As expected, the game against Yosen was difficult, but a victory. I watched from the stands. For the game against Rakuzan, I occupied the bench, sitting beside Daiki for the first half, and watching him leave the game with some hint of regret flooding through my veins. Halftime is full of tension. "Hai-chan, please play." Satsuki is repeating herself. It's the fourth time she's said this, and all I can do is refuse her.
"I'm sorry. This game is one I can't play in." I've said it four times now. Finally, it seems the pinkette has had enough.
"Then tell me why!" I can hear her temper. "This isn't like you! Why did you even show up if you didn't want to play?" I flinch at that.
"You're right. I shouldn't have shown up." I say calmly. The pinkette throws her hands up into the air.
"Hai-chan!"
"Satsuki!" I mimic. I don't throw my hands up in the air, but my face twists into an angry snarl for a few minutes. "I'll leave, then. You should know better than anyone why I'm not playing. Maybe I misjudged you."
I leave the locker room swiftly, my strides hurried and long. "Alex Heights!" A familiar redhead blocks my path. My eyes widen.
"Kagami..." It looks like he's accusing me of something, looking at me the way he is. "Are you here to yell at me, too?" The redhead frowns slightly.
"No... I'm just wondering why you aren't playing." He says. I shift my gaze away.
"This isn't where I should be." I murmur, running a hand through my hair. "I want to play, but... it's best if I don't take part in this game."
"I don't get it." Kagami says flatly. I smile as best I can.
"I didn't really expect you to." Is it bad that his naivety makes me want to cry? I'm glad he doesn't get it. "Anyway, I'm going home. Enjoy the rest of your day."
I brush past him, hurrying along so I can escape Touou and Rakuzan and Teiko. I don't get far. The redhead grabs my wrist. As much as I want to leave, I can't get myself to shake off his hand. "Please let go, Kagami." If anything, Kagami's grip tightens.
"Let's play." Kagami says after a few tense moments. I blink in surprise.
"Play?" The word itself seems completely foreign, almost as foreign to me as I am to Japan.
"Yeah, one on one. Let's go a few rounds." What is with this kid? Kagami used to look completely wild to me, like a tiger was hunting me in the jungle. He seems much more tame now. I guess he's offering a side of himself I haven't seen before. Or maybe I have seen this, yeah. The swimming pool was a lot like this.
"Okay." My response comes out as a heavy sigh. Red eyes brighten slightly. I wonder where Daiki is. Probably avoiding my foul mood and me. I don't really blame him. I allow myself to be led out of the enormous building and back onto a lonely looking basketball court. The redhead finds a basketball behind some benches. It doesn't take too long to get a steady game started, and it's more than enough to get my mind off the game going on inside.
I don't need the Zone for this game since it's so relaxed, but it still has me playing almost as hard as I can go. I guess this is what I needed. How can Kagami be so ready to play me when just a few games ago he couldn't even stand to look at me? I don't really know the answer to a question like that. I guess I don't really need to know right now. I'm happy just to play for a while.
Things seem fine. Things seem perfect, actually, until an unusually familiar voice calls out to me. "Alex-chan, it's been a while!" It takes all my concentration to finish the shot I'm taking, only for it to bounce off the rim.
"Is there something you want, Hanamiya?" My voice has gone frigid as Kagami and I straighten fully. There's a part of me that wants to bolt, and there's a part of me that wants to get into a fight. Neither of those options are open to me.
"Is there something so wrong about greeting my former teammate's kohai?" He asks, cold eyes glinting like blades. I grit my teeth.
"Yeah, there is." My heart is threatening to break free of my chest. My body aches at the memory of our last meeting. "Stay the hell away from me."
"Hanamiya." When I glance over, I can see an incredible fury igniting in Kagami's eyes. "You're the one responsible for Kiyoshi- and..." The redhead looks over to me for a few heartbeats, and then turns back to the dark haired teen. "Kuroko told me about what Hanamiya did to you." My eyes widen slightly, but I don't comment. I'm sure Tetsuya had his reasons.
"Go back to your team, Hanamiya." I reply icily. "There's no reason for you to be here." Rage is boiling in my blood. "You've said hello."
"My, my, that isn't very nice, now is it?" Hanamiya says. His voice is slick as oil, and just as dark. A shiver is threatening to creep down my spine as cold traces icy fingers up and down my sides. It's taking more than anticipated just to stand my ground. It's getting harder and harder to breathe, harder to think, harder to speak. It's like something is lodged in my throat, reaching down to squeeze my heart and burst my lungs. I want Daiki...
"What are you doing here?" A loud snarl sounds from behind me, ferocious and furious. I could recognize that deep timbre anywhere. A familiar figure steps out in front of me, blocking me from view. I can't see what's going on anymore, but behind the safety of Daiki's back, I can clutch at his shirt without looking so weak. It's a little shameful to be honest; it leaves me mortified, but this is what I need to do to keep myself from bolting.
"Daiki..." I murmur, my eyes closing slightly. "You're here." The bluenette offers me no response, remaining tense and wound before me, ready to pounce if the opportunity arises.
"Leave, before I make you." Daiki's voice is like a quiet roar, sending shivers down my spine. "If I see you near Alex again, you'll regret it."
"That's not very nice." Hanamiya chimes. How deceiving he is, playing innocent when he's caused so much harm. I try to keep my temper under control. I try to keep my trembling to a minimum. It's embarrassing to be like this, but I can't help it. No, right now I must seem pretty helpless. I want to go home. "It was nice seeing you, Alex-chan." Don't call me that. I never want to be called that. I do my best to keep my thoughts silent.
I listen to Hanamiya's footsteps as they recede back toward the enormous sports complex. I'm almost half afraid to see what's going on with Daiki, but what's much more interesting is seeing how the two boys glare at each other with incredibly intensity. They're a little too similar, I think, but if they'd gone to the same school, maybe they would've been friends. "We're going, Alex." The bluenette snaps suddenly, snatching my hand and dragging me away. I don't have the chance to say goodbye to Kagami as I'm tugged along.
"I get it, I get it!" I say as Daiki's strides lengthen too far for me to match. "Slow down a little, Daiki! I can't keep up with you!" My steps are clumsy and awkward in comparison to the bluenette's, but they get most of the job done. It's taking all I can to not get dragged behind the tall boy. "Dai-"
I have no idea where we are, but there's an alley, and a wall, and my back has just been introduced to the scuffed bricks. "Ouch." I murmur, feeling the rough texture of the wall scrape against my skin. I look up at the bluenette to see a brilliant, burning blue drilling holes into me. For a moment, everything seems to grind to a stuttering halt. Is he angry with me?
I'm about to ask, about to open my mouth, when Daiki covers my lips with his own. All I taste is hunger and ferocity and a glowing sort of passion. Surprise keeps me rigid and frozen for a few moments, but then my insides feel like they're melting and the wall doesn't seem as important and I can't really think anymore. I want to breathe, but it doesn't seem as necessary anymore. I guess air is optional.
He pulls away, trailing down my jaw, nipping and sucking rapidly before he reaches where my neck and shoulder meet. I get one brief, intense moment of eye contact before he growls out "mine" and bites down.
Some strange hybrid of a yelp and a squeal and something embarrassingly similar to a moan escapes my lips. Heat rises to my cheeks as I hear the noise take life into the air, but whatever Daiki's doing (and I like to pretend I really don't know what he's doing for the most part) feels strange and a little painful, but it isn't all that bad. Another incredibly embarrassing noise drips past my mouth.
For yet another brief moment I'm met with that all too intensely burning look. He pulls away, kisses me a little less aggressively, and keeps his hands on either side of my head, leaning against the wall. I don't need to look down to know that a bright red mark will soon be darkening. "I don't want you playing basketball with that idiot." Daiki growls.
Is he actually jealous? Jealousy isn't really a nice color on anyone, but it somehow suits the bluenette. "If you want to play one on one, you can play me." He says more calmly. My eyes are wide and surprised and probably looking a little confused, especially since Daiki has offered to play basketball, but its soon swept away. "How long was Hanamiya there?" I frown for a few moments, thinking back.
"Not long, I think. It felt like forever, but he wasn't there very long." The bluenette breathes a relieved sigh, the deep frown on his face lessening slightly. The tension that lines his shoulders melts away fluidly. My fingers itch to gingerly rub the frown away.
They do, as it turns out. At first, it seems. The frown looks about as permanent as it gets. It smooths away beneath my fingertips. My expression slowly softens to something I hadn't known I knew how to make. "You worry too much." I murmur, pressing my lips to the bluenette's jaw. "It's fine. I have you, after all."
Daiki makes a rumbling noise deep in his throat. The frown almost comes back to life. "You don't really give me much of a choice. You just attract trouble, don't you?" He replies. My face threatens to flush.
"Not all the time!" I say with embarrassment. Heat rises to my cheeks. With the threat of a sigh pushing at my lips, I withdraw slightly, feeling the wall a little too close for comfort. "Let's go, Daiki. Unless you want to stay here?"
"I can think of a few other places I'd rather have you." The bluenette's voice is low, sending a shiver down my spine. My face reddens further.
"Is that so?" I say teasingly, hoping to cover up my embarrassment as I allow my sleeves to drop down to my fingers. My jacket is too large, but it's warm and comfortable.
"Here is fine, if that's what you prefer. Out here, where everyone can see-" a sudden yelp sounds from the bluenette's throat, and my eyes widen in surprise. None other than Kagami stands behind him, looking nothing short of feral.
My face is red-hot and a mask of shock, gaze flickering between the feral redhead and the infuriated bluenette. "What do you think you're doing?" Daiki snarls, his gaze hardening to nothing short of steel.
"I could ask you the same thing." Kagami growls. "This is public space. If you want privacy, go somewhere else." I'm actually really confused. What does Kagami think he's doing? Why is he interrupting?
The two stand chest to chest, glowering, and I'm nothing's short of surprised when neither of them bares their teeth in a snarl. "Let's go, Daiki." I say hesitantly, grabbing the bluenette's sleeve.
"I want you to remember something, Bakagami." I haven't heard anger like this in a while. "Alex chose me, not you. Mind your own damn business, and stay the hell away from her. She's mine!"
I can see a frigid retort about to drop from Kagami's mouth, and I know that if it hits Daiki's ears, bad things will happen. "Let's go home, Daiki." My voice is louder and a little more firm than before.
"I'm done here." Daiki growls, turning away and slinging his arm across my shoulder as we walk out of the alley.
"Just wait until you mess up, Ahomine! I'll be waiting." Kagami's voice chases us out into the sidewalk and partially down the block. I don't bother to look back. It's useless. It's weak.
"Daiki?" The bluenette is caught in a stony silence as we return to our familiar neighborhood. "What are you thinking of?"
I'm met with silence, the same silence that's engulfed us since we hit the pavement. It's impossible to say I'm not worried, but I have no idea what to do. The walk upstairs is dead silent. The process of taking off our shoes goes without a word.
I open my mouth to ask Daiki another question to find him staring at me intensely. Did I do something wrong? all of five seconds passes before the wall is my new best friend and the bluenette's lips are at the hollow of my throat, nipping and kissing, tugging my oversized jacket down to get as much skin as possible. "D-Daiki!" I say in surprise, my eyes widening. "What are you doing?" All I hear is a low rumble, and I feel teeth against my skin, biting hard enough to make me yelp. My knees are going weak, my legs are losing strength. My hands grab onto his shoulders, onto his hair, desperate as I try to remain upright.
"I want all of them to know." He says, biting and kissing and sucking at any available skin. "All of them will know."
The sounds that spill from my throat are mortifying and loud, my cheeks are burning with embarrassment. It sounds all too lusty. Daiki is winding me up a little too much. "Know w-what?" I squeak, my thoughts beginning to decay toward mindlessness.
"Mine." Daiki is possessive, I knew that much, but this seems a little too much. I haven't seen this side of him before. "I want everyone to know." I yelp as teeth sink into my flesh.
"I think you've made it quite clear, Daiki." I say. I feel liquid. Something inside me is threatening to snap, to take over. I can feel it coming closer, just within my reach. I can feel it climbing over me. The Zone is coming. I don't want to be the submissive. I want to take control. I want to see Daiki melt under my fingers. I want to see what happens if we use the Zone like this. Would you call it an abuse of power?
Things are over before they have a chance to take off. The Zone recedes, my heart is beating so fast I can hardly feel it, and my skin is flushed to the max. As much as it seems the next steps would be oh so easy, we don't take them. We stop. It's probably a good thing we do. I think Daiki might be doing this out of jealousy, and maybe I'm doing this since jealousy suits Daiki a little too well. I'm not complaining.
"I have to go take a shower." The bluenette says suddenly. He brushes the side of my neck gingerly before turning quickly and hurrying into the bathroom. He forgot a towel. Amused, I find his towel and some of his clothes, leave them in a neat pile outside the door, and turn on the TV before looking through the fridge. We're out of almost everything, so I leave a note, grab my phone and my wallet, and march myself outside, tugging on my jacket to cover up what I can.
It's surprisingly cold for summer, but it isn't entirely uncomfortable. The cool air helps to calm my thinking. By the time I reach the store my cheeks are pink and my nose is a red. The storeowner smiles at me upon entering, sending a greeting over the small crowd around him. He's a nice guy, and his children are nice as well. I'm not sure if he's married or where their mother is, but that doesn't really matter, does it? They look exceedingly happy.
I'm glad I have my jacket on. I don't want to explain myself or get any strange looks thanks to Daiki's unfailing handiwork. It could be worse, I suppose, but let's not dwell on that. I narrowly avoid small children as I grab produce, bread, and a couple instant meals and a few cuts of meat. My wallet aches, but my stomach is going to be very happy. My job pays well enough, and Daiki takes turns with buying groceries, so I'm getting along well enough.
I get back in time to see Daiki grab the things I set outside his door. Slipping my shoes off and shrugging out of my jacket, I put the groceries away before making one of the few meals I can- stir-fried rice. Tetsuya's mom taught this one to me since I always liked it a lot, and I'm very glad she did. Now if only I could look at Daiki without turning a thousand shades of red.