"Okay, I take it back," Kise sighed heavily. "You're not grown up at all."
"What? It's just Maji Burger," Aomine clicked his seatbelt loose, eyes sparkling as he gazed excitedly at the Maji Burger joint in front of them. "I haven't been here in ages."
Kise hadn't either, couldn't recall the last time he'd eaten a burger from there. Those days when he'd drop by just to grab a meal after school, maybe run into some friends, bicker and laugh and talk about the most random things—they all seemed so far away. Kise hadn't been around the neighborhood at all recently, that neighborhood he spent most of his life in.
He heard a click, then felt leather slide against his chest. "I feel like you would have forgotten to unfasten your seatbelt, princess." Aomine gently let the seatbelt move across Kise without snapping sharply.
"Shut up," Kise retorted automatically. He tossed his pillow to the backseat and opened the glove compartment in front of him, pulling out a jacket and a beanie. He shrugged off the jacket he had on and pulled the spare one around his shoulders, zipping it up until the collar formed a turtleneck that reached his chin. He then pulled the beanie down over his head, tucking all his blonde hair inside.
"What are you…" Aomine started, fascinated by the sudden change. "Is that your celebrity disguise?"
"Kinda," Kise nodded, looking at the mirror and making sure all his blonde hair had disappeared into the beanie.
"Seems like a hassle." Aomine raised an eyebrow.
"Eh, it's part of the job," Kise said. "It's kind of refreshing to not get attention sometimes. And it's pretty hard to deal with people trapping you in a mob."
Aomine cocked his head slightly. He's had his own share of experiences with fans, but not to the point that he'd need elaborate disguises just to hide his identity. Celebrities really had it differently. It was like their lives weren't theirs anymore, like a constant show with the shortest of intermissions. Kise was really something, to be able to handle that; to just chuckle about constantly being watched, about getting ganged up on by countless adoring fans whenever he's spotted. Aomine couldn't help but think it was pretty amazing. "Like I said, seems like a hassle. Doesn't seem like you get a lot of privacy."
Kise was fishing for something at the deeper ends of the glove compartment, and glanced at Aomine. "Well, not really, I guess. Not in the recent years. I do get some time off and just…kinda…sleep. At home."
Aomine made a face. "Just…sleep? Ever had a vacation?"
Kise thought about it. "Er, yes? Uh, when was the last time I…Oh! I was able to watch a movie once at home!"
Aomine looked disbelieving. "That's not a vacation, Kise. Okay you can say that it's one of those staycation things but that's like what—two hours? That's the great grand total of your luxurious celebrity vacation?"
"Maybe a bit less than two hours, actually…" Kise mumbled.
"What?" Aomine leaned closer.
"I think I fell asleep before the movie ended," Kise pondered seriously. His head shot up to look at Aomine with wide, dismayed eyes. "I didn't get to finish the movie! Dammit, I knew I was forgetting something!"
Aomine stared at him, incredulous. "Kise, you—"
"Aominecchi this is serious!" Kise almost looked panicked. "I didn't get to finish the movie! I don't know what happened to Kenshin after he charged the ship!"
Kise's wide amber eyes were sparkling with a stubborn determination and urgency, framed by his thick lashes and completely standing out in the middle of all of Kise's attempt to disguise himself. Aomine had the overwhelming urge to push his face away. "Kise," Aomine said, serious. "Are you telling me you didn't finish the second Rurouni Kenshin movie?"
Kise looked even more distraught. "I didn't! I fell asleep! I feel like a complete degenerate now, Jesus."
Aomine looked him square in the eye. "Listen, Kenshin manages to get on the ship, then encounters Shi—blegh!"
"Aahh! Shut up shut up!" Kise yelled, smacking his hand over Aomine's mouth. "No spoilers! I'll finish the movie eventually!"
Aomine spluttered against Kise's palm before swatting his hand away. "Kise. I cannot believe you haven't watched the last Rurouni Kenshin movie. Even I've watched that!"
Kise put his hands over his face, wailing. "Ugh, I know. I can't believe I fell asleep."
For a moment Aomine's jaw just stayed agape, processing the big shot celebrity sitting right next to him and seeing only the teenager that he'd played one-on-one with the most times in his life. "That's it, get out of the car," Aomine told him, opening the door. "We'll get takeout then head straight to your place to finish the last two movies." He jumped out of the car, straightened his cap, and started walking.
Kise just stared from his seat, not moving. Aomine noticed the lack of sound and turned to glare at Kise from outside. He stomped to Kise's side of the car and shoved the door open. "Do I have to open the door for you too, princess?" he mused, expression a mix of annoyance and mocking. "Come on." He grabbed Kise's wrist and tugged him out of the car. Kise stumbled out into the open and clumsily shut the car door behind him.
It was a pretty awkward time to be eating out, not quite lunch time anymore and not that late for dinner, so there weren't many people inside yet. The smell of fast food and homely warmth flittered straight through Kise's nose and right to his heart. It hit him like a gust of air, coupled with nostalgia and the familiar broad back of Aomine walking in front of him. Kise moved to his side as they neared the counter, putting on a pair of glasses he'd brought out from his stash of disguises.
Aomine glanced at him. "Glasses?" he commented. The brilliant gold of Kise's eyes were dulled by the thick lenses, his long eyelashes overpowered by the large frames. It was a pretty effective disguise, keeping all of Kise's golden brightness muted under layers of covering, but Aomine didn't particularly like it.
"I'm supposed to have a face mask too but you dragged me out before I could find it," Kise said.
"Geez, do you really have to cover everything up?" Aomine grimaced.
"I can't help it! Somehow people can recognize me way too easily!"
"Well, yeah, you're a model and an actor, your face is your job," Aomine muttered. Kise snorted. He watched Aomine look around just as he did, the same light of nostalgia in his eyes, then get complete tunnel vision once he spotted the menu boards up the counter. Aomine ordered eight teriyaki burgers without hesitation.
"Er, did you say eight teriyaki burgers, sir?" the cashier asked, her smile faltering.
"Yep," Aomine nodded. "Actually, make that ten, I'm hungry. To go, please."
The cashier's eyes widened, an edge of panic in them, then she smothered it with a wider smile. She poked some buttons on her screen. "Alright, ten teriyaki burgers to go. Is there…anything else?"
Aomine turned to look at Kise. "What d'you want?"
Kise was still in a state of half-culture shock and nostalgia, eyes still roaming all over the place and taking in the almost forgotten feeling of a place in the neighborhood he once called home. For a moment he just took in the sights, then barely even skimmed over the menu—he already knew what he wanted; remembered.
"One Maji Burger Set and one cheeseburger please!" Kise perked up, smiling.
The cashier promptly blushed, bearing the weight of the full force of Kise's shining smile. Aomine squinted at the celebrity, then shoved him with an elbow and leaned in front of him, blocking the cashier's view of Kise. "That's all," he smiled.
She blinked at him, her blush deepening, then realized she was in the middle of a job and frantically entered their orders. "S-so that's ten teriyaki burgers, one Maji Burger Set, and one cheeseburger." She gestured to the screen that showed their order and the price, and before Kise had the chance to put his card on the counter, Aomine dropped some bills.
"Oi Aominecchi, I could pay—" Kise started telling him, but Aomine dug his elbow into his side some more.
"And what, give out your identity?" Aomine hissed at him. "Wouldn't want to take chances. Besides, consider this as me treating you." He turned back to the cashier with a smile. "This should be enough." It was a disarming smile, one that Kise wasn't used to seeing, so he was more or less disarmed too, mouth clamping shut without a word.
The cashier was still blushing, eyes just very briefly flickering to Kise and doing a double-take. "Y-yes. Thank you! Please wait a moment." She swiftly grabbed two neatly-wrapped medium-sized burgers from their stock, putting it on the tray by the counter and efficiently filling up a cup of soda. After setting it down, she filled a small box of fries and deposited everything in a paper bag. Kise was vaguely amazed at how fast she worked, and thought for the nth time that some things really don't change. The cashier put a small plastic stand on the tray with the number five printed on it, and counted Aomine's change as she handed it to him on top of the receipt.
"The teriyaki burgers will arrive in a few minutes," she smiled. "Please have a seat while you wait."
"Thanks," Aomine smiled brightly, taking the tray as he shouldered Kise towards a booth near the back.
They sat across from each other with a huff, and as if on cue, Kise's stomach did a feral growl. He groaned, flushing, and put two hands over his tummy. "Smelling the food made me hungrier."
Aomine reached into their takeout and tossed one of Kise's burgers at him. It bounced on his chest once before Kise moved to catch it in his hands. "Then eat."
Kise's stomach grumbled in response, a small affirmative noise, if stomachs could speak. Kise looked at Aomine, setting the burger on the tray with a small shake of his head. "I'll wait 'til your order comes." As if in complaint, his stomach made another growling noise.
Aomine grunted, grabbing the burger, unwrapping it, then shoving it at Kise's face in quick succession, making him splutter. "I've got ten burgers coming, so just go and eat while we're not doing anything. It sounds like your stomach's trying to communicate, for Christ's sake."
Kise flailed, involuntarily munching on the burger and grabbing it as Aomine released it. An explosion of the unhealthy, juicy fast food flavor erupted in his mouth, and it had been so long since Kise's eaten a damn burger that he was practically drooling in response. Kise made a pleased little sound, almost a moan, and took another, bigger bite, savoring the taste until he could practically feel the grip of happy tears in the corner of his eyes. He only managed to shoot a short glare at Aomine for forcing the food on him, coming out in a simple, childish pout that was full of stubborn gratitude, Aomine couldn't suppress his smile.
"Been a while, huh?" he grinned. Kise flushed, still pouting, and averted his eyes, chewing gratefully. His stomach grumbled weakly.
"Your stomach seems to agree," Aomine chuckled, grabbing some fries from the bag and popping it in his mouth.
"I haven't had a proper burger in forever," Kise gushed, eyes half-lidded in complete bliss over the most unhealthy meal he's had in a very long time.
"You on some kind of diet or something?" Aomine mumbled, munching on Kise's fries.
"Sort of," Kise said, swallowing. "There's some preparation and training needed for my role in that drama I'm in."
"Training? Really?" Aomine was pretty sure all an actor needed to do was, well, act.
Kise nodded, cheeks stuffed with burger. He took a sip of his drink before replying. "A lot of upper body training. The character I'm portraying can't move anything below his waist, so I have to be able to carry my weight, and then some. With just my arms. It was ridiculously hard at first, you have no idea."
"Really," Aomine said. He could do a bunch of pushups, sure, maybe bench his weight a couple of times, but not with just his arms. He was always the agile one, not the strong one, and most of his power was in his legs. Not being able to use his legs was a thought Aomine shuddered to even picture. "That's pretty cool. We should arm wrestle sometime." Aomine wasn't even sure he'd win, not with the way Kise's apparently been training, but he was more suited to be a challenger either way, and more than anything he enjoyed the thrill of not knowing whether he'd win or lose.
Kise's eyes lit up, both in excitement and confidence. "Sure. I hope you're ready to lose."
Aomine's lips curled into a smirk. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that."
Kise smiled, pure happiness and energy practically glowing off of him. Aomine's smile only widened. Kise's joy was so infectious, Aomine found himself smiling more often than he normally would, as if Kise's positive energy warded off any negative spirits that dared come close to him. It must be why he's so good at being a famous celebrity, why everyone seems so captivated by him.
"Sorry for the wait! Here's your order," a voice piped up to the side.
Both of them looked to see a stuffed bag of burgers being set on their table by a server, and Kise saw Aomine visibly brighten with twinkling eyes as he thanked the server and immediately went to grab a burger. Kise chuckled when Aomine bit almost half the burger off in one bite, and heard a small gasp to one side. He glanced to see their server covering her mouth and staring straight at Kise with scrutinizing, hopeful eyes, and Kise's blood immediately drained from his cheeks. He stuffed the burger in his face and hid behind it, acting as reserved and unruly as he could while receding further into his jacket. The server gingerly grabbed the table number stand from their tray and made a small bow before slowly stepping away, eyes flickering to Kise anxiously. She rushed to the back of the counter after a few steps and started whispering to the cashier, and Kise started sweating.
Did she recognize me? Kise's heart started to pick up its pace. He turned his eyes towards Aomine in a bit of a panic, then was stopped short by the sight. Aomine was halfway through his first burger, and had unwrapped a second one in his other hand, cheeks stuffed with teriyaki burger, and face the picture of complete and utter joy. It must be hard to find teriyaki burgers in America, and it might as well have been the first Aomine's had in years. It's always been his favorite, and without really thinking, Kise laughed.
"Jesus fucking Christ Kise," Aomine breathed, eyes closed with pure bliss. "Kise. This is the best. The. Best."
Kise laughed harder, stuffing his mouth behind his hand in an effort to stifle it. Aomine was too blissed out to even get annoyed, only smiling with gigantic puffed out cheeks and looking like a complete slob, an overjoyed hamster.
"Here," Kise said, picking up a French fry from his stack and lifting it up to Aomine. The basketball star swallowed half of what was in his mouth then leaned forward to eat Kise's offering.
"Who's the kid now?" Kise chuckled. Aomine huffed with his nose and just continued to chew, turning his head to the side. He noticed that more people had started entering the restaurant, a lot of them students with familiar uniforms. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was that time of the day when the students with no club started getting out of school, and started to worry. He finished his first burger then grabbed Kise's drink.
"Lemme drink," he said, immediately taking the straw between his lips and sipping.
"Wah—! Well I guess I had no choice, geez," Kise sighed, trying not to think about how he just drank from there too.
"Finish that burger so that we could go," Aomine directed, already chowing on the remainder of his second burger. "It's getting late."
Kise then noticed the growing number of people slowly filtering into the restaurant and around the neighborhood, and his pulse started to pick up again. He started stuffing his face with the burger then slurping at his drink, and heard Aomine mutter under his breath as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. Kise saw the familiar furrow of Aomine's brows upon reading a new message he just received, then flinched when Aomine hissed, "Fuck."
Suddenly Aomine was choking on his burger, and Kise panicked, shoving his drink at the idiot. Aomine grabbed it and gratefully drank, clearing his throat.
"What is it?" Kise asked when he was sure Aomine was breathing.
"It's Satsuki, shit." Aomine turned his phone to face Kise as he started gathering their stuff into his
Kise leaned forward to read it:
I know you're in Maji Burger
Under the message was a picture, taken from the inside of Maji Burger, of Aomine with his mouth open for a French fry that Kise was about to feed him, with the caption: "OMG Kise Ryouta with Aomine Daiki in Maji Burger!?"
"Fuck." Kise stiffened, feeling all the blood drain from his face. He poked the attached link on the picture and saw that someone had taken a photo of them just moments ago and posted it online. He slowly turned his eyes to the side and found a group of girls whispering among themselves just a few tables away, clutching their phones with excitement. Kise gradually tilted his head away and stuffed the last of his burger in his cheeks, pushing his glasses closer to his face and ducking his head lower.
"Act natural," he hissed at Aomine, grabbing his wrist. Aomine tensed, then lowered his cap with a small nod.
"I'll cover you," he told Kise quietly, smoothly standing up with Kise's soda in hand. As Kise stood up to follow him, Aomine pushed the large bag of burgers to his chest. He leaned a bit closer. "Use this to cover yourself some."
Kise nodded, lifting the bag with one arm to obscure the lower half of his face. Before moving, Aomine reached over and brought a hand to Kise's forehead. Kise stopped himself from jerking back, flinching just slightly when Aomine's fingers brushed his skin, as Aomine tucked back the stray locks of blonde hair that had apparently escaped his beanie. Aomine flashed him a smirk, a silent reassurance that he wasn't mad about what was going on, and Kise smiled back.
They walked at a normal pace towards the exit, trying not to make it too obvious that they were escaping. Kise noticed the group of girls frantically whisper amongst themselves, glancing at the two of them every so often. There was another group of teenagers a few tables away, some of which looked up to stare directly at Kise.
Aomine stepped in front of him, nudging Kise's hip with his fingers. Kise fell into step at Aomine's heel, hidden from view behind him. It wasn't often that Kise wasn't one of the tallest people around, and even less that he could be covered by someone else. In the middle of the restaurant, towering high above the tables and chairs, they both stood out quite a bit, but Aomine's presence counterbalanced Kise's, at least diverting some attention away from him.
There was movement from outside the restaurant's windows that caught Kise's eye: some students hurrying toward Maji Burger armed with their camera phones and excited, searching eyes.
"I think we're surrounded," Kise whispered.
"We'll find a way out," Aomine half-whispered back, tugging his cap to shadow his eyes. "Just stay behind me."
Kise nodded, turning to face Aomine's back, feeling his cheeks warm. Maybe it was his clothes, but his back seemed so much broader than before, strong shoulders and firm muscles evident even under his shirt. Aomine always did like to wear light clothing, always preferred comfortable shirts and pants so that he could play basketball whenever he felt like it. Kise could feel a muted energy rolling off of him, an air of power and confidence in everything from his build to the way he walked. His back was straighter, shoulders solidly set, and head no longer slouching with his torso like he used to. He was still the same boy that had hit Kise with a basketball when they first met, but this was a mature, grown-up Aomine. Kise was close enough to feel Aomine's body heat radiating off of him, and felt his heart start to pound.
There was a clatter to one side of the restaurant—a student standing up from her seat. Kise could barely see past Aomine's shoulders, only seeing nervous glances being thrown at them left and right. They were definitely suspicious, and the two of them only had the short time it took for the curious bystanders to muster up the courage to walk up to them, and it would only be a matter of time before others would find out, crowd, and everything gets spread all over the internet forums, then the news. With so many people involved, things could get messy and troublesome, and Aominecchi was with him so he'll get dragged in and what if people find out about his injury which he's supposed to keep under wraps and—
Without warning, Kise's thoughts and steps were cut off when he suddenly collided with Aomine's back. Aomine had completely stopped in his tracks and barely gave Kise time to ensure the safety of his burgers when he felt a light brush of fingers along his wrist, followed by a tug that steered him to turn a corner around a table. Kise staggered as Aomine's hand gently pulled him in a different direction, and he almost spluttered when he felt Aomine's hand slide just a bit lower, fingers resting to grip both lightly and firmly on Kise's palm. It was steady but not forceful, and sent a kind of electricity coursing up his arm. Even amidst the sudden confusion, Kise's one clear thought was that it was warm.
"A-Aominecchi," Kise whispered. "What—"
"Detour," Aomine said, sliding two fingers against Kise's palm in a certain direction. Kise followed the hint and glanced to one side, finding a trio of high school girls nervously trying to approach them. They were in the way of the exit, with phones pressed close to their chests and timid gazes trained on the two of them. Kise turned his head away and readjusted the bag of burgers on his arm, letting himself get pulled along by the hand and just focusing on that. They reached a narrow corridor near the back of Maji Burger, and Aomine swiftly opened a door and pulled Kise inside.
It was the men's bathroom. Once the door closed behind them, Aomine gave a small sigh, then turned to Kise. "Okay, not my best idea but at least we know they can't follow us here."
Kise was stuck, mind still processing what was going on and mostly just coming up with the fact that—
Aomine still hadn't let go of his hand.
Kise must have been staring because Aomine pulled his hand away from Kise's, almost too suddenly, but also not without a delayed, lingering touch. It might have been Kise's imagination, or maybe Kise reflexively trying to keep their hands connected, but he couldn't process much of it all as he watched Aomine bring his hand under his cap, taking it off as he ran his fingers through those dark blue locks. There was a light flush on his cheeks as Aomine averted his eyes for a second, then cleared his throat. He was about to say something when they heard someone talking from outside, voice muffled by the door.
"Ehh, they went into the men's bathroom."
"Are you sure it's them?"
"Like, eighty percent sure? I saw some blonde hair and really great skin and golden brown eyes—sort of? He's wearing glasses! And they're both really tall and the other one's tan and athletic and muscular so! It must be them!"
There were suppressed squeals of excitement right out the bathroom. Kise and Aomine looked at each other with wary expressions, both of them slowly inching further away from the door. They huddled close to whisper.
"So. Eighty percent, at least it's not one hundred," Aomine tried.
"No, that's more or less one hundred," Kise groaned. "How do we escape."
Aomine started looking around the bathroom, wracking his brain. His eyes landed on the windows just above them. "You think we can fit through there?" he pointed up.
Kise followed his gaze, then furrowed his brows. "Er, I don't know. Maybe? But it looks like it'll be a tight fit. Besides, that's pretty high up."
"Lemme try," Aomine said, rolling his sleeves up even further. He did a little hop, easily reaching the bottom of the windowsill, then tried pulling himself up.
"Wha—Aominecchi what are you doing!" Kise hissed, tucking the bag of takeout snug with one arm and trying to support Aomine's foot with the other.
"I'm gonna see if we can—"
"Er, e-excuse me, but what are you doing?"
Kise jumped, back hitting the wall, and Aomine jerked and fell off the windowsill, barely managing to land properly on the ground. Kise noticed the slightest of grunts escape Aomine's gritted teeth, and Aomine immediately shifting his weight to his uninjured leg. Kise almost winced in sympathy.
At the entrance to the bathroom, a young boy with dark wavy hair and thick eyebrows stood, looking at Kise and Aomine like they were fugitives trying to escape—which wasn't that far from the truth, given the situation. He wore a middle school uniform and carried a large jersey bag, and had come in so quietly that neither Kise nor Aomine noticed.
"Nothing," Kise smiled nervously, pointing to Aomine. "This guy's just an idiot so—"
Aomine smacked the back of his head, making Kise's glasses go askew. "Shut up, I don't see you offering any helpful ideas."
Kise glared at him, pouting, his beanie messed up, blonde hair tumbling out softly from under it. Aomine had that urge to touch it again.
"U-um…Kise?" they heard a small voice say. "Kise Ryouta-san?"
The two of them turned to look at the teen anxiously standing by the door, and Kise grimaced. "Yeah." He straightened up, realigning his glasses as he took off his beanie, letting his hair flow out and settle neatly around his face. "You know me?" He smiled at the boy, who wrung his fingers on the strap of his bag nervously, giving a short nod.
"Um, well uh," he looked up at Kise, then his eyes slid over to Aomine, then back down on the tile. "I saw the show—the other day. Yesterday. My sister was watching it and um. Uh. I'm, well. I'm a fan of Takahiro Inoue-sensei's. I like his books. Especially the um. The series that will come out. On TV. The one you'll star in, K-Kise-san." He was staring at the ground with a small edge of panic in his eyes, squeezing his bag strap every two seconds. Kise felt a smile tug at his lips.
"I'm a fan of the series too," Kise said warmly, stepping closer. "What's your name?"
The boy looked up, straight at Kise. He glanced at Aomine before looking back. "Mitobe. Mitobe Shinnosuke."
Kise smiled. "Mitobe-kun," he said. The teen looked startled to have been called by name. "You like basketball?"
Aomine looked at Kise, an eyebrow raised. Mitobe looked surprised. "Y-yeah," he replied, nodding firmly. "I do."
Kise's smile grew wider. "Then let me introduce you to someone," he said, reaching behind him to grab the hem of Aomine's shirt. He gave a tug and Aomine followed, stepping forward confusedly. "This is Aomine Daiki."
Aomine shot Kise a confused look, then turned to Mitobe, who was apparently looking straight at Aomine now, hie expression less timid and more awed, eyes sparkling with a strong gaze. Aomine blinked in mild surprise, almost taken aback.
"I know," Mitobe nodded, his voice less quiet. "I'm—" he said, louder. "I'm a big fan!"
Aomine's eyes widened, and beside him, Kise was grinning wide. Aomine was pretty sure that this Mitobe kid was a fan of Kise's, not his; but how did Kise pick up on that?
Kise elbowed his side. "O-oh," Aomine nodded, regarding Mitobe more squarely. "Thanks."
Mitobe lit up, looking happier by the second, and tightened his grip on his bag strap. "U-um, if it's alright with you, c-can you—" he started unzipping his bag and rummaging through it. He pulled out a basketball from inside it and held it out in front of him. "Can you please sign this?" he blurt out, face turning pink as he bowed slightly.
Aomine's eyebrows climbed up, his face openly surprised as he stared at the young teen who looked like it had taken a whole lot of effort to say that to him, eyes all panicked and blush reaching his ears as he held the basketball with firm hands.
Kise put a hand on Aomine's back and pushed him forward.
"Sure," Aomine said after a moment. Mitobe looked up at him in surprise, and Aomine could see the joy and hope flooding his eyes, and it made Aomine feel a warmth in his chest. He took the ball and turned it around in his palms a bit. It wasn't new, but it was in fairly good shape, slightly worn with obvious indications of constantly being used. Now that he was closer, Aomine could see some calluses on Mitobe's fingers and palm, and the unmistakable bulk in his jersey bag as he fished around for a marker. When he pulled it out, Aomine accepted it and uncapped it. Kise peered over his shoulder as he thought of what to write, and Aomine elbowed him to move back, getting a chuckle in response.
He glanced at Mitobe again, standing quite a bit shorter than him, but tall for a middle school student. He had long limbs and a lean build, looking up at Aomine with so much open admiration and respect that Aomine self-consciously looked away. He rested his wrist on the basketball, then started to write.
Kise was bouncing around behind his shoulders, trying to see what he was writing. Aomine elbowed him a couple of times to get the heck away, and handed the ball back to Mitobe before Kise could read anything. "Here."
Mitobe gratefully accepted, reading what Aomine wrote above his signature, then looked back up at the basketball pro with eyes wide and sparkling with so much wonder and appreciation, Aomine found himself giving him a grin. Mitobe gave a big nod. "Thank you!" he said, bowing. When he straightened back up he looked like his dreams came true.
Aomine scratched the back of his head, then reached out to ruffle Mitobe's hair. "Sure thing, kid."
Kise smiled wide. "Oh I know!" he piped up. "I'll take a picture of you two!"
He pulled out his phone as Aomine and Mitobe looked at him, the younger teen jerking in surprise and getting all fidgety with shyness. Aomine scratched the tip of his nose, then shrugged. "Sure, why not." Then he glanced around. "In the bathroom though?"
Kise paused. "Right, let's try escaping first, maybe."
"You're trying to escape…?" Mitobe glanced up at them.
"Er, yeah, kind of," Kise smiled sheepishly.
"A-ah, well it is on the internet…" Mitobe mumbled, averting his eyes meekly. "I can help you out."
"Really?" Aomine and Kise looked at him hopefully.
"Y-yeah, one of the servers here is a relative of a friend," Mitobe nodded, moving to the door. He opened it slightly and peeked out. "The girls outside moved away from here and went back to their tables, I think. They're probably waiting for you two to come out. I know a way out back, through the kitchen. Do you have a car…?"
Both Aomine and Kise lit up, looking at each other then nodding. "Yeah. Could you show us the way?" Aomine asked him.
Mitobe nodded. "Sure. To be safe though—" he looked Aomine and Kise over. "I think you should switch some clothes with each other?"
They looked at him questioningly. Mitobe started to fidget again. "B-because the people who know you're here know what you're wearing, so they're looking out for that, so if you change clothes—like your jacket and hats—and change your outfit just a little, you won't immediately catch their attention or hold it, so—" his fingers were squeezing and fiddling around with his basketball.
"Ohh," Kise realized. "That's pretty clever, Mitobe-kun. It's like misdirection."
Mitobe nodded, relieved. "Yeah."
Kise looked to Aomine, who shrugged, then they both set down what they were carrying on the sink counter. Kise shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Aomine, and they both exchanged their hats. Aomine put on Kise's jacket and found that it was a pretty good fit, just slightly short around the edges and tight around his shoulders. Aomine tried not to think too hard about how it smelled like Kise, bending over to roll his pants up a bit as Kise tried to contain his blonde hair under Aomine's cap.
Mitobe was peeking out the door again when they both finished, looking at themselves in the mirror. They just switched clothes a little, but they could see a significant difference. Both their tops were a completely different color; Aomine's tan skin was more covered up, Kise's fair complexion looking lighter and more obvious after discarding his darker jacket, while Aomine's cap cast a shadow over his eyes and glasses.
"I'll carry your takeout," Mitobe offered, moving to lift the ridiculous amount of burgers in one arm while balancing his basketball in the other.
"Then I'll carry your bag," Aomine said. He bent down and easily lifted the jersey bag to sling over his shoulder before Mitobe could protest. Kise chuckled at the half-mortified expression on Mitobe's face, taking his soda as he followed them to the door.
Mitobe stuck his head out of the door and looked around. "Okay," he whispered, turning back to nod at them. Kise and Aomine nodded back. "Follow me."
Mitobe silently slipped out of the bathroom and walked to the back of the corridor, Aomine and Kise right at his heels. They reached a small door that stood close to the counter, and Mitobe directed the two taller personalities to crouch behind some cabinets near the wall. Mitobe silently called out to one of the Maji Burger workers standing nearby, whispering to her and pointing to where Aomine and Kise were peeking from. She cocked her head with a confused expression at them, then Kise pulled off his glasses and lifted his cap, showing her his face while putting a finger to his lips with a wink. She promptly jerked in surprise, blushing, and started nodding fervently at Mitobe, who looked back at the two celebrity fugitives and flashed a thumbs up.
The two of them followed Mitobe and the server inside the kitchen door, and the smell of deep fried, oily, cholesterol goodness wafted through the warm air surrounding them. They walked briskly towards the back of the kitchen, their escorts waving off the curious and confused looks that were given to their small group, and reached the back exit. Both Mitobe and the server peered outside to check if everything was clear of any wandering fans, and after a few moments, they turned and smiled at Aomine and Kise, giving them the go ahead. The female server held the door open for them as Mitobe led the other two outside, and before exiting, Kise lightly brushed his fingers over her shoulders, tipping his cap up and flashing her a bright smile.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, making her blush even more. She nodded and smiled, and Kise liked that smile. It was a happy, thankful one; the kind of smile that made him proud to have been the cause of it.
They casually walked towards the parking lot, taking care not to draw attention to themselves. They reached a corner of the building and stopped behind Mitobe as he leaned over to check if the coast was clear.
"I think you're good," he nodded, turning back to them with a small smile. "Even if you're spotted you can get in your car pretty quick."
Kise and Aomine sighed, relieved. "Thank you, Mitobe-kun," Kise said, patting him on the head. "You really helped us out."
A small blush bloomed in Mitobe's cheeks. "It's no problem," he said modestly, slowly offering the bag of takeout in his arm.
"Ah, right, before we leave, I'll take your picture with Aominecchi!" Kise beamed, fishing out his phone in a flash. Mitobe got that overly flustered and embarrassed look again, opening his mouth to protest, but Aomine grinned and slung an arm around Mitobe's shoulders.
"Yeah, let's do it," Aomine said, ruffling the teen's hair. "Out here's better than the bathroom, at least."
Mitobe sputtered, squirming under Aomine's arm but looking happy all the same. Kise chuckled and pointed the camera at them. "Smile!" he said, and the two of them followed, the afternoon light looking as warm as their smiles. Kise looked at the picture and nodded, satisfied.
"U-um—"
He looked to see Mitobe fidgeting again, then turned to Kise. "C-could you—could you be in the picture too?"
Kise blinked at him. "Me?" Mitobe gave a small nod. Kise felt the honest smile curl up his lips. "Oh. Sure, Mitobe-kun."
Mitobe lit up, smiling back, and smiled for a second picture in between Kise and Aomine. When Kise looked at the shot, he felt his chest warm at seeing how openly happy and grateful Mitobe looked, smile stretching out the widest and brightest he's seen on the teen. He sent the pictures to Mitobe's phone via infrared, and Mitobe bowed low again in gratitude.
"Thank you very much!" he told them.
Aomine smirked, reaching out to fluff Mitobe's dark hair again. "We should be thanking you," he said, pulling Mitobe's bag off and handing it to him. Mitobe returned their takeout and stuffed his signed basketball in his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and immediately grasping the strap, tight.
"Thank you, Mitobe-kun," Kise said, and both he and Aomine bowed slightly. Mitobe flushed, but smiled, nodding.
"You're welcome," the teen told them. "Take care."
"You take care too," Kise nodded. "And good luck getting into Seirin! You picked a good high school to go to. Do your best!"
Mitobe blinked in surprise, and Aomine looked at Kise with a similar expression, just more confused. After a moment Mitobe smiled warmly, nodding. "Thank you. I will."
They waved at each other as they parted ways, and it was a short, mostly safe trip back to the car, both Kise and Aomine exhaling in relief when they sat inside.
"Well that was fun," Kise said flatly, leaning back on his seat as he pulled off his glasses and Aomine's cap. He was thankful that the car's windows were tinted on the outside. "Took a bit of time, too." The sky was turning orange as it neared dusk.
"How did you know that Mitobe was going to Seirin?" Aomine couldn't help but ask curiously.
Kise gave him a sidelong glance. "Oh, that? I noticed a pamphlet when he was looking through his bag. There was also a magazine opened up to an article where I recognized Seirin's basketball uniforms in one picture. I couldn't really make out the details, but the colors and patterns were unmistakable. I think his jersey bag is from there too, except it's old so it might be his big brother's or something."
Aomine was staring at him. "You noticed all that?"
"Huh?" Kise turned to look at Aomine, then averted his eyes sheepishly. "Oh, well. Yeah, I guess?"
"You've really gotten a lot more observant," Aomine huffed, impressed. He stuck the key in the ignition and started up the car.
Kise was still grinning blushingly, letting out a shy laugh. "I guess so."
Aomine's stomach made a grumbling noise, cutting into the silence. He grimaced and Kise snickered. "Here, eat some of your burgers before you drive." He pulled out two of Aomine's burgers and handed it to him, and before Aomine could argue, his stomach made that noise again, and he relented.
They both ate in comfortable silence, watching the skies shift into a myriad of warm colors as the sun started to set. The golden light of the hour softly touched their skin and bathed the inside of the car with gentle sun, the purr of the car's engine and the hum of the air conditioning encasing them in a private, homely space of their own. Everything in that small space of theirs was tranquil and warm, and Kise found himself relaxing into a state of peaceful happiness, the most calm he's been in a while. He felt his past few weeks of nonstop, jam-packed work catch up to him then, and realized how tired he was—how tired he's been—and how it was a really great change of pace for him to just sit there, on the passenger's seat of a car, eating one of his favorite burgers while watching the sun set, all beside a friend he hasn't seen in a long time. It was just a car—a company car, even—but beside Aomine, as the day slowly moved to dusk, with the smell of fast food saturating the air, it somehow felt like home.
Aomine finished another four burgers before stretching his arms up. "Alright, I'm good," he said, shaking his wrists before setting his hands on the steering wheel. "Let's go?"
Kise took a sip from his soda, emptying it. He nodded, smiling. "Yeah."
"Seatbelt, princess," Aomine reminded him, pulling on his own seatbelt. Kise flushed and strapped himself on with a pout, and Aomine gave a light laugh before slowly driving away from Maji Burger.
# # #
The sky had turned dark when the car reached one of the downtown roads of the city. Aomine thought for a moment before realizing that he had no idea where Kise's place was, just the fact that it was somewhere in an upscale area of town.
"Hey Kise," Aomine said, glancing to the side. "Where's…"
He stopped, doing a double take. He looked to the passenger's side and found that Kise had fallen asleep, head lolling to one side and breathing deep and even.
"Kise?" Aomine tried. There was no reply, no movement. He looked back at the road and decided to turn a familiar corner, pulling up to a stop at a sidewalk.
"Kise, hey," Aomine said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder and shaking him gently. No reaction. Kise was completely down.
Aomine sighed, leaning over to peer at Kise's face. He knew that the sun really suited Kise, but even the cool night blues touched his features in the softest ways, making him look like a sleeping star, a calm sun; like the reflection of a warm light against the waters of the night sea. His eyelashes fluttered like soft feathers on his cheeks, face relaxed into an expression of calm slumber, lips parted ever so slightly to let out quiet, even breaths. Aomine stopped, finding himself stuck where he was, just staring at Kise's serene face and feeling like he was staring at the stretch of an endless ocean, cool and soothing, reflecting the gentle light of the moon and turning it into freckles of starlight in the waves; and Aomine was just at the shore, feet slowly taking him forward, feeling the pull of that ocean, the yearning to feel its cool touch and sink into it, get caught in its waves and just sink.
Aomine jerked back, mildly surprised and half confused. He had somehow leaned closer without realizing it, the hand he had laid on Kise's shoulder suddenly resting on the side of his head, his jaw. He leaned back just slightly, catching himself, and brushed away the stray locks of blonde hair that had fallen over Kise's eyes, tucking the longer ones behind his ear. He nudged Kise's shoulder a little, trying again, and huffed when Kise didn't react.
Aomine sighed, running a hand through his hair, and leaned back on the driver's seat. He thought about what he was going to do, and gazed at Kise again, at that calm, sleeping face, and the only thing he was certain of was that he didn't want to disturb such a peaceful sleep.
He sighed again, then realized that he was still wearing Kise's jacket. He shrugged it off, lightly blanketing Kise with it, and stared at him for a few more seconds, grudgingly thinking that he really was in the presence of a goddamn princess. A sleeping beauty.
Aomine shook his head, grumbling out another heavy sigh, and started driving towards the only place he knew where to go, ignoring the odd, frantic drumming of his heart.
#
[tbc]