Requiescat in pace

by DragoonHazuki

As if he'd predicted the entire thing, when the world fell apart a particular oath that Akashi had demanded in addition to taking each other on for supremacy and absolute obedience came to mind. In a world full of the walking dead and with no absolution in sight what will the Generation of Miracles do to survive and what kind of trials will they endure to fulfil a promise?

2. Laid Up

A rough nudge to his side sent a ripple of pain down that side of his body, sore all over right down to his bones with a wince and a croaky groan as the ache drew him back into consciousness. When eyes cracked open, vision was blurry for the initial few seconds before one, two, three blinks brought back enough focus to glance around his surroundings; nothing familiar. It looked like the interior of a ransacked corner shop, but he'd only recalled collapsing in the street. Managing to pull a few of the slaughtered bodies over him in a feeble feat to remain undiscovered by the walkers. He must have passed out. No, nothing was familiar at all, except— "Aominecchi..." His own voice sounded foreign to his ears, hoarse beyond recognition before he fell into a coughing fit all dry throat and dusty lungs and, God, he was thirsty. "Water—"

The phrase 'Should have figured you'd become a pretty walker' echoed in his mind and he realised it must have been something he'd picked up, half conscious and smothered by the weight of rotting flesh when Aomine somehow discovered and recognised him beneath the stagnant blood and gore.

He tried sitting himself up a little more though he couldn't muster the strength and his arms gave way beneath him, slumping back rather lifelessly to the slouched position he was sitting in to begin with. He could barely manage holding his head up and keeping his eyes open and all he wanted to do was sleep but; "Where am I?" was the only thing he could manage to spit out through ragged breaths, still groggily looking around the room. How long had he been out there? Where was everybody else, why couldn't he see them here— His chest tightened with realisation that they weren't here, pieces of memories slotting back into place. Eyes pricked with the sting of tears though none spilled after a deep breath was taken and held, eyes pinched shut as he pacified himself god knows how; holding it together for as long as he could manage. The breath was released when he felt like he had calmed enough and his head lolled back, amber hues watching the other's form and it was all too bittersweet.

"Tch." Another soft noise of discontent escaped from the tanned ace that clearly seemed to think he was going to have to baby him and likely had decided that it'd be impossible to do that if a walker broke in. Still, he shifted from Kise's sight and soon returned to drop a bottle of something onto the blond mans' stomach. Waiting. No sympathy, some things would never change. With a small groan when the bottle landed on his stomach. "Can you drink that?" More like can you open it? Apparently the Touou ace didn't expect as much and sank to his knees with a scowl to reach for the bottle. As he passed it back to Kise, trembling fingers wrapped around the other's wrist in a loose grasp out of instinct when he began pouring some water into his mouth in a slow stream, giving him a weak push away when he had enough. He still had enough energy in his reserves to realise how humiliating the current situation was, hardly able to lift his head in front of the person he once devoted most of his time and effort into surpassing on the court, though he lacked the energy to care at that moment. "I lost my hairbrush," he croaked out in response after his former teammate commented that he 'looked like shit', a half-hearted joke knowing he probably looked as bad as he felt. "Help me up," asked as he attempted sitting up again, managing it this time with the other's help as Aomine tugged him roughly upright and shifted him back a bit so he could lean on a nearby counter. Leaving him with his hands free as he subsequently flopped onto his back with hands behind his head like a pillow, still within Kise's line of sight. Lips no longer parched though still cracked, the Kaijou ace asked "Have you been looking for Akashicchi?"

An aggravated sigh met his question and the other shrugged his shoulders slightly, speaking in a tone that was casual as if they'd been talking about the weather though it was clear there was concern hidden deeply somewhere in there. "Nah. Satsuki."

"Momocchi…" he muttered under his breath, thoughtful with undertones of worry in his voice as he glanced around the darkened room looking for any signs of her being around, pausing for a moment as he looked at the bordered up windows and realised for the first time just how dark it was outside. "Is she out there on her own? Where is she?"

The reply was rather blunt and blasé; "Dunno. I haven't seen her since I left the checkpoint. She... Didn't want to leave her family." But it went unspoken between them as to why they had both separated from safety—the closest thing to it anyway. "Whatever. You should sleep- I have blankets out back. You're not bitten are you?"

"I guess we'll see her when we get there," the blonde mused with forced optimism, leaning his head back against the surface behind him. "No, I'm clean." He couldn't remember getting bitten before passing out, nor could he feel any cuts anywhere. "Aominecchi, will you stay with me?" A double meaning, both for the night and on the journey to find the others.

"Ah? Sure." Accepting the others proposal easily. Apparently no matter how irritating he could be even Aomine wouldn't shirk at the prospect of having someone watch his back. "You hungry?" The ace asked as he glanced over with uncharacteristic concern bleeding into his expression.

A hint of a smile ghosted across Kise's lips when his request was agreed to, murmuring a quiet 'Thanks' under his breath. "Starving." He couldn't remember how long it'd been since he last ate or what the last thing he ate even was.

Aomine sat up, and then stood. Stooping to try and tug Kise up, succeeding despite his considerable weight. Once tugged to his feet, bearing whatever pain it roused as silently as the former Kaijou student could, he kept one of his arms hooked around the other's neck, leaning some weight against his side as they walked through wherever they were, he still wasn't sure, stepping over anything that was scattered across the floor. He was a little surprised, honestly, at how well stocked the Aomine seemed to be and the place looked like a reliable safe hold. "How long have you been here?" asked as he slid away from leaning on Aomine and lowered himself down into a seat in front of a table to take respite from standing any longer.

"Uhh. Two weeks? I guess. There was actually someone else staying here but when the walkers drove them out I cleared up and blocked the entries." Grabbing a handful of packets and cans he shoved them on the table, along with the tin-opener he'd been using. "Knock yourself out. When you're done I'll drag you to the toilets so you can wash that stink off you."

"You don't smell so fresh either, you know," he murmured distractedly while fiddling with a pack of something-or-another; it was hard to read the packaging with the low lighting but he didn't care what it was. Food was food and no-one could afford to be fussy anymore. "Oi, it isn't that bad." The Touou ace barked, a low laugh slipping out as he eased himself into the chair opposite to the blond and he reached for a can peeling it open, digging in.

"It's pretty bad," he replied teasingly with a warm smile on his lips for the first time in who knows how long, not realising how much he missed the sound of laughter. It felt a bit odd how conversation had slipped into gear so easily despite everything, Aomine was still quite rough around the edges but he didn't mind so much. He'd come to realise that familiarity was the greatest comfort he could hope for.

Two weeks without having to move out though? Part of him wondered how long it'd be safe to stay somewhere like this, that maybe putting the plan to keep moving on hold and staying put for as long as possible would be a good idea. "How long were you going to stay here?" he spoke behind his hand while chewing on something once he managed to open it, still not sure what it was but the flavour wasn't so bad, definitely an improvement on the rations he had been living off before.

For a long time Aomine remained quiet, apparently unsure what to say. "Dunno. Maybe until the walkers drove me out, or I got bitten." For some reason Kise couldn't imagine it ending up as the latter option Aomine gave, assuming his survival instinct was greater than 'or until I get bitten'. Brushing off the notion, he ran a hand through his matted hair, pushing it away from his face. "It's funny, right? That you found me."

Shrugging off the question casually as it seemed the other wasn't really up for a heart to heart debate. "I was looking for weapons when I dug you up. Sometimes the walkers... Well, they still have stuff from when they were trying to survive. 'Least I didn't have to give you CPR." Expression wrinkling which betrayed he was probably trying to imagine it.

Occasionally Kise bumped the side of his boot against the others under the table, an old habit from before that still felt natural and no doubt would still get under Aomine's skin. Once he'd had his fill, feeling a small second wind after getting something to eat and a proper chance to rest for a few moments, he managed to get out of the chair himself this time without any aid, though did take a precautionary grasp at Aomine's forearm to steady himself. "Where's the bathroom?"

"That one." Was the response as the blue haired man indicated the room that was literally just a few steps away. "There's only a sink, urinal and toilet though." With surprising patience he walked the other over, holding the door for him and then leaving him at the sink in favour of something else.

Taking advantage of the being left alone for a few moments, Kise checked his reflection for the first time in a dirty, cracked mirror that hung in the wall; half-horrified at the broken reflection, thinking to himself that Aomine wasn't kidding when he said he 'looked like shit'. Wasting no time, he managed to peel his soiled shirt off and dropped it in a crumpled pile on the floor—maybe he could find a way to wash it the next day—trying not to wince or groan at the dull pains that moving around seemed to induce. The water from the sink was ice cold though he was of course in no position to complain, cupping some in his hands as he began washing the dirt off his body; face first, followed by washing whatever clumps of dirt and blood and debris from his hair that he could, arms next and then torso, trying to keep his teeth from chattering as muscles seized with shivers as the water washed over them, ignoring the small pool that was gathering on the floor; looking over his shoulder when he heard a familiar voice by the door asking if he was done. "Almost. Do you have any dry clothes, by the way?" He had some in his own bag though he wasn't sure where that was or if Aomine had picked it up when he found him.

The reply was abrupt, tone exasperated; "Yeah. You want boxers too?"

"Please."

Taking the clothes when they were handed to him, he finished washing off the last of the dirt from his legs and changed into the fresh clothes; thankful for the warmth of the hoody and jeans almost as soon as he pulled them on. Navigating his way through the dark rooms when he was done, he spotted the other's silhouette and padded towards him, arms held out in case he bumped into something en route though he ended up loosely wrapping them around his shoulders when he reached him.

When arms wrapped the ace, he reacted abruptly; seeming startled by the movement and tugging Kise around with him as the heavier male straddled the model and thumped the hardest part of his forearm across the blond's throat.

"Wait—!" Exclaimed when he felt the sharp movement, hardly having enough time to brace his landing, wincing when he made contact with the edge of their makeshift bedding that Aomine had put together while Kise was freshening up, though he was still tender all over, and the softer landing offered little comfort.

That arm pressed, for the briefest of moments before Aomine froze and then slid off him with a gruff noise; "Don't do that." He had said lamely, as if Kise hadn't already realised the reason why it was bad to do it. "You scared the shit out of me."

Reaching up and placing his hands on Aomine's shoulders, pushing against him with whatever strength he could muster to ease the pressure off his throat, Kise ended up heaving a sigh when he was released. Staring up at the ceiling for a moment, he eventually sat up, rubbing his elbow which received a bump from hitting the floor. "Didn't mean to." Clearly, though he assumed he would have heard him approaching. Nevertheless, he shifted properly onto the makeshift bed, a clusterfuck of piled up blankets fresh from the packaging they'd been vacuum packed into and spread out enough for two people. From the smell, it seemed like Aomine had slept well on them more than once. He pulled back the top cover and slid under it, lying on his back initially for a couple of seconds before twisting onto his side, facing the other. "..Will you tackle me if I try again?"

Aomine had by now, pushed himself upright and turned his attention to tugging a heavy set of boxes in front of the door to this room, blockading it 'just in case'. Soon he came to join the copycat, resting his head on one arm, the other half curled in front of him. Facing Kise with a soft; "Tch" which soon elaborated into; "You surprised me, but that was pure luck. Do whatever you want."

The copycats' doe eyes searched through the dark for the others expression though they couldn't see much. As a muscular arm wrapped about his waist, happily, he slid a little closer when given a tug, the arm he wasn't laying on snaking around Aomine's back. "Who knew it'd be so easy to scare Aominecchi?" The pout had been replaced with an easy smile, a playful tone to his quiet voice as he tucked himself under the other's chin, mindful of keeping his damp hair out of the way to save the complaining it would have no doubt earned if, heaven forbid, it would have touched him. He couldn't seem to will away the pleasant stirring in the pit of his stomach as he greedily soaked in every morsel of body heat that he could, committing it to memory so that he wouldn't forget again what it felt like. Sans for the obvious threat that always loomed overhead, things felt sort of... normal. It was a little overwhelming to think about and thoughts inevitably wandered to the path that brought him here for the first time since he woke up earlier, though he pushed them aside for now out of the fear of ending up crying. Instead, the arm around the other's frame tightened as he pressed his cheek against his chest, listening to the faint echo of his heartbeat through the surprisingly comfortable silence. With the arm he had tucked in front of himself, he pawed about in the darkness in search for Aomine's hand, finding it eventually and grasping on to it when he felt tiredness setting back in.

"Lucky I didn't have a knife otherwise it'd have been too late." Kise's bed-partner muttered under his breath, apparently irritated that the blond seemed proud of catching the Touou's ace off guard.

"But you didn't, so it's fine," The model mumbled against Aomines' shirt, nuzzling his cheek a little against it—not entirely sure why, but it felt nice and he remembered doing it on a couple of occasions before when he had been allowed to on good days. After a moment he pulled his head back slightly when he couldn't seem to settle despite how comfortable and tired he was, purposely brushing his nose against the other's chin when he looked up, then to the side and across his jaw slightly. He was hesitating, wanting to kiss him now that it was quiet and they'd settled and he was feeling a bit more human than he was earlier. Uncertainty was pushed aside, unable to ignore the warm breaths that brushed his cheek and comforting grip around his hand, chastely pressing lips together with the resolve that he almost died and why the hell not? He was told to 'Do whatever you want', after all.

Aomine didn't hold back from demanding a deeper kiss, tongue forcing its way into Kises' mouth even as he broke where their hands joined in favour of tugging one of the copycats' thigh atop his hip, allowing the tanned male to slide his frame closer. Aomine pushed his groin forwards, beginning to grind against the model with a low rasp; "...This is your fault."

Kise's arms slipped slightly from Aomine's back to his side while trailing chilled fingertips over his skin and drifting around to his stomach. Hitching his leg a little higher up. He hummed softly, agreeing absentmindedly, more interested at present with the hungry press of lips and brush of tongue. How long had it been? Couldn't remember, didn't matter much either. Rolling onto his back, using the grip of his leg perched on a hip and a hand grasping a shoulder, he pulled the other's slightly larger body above his own. He rolled willingly with the motion and the kiss was deepened by his partner. Apparently he was more than eager to recall the pre-apocalyptic days where they fucked like bunnies. Hips pushing down firmly and grinding. As lips finally tugged apart, Kise managed to leave a light nip to the kiss-swollen lower lip of his partner, breathing ragged, before Aomine's lips travelled to the models' throat to kiss and leave viciously excited bites.

Kise threaded thin fingers through short, dark locks of hair, closing in a loose fist and hissed a breath of air through clenched teeth after one particular bite left a painful sting, tightening the fingers tangled in his hair while his free hand slipped between them both to fumble with the button of jeans that belong to hips that lift to encourage and invite more only for Aomine to abruptly sit up, straddling his thighs with a breathless chuckle.

"You're real, right? Kise Ryouta... Yeah?" Seeming to be gazing down at him though all Kise could see was a silhouette. Even so the only thing that wasn't dithering was Aomine's hands apparently.

The knot in the pit of Kises' stomach was back to twisting and tightening when he heard the quiet sounds of Aomine's zipper and the push of fabric across skin. "..What?" asked the model after a pause, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious and thanking the Gods it was dark once he felt heat rising in his cheeks. Was he getting ahead of himself..? He managed a quiet laugh under his breath, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart behind his ribs as he reached up with one hand and placed it against the side of the other's face, brushing his thumb across his cheek as though to convince him he was there. "One and only," he chimed, still sounding a little breathless before dropping his hand to a toned shoulder and running it down the length of his arm then away to tug off his hoody and placing it off to the side. Once again he gave the other's arm a pull to bring him back down, searching for lips and ghosting hands along the smooth ridges between muscles and down to hips; gently pressing his thumbs into tanned skin.

At the pull the Touou ace fell, eagerly upon him with an apparent thirst for pleasure and intimacy, and familiarity that was slaked through stealing intense kisses and intertwining their bodies in the manner of lovers who had been parted for too long. There was something almost desperate to it, in the way that arms wrapped themselves over his shoulders and hands roamed, committing every touch to memory as though he'd drift away from him again, that'd he wake up and he wouldn't be there come morning.

Impatiently, the dark haired male grasped both their lengths after spitting in his hand. "You miss me?" The copycat was asked.

His lungs had emptied of breath when fingers wrapped around him, caught off guard by the question causing him to hesitate with answering. "Yeah..." he eventually breathed out, steadying his breathing with one, two, three deep breaths before finding his voice again. "I tried not to, but sometimes..." It wasn't as though he harked after him every waking minute, more worried about surviving to see the next day and had even come to terms that chances were pretty high he wasn't even alive but there was still a small part that missed him; the endless teasing and all. His train of thought was paused for a moment, interrupted by a moan as he pushed up into his hand, even dropping one of his own between them and placing it over Aomine's. Nosing into the side of his neck, lips left small trails of kisses across his skin, down along the top of his shoulder, retracing the trail back to his neck, up as far as the hinge of his jaw, just below his ear. "Did you miss me?"

"Sometimes." Aomine admitted with clear reluctance, lapsing back into silence punctuated only by low noises of pleasure that tumbled past his lips as he rocked into the tight circle made by his, no- their hands. A soft pant was followed swiftly by a husky, low murmur; "I'm going to…"

He swore his heart would have popped at any moment with a mix of relief and... just everything; it was a lot to take in suddenly and he supposed he would have time to mull over it later or tomorrow or some other time but not right now. Once granted easier access to the tanned column of skin in the manner of Aomine tipping his face away, Kise wasted no time in searching around for that right spot to latch on to; suckling on a patch of skin he captured between his teeth until he'd left an irritated red mark that he wouldn't get to inspect until morning light. With the announcement taken into consideration, he switched his hands between them so that he was using his dominant hand, batting Aomine's away for the time being as he sought to bring him over the edge himself; pressing their foreheads together and stealing quick kisses here and there while he was in close proximity.

Clearly Kise's hands were not an unwelcome replacement as his elbows settled each side of the models' head, back bowed over him with chaste kisses fleetingly granted until he was stiffening and jutting his hips forward in an irregular motion with a low, deep groan. Spilling and then flopping selfishly atop the other with most of his bodyweight reluctantly supported on his arms. Their stomachs slick, together, he chuckled breathlessly...

Kises' own body tensed as he approached, though it was more from anticipation than anything else; breathing had come in pants as warmth had spilled across his stomach, accepting the weight that was dropped on him with a quiet groan, followed by a light chuckle at the comment he was gifted;

"Rub against me until you come."

"Don't be lazy, Aominecchi," teased the blonde, speaking through the side of his mouth against the kiss he had subsequently stolen, not wanting to break it as he reached to the side of his head for the other's hand, pulling it back and placing it back around his dick.

Aomine broke the kiss as the blond wrapped the Touou ace's hand around the throbbing length that had previously been pressed against him although almost immediately it released him.

Kise's head snapped up from laying back flat when he felt the other shuffle down, panicking slightly having not expected him to; a stuttering mess of 'a-ah's and 'hang on, wait's.

Missing once, then succeeding the second time as the tanned ace took him in his mouth with a grossed out noise probably because he could taste his own cum—Aomine'd always been funny about it but sucked at the hard length nevertheless. The small of the models' back arched off the bedding, slipping a hand through the short hairs at the back of his lovers neck and, as wished, it wasn't long before he was unravelling as well, giving Aomine's shoulders a few taps to let him know since he couldn't find his voice all of a sudden, in case he wanted to pull back before then; thighs tightening around shoulders in the seconds before release, eventually spilling with a ragged moan falling from parted lips before tensed muscles melted back against the bedding. Breathing coming in slow pants as his senses returned to him and the tanned ace shifted his thighs from his shoulders before abruptly wiping Kise clean with something soft he couldn't identify.

Subsequently, Aomine flopped next to him with a grunt. "...It took you too long to find me" snorted so softly it might be a whisper.

Once wiped down, he turned onto his side, back to Aomine, and shuffled back against him; slotting in comfortably against his body as though it were moulded just for him. "I don't want to hear about being late from you," he murmured back, a smile obvious in his voice as heavy eyes closed over and he pulled the sheets around them to keep the night's chill out. His arm came to rest atop the one wrapped around his waist, finally feeling safe for the first time in a long time, confident he'd get an actual night's rest for once…

No, not yet, ten more minutes— The rousing next to him was peeling away the blanket of sleep, tugging the sheets further around himself in desperate attempts to sleep a little longer but it was no use; consciousness had been awakened, there would be no getting back to sleep any time soon. Reluctantly, he stretched out his stiff limbs with a drawn out yawn, turning his head to the side to look at the other by his side; turning onto his stomach and worming his way under his arm, loosely draping one of his own around the small of his waist. "Morning." Assumed it was morning at least, not sure if it had passed noon or not, hard to tell anymore what time of day it was.

Apparently unable to reclaim sleep, Aomine settled for grunting as he shifted to sit, tugging away from Kise and scrubbing his face with one hand. "...Guess we'd better start packing today." He said, tone a little sleepy and punctuated with a yawn. "...You fit enough to travel?"

Rolling onto his back again, the model stretched his arms over his head once more before dragging himself to sit up as well, pushing messy locks of hair that needed cut away from his face, glancing over the scratches and bruises on his body for the first time now that it was light. "Yeah, I think so. If you're sure you want to leave…" He didn't sound convinced considering he had been living here safely for a fortnight, though getting back on track was also important. Leaving the decision to Aomine, he stretched across to the pile of discarded clothing from the night before, leaving the warmth of the blanket to get changed.

Aomine climbed upright, heading into the bathroom and soon emerging again all the cleaner for it. Tugging on clothes and then reaching for a metal bat that had been leaning in the corner, somewhat splattered with gore to begin with. A knife also shoved in his belt, leaving a- Was that a gun? Really? Seriously? "Don't shoot unless you have to." He stated firmly, heading over to the boxes and carelessly kicking them aside so as to gain access to the main body of the shop.

Kises' expression dropped when issued a warning, pulling the barrowed hoody on before casting a glance at the other. "I know." Emphasis on the second word as though to say 'I'm not stupid, y'know?' Tugging his boots on, he padded to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and root through the pockets of the jeans he changed out of from the night before, taking the belt and securing it back around his waist, checking the knife he had slotted into a holster was still intact. Following Aomine out into the main space of the shop, glancing around and reflecting on the short-lived moments of easy safety.

"Shut up." Aomine murmured, padding through the aisles to make sure they were clear before relaxing, finally. As Kise asked how he could help he retorted "Grab a bag, fill it with food and stuff. Practical things." He wasn't going to be carrying anything for Kise, whether he'd lost weight or not- He already had his gear made up ready to grab and leave at any moment. After a second he visibly hesitated. "There's chocolate near the till." A suggestion as to small luxuries that would be hard to find later.

"Yessir," murmured the blond, letting his eyes trail after the tall figure for a moment before taking an empty bag that was left lying around and filling it with anything he could find that would be of use; food, a few packs of painkillers, a t-shirt he came across—not the freshest but no doubt they'd be glad of it eventually—chocolate? He was sceptical, heading off to check he wasn't lying, hardly believing there was actually some there. The bars were stuffed into the bag without a moment's thought, thinking more that they'd come in handy during travelling when blood sugars were low for a brief boost in energy rather than as a treat. Once he'd made the rounds and couldn't find anything else of potential use, he zipped up the bag and flung it over his shoulder, shifting its weight slightly until it was comfortable as he wandered off to find Aomine. "I think I'm ready."

"A'ight." He finished pushing last-minute items into his bag then reluctantly turned to the door out back. Exiting out into an empty yard and turning to the fire escape nearby to silently ascend.

Shutting the door behind him after stepping out into the yard, Kises' eyes squinted away the burn of direct sunlight, lifting a hand up to use as a visor until his eyes acclimatised. He followed as expected, not too fond of roof hopping though whichever way was quickest and safest—silently thankful they were both at least able when it came to jumping, their past hobbies coming in useful now more than ever.

Soon they both reached the concrete, empty roof. A few bodies, skulls crushed. The Touou ace indicated the roof nearby, a short jump between. "We're going to make progress this way. Don't slip." The last more of a joke, morbid humour really.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go already." Giving his shoulder a small nudge to urge him on instead of cracking jokes. Aomine lead the leap. It wasn't far, enough that if he hadn't wanted to jump he could probably have just stepped across, give or take a little stretch. Adjusting the bag on his shoulder, the copycat basket-baller gauged the space between the roofs and made the jump with ease. "Y'know, if we can make it to the back roads and find a car we could probably drive as far as the gas tank would take us—they weren't as bad as the cities when we passed through them."

"If they haven't been syphoned already. Plus, dunno if you thought I'd know how to but I sure as hell don't know how to jack a car without using keys."

"I'm not just a pretty face, y'know," chimed with a small grin; he'd learnt how to hotwire a car a while ago."

Now reassured of the others ability to jump, Aomine headed for the next rooftop and then paused. Three walkers... How had they gotten up there? Well, no rest for the wicked. With a soft; "Alley-oop," he made it and tugged out the bat with an anticipatory growl and grin. Closing in on the walkers as they turned on him with no fear at all, disposing of two and teasing the third almost like the disinterest he had in a basketball game that held no challenge. It was almost... Disrespectful to what the walker had been before it died.

Kise paused in his tracks as Aomine took off towards the walkers, frozen in place as he watched his demeanour do a 180—a little unsettled by it if truth be told though he knew he should have expected as much. But still… They weren't toys. Pulling himself together, he hopped onto the next roof, looking over the corpses that had just dropped, biting his tongue to keep himself from commenting on it. A few more roofs were cleared, handling a few of the walkers himself with his blade, narrowly dodging a few holes that had been broken into some of the roofs; continuing on until they reached a crossroads of sorts, unable to progress any further along the rooftops. Catching his breath, he looked out over the landscape for possible routes they could take. "Which way do you want to go?"

"...Down." The Touou ace declared, swinging himself off the edge of the building with apparent familiarity he hooked his hands into the ladder that made its way almost to the ground and begun climbing down, a little awkward with the bat in his hand but it seemed he could just hold the rungs with the tip of his fingers on that side just fine.

"…Obviously," muttered under his breath, the point of his question lost in translation, having meant going through the cities or back roads like he suggested. Knife was slotted back into its' holder as he began the descent down the ladder, making frequent checks down to make sure he wasn't too close to stepping on Aomine's fingers on one of the rungs.

Having dropped the last meter or so, Aomine lead the charge. "The only one who can bite me, is me." He laughed, ploughing on ahead.

Kise however took more care with dismounting, gathering himself again before heading off, keeping pace and trying so hard not to roll his eyes. "You need a new line, Aominecchi" he quipped in response, failing at hiding the small grin that tugged at the corner of his lips because he was still using that line and Kise still wondered how cool he thought it must have soundedsounded—he would have broken out into a bout of laughter had they have been under easier circumstances.

Reaching the end of the alley, taking out a few stray walkers that were staggering about—Aomine taking the brunt of them, Kise drawing the attention of a few to stop him from being swarmed—he was in the midst of dislodging his blade from being wedged into some poor bastard's skull when he heard the rattling of a chain fence. Looking up, his heart sank, almost falling through the floor of his stomach at what he saw; a wall of walkers jammed up against the fence, their combined weight tilting the flimsy barricade. "Aominecchi.. There's another gate, right?"

"Uh, maybe." He shrugged, a bit too blasé for the situation. Clearly he hadn't expected the gate to be overwhelmed. Turning on his heel, he hesitated. "Tch, guess we could go back and find a different route? …Or that. Guess there was no point washing you." Chuckling and indicating a manhole cover he'd not mentioned nor it seems noticed before.

Kises' face screwed up as his eyes were directed to the manhole and realisation set in; beforehand it would have been absolutely out of the question though another glance to the fence and the decision was made, only taking a few seconds to weigh up the pros and cons. With a resigned sigh, he stepped over the cover and pried it open after receiving some help; his strength still not fully restored though he could manage enough. Searching in a side-pocket on his bag, he grabbed a small torch and flicked it on, holding it between his teeth before beginning the climb down with reluctance; eyes trained up as he watched daylight disappear again once Aomine dragged the cover back over once he was in as well.

Impatient, Aomine had soon decided to tease Kise by pressing his foot on his head. Softly tapping once or twice. "Mmm... Aaaa... Hurry up." He drawled, much like he would have back at Touou, sprawled on the floor in the aftermath of a nap before Momoi nagged him. Really, it wasn't like anyone would want to go in a sewer so there probably weren't zombies. Maybe. Eh.

"Eehh— mmhnine-chii!" Speaking around a torch in your mouth wasn't exactly easy though the syllables should have been fairly easy to work out; swatting at the disgusting, dirty boot that tapped against his head—first time in weeks he had somewhat clean hair, was that really necessary?

When they reached the bottom the tanned man dug out his torch, flicking it on and spinning his bat. "Let's pick a direction and stick with it. I have a watch in my pocket, so when it gets late we'll head back up and hole up for the night, or something."

"Fine, just.. —that way," The blond decided on a tunnel that looked to be going in the general direction they were originally heading in. He stayed alert for any signs of life or living dead, though the chances of finding anyone or anything down here were slim and that fact alone was somewhat comforting. Mind wandered back to the others' unnerving switch in behaviour, stealing unsure glances in his direction as they progressed forward; wanting to say something but even Kise knew that was a terrible idea. He needed to distract himself from the thoughts, thinking instead of things like wanting a hot shower or soaking in a bath, a comfortable bed with clean sheets and music—God, he missed listening to music—playing basketball with his friends. His friends in general… Thinking was making it worse. "How far do you think we've walked?" Lord knows he was talking for the sake of talking, at the high risk of getting on the other's last nerve but that was always the case and he never was too good at dealing with quietness.

"Who knows" Aomine murmured, sounding amused by the question. He set a lazy pace, as always taking things in his time. Occasionally he flicked the torch into the entrances they passed but never paused. His stamina was nigh tireless, despite being a lazy ass when he had the chance to be. "So how did you get this far?" Curious, he turned his back on the direction they had been going for a moment to shine the light in Kise's eyes, like a dick and then turning back.

The brief drop in the models' expression when posed a question was quickly erased when the glaringly bright light was flashed in his face; extending his leg out and kicking him in reprisal and earning a grunt, a laugh and then the other bouncing out of kicking range in case another followed in swift succession.

"Same way you did, probably? Killing anything that could have killed me." Tone more heavy-hearted than usual, no room for his usual chipper attitude because there was nothing to be chipper about; losing friends, seeing them die. Why did he care, anyway? Wasn't it obvious that everybody was in the same boat more or less? Not a single person alive could have lived this long without experiencing losses, he was sure of it. Even if he wouldn't admit it himself, Kise could tell that Aomine was at least concerned about Momoi and where she was, if she was alright. Apart from that he was hard to read, almost seeming desensitised to reality as though it were some sort of game; like he was bored with it. "Did you wander off on your own?"

"Aa, I guess. I wanted to nap." Aomine rolled his shoulders and then he settled his bat over one. Playing with the torch, casting shadows. "When I woke up everyone was gone... Then I guess I figured it was just easier to look for Akashi. Got here, then decided to nap some more."

He fucking napped through half of the apocalypse— "You're unreal.." mumbled Kise, incredulous at his utter lack of vim in regards to waking up, stranded and alone in a world full of monsters waiting to snack on him, given the chance.

During the time Kise had spoken, Aomine had paused to think and finally found an answer to Kise's unaddressed questions; "Hmm. You're probably the first person I've seen in a few months. Alive that is, and not trying to smash my head in." He lapsed into silence, brows furrowing. As if he could hear something, or thought he might have, before relaxing. "Lets' keep going." Tone a little firmer, eyes narrowed.

The copycat's senses were back on alert, glancing around the damp tunnel in search of something that was suspected to be there though nothing jumped at him; just nodding his compliment and pressing forward, happily dropping the conversation at hand. They continued on, conversation sparse and voices hushed before meeting a crossroads in the tunnels, presented with a left-or-right choice. "Hey, what time is it?"

Aomines' hand dug into his pocket and soon the reply came; "Six. We should probably head up, unless you want to keep going overnight." A pause, then; "Yeah, let's go." Choosing one of the tunnels at the fork at random, they continued in that direction until he had found a ladder up, then pausing. Uncovered... That wasn't a good sign. "Keep an eye out." He said, firmly, before beginning to pull himself up towards the surface.

Torches stowed away, Kise also hauled himself up the ladder and into daylight, breathing in the fresher air as soon as his head emerged from the hole. Blade drawn the instant he was on his feet, he took a steadying breath and gave the area a quick scan, and following Aomine like a shadow and holding a light grip on the hem of his shirt. As unsettling as he had been earlier, if something were to happen Kise knew not to get separated from him or it'd most likely be over, end game.

Ahead he spotted a cluster of the creatures, all huddled around something and they looked to be feeding, quickly assessing the situation before pointing them out. "There, at the corner." Six or seven from what he could see who knew how many more nearby. They could always just try to outrun them, they did have the upper hand when it came to speed, but that of course left them liable to be traced back to wherever they ended up pitching for the night. Better to clear the path now while they were distracted, he released his grip on Aomine's shirt and steeled his nerves before advancing after the other's green light.

An arm abruptly stretched out to keep Kise from overtaking the tanned ace who then nodding over to a far wall, showing a few more they wouldn't have seen until it was too late had they charged in. Tugging his knife out with a soft noise of metal on the leather of the belt, he advanced on the bigger group. Frame tense, wary, alert. Not straying too far from Kise truth be told, as he struck. Two in one go, a knife to the base of the skull and another whose head had been hanging on by what seemed like threads anyway beheaded by the bat. 'Course, it would have gone fine had more not started to shamble in, leaving only one point to exit from and that wasn't including the sewers. "Fuck, oi, we gotta run." It hurt his pride but he didn't fancy dying either.

Kise was hyperaware of what was going on around him, making quick glances over his shoulder at Aomine without distracting himself too much from his own handful of walkers. A streak of panic set in when told to retreat; gripping the handle of his knife with both hands as he gave the abdomen of a walker a flat kick to propel it back and free his knife from being stuck in its head with a sickening crunch. But it was quickly forgotten, the bag on his back hitched up higher before making a break for it, this time not looking back, not looking over his shoulder to see how many were behind them. Narrowly making it to their escape route, another alley, they managed to block the entrance off by rolling a large dumpster in the way, blocking the wheels from slipping with pieces of literally anything they could use; finally breathing a sigh of relief when satisfied they had secured it for the time being.

Entering a building through the back entrance, they were both on guard as they made a sweep of the property, taking out any unwelcome inhabitants and making sure it would be safe for them to rest there, at least for a few hours until the sun returned. Of course, before then Aomine had insisted that they securely barricade the door leading out into the garden which infringed on the alley they'd fled from. Not letting up until the pile was sizeable and the appropriate windows were blocked up. Then, unwilling, or too lazy to scavenge through the house for supplies, he left that task to Kise should he have wanted to do it and headed for the bathroom.

Unbeknown to Kise, Aomine had quite merrily taken to unzipping with a low whistle and getting to it in the fairly clean toilet that had beckoned him with an almost sirens-call thanks to his full bladder. Of course, Aomine would have probably enjoyed it better if mid-stream some little kid hadn't snuck up on him. With a low noise he had tugged the showerhead which had been dangling level to his chest, next to him and effectively clubbed the little shit with one hand whilst still pissing. It was sort of a shame that Kise hadn't been around to see that.

In the meanwhile, Kise had dumped his bag somewhere near the door as he had set off to scout around the building, pocketing this and that as he went, even finding some batteries they could use for the torches though he wasn't sure if they were empty or not; one could hope they weren't. He went in search of the other after hearing some mild commotion at the other end of the house, stepping over a few mangled corpses on the way. "Aominecchi, are you al—" he broke off, finding him examining the wardrobe, unusually reflective; putting two and two together after spotting the trail of blood that was a little hard to miss. "Found some food if you're hungry.." he offered, trying to lure him away from his pensive daze.

"...Yeah." Aomine sounded more tired than he felt, turning back from the construct of plywood that he had apparently been contemplating – the place within which the child walker that had stalked him had been hiding. Perhaps a child that had starved to death in its fear to emerge lest it got eaten or bitten and turning to the blond. "We should probably only use the stuff in our bag if we can't find other stuff around."

"It's fine, I found some stashed away, they must have been trying to keep it safe." Kise answered automatically. It wasn't as though they'd hit the jackpot but it was enough and better than nothing at all; saving them from having to dip into the supplies they already had.

There was then a pause in a response being given, before a question most unsuited to the dark haired man escaped as if it had been something he'd perceptively been considering for a long time now; "Hey, do you think they're trapped? In their mind? Like they want to get out but all their body wants to do is eat?"

Turning on his heel with the other hot behind him and heading to the aforementioned storage of food, Kise cocked his head over his shoulder after listening to the question, brow knit into light creases above the bridge of his nose as he thought; giving his answer after turning his gaze forward again. "Eh? ..I never thought about it. Probably not, I've never seen any that seemed to have any sort of.. thoughts, I guess. Why?" Grabbing a pack of.. something. Rations, apparently; dry bars that were packed with calories. Chucking a couple of them to Aomine.

The ace in question shrugged wordlessly, apparently not having an answer for that as he wrinkled his expression at the rations when he caught them. "Is there anything else?" Clearly disliking them though it wasn't as thought he could afford to be a picky eater, he was just being difficult. Tearing one open an eyeing it without relish at the thought of consuming it. "Did you find any water?" He'd remembered to pack a few bottles but there was no guarantee all of the houses would be hooked up to a water supply that hadn't stopped working.

"Just eat it." Unless he wanted to take from the food they brought with them. "Umm.." dithering for a moment as the copycat went back to looking around, taking a few bites of the bar he opened for himself every now and again, not hating the flavour though it was far from appealing at the same time. Bland, more than anything. Checking in cupboards in the kitchen, he found a few empty bottles, gathering them out and setting them on the counter; holding the bar between his teeth for the time being as he turned the tap at the sink on a whim, perking up when it began spitting out water. "Guess so~" he chimed looking over his shoulder, flashing a grin before turning back around and filling up the bottles before the tap started to run dry.

Aomine stuffed the rest of his ration bars in his mouth, chewing through them in an effort to pass the hurdle quickly, to get the 'chore' of eating out of the way in favour of other things. "Aa, I guess we should take turns to watch. In case those things break in. You sleep- We need to decide on an escape route if they break through though." Still taking in the smile that had dimmed long ago in favour of a concentrated expression, in his mind. Closing his eyes.

"Can you check what it's like out the front? I'll finish this." Screwing the caps back on the bottles once they had been filled, the blond took them to his backpack that he left near the back door and packed them in, padding them out with articles of clothing to stop rattling when they were back on the move as well as to keep them—hopefully—upright and from spilling over. Wandering off, he scouted out the bedrooms, always on the lookout for things they could take though he didn't find much; mainly concerned with the beds. They seemed to be in decent nick, grabbing the blankets off one and taking the sheets off. He'd use it to cover the mattress on the bed in the next room, something a little cleaner to sleep on, even removing the pillow cases since they didn't look too fresh; they'd have to make do.

A low call of "It's rammed" signalled that Aomine had obediently checked out the zombie population on the lower level up front of the house they were currently within, footsteps marking his return to the copycat's side.

Lips pursed into a half-pout at the report while the rest of Kise's face was written with unspoken worry and mind worked silently. "Out the back then?" As though there were many other options; he couldn't see any balconies or the likes that would grant access to the roof. Sinking down onto the edge of the bed, he rested his elbows atop his knees and rubbed at his temples, nursing the dull headache that had started throbbing; looking back up after a moment and reaching a hand out, making greedy fingers at the other. "Do you think we're near Akashicchi?"

Although the tanned man clearly seemed to be of the opinion that Kise was an idiot that craved personal contact it appears he was unable to find a reason to refuse the demand either. Sinking into a sitting position the Touou ace leaned into Kises' shoulder closed his eyes. "We could climb out a window… And I guess he must be at his house. So nah, he lives near Rakuzan remember?"

As the other's weight settled against his shoulder, Kise leaned his head against Aomine's, also letting his eyes close over for a few moments as tiredness began to sink in properly. "Yeah... But I don't know where we are exactly." No maps, none of the streets looked as they used to and they just travelled who knows how far through tunnels; they could be anywhere for all he knew. Well, it didn't matter at the moment since it was too late to travel.

"I have a rough idea." Was replied as the others arm slipped around the blond mans' shoulders. Not particularly one for physical contact but at the same time Aomine seemed to enjoy it when initiating it of his own accord. A dominance thing probably, you know what they say about boys and their (basket)balls.

Weary limbs began to feel lighter with the more he relaxed, consciousness waning though his mind stayed active, perhaps too active. "Aominecchi, did you ever feel like.. Giving up?" he mumbled, voice tired though honestly curious.

"Not really." Aomine dismissed the notion with a snort, rolling his shoulders in a powerful motion. Kise could feel the muscles of the arm about him ripple even slightly at the flex. "Just because everyone is dying doesn't mean I have to be in a hurry to get next in line. Besides… I have a feeling Akashi would find our walker asses and kick them regardless."

His answer earned a quiet, curt laugh from the model. "Heh, probably." Sounded about right. Sometimes, however, he had to wonder if their pact would bring them all together in the end— all in one piece, at least. It was one thing promising it, but an entirely different thing actually surviving in this new world. Time would tell. "How far do you think? Couple of days?" Hopefully. Toeing his boots off and letting them fall to the floor with soft thuds, Kise brought both knees up to his chest and leaned more of his weight against his lover's side, settling in a little further under his arm. "Are you staying awake for the night?"

"Don't want to." Aomine protested with a yawn, an apparent lack of caring that the undead were practically swarming the house. "If they break in while we're sleeping then shit happens, I guess." Rolling his shoulders and pressing his face against the top of Kise's head. Eventually and unusually a compromise was proposed; "Let me borrow your lap for an hour, then you can sleep all night."

"Deal~" Sitting up straight and leaning his back against the wall behind him to get as comfortable as he could, the copycat tugged at Aomine's arm until he lay his head in his lap. His hands automatically found their way into the other's hair, combing through the loose knots until they were untangled, taking care not to tug at them knowing he'd probably get snapped at for causing discomfort. His eyes were kept trained down at the other's face, now that he had dozed off and he was sitting still, Kise could see how some of his features had hardened over the time they were separated, and perhaps it was only fitting all things considered. In any case Aomine seemed to fall into a deep sleep enviously quickly and it was just over an hour later that he softly, and then insistently shook him awake. Aomine gifted Kise in return a bleary look and yawn.

"I'm going to go look around and stretch my legs." Forcing himself upright and hardly giving Kise a chance to say much before he was treading down the stairs with very little sense of stealth. The bedrooms' door closed behind him. Even despite the loss of a warm body next to him and the feeling of security that came with it, Kise managed to slip into a surprisingly easy sleep once he had laid down on his side and bunched the sheets around himself. He wasn't sure how long he was out for—probably not long enough—before he was roused from his sleep again with a loud call of his name from downstairs. Darting up, alert, he sat in silence for a few seconds to try and hone in on all of the noise coming from outside before scrambling off the bed and putting his boots back on. Both bags were grabbed and slung over his shoulders before bounding down the stairs, not far from tripping over himself and halting dead in his tracks when he almost ran straight into Aomine, who was stood in waiting at the bottom.

Handing one of the bags to him, clearly panicked and still not sure what was going on, he looked out through the cracks in one of the boarded up windows to see the silhouette of a walker staggering past. "Is the back clear?"

Aomine tugged the bag from him and grasped Kise's arm in an almost wrenching tug as he lead him impatiently to the window he had speculated aloud about prior. Releasing him to crack it open and shoving his bat into Kise's hands even as an ominous creaking and thudding suggested the things Aomine seemed to have placed over the windows out front were splintering under the sheer weight of the undead's assault. It was a mystery why they had become aware of the pairs presence although the shouting by Aomine hadn't helped in the slightest and the tanned ace tugged open a kitchen drawer, yanking free a large carving knife that'd probably do more damage at this point. "Hurry the fuck up." Aomine hissed as he kicked the kitchen door shut, upending the small kitchen table and the chairs in front of it.

Before squeezing out the window Kise had paused to wedge the back of the chair beneath the door's handle before exiting and Aomine smoothly squeezed out after Kise into the thin space between the house and the neighbours fence. "There— the window is open." Had been growled.

Kise made the small hop over the fence once he saw Aomine emerging from the window a few seconds later and the noise of fabric rubbing suggested that he had also scaled that minute obstacle.

Deft fingers hooked under the small space at the bottom of the windowsill at the neighbour's house, before it was given a co-ordinated tug by them both that saw the window slide open. Bordered from the inside, they had to knock some planks of wood out that were loosely wedged into the frame before they could climb in, quick to get to the task of scanning the property for any unwanted guests; the sounds of thuds and scrapping on the floorboards overhead not filling him with hope.

"I'll take upstairs." Aomine called, indicating Kise should make himself useful and look for the next jaunt on their route to freedom even as he took no subtlety in climbing the stairs with knife in hand. Before Kise even had a chance to object, Aomine had all but finished ascending the stairs and with a resigned sigh, he readied himself again and made off through the house. He took out two skinny walkers that he came across with the blade he was armed with, checking out the windows once the rooms were cleared, in search of possible escape routes. He was drawing blanks when all he could see in plain sight were sizeable gatherings of undead creatures at every turn.

Growing frustrated, he peered out the side of the house and saw another group of walkers though this one looked a bit smaller, manageable if the two of them took it on. From what he could see, they were near some sort of gate and in the distance he thought he could see the opening to some woodlands, though he wasn't certain as it wasn't light out yet.

Hearing footsteps coming back down the stairs, he went to meet Aomine to relay what he found, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "They're everywhere, but I think we can get out through this side door. There's five or six out there all in one group, if we can make it past them—" He paused after the smashing of glass from the front of the house cut him off, before heading back towards their exit without further explanation.

Aomine accepted the others plan in good faith, not questioning him likely due to the situation and his own overwhelming confidence and jogging after him. As they quit the house, the Touou ace took the initiative.

Kise's voice died on his tongue when he called after Aomine to wait after he charged forward on his own, the blonde soon running after him to assist in clearing the small group that stood between them and their escape.

Apparently Aomine decided at the last minute that a knife probably wouldn't cut such a full-frontal assault. There was still a good half meter between him and the mob so he had seemingly no concerns in turning his back on them to yell to Kise, who faltered slightly when he saw him turning back around, though quickly put two and two together; already reaching behind his head for the handle of the baseball bat that stuck out from his backpack, intent on bringing it to its rightful owner until arms jerked about the Touou ace's throat through the rails of the fence between this small alley and the neighbouring house.

It was rather numbingly quick how easily teeth sunk through the bare, tanned flesh. At a languid pace that hinted at disbelief and shock Aomine lifted his eyes towards the blond.

"I— What?" The words were cut off by the crimson that bubbled past his lips. A cough, painful, pain and clarity abruptly returning to him as indicated when the Touou ace jerked his frame forwards in an effort to get away, anywhere away from the source of his current agony. An almost feral yell of agony as he jerked the knife overhead in a futile struggle.

"—No!" A coarse yell as everything slowed down and all the breath seemed to leave him lungs. He stumbled once before finding his strength again, eyes stung with the prickling of tears as he hurried forward, the bat drawn from his bag for him to swing at the creature's already mangled arms until it released Aomine from its grasp. Kise was quick to drag him away from the fence and lean him against the wall of the house they just left, but it was too late— the damage was already done.

Working on a mix of adrenaline and anger, he managed to clear that group of walkers before rushing back to Aomine with splatters of blood across his pale cheeks. Sinking to his knees in front of the other, his heart sank and his chest squeezed painfully when he saw blood pooling from the wound on the side of Aomine's neck, reaching forward to cover it with a shaky hand— they always said to put pressure on a wound to stop the bleeding, right? But he knew it was useless now.

His free hand cupped his cheek as Kise leaned forward to press their foreheads together as the first, warm tear trickled down his cheek. He didn't.. Know what to do, this wasn't supposed to happen— they were going to make it to Akashi's place together, where the rest of them would be waiting, safe and sound. That was the plan, that's what brought them this far.

"Aominecchi.." he murmured after a hitch in his breath, meaning to say 'Please, don't die, don't let this happen' though he didn't have enough voice in him to say it in so many words.

"…Fuck." The words were strained. It was amazing he could even talk right now and in any case that seemed to pulse more blood in a hot, oozing warmth past finger that had splayed over the bite. Breath rattling, wet and sucking just like one of those self-same zombies the man had killed not long back. "Ki.." He attempted to say the others name but it seems it was too much for him and Aomine instead lifted a hand to the bloodied bat that had been dropped to try and force it into the one that had moments ago cupped his cheek. "Do it." A heavy sigh followed the barely intelligible growl, brows knit as his eyes closed. Wouldn't everyone rather die in control of their own body rather than shamble around for some lowlife to gun down. He was shivering though it was hard to tell if that was from cold or fear as a hand curled into the copycats' shirt, clumsy and trembling as blood pumped out of his body with each beat of his heart.

Kise's shoulders shook as he tried to contain the sobs that were threatening to leave him, his ears deaf to the groaning and scratching of the walkers behind the fence down at the end of the alleyway. He shook his head, repeating 'No..' over and over in denial because this wasn't happening, it couldn't be, there was no way.

But it was happening, he had all the proof in front of him from the other's strained breathing to the warm streams of blood seeping through his fingers with each pump of his dying pulse.

Weakly pulling the knife from his belt instead, doubting he had enough strength to use the bat effectively, Kise pulled back to look at him, his complexion already paling from blood loss, and managed to breathe "I'm so sorry.." under his breath before leaning in to press their lips together for what would the last time; wishing that he could say that it was more sweet than it was bitter.

Lingering, reluctant to pull away again, Kise eventually manoeuvred them around so that he was sat behind Aomine with one arm wrapped around him, pulling him close against his chest to keep him upright while he tried his best to steady his nerves and collect himself. He knew that so long as he could see the other's face, he wouldn't be able to go through with it.

Readying himself as best he could, placing another small kiss at the nape of his neck, Kise released his arm around Aomine's frame and used it to tip his head forward and to the left, exposing the wound on the right side of his neck. After noticing the other's breathing beginning to even out, before it was too late, the blade was plunged into the open gash after Kise gathered the last of his strength, hacking it through flesh and bone at the back of his neck with a sickening crunch until the deed was done and the knife was dropped to the ground with a cold clink.