's just babysitting Murasakibara. Pretty much just babysitting, or being his servant, whatever you think fits better."
In truth, Tatsuya looked miserable, but that could just be because he was here or because Murasakibara was having him peel candy for him and hand-feeding him. Yeah, that did not look fun at all!
"So what are they doing HERE?" It was weird having the other watch him.
Aomine huffed looking annoyed and hopped in his own broom. "Akashi told me to watch them." He pulled a face that clearly just meant he felt fed-up with it. "It's sooooo boring! Those two are the colour of despair!"
He laughed despite himself. Ahomine wasn't making sense. "How can you be a colour? Stupid Ahomine." But it did sound awful.
"You totally can! Just look at them!" And he did. Aomine turned to his housemates as if to try and distinguish their colour which made him laugh harder. "You two stay right there until we are back, got it?"
Taiga jumped on his own broom and was just as ready to take off.
"But Mine-chiiiinnnnn! It's so boring!" Murasakibara was complaining and looked like he was about to throw a tantrum like a baby.
"Shut up! You should have brought a broom and joined us. Remember that next time! Himuro! Make sure he doesn't leave and keep him entertained!"
It might be true that they looked like a colour, Taiga thought. More like frustration than despair though. But that was out of his mind pretty quickly because soon, he and Aomine where on the air.
xxx
His game with Aomine didn't have rules. Sometimes they would steal the Quaffle from each other, other times they would throw it around against imaginary Keepers or just fly around doing crazy loops and dangerous faints near the ground. It was intense and violent but very respectful. Taiga admired Aomine's form and agility with a sort of awe and in turn the other did the same. It was a strong demonstration of power play but there was only balance.
By the time they touched the ground again, the sky was dark, his bottom was sore, his legs were jelly and his cheeks hurt from the permanent grinning.
"Let's go again Bakagami! Tomorrow morning?" Aomine looked only slightly less tired than him and while that irked him, he just didn't find it in him to care.
"Sure! Get ready to get your ass handed to you again!"
They were both chuckling with the prospect and carelessly picked their things to leave.
"MINE-CHIN!"
Murasakibara's angry voice sobered them up quickly and they guiltily realized that the other two boys had been thoroughly forgotten. Their pile of snacks was gone, probably for a while now, and they were bundling together, a transmuted flame floating by their hands. Tatsuya's lips were a bit blue and he was shaking slightly. Murasakibara just looked ready to murder them.
His body was feeling so hot from the workout he had been doing that it never occurred to him that it could be cold. Which was stupid, it was the middle of December after all!
"Mine-chin, I stayed with you because Aka-chin said so but this won't happen again! Dinner is over, Mine-chin! OVER! I'm hungry and I'm telling Aka-chin about this!" It looked like dinner was his only concern. The cold didn't seem to get to him despite the fact that Tatsuya was almost curled into a ball.
Aomine was looking apologetic but didn't say anything. Taiga felt bad though. Was it really that late? "We're sorry guys. You should have told us something! I'm sorry you guys lost dinner and had to sit on the cold."
The three boys looked at him like he was a crazy saint or something and even Murasakibara looked less angry. That definitely reminded him of the company he had. "Some people are not Slytherin, you know!"
His words brought a belly full of laughter from everyone and they started to make their way to the castle, Tatsuya still trying to hide himself behind the other, but more from the cold than Taiga this time.
The purple haired boy sighed unhappily. "…'m so hungry…"
"You have plenty of snacks in the common room." Aomine argued but his own growling stomach betrayed him.
Chuckling at the other's misfortune, Taiga was also feeling quite hungry himself, now that the adrenaline was gone. "Let's just get something from the kitchens."
There was a moment of silence where only their footsteps could be heard through the large fields. Taiga was happily thinking of the goodness he could get for dinner when Murasakibara spun him around and regarded him as a hero. "Kaga-chin! You know how to get in the kitchens, Kaga-chin?!"
The strange nickname baffled him a bit but he quickly escaped the monstrous grip. "Yeah, yeah… It's easy. Just let me go!"
"Kaga-chin has my respect!"
"It's crazy easy to get your respect, isn't it?" Aomine chuckled.
They were near the giant wooden doors when he spoke again. "Say, Kagami… did Tetsu say anything about a magazine? He might have left it behind when he went home…"
He searched deeply into his memory but could not recall anything of the sort. Why had the idiot Ahomine remembered that now? "Don't remember… Maybe it's in his bed back at the dorm. Didn't check this morning."
"Oh." The bluenet looked disappointed. "If you see it, bring it tomorrow."
"I can do that now… I'm not going all the way downstairs with this." He pointed his broom. "In fact… Why don't you come with me? If you want it go look for it!"
"You mean… inside the Gryffindor Tower?" The Slytherin watched him as if he expected him to suddenly laugh or mock him. "Can you do that?"
"Don't see why not. Midorima is there all the time!"
"No! Kaga-chin, Mine-chin!" Murasakibara was wailing again. "Let's eat first! I'm hungry! Nee, Muro-chin! Say something!"
Taiga turned around to watch the scene. It looked like Tatsuya had his own nickname too. How odd.
The brunet seemed to swallow his tongue when he realized everyone was waiting for his answer. Took him a bit but when they didn't deter he finally resolved to speak. "Actually, Atsushi… I really wanted to get my cloak first…" And finished his point by shivering some more despite still being hugging a morphed non-burning flame.
Taiga felt kinda of sorry for his brother. He clearly didn't look good after being outside all those hours. Murasakibara pouted, not looking happy at all for being contradicted.
"Okay then…" The air was bit thick but the redhead shrugged it. "After we're done meet us near Hufflepuff. Come, Aomine!" And surprising everyone he halted and started dragging a startled blue haired Slytherin back to where they had come from.
If he wasn't mistaken, today there were a few particular shortcuts that opened and would help avoid climbing all those pesky stairs. He rounded the corner, Aomine following behind looking every bit curious but silent. It was strange to have him so compliant.
They ducked behind an alcove on the first floor opening a passage that led to the fourth floor. After that he directed them through another hall and entered the painting of a sleeping hippopotamus that led to the third floor. Very close to that one, inside an empty classroom, was another painting, of a picnic scene in the woods, which quickly put then on the sixth floor. It was just very easy to take one set of stairs and they were by the Fat Lady in barely five minutes since they left the other two.
Aomine whistled; clearly impressed. "Whoa! Not bad! Look at that…" He took everything in with great interest and Taiga felt somewhat proud that he had managed to impress the usually arrogant guy.
The Fat Lady watched the other boy suspiciously but said nothing regarding the matter. He told her the password and she opened for them without a problem. Taiga was relieved for that as there was a chance she wouldn't let a Slytherin in. As he stepped over the passage, the redhead noticed the other wasn't following anymore.
Looking back he watched the other study the opening with a nervous look. It was natural for the other to feel that way right? After all he was entering… enemy territory(?)... That sounded wrong even in his head.
"What's wrong, Ahomine? Scared~~~?" Using his best "cat-got-the-mouse" grin he baited him; feeling the other's nervousness also felt wrong.
"As if!" The effect was immediate and quickly, the bluenet climbed after him, a barely disguised scared grin in his face.
Sighing in relief, Taiga observed Aomine enter his common room and waited with great curiosity. What would the other think of it? The redhead had a soft spot for his common room but, after all, it was his. He actually wondered what he would say.
His first thought, after giving the room a quick interested look, was definitely very Slytherin. "It's all RED!" Aomine proclaimed, as if it was an insult. "My eyes hurt! And what's with all the pillows?"
That… was actually a good question. The Gryffindor Tower could easily be described with words like "puffy" and "comfortable". It was literally filled with all types of cushioned surfaces; which helped a lot during winter but gave the room a chaotic image. "They're… comfortable….?"
"Well duh…"
Despite his aloof and conceited attitude the Slytherin still took everything in with barely disguised curiosity; and the scattered pillows and mismatched chairs actually seemed to amaze him.
The bluenet was clearly very entertained exploring the place so when he turned to inspect the fireplace, Taiga just sighed and headed ahead for the dorm without him. Let the guy play around as he dropped of his broom and changed clothes.
Only his bed still showed signs of life and that saddened him again slightly. The redhead was shrugging his heavy cloak – after that workout he was actually feeling a bit hot – and considering jumping in the shower real quick, when a scarred shriek sounded from outside.
Immediately he left everything behind, running fast, worried that Aomine had gotten himself in trouble or worse, had ran into some less understanding Gryffindors...
Taiga came to a dead stop on the way to the common room though. The scene before him was strange and if he wasn't so confused about it he might have laughed at Aomine's shocked and petrified expression.
"Why are you laying on the floor like that, Ahomine?" He watched, thoroughly amused, as the other's face quickly changed to anger and he immediately jumped to his feet.
"So that's where you where! I went looking for you and suddenly the stupid stairs disappeared!" He pretended to pat away the dust in his cloak before trying to glare him down. "Where in hell's name were you!?"
The boy's expression was so utterly offended and angry that he just couldn't help but laugh like a maniac as he realized just where the other had come from. "You tried to enter the girls' dorm, didn't you~~~?!"
The bluenet first looked quite surprised as if he couldn't fathom where the accusation had come from but slowly his expression became mortified. "As if I knew where it would be! It was a coincidence… There was just a tiny chance…"
"Oh… So you did hope to find it!" The other's face was quite hilarious as he looked like a cat that had just been caught trying to eat the little gold-fish in the bowl. "Come on then, pervert! I'll show you how to make good use of the trap!"
The Slytherin grumbled all the way to the top of the stairs – about traps and the need for them, in what sounded like another insult to Gryffindor – when the steps suddenly disappeared from underneath their feet. Aomine yelped again, totally unprepared, but Kagami only raised his arms and let a loud cheer as they messily rolled down the giant slide, only to end up in a pile on the middle of the floor, Taiga laughing like a little kid.
"Oh, that was awesome! Let's go again!" He managed in between laughs.
After managing to convince a grumbling Aomine to go again – by asking him if he was scared – the two boys passed a few innocent minutes taking advantage of the maliciously intended toy in what was a child's naivety. By the tenth time they found themselves entangled on each other, both their stomachs were growling loudly again.
"Oh danm! Murasakibara is going to kill us!" By now Aomine was also laughing merrily, and despite a slight shadow of dread having passed through his semblance, it did not destroy the giant smile in his face.
"Fudge! Let's hurry! I'm gonna wash; you look for that book!" The redhead giggled and as quickly as they started, the two scrambled to hurry back.
xxx
Taiga was drying his face when he returned to the dorm, trusting his memory to blindly reach his bed safely. It was the rustling noise of destruction that made him lift his head and search for its source.
"Mighty Merlin! What are you doing, Ahomine!?"
Kuroko's little corner of the room looked like a hurricane had just hit it. In the middle of the mess, still flinging sheets around, was a dark skinned Slytherin looking completely at ease with the state of his friend's bed.
"Kuroko is going to kill you!"
"No, he's not. He's going to kill you. For letting me in!" Aomine calmly dismissed him, as he opened a few drawers. "Oh, here it is!" He cheered as he pulled a highly dubious magazine – as it contained some ladies with little clothing on the cover – from the nightstand.
Then, with no explanation, he just hid it under his sweater where he patted it down and made to leave.
"… were you even supposed to get that back?" Taiga was beginning to realize that he might have been conned into the deal.
The other seemed to ponder the question for a few seconds but ended up just grinning devilishly before skipping to the door. "Come on, Bakagami! Time to leave!" Yeah, he was tricked real' good.
Huffing, the redhead was decided to take as long as possible to change his shirt and then pin it on the other. Murasakibara would surely take care of the pain in the ass.
"Come on! Hurry, those things are freaky! And all the red is killing me!" Aomine was pacing around impatiently by the door but made no effort to leave without him.
The strange comment made Taiga hurry a bit faster, quickly searching for the source of the other's distress. "What? What is?" And honestly, you could barely see red in the room anyways! The whole thing had been decorated differently to the taste of its several occupants and now the colour red was hidden behind posters, scarves, books...
"The still ones… It's just so freaky!" Aomine was clearly pouting. He was still pointing to Takao's corner of the room when Taiga managed to understand the problem.
"Oh~~~~! Don't tell me a few muggle posters are scaring the big Slytherin~~~!" It was quite hilarious to think about, and he blunet's offended face was even better.
"I'm not scared! That's just… not normal…" And with that, he climbed down towards the living area, leaving an amused Kagami behind.
It wasn't that Aomine's reaction was abnormal; after all, despite not being anti-muggle, most wizards lived in a need-to-know basis with muggles. Their relationship was based on a scared fascination with each other, and the same way a magical object would astonish a muggle, a stopped still photograph was bound to do the same to a wizard with little muggle contact. Having grown in a mostly-muggle environment, the non-use of magic was nothing new for him, and that was why Taiga allowed himself a little laugh over the revelation. Just a little. It wasn't Aomine's fault after all.
But it did not kept him from sending him a leering smile as he passed the Slytherin slouching in between a few dozen pillows.
xxx
The next few days were almost a repeat of the first.
After breakfast he would meet Aomine, and the other two, outside and they would play Quidditch until someone was hungry or too tired to keep going. As a safety measure, Murasakibara and Himuro were now in charge of sending some red sparks when they wanted them to stop or to tell them about meals. So no one was unhappy again.
After Taiga showed them where to enter the kitchens, and introduced them to a bunch of elves, meals were almost invariably eaten there. The purple haired boy looked like he was in heaven, each and every time they crossed the door. It was the rudeness of the whole that kept reminding him that he was spending his time with Slytherins – he felt the need to apologise to the friendly and very helpful elves. Used to coming to the kitchens to cook and get some time to himself, Taiga did not stand for the poor creatures being abused.
On some days, Murasakibara and Himuro actually joined the two of them on the air for a couple of hours. Bored of watching them every day, they borrowed some brooms from the stadium and teamed up to steal the Quaffle.
Taiga paid close attention to the two chasers, as he was sure Coach Aida would love some close up info for the future, but what he ended up learning was that Murasakibara was an incredible keeper and a Monster of a Chaser.
He had never been more thankful for the invention of the Tracking Spell on broomsticks because more often than not he found himself getting knocked out of his. The marvellous spell would keep the broom flying next to him long enough for Taiga to climb back up and avoid breaking a few bones. Murasakibara had the strength of a bull and thankfully he did not play Chaser on the games; otherwise most of the lighter players would certainly leave the game on the first minutes.
Overall, it was a lovely time passed, and Taiga had a lot of fun. Tatsuya started to relax a bit, and despite not talking beyond the necessary the air was lighter and the tension disappeared over time.
It was gruesome to admit but getting to know the other two Slytherin wasn't so bad either. Murasakibara could be an absolute child and was terribly troublesome, but it was Tatsuya who had to deal with him so the redhead managed to focus on his best attributes. He liked to bake and eat. That was pretty much it. He managed to trade a few cooking tips and comments but their talks were scarce.
Strangely so, it was Aomine who he had the most fun. They were similar in a way. Excluding their Quidditch games, when walking back to the castle, after long hours of playing, they would talk.
About their favourite Quidditch teams, Quodpot, their favourite classes – they both liked Charms, Herbology and Flying – and their least favourite – Transfiguration (go figure), History (really) and Astronomy – and sometimes they would talk about Kuroko. Those times were few, and Kuroko was usually only brought out when there was something humorous about, like his crazy bed hair or his annoying habit of startling people when they were doing something delicate. There was a slight tension when Kuroko was mentioned that Taiga couldn't understand. But being a topic that seemed sensitive, he did not go too deep into it.
Time passed quickly and soon, it was Christmas Morning.
Taiga woke up early, surrounded by the presents that had arrived over the holidays and felt content. He hoped his friends and the sempais enjoyed the modest cakes he had baked and silently thanked them for sending him so many presents.
His father had also sent him something, with Alex's help, and so he opened that first. It was a remote controlled car, probably the latest in the market and that all the kids in America had by now. All the kids without magic. But it was still an effort. At least he had not sent him a doll by mistake – he had an aunt like that – and did not send him a pair of socks. Even if he could use that pair of socks. Really, no socks on Christmas! It was just a shame that he couldn't use the car in Hogwarts. He could scare Aomine pretty badly with it.
That aside, he turned to the other gifts. Alex sent him a cool illustrated encyclopaedia on deadly magical animals that he set by his nightstand to read latter. The sempais had gotten him an array of stationery products, such as new beautiful quills, lots and lots of parchment and new bottles of ink. It was a bit embarrassing but he was still very grateful for it. Stationery was not cheap. Izuki-sempai also presented him a copy of his pun book. Furihata gave him a cookbook with magical recipes and the one from Takao was a muggle sculpture of a crouching tiger, both he liked a lot.
But it baffled him that Kuroko had spent so much money to buy his gift. From him he received a leather seat for his broom. The thing looked genuine and felt absolutely fantastic – he wished he had had it on those last few days, his bottom was quite sore by now. He stood a couple of minutes just admiring the thing and another few, deciding that the cake wouldn't cut it and that he would get Kuroko something extra.
"Can't wait to show this to Ahomine!" Excited with the prospect, the redhead nearly forgot that the sun was just barely coming up and that he was still wearing his pyjamas.
He turned around midway towards the great stairs to enter the tower again and get properly dressed. He was passing the great hall when it occurred to him that he gotten absolutely nothing for those three that had spent the holidays with him. He was still a bit mad with Tatsuya-nii but it was Christmas!
xxx
Breakfast was over by the time he finished baking in the kitchens.
He snacked something as he finished his presents so he just skipped the hall and headed straight for the fields because he knew Aomine would be waiting regardless of any previous agreement.
True enough, the blunet and the other two sitting in the stands were already there, Aomine pacing around distractedly.
"Taiga!" Unexpectedly it was his brother that saw him first and sounded the alarm.
Himuro's exclamation had them all turn their attention to him and Taiga felt a bit self conscious.
"Where were you!? You didn't come to breakfast! Did you fell asleep like some idiot!?" Aomine was fuming but the redhead noted some worry being his rants.
"Oh, like Mine-chin this morning?" Murasakibara joked as he had immediately perked up when he smelled what Taiga had brought them.
"Shut up..."
Ignoring the sulking blunet, the redhead started handing the cake through the stands. "Here... my Christmas present for you."
Tatsuya looked a bit astonished and scared when the little red package was handed out to him, but he still muttered a quiet 'thanks'. Murasakibara almost ripped the thing from his hands. He opened the box and nodded approvingly at the little frosted Christmas cake. To Aomine he just called his attention and threw the package at him. He was certain he could catch it.
"I... I didn't get you anything..." Tatsuya had an ashamed look but for the first time in months he actually looked Taiga in the eye. "Sorry."
It was an extremely awkward moment for the two of them. They hadn't spoken directly the whole time despite just being the four of them; and the last time it had happened it was for his brother to admit how he had betrayed him.
Had he been talking about before, Taiga might have forgiven him right there. He might have, the sneaky Slytherin... So he put a hold to those thoughts for the moment.
"I really wasn't expecting anything. Just... Merry Christmas!" True to good Gryffindor chivalry he had done it without a thought of retribution. It was just his way of thanking them for the company.
"Here, Kaga-chin." Murasakibara called him over a mouthful of cake. Hadn't they just finished breakfast? The purple haired wizard dug through his pile of candy until he pulled something out with a triumphant cry. "Present for you."
The thing he threw him was a light cylinder in a colourful wrap and weird characters and symbols he had never seen before. It was a big deal, getting something from the candy pile. Even Tatsuya-nii-chan needed a special permit to eat one and he was always feeding Murasakibara those things.
Because the other was watching him expectantly and his stomach was reminding him that he hadn't really had breakfast he decided to try it out. He opened the seal with care and watched the spongy cake that appeared. He gave a polite bite and carefully considered the flavour before swallowing. It wasn't bad. There was something about the flavour that reminded him of lunch more than a snack. It was kinda... 'stewy'.
"Uh... It's nice." He told the other and Murasakibara almost started glowing.
He nodded happily as if no one ever told him his snacks tasted good. "Maiu-bo is really good! Cream-stew is my favourite one!"
"Eh... Making the rest of us look bad..." Aomine huffed somewhere from being the Gryffindor and when he turned around the blunet was licking his knuckle like a cat and had a smear of white frosting on the corner of his mouth. "I'll tell ya what... For my Christmas present I'll let ya ride this baby if you manage to score against me!"
That was when he finally noticed Aomine's broom. The gorgeous ebony wood was masterfully decorated in metallic silver flourishes and the tail was artistically bent in a graceful spiral. Overall it was the most beautiful broom he had ever seen.
"Is that the new Thunder Dragon?! And the platinum version too!"
The other had the grace to look embarrassed as he nervously passed his fingers through his short hair. "Yeah... My parents overdid it a bit." But it passed him quickly as he replaced his stance with renewed arrogance. "Come on now! I'll show you just how good she is!"
xxx
Turns out, Taiga managed to score the first three points quite easily, earning his right to take a turn. And there was a good reason for that.
The Thunder Dragon was a great light and fast broom, crafted with the newest sensitivity and comfort spells. It was just a tad too sensitive. A wrong movement with your head was all that took to immediately have it skyrocket in that direction. It had a few quirks here and there as well.
"Man! This seat is comfortable!" Aomine marvelled from where he was floating in Taigas broom. "I should get one of these!"
"It's awesome! Best Christmas present in a while!" The redhead managed to shout over a particularly harsh turn after he got caught in a wind tunnel. While the Dragon was charmed to contradict the air currents and obey the rider exclusively, the wind itself was strong enough to bend him – which led the broom to follow through. "This thing though... not so great. You'll never master this before the next game."
"We'll see about that!" The Slytherin boasted as he spun around his own broom. "I'll even bet ya! That I'll have it mastered before we decide to play again!"
"You mean tomorrow."
"Yup! Tomorrow!"
That made him laugh. Aomine's arrogance had no limits sometimes. He just laughed and parked besides his trustworthy broom. "Sure! It's a bet. And if you fail... You'll let me borrow it and then... I'll show you how to master it in one day!"
"Deal! And when I win... Uh... I'll gain the right to demand one thing from you. As long as we are in Hogwarts!"
He thought about it. There was no way the idiot would demand something that would bring his game down, that would be a loser's attitude. And if there was something good about Ahomine, it was that he had good fair play. Apart from that... he really wasn't scared about it.
"Sure. It's a bet." He raised his fist in a friendly gesture but Aomine still stopped like a deer in the headlights. He waited a bit, positive that the other wouldn't let him down, went he thought of something. "Hey, wanna invite Kuroko to play with us when he returns? We could play teams!"
x
He really had a hard time understanding Kagami sometimes.
Playing with him was the best. There was no one that got him so fired up.
And he didn't use those complicated words that everyone used to sound important – like Akashi and Midorima and sometimes Testu and Satsuki – and he never gave him that complacent look when he failed to understand things – well, he usually didn't understand them either!
Tetsu would say they were similar. Fat chance!
But they weren't truly friends, right...? The guy just showed up with Christmas presents for them out of nowhere like some sort of saint! He was pissed with his brother but he still got him a Christmas present! Like hell Daiki would ever go to that extent for someone he was pissed with!
And now here he was being buddy-buddy with him, like he understood Daiki's inner turmoil over the whole betrayal situation after Testu walked out on them, on him! – that would be a party if he did, because sometimes Daiki wasn't sure he himself understood – but he had stopped caring so much about it lately...
It was a hard blow but Bakagami was a cool dude! A mix between a wild beast and an angel. And that actually made him less pissed at Testu for joining the Reds and leaving them behind. He had thought that Testu would be the last person in the world to abandon him. But he had... Just like everyone else did...
Damn! He was such a sissy sometimes! Back to the Kagami situation for now!
Okay fine! It was good! Yeah, it was a good thing. If he could tolerate the redhead idiot – not Akashi, Bakagami – he could just hang out with Kuroko like before! And maybe he could hang out with Kagami too... Just bit. Yeah. So... it was good.
"Sure! I'll invite Ryou or something too. The more the better!" And they sealed the deal. Kagami's skin was warm against his fist, like he was some sort of walking furnace. He could almost see the steam coming out of him in the cold air.
The other's smile was almost bright enough to see and he tried his best to appear neutral or uncaring that he had just – on some deep level that he wasn't ready to acknowledge just yet, because Tetsu would definitely give him that condescending look – accepted Kagami as a friend.
Somewhere behind all of it... This was all Testu's fault.
xxx
A.N.: Yeah, a little bit of Aomine's inner turmoil in the mix. Those two are so similar so they'll be great friends one day. One day. As soon as Aomine manages to accept it and Kagami... well he never actually thought about it and probably never will. Labels are less important to him I think. It will just happen and he will accept it.
So yeah for today's wandlore we have... Aomine! I realised I never had him before.
So here we go: Aomine Daiki – Blackthorn, thirteen and a half inches, surprisingly swishy and phoenix feather core. Best suited to a warrior, the wands made from this wood appear to need to pass through danger or hardship with their owners to become truly bonded. It is a curious feature of the blackthorn bush, which sports wicked thorns, that it produces its sweetest berries after the hardest frosts.
I thought it would be nice to have a dark and light wand for Aomine. In the original, he passed through moments of darkness and despair before finally finding a light. Also, I plan to send these guys on some adventures so... danger or hardship. And Aomine is clearly the most suited for the part of a warrior. Akashi is stronger in terms of mind and maybe magic, but he would stay out of the fights and battle with intellect instead of strength.