title: even though
rating: t (just some light language)
themes: 'regardless' (I love this word) , confessions
warning: some cheesiness and ooc up ahead!

It definitely wasn't uncommon to see Aomine Daiki and Momoi Sastsuki strolling down the halls of Touou together. Aomine would either have his hands placed casually behind his head, or stuffed comfortably in the pockets of his uniform pants. Momoi would be staring up at him while telling him a story about something he didn't care about. But he would listen anyway, giving short nods and low grunts when appropriate.

It also wasn't unusual to hear the other students loitering around the hallway speaking and gossiping about them. After all, since the basketball team had become so strong, they had started to garner a lot of unwanted attention. Even Sakurai, who had virtually been ignored by girls before due to his constant nervous outbursts, was now receiving love letters in his shoe locker.

And of course, the rumors aimed towards Momoi were not friendly, courtesy of the jealous girls. It was to be expected though, since the pink-haired girl spent a frequent amount of time with the boys' basketball club. Aomine had noticed, but said nothing about the matter, since Momoi didn't seem to be paying it any attention either.

"Ah…it's Aomine-kun. Doesn't his back view look so cool?"

"Oh, you're right…his shoulders are so broad. I never really thought he was attractive until I saw him playing basketball."

"He looks really good on the court, but I heard he's actually a total pervert."

Momoi smiled at the remarks before glancing up at Aomine, who sighed. She giggled lightly.

"As usual, your image is being corrupted," she teased, swinging her arms behind her back. He glared down at her, prepared to retort. Upon hearing a nearby conversation however, he realized that he wouldn't really have to.

"Oh, look it's Momoi-chan," a few boys began chiming. Although girls spoke poorly of Momoi, the boys were the exact opposite. Her infamous presence only seemed to increase in the school due to her recognition of being the basketball club's manager.

"Her chest is wonderful, as always."

"Ah, it's true that she has the best body in school, but didn't you know? She has really crappy cooking skills."

Momoi twitched visibly at the comment, and Aomine let out a short, "Pft."

"Whose image is being corrupted?" Aomine asked, smirking. She puffed her cheeks out before crossing her arms and walking on ahead of him. He rolled his eyes, taking slightly longer strides so he could catch up with her.

000

"Mou…so what if my cooking skills aren't that great?" Momoi demanded rhetorically, plopping down on a bench. She looked up at the vast, blue, cloudy sky above her before taking in a deep breath.

Momoi and Aomine had made the rooftop their frequent hang out at school. Surprisingly, not many people went up to the rooftop during lunch or after school. And if anyone did, Aomine would glare at them, without Momoi knowing of course. Although he wouldn't admit it, Aomine liked to spend time alone with the girl. Her presence, along with the vast image of the sky above them, was calming to his nerves.

"It's better than being known as a pervert, isn't it?" Aomine asked, sitting down next to her. She laughed loudly at his comment, and the basketball ace gratefully took those few seconds to appreciate the cheerful, soft smile on her face.

"I guess we both have our flaws," Momoi pointed out, beaming. "But you know, I still like you," she told him. He blinked in confusion at her unexpected comment. He had merely been admiring her face, and now she was spouting a confession towards him? He didn't understand. Then again, her personality had always been quite spontaneous and unpredictable.

"I like you, Dai-chan," she chirped, tilting her head to the side and smiling at him. He was speechless, to say the least.

"I like you, even though people think you're a pervert." He frowned at that comment.

"I like you, even though you're a bit too rough sometimes. I like you, even though you don't know how to control your emotions." He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued.

"I like you…even though you probably don't have the same feelings," Momoi told him, glancing back up at the sky. Aomine's eyes widened at that statement, and a gentle breeze flew by, blowing her hair towards him, in long, flowing streaks. Her pink locks retracted back to her, brushing her chest and shoulders lightly. Her eyes were cast down, and her cheeks were flushed. It was a long, mesmerizing moment, in his eyes.

But he didn't understand. He didn't understand anything. Yet, his mouth knew exactly what to say.

"Who ever said that I didn't like you?" Aomine asked, frowning deeply. Her gaze snapped up towards his face. He suddenly found himself glaring down at the floor.

"I…I like you, even though your cooking tastes like shit." She tensed at his comment, ready to argue back.

"I like you, even though you're whiny and annoying and way too sensitive," he said, smirking when he spotted the offended expression on her face. On impulse, his hand rose up and cupped her cheek. He nearly grinned.

"I like you, Satsuki, even though you're a pain in the ass to deal with."

Momoi's cheeks brightened, and it was her turn to look away, embarrassed. "Dai-chan's an idiot," she muttered. He scoffed.

"You started it," he told her. His eyes softened as they lingered over her florid cheeks, her slightly squinted eyes, and her small, twitching lips. "Now come here," Aomine said, placing his hand under her chin. She made no complaints as he tilted her face upwards and placed his lips on hers.

000

It definitely wasn't uncommon to see Aomine Daiki and Momoi Satsuki strolling down the halls of Touou together. However, this time, everyone could tell that something had changed drastically. Starting on that day, Aomine would either have his hands stuffed in his pockets, or casually wrapped around her hand. Momoi would be returning the tender hold, beaming up at him while telling him a story about something he didn't care about. But he would listen anyway, because he enjoyed hearing her voice, and watching the various expressions change on her face.

They always went up to the rooftop, and soon enough, Aomine began to believe that the sky represented their relationship. Vast, limitless, bright. He would never admit that to her, but he knew, whenever they exchanged acts of affection, that the sky belonged to them.

A/N: I love parallelism, if you haven't noticed, hahaha. Anyway, I'm sorry that my updates are so late now. It's difficult trying to squeeze in time to write! I actually have a few other drafts saved up, but this idea came to me last night, and I just had to write a complete one shot on it. I hope you guys enjoyed it~

Also, for the anon on tumblr who requested the prompt, I have the one shot written up, but I'll purposely be saving that for wayyy later. I hope you don't mind!

Thanks for reading! I hope you guys will stick around until the very end of this collection.