A/N: Apologies for the delay! Real life stuff's piling up again, so chapters will probably come every other week, but always expect them to update on weekends! Thank you for everyone's kudos and comments and support! You're all awesome.

Also to those who'd like to chat or ask questions, you can message me on my tumblr (kittlekrattle). I won't, however, answer anon questions that are spoiler-y! (And I'll answer off-anon messages privately, most of the time). Hope you understand!

theOtakuMageofAwesomeness: Aww man thank you so much! ;u; I love your reaction to the last chapter haha I'm really glad you're liking this! Would love to hear what you're predicting/thinking about for the ~shady~ stuff haha.

Thank you also to youllbeinmyheart1997, Kurogamine-The Light Shadow, Guest, and cynthiacyvon for your reviews! They really do motivate me to write! Thank you so much for your support ;u; I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

#

Most of the time, when Kise was faced with a complicated situation, his mind would go on hyper-speed, processing everything as if time was slowed down. Reacting to a double clutch, or a pass, or a feint, or getting confronted with a tricky interview question or a surprise on live TV—they were all a matter of quick thinking and reflexes that Kise had learned to take on over the years. He'd be able to move his body, change his expression, come up with words, and simply react in all the right ways no matter the situation.

Except, apparently, when Aomine was involved.

Usually Kise would be able to think, to process what's going on before he'd allow his body to move or his mouth to speak. But ever since practically attacking Aomine with a hug and losing that bet some days ago, Kise found himself acting on impulse around Aomine more often than he'd normally like, or his mind suddenly malfunctioning somehow—just like how it blanked out and froze Kise, right in front of the half-naked Kagami, a similarly shirtless Aomine in the room behind him.

"Long time no see!" Kagami beamed, swinging the door fully open. "How've you been?"

Kise blinked at him, still gaping and trying not to let his eyes roam. He coughed dryly. "Long time no see…" he said. Kise swallowed and tried to snap out of shock. "I'm fine? What about you? Were you and Aominecchi, um..."

Kagami cocked his head to one side, raising an eyebrow. "Hm?"

Kise averted his gaze for a moment, eyes widening as he tried to push his mind back into motion. "Er, did I…interrupt something…?" Kise muttered. His eyes widened further and he jerked his head back up to meet Kagami's eyes. "I mean—sorry for barging in! I'll just come by another ti—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Kagami held a hand up, his own eyes widening a fraction. "'Interrupt'? You didn't—"

"It's nothing!" Kise blurted, trying to keep his eyes on Kagami's but getting distracted by Aomine moving towards them. "I'll just come back again—"

"No wait," Kagami brought a hand down on Kise's shoulder to stop him. Kise involuntarily flinched, and Kagami pulled his hand back as if he'd been burnt. For a moment, Kagami was confused (behind him, Aomine noticed, brows wrinkling just a little at that almost natural aversion he kept seeing on Kise), then blinked back in topic. "I think you're misunderstanding something."

For some reason, Kise wanted to believe that he was misunderstanding. Heck, his brain was barely even processing what he was seeing, but he knew that he didn't want to assume the easiest conclusion one could get to when you see two half-dressed guys staying in the same place that had just one bed, and catching one of those guys just barely slipping into some pants behind the other.

"What do you mean?" Kise said, eyes sliding to look off to one side. "You two were obviously busy—" What am I saying?

"Wait a minute, wait," Aomine stepped behind Kagami, putting a hand on his shoulder to shove Kagami to the side and look at Kise, who made an effort not to pay close attention to how they both weren't wearing shirts. "Kise. It's not what you think."

"Hm?" Kise's eyes were wide, almost in panic, as he kept staring off to the side. "No it's okay, you don't have to explain—"

"Fuck no," Aomine snapped, ignoring the grumbling Kagami he'd squished to the other side of the doorframe. He put a hand on Kise's shoulder and ignored the way Kise tensed under his palm (Aomine couldn't help but notice that Kise didn't flinch, at least). He leveled a straight gaze at Kise, and waited until Kise's eyes flickered to meet his and somehow get locked in them. "Kise. Kagami and I aren't fucking."

Both Kise and Kagami jerked as if they'd been electrocuted, eyes widening and cheeks flushing almost identically. "Wha—" Kagami spluttered, shoving Aomine.

Kise's brain short-circuited. "Wh—of course you're not—I mean, that's not what I was thinking at all?! Uh—" Kise stammered, one foot tentatively stepping back, as if to escape.

"You were totally thinking that," Aomine sighed, staring flatly at Kise.

"What the fuck, what the fuck," Kagami flailed, pushing forward to level a panicked pink face at Kise. "Kise. Kise. Aomine and I aren't—why would you even—" then Kagami noticed how Aomine was just as shirtless as he was, and that maybe Kise had heard him tell Aomine to get into pants, and how it was early in the morning; and all the pieces seemed to fit in Kagami's head. "Kise, I swear to god Aomine and I aren't—"

"Yeah Kise," Aomine butt in, stepping back lazily, pointing at Kagami. "This guy's so fucking head over heels for Tetsu you don't even—"

"AAAHH AHO!" Kagami screamed, tackling Aomine and clamping hands over his mouth. "Shut up, oh my god."

Kise's eyes widened. "Kagamicchi likes Kurokocchi?"

"NO," Kagami snapped, his hand securely clamped over Aomine's mouth as Aomine struggled to break free. "I mean of course I like him but—"

"No he doesn't like Tetsu," Aomine blurt out when he pulled Kagami's hands off of his face. "He's fucking in love with him."

"I swear to god Ahomine shut up," Kagami continued shoving his hand over Aomine's face, half-wrestling with him with a completely red face.

Kise's eyebrows were still climbing ever higher on his face. Kagamicchi likes Kurokocchi? He wasn't denying it and his face was beet red and Aomine wasn't even joking—

And somehow, for some reason, Kise felt relieved. He didn't know why, didn't understand why, but the wave of relief that settled his flipping stomach felt very real and very weird.

"But—why are you at Aominecchi's place, Kagamicchi?" Kise couldn't help but ask.

"Huh? 'Aomine's'?" Kagami stopped, and Aomine smacked Kagami's arms away with a grunt. "This is my place. Aomine's the damn freeloader here."

"Eh?" Kise blinked stupidly.

"Coach got me to let Aomine stay at my place instead of a hotel to be safe about his, uh…" Kagami trailed off, his split eyebrows furrowing in thought.

"Kise knows," Aomine supplied, sighing and crossing his arms over his chest. Kise couldn't help but notice how Aomine leaned on the side of the doorframe, wearing that signature scowl and no shirt, his chest and biceps more pronounced with his crossed arms, and Kise really did see how much more bulked up Aomine had become.

"Oh, you do?" Kagami straightened up, his blush just barely fading. "Well yeah, it's so that there's less of a chance of people finding out about his injury. And I'd rather stay at my own place? I just flew in from America last night. Aomine's the mooch."

Aomine snorted at Kagami, completely haughty. Despite himself, Kise snorted too, chuckling under his breath. He felt relieved. His heart had calmed and his stomach settled, and his brain seemed to have snapped back into proper consciousness, finally letting him notice how Aomine's hair was wet, some beads of water sticking to the ends of spiky locks and dotting his skin. He'd likely just gotten out of the shower and walked out in just his boxers the same way he did when Kise had slept over. Beside him, Kagami's hair was tousled in all directions, his bedhead almost as wild as Kuroko's.

"What are you doing here, anyway," Aomine piped up, head cocked to one side in a disturbingly attractive way. "Aren't you super busy or something?"

"Ah," Kise straightened up, arms going rigid at his sides. "I'm sorry for yesterday!" he said, bending at the waist to bow at Aomine. "Sorry for falling asleep even after inviting you to watch movies."

Aomine stiffened backwards, blinking down at Kise with a half-panicked expression. "It's no big deal, geez," he said, uncrossing his arms. "I sort of expected you'd fall asleep, so it's fine."

Kise looked up at Aomine, brows furrowed. "You expected I'd fall asleep?"

"With that ridiculous schedule of yours, yes," Aomine sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

Kise slowly straightened up to his height, his mind slowing down again. "So why did you…" he said, not quite understanding what it meant for Aomine to have expected that.

"Hm?" Aomine leaned forward to hear.

Kise wanted to jerk back, but somehow couldn't, his eyes locking with navy blue ones. "Nothing. Sorry."

"Stop apologizing, dammit," Aomine sighed.

Kise stared for a moment, then let out a breath, feeling as if all his worries were just flecks of dust that were easily blown away by Aomine's expression. His guilt still clung to him, just a little, and Kise wanted to stay and just talk, just catch up. It felt like Kise didn't have nearly enough time to spend with him until Aomine had to go back to America, and then Kise would—

…what would Kise feel? What would he do if Aominecchi left? How long would he have to wait until Aomine would want to visit? Aomine didn't even mean to come this time around—he'd just been injured and had to lay low. And he wasn't allowed to do anything that could worsen his injury, and to pass the time he'd chosen to hang out with Kise. Kise, of all people, who had the tightest, busiest schedule there could be. He was the worst person to choose to spend time with, and he'd fallen asleep on Aomine twice already, but he didn't seem that bothered at all.

"H-hey, Aominecchi," Kise muttered.

"Hm?"

"To make up for it," Kise said, bringing his eyes back to look at Aomine's. "I'll treat you to a drink tonight?" His voice came out steadier than he expected, a different kind of determination lighting up in his chest. A sheepish smile warmed over his face as his body relaxed, and it felt like his hands were going to start shaking so he settled one nervously behind his neck. "I-if you're free, of course. I swear I won't fall asleep on the way."

Aomine stared at him, at those honest amber eyes, feeling like he was looking at a pair of suns that wouldn't blind you, but dazzle you nonetheless. "Yeah. Sure."

Kise visibly brightened, and it was like the lights on a basketball arena lighting up, giving Aomine that warmth blooming in his chest that he could only really describe as life. Aomine's heart clenched weirdly, seeing Kise's honest, relieved smile, and for a moment Aomine's brows knotted in confusion and annoyance.

"Great!" Kise beamed. He turned to Kagami as if just remembering that he was there. "Sorry about the confusion earlier, Kagamicchi—It's really great to see you again! Do you want to come with us tonight?"

Kagami blinked owlishly at Kise, eyes flickering to Aomine for a moment, as if Aomine was supposed to give him permission. Kise cocked his head to the side with a small smile, and it was both charming and pretty, and made Kagami self-conscious while Aomine frowned at how he thought that Kise's face was just impossible.

"Nah, it's alright!" Kagami answered. "I wouldn't want to third-wheel."

Kise raised an eyebrow. "You sure? It'll be my treat." Third-wheel? With Aominecchi and me? Kise's head tilted more to the side in confusion, and Aomine's frown deepened. It annoyed Aomine to no end how much Kise could look so goddamn attractive in the morning.

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me though," Kagami smiled. "Besides…" he turned his eyes away, bringing a hand to rub the back of his neck as a small flush crept up his cheeks. "I have a thing to go to tonight."

Kise's head angled even lower, the tips of his hair almost touching his shoulder. Aomine narrowed his eyes, wondering if Kise just knew what the hell he was doing, with those shining eyes and impeccable hair and stupid face. "What thing?" Kise asked, rocking his head a little. He thought for a moment. "Is it…a date?"

Kagami blinked rapidly, eyes still not looking at Kise. "No, it's just—I mean—"

"With Kurokocchi?"

Kagami smiled so wide that the corners of his eyes crinkled, and it was the kind of smile that was pure happiness and sunshine and made the day seem like a great day. He was an open book, face red and delight radiating off of him like a light, and Kise almost giggled at him. "Yeah. I'm gonna have dinner with Tet—Kuroko later." Kagami was grinning and flustered, and despite himself, Aomine smirked at the stupidly happy expression Kagami wore.

"Good for you, Kagamicchi." Kise winked, and Kagami flustered even more. "Let's hang out sometime though!"

"Yeah, been a while since I've seen Tetsu," Aomine said. "But I'll leave you two alone for your date tonight."

Kagami's flush deepened, and he was trying to be annoyed at Aomine but his face was the picture of unshakable happiness. "Shut up, Aho. If you want to come you can come, Kuroko would be happy."

"Aren't you just sweet," Aomine smirked. "Some other time, sure. Wouldn't want to third-wheel." Before Kagami could react, Aomine continued, grin slicing up his face even wider, "Besides—" he reached for Kise without thinking, and stopped when he saw Kise stiffen just slightly, almost imperceptibly. Aomine redirected his hand to lightly brush some of Kise's hair away from his eyes instead, his fingers lingering just a little. Kise blinked in mild surprise, feeling heat crawl up at his cheeks as he looked at Aomine smile at him. "—I've got a date with a model tonight."

Kise's head felt hot, and he was struck by the way Aomine had lightly touched him: his fingers sent shivers through Kise's skin, like tiny electric sparks that didn't make him feel like jerking back on impulse, didn't make Kise recoil at the touch—a reaction that had become practically compulsive to Kise by now. He could still feel where Aomine had barely touched him, and the way that Aomine looked at him, with a soft smile and this look in his eyes—it made Kise's heart thrash in his chest, and he vaguely registered that to some level, Aomine knew that there was something up; and Kise knew that his expression made it even more obvious that he was hiding something, but for some reason he couldn't hide much things that easily from Aomine.

Those midnight blue eyes softened, giving Kise a look that said 'I'm here,' and there was a sudden welling of emotion in Kise that widened his eyes and warmed his whole chest, and his heart made a resounding thud when he was hit by a realization that overflowed with the same feelings he was filled with the first time he'd seen Aomine in the basketball gym of Teiko. And back then he was just a middle school student, a teen who'd wished for someone, anyone, to light a fire in him—and Aomine was there like the blazing sun that Kise could only hope to reach, and Kise was filled with a fire he could only really describe as life—and he didn't understand those feelings, could only translate them into fierce admiration and awe, but now he was older and just a little bit smarter, and he couldn't form any words in his head but deep down, he knew.

"Well aren't you a lucky bastard," Kagami said, grinning. He looked happy for Aomine, and his face softened when he saw Kise's expression. "Speaking of model, you're everywhere, Kise! You've really gotten famous now, huh."

Kise almost jerked in surprise, blinking out of his daze and tearing his eyes away from Aomine's (he didn't know he'd been staring). He chuckled lightly, a bit shakily. "Ah, thanks. It's been pretty great. Kind of busy, but fun."

"I heard you were going to be playing Hisanobu!" Kagami perked up, his eyes lighting with open admiration. "That's damn awesome. I love that series."

An easy smile spread across Kise's face, and he was almost grateful for the distraction Kagami gave. "Thanks, Kagamicchi! That's great to hear." Kise straightened up and bowed slightly. "Please continue to support Takehiko-sensei and the drama."

"Ohh," Kagami smiled, bowing just a little himself. "Of course. Good luck."

Kise looked up, his smile gentle and gratified. "Thanks! You too."

"By the way," Aomine chimed in (Kise felt that warmth flare in his chest again). "Why are we all standing by the doorway."

"Ah!" Kise exclaimed, and just then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "I have to get going! I really just came here to apologize."

"Busy schedule?" Aomine cocked his head to one side.

"Always," Kise chuckled. "But I have time tonight!"

A corner of Aomine's lips curled up in that same, boyishly charming way. "See you tonight then, Kise." He reached over without much thought and tucked a stray clump of Kise's hair behind an ear.

Kise's breath hitched lightly, almost invisibly, and he didn't sputter or flail like he normally did, which surprised Aomine a little, though not as much as it made him feel pleased. When Aomine drew his hand back, Kise was still looking straight at him, almost making Aomine self-conscious, and a small, almost defeated smile curled up Kise's lips. "See you," he said with a nod. Kise pulled out his phone from his pocket, his face lighting up into a brighter smile, a practiced one. "I'll be going then!" he announced. "Have fun on your date, Kagamicchi!"

Kagami flushed just slightly, but he smiled back. "You too."

Even if Kise's smile was a practiced one, the kind of upward curl that meant to be put on for others, he couldn't help the light flush that finally crawled back up his cheeks. He gave another small bow and smiled a little wider, stepping away and waving as he turned. Kagami waved back and moved to go inside his apartment, and Kise had to force his whole body to turn away when Aomine lingered for a few seconds just watching him go.

When Kise heard the sound of the door closing behind him, he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The loud thumping of his heart that he'd muted started coming back to pump at his ears, and he was just a few steps away from Haizaki when he'd noticed him in the hall.

Kise almost skidded to a sudden stop, startled. "Shougo," he said absently. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," he answered, tucking his phone into his pocket. He looked at Kise with a serious expression, like he was deep in thought about something he was searching in Kise's face. It was as if he was finding an answer to something in Kise's features, seeing how little he was hiding in his expression then. A few beats passed before he exhaled a quiet sigh, turning towards the elevators. "Let's go."

Kise looked at him questioningly, but followed. "Okay."

They stepped into an elevator when it dinged open, and Kise immediately got pulled back into his thoughts when the doors closed. His mind was a muddle of all of his confused feelings and realizations—the way Aomine had noticed Kise's reaction to contact, the way he'd responded to it by stopping himself and instead brushing a gentle touch to Kise's cheek; the way Kise felt those warm electric sparks from where he'd been barely touched, and the way Aomine looked at him—everything made Kise's heart throb with warmth, almost painfully, and it was similar to the first time Kise had seen Aomine play basketball in Teiko, but it was also different. This time, years later, it was as if he was meeting Aomine again, and his feelings all came rushing back like a wave, stronger and clearer, and they were probably the same feelings he first had after encountering Aomine in that gym, but it was just now that he understood what those feelings were.

Beside him, Haizaki was observing Kise pensively. Haizaki felt a muffled contentment wash over him at seeing how Kise was behaving, so lost in his own thoughts and emotions. Haizaki huffed, leaning against the back wall of the elevator, and watched how Kise's hand hovered over the side of his head, where Aomine had touched him. And Aomine had done it in a way that Kise didn't react negatively to, in a way that made Kise finally realize exactly what Aomine meant to him (or at least, Haizaki hoped Kise finally realized).

Aomine's fingers had barely brushed Kise's skin, but he'd touched him more in that one moment than Haizaki ever would, no matter how long he'd stay by Kise's side. Aomine had done it in a way that made Kise weaker and stronger, brighter and filled with more life—in a way that Haizaki could never hope to copy.

Haizaki sighed in defeat—he never could copy any of those Miracles.

#

A sharp, double smack resounded by the entrance to a studio, loud enough for the people inside to get startled at. Just by the door, Kise was wincing with his whole face, eyes and nose wrinkled in pain as his older sister pulled her hands back from his cheeks.

"That smack you good enough?" Rika grinned at him.

"Yep," Kise said, bringing his hands to his stinging cheeks. "Thanks, nee-chan."

"Any time," Rika said. She gave Kise a solid pat on the back, pushing him into the brightly lit room. "Now get in there, top model-kun."

Kise nodded, beaming, and the moment he stepped into the studio, someone announced his arrival, and both staff and fellow models greeted him as he entered. Kise put on his winning smile, and plunged himself into the role of one of Japan's top male models and stars, directing all his focus into his work—every expression, every step and pause, every pose and shift of his eyes. He had started out as a model, so everything came more naturally compared to his other jobs, but it didn't exactly help with his disarrayed thoughts. He would find his fingers just barely hovering over his cheek, where Aomine had brushed his hair back, and kept picturing the look that Aomine gave him when he'd done it. Kise saw in Aomine's eyes that he knew Kise was hiding something, that something was up, but at the same time it looked like he didn't care. Like it was no big deal and Aomine accepted Kise nonetheless. And Aomine had been mindful, had acted on his noticing Kise's flinches and stiffness, but had also reached out to Kise in the gentlest way possible, in a way that Kise almost leaned into like a magnet.

It all made Kise's heart clench, made it throb so hard that he'd put a hand over his chest, and Kise was so confused but all he could think of was 'See you tonight then, Kise'.

Kise slapped his cheeks with a start, feeling like a stupid idiot and immediately wincing. "Oww…" he whined, grimacing as he rubbed his sore cheeks. Sometimes he forgot how much stronger his arms had become because of his new role, and now he was sure there were red, hand-shaped sores on his face.

"You alright, Ryouta?"

Kise turned to one of his fellow models, a pink-haired man with amethyst eyes, standing just a few centimeters shorter than Kise. "Ah, Kisumi," Kise said, rubbing his cheeks. "Yeah, sorry."

Kisumi tilted his head to one side, his curly hair bouncing delicately around his face. He raised an eyebrow. "Sorry? For what?" he chuckled. "You've been spacing out a lot today. Did something happen?"

Kise squished his cheeks, and then gingerly drew his palms back. His face still stung, and he grimaced. The others in the studio glanced at him curiously, and Kise just knew how distracted he must look to them, despite how he was still going through the motions of their rehearsals without pause. "Nah, nothing really, sort of," Kise said, his words just falling out of his mouth like he couldn't be bothered to choose them.

"Make up your mind," Kisumi snickered, stepping beside Kise as they moved into position. The other models easily made way for them to get to the back, glancing every so often at the two of them. They were undoubtedly two of the top models in the industry, both of them sharing similar height and build, both radiant with fair skin and jewel-like eyes. They were queued at the back of the group, part of the final segments of the upcoming show where they'd be the most anticipated appearances.

The two of them were an impeccable pair, walking side by side, but most eyes lingered on Kise. He wasn't just a model anymore: he was an actor too, a step above most in the room, practically put on a pedestal atop the rest. Even with his befuddled thoughts, Kise carried himself in a way that commanded both respect and admiration, like an unreachable beauty, a far-shining star.

(But, Kise would think to himself, he couldn't be like the sun that blazed so far away, so out of reach. He could never shine quite as bright, or as fiercely. He couldn't beat him, not when 'See you tonight' weighed on his mind so strongly, and deep blue eyes appeared at the back of his eyelids at every blink.)

"I don't know, I'm confused," Kise sighed. There weren't many people he could freely talk to in the industry, and Kisumi was one of those few friends he'd made when he was starting out as a model. They'd practically grown together in that job ever since getting they got scouted during their later years of high school, and the company was appreciated in that world of shallow smiles and hidden intentions.

"Could it be about Aomine Daiki?"

Kise sputtered and stiffened, head swerving to look at Kisumi. "What why would you think that."

Kisumi's smile widened, eyes sparkling. "I was surprised when you ran up to him when he appeared as your special guest," he said, both of them barely paying attention to the bustling around them. "And then you went on that date with him to Maji Burger—"

"Date what date," Kise spluttered, gaping. "That wasn't a date…was it? Wait how do you even know about that."

"It's on the internet," Kisumi snorted, barely stifling his laugh. "You were feeding him and holding his hand—what else would it look like? You should know how much people are pairing you two together now."

"What." Kise was still gaping. "We what? They what?"

Kisumi pushed a fist to his mouth to muffle his laughter, shoulders shaking against his little huffs. "It's not a big deal." He waved a hand, then gave Kise's shoulder a pat. "You look happier, so that's all that matters," he said, bringing his hands down to smile sincerely at Kise.

"I do?" Kise raised a brow, grimacing. "It feels like I'm just mostly confused and distracted."

"I don't know, I haven't seen you so lively and colorful since you got that role in the drama," Kisumi pondered. "Actually, I'm more reminded of that time when I first met you—when you were in second year?—during the Inter-High season. Yeah. You're just like the you back then."

Kise cocked his head to one side. "Really?"

"Come to think of it, you used to talk about 'Aominecchi' a lot back then," Kisumi's eyes widened with realization. "You're different with him."

Kise's face continued to twist in all sorts of confused and troubled expressions. Sure, he always talked about Aominecchi whenever basketball was concerned, but was it really that much? Kise pouted. "I am?"

"You are, you are," Kisumi said, nodding, both at Kise and at himself for putting the pieces together. "You're really more…lively and happy. Even your fans noticed."

Kise continued to frown, feeling his cheeks start to warm. Now that he was being told about it, he has been more active recently, laughing more and smiling more, and losing control of his practiced celebrity faces whenever Aomine was around. And his chest kept doing that thing where it would hurt and throb and thrash in his chest, and that spot near his eyes that Aomine's fingers had brushed over tingled at the memory of his touch.

His hand hovered over the side of his face again, and his heart started to beat harder in his chest when 'See you tonight' rang in his mind another time.

"Speaking of Aomine Daiki," Kisumi said. "I saw him yesterday at the cafeteria over at JC Studios, fighting with Shougo. They looked pretty close."

Kise blinked, eyes widening a fraction. A guilty frown tugged at the corners of his lips, his expression twisting into another grimace as he put a hand over his face, groaning.

Kisumi frowned. "What? What is it?"

Kise pouted at Kisumi, absently moving along their assigned positions together. "You see, the day before yesterday—when Aominecchi took me to Maji Burger—I fell asleep in the car while Aominecchi was driving," Kise recounted, sighing. "He couldn't wake me up because I sleep like the dead so he carried me to his place—well, not his place but where he's staying—and let me sleep over." Kise grimaced again, feeling his cheeks warm at the memory. "And then he had to drive me to JC Studios yesterday because I had a thing, so I invited him to watch movies with me 'cause we weren't able to the day before. So you saw him at the cafeteria because he was passing the time until I finished but then I fucking fell asleep again and he carried me to my bed and now I'm officially a horrible insensitive prick."

Kisumi gaped at Kise, blinking owlishly. Kise had a face that got guiltier by the second, but his cheeks were pink seemingly not just from embarrassment, but also from remembering the facts. "Wait, you invited him to watch 'movies' with you?"

"Yeah, at my place," Kise replied almost absentmindedly, still lamenting his amazing track record of falling asleep on Aominecchi. "The last two Rurouni Kenshin movies, supposedly."

Kisumi's eyes went wide. "You mean you still haven't finished watching them?!"

Kise looked like he was going to cry like a child. "I haven't, alright?" he wailed. "And he practically scolded me for it and said that we should watch it together but then I keep getting knocked out like a damn sack of potatoes."

"Okay, the potatoes part doesn't make sense but," Kisumi said, brows knotting. "Let me get this straight—he asked you out to Maji Burger, then to watch movies with you; he carried you to his place when you fell asleep, then drove you to your thing, waited for you to finish work, then carried you back to your bed when you fell asleep again?"

Kise looked like he wanted to evaporate on the spot. "Yes okay? You don't have to repeat it, geez."

"No no no," Kisumi leaned closer, shaking a hand at Kise as if to make him backtrack. "You don't seem to get it—"

"No, I totally get it," Kise bemoaned, raising two hands in the air. "I'm a complete jerk."

"Ryouta, no," Kisumi said, putting a firm hand on Kise's shoulder, making him stand in attention. "You really don't get it—this guy, Aomine, he likes you."

Kise froze. "Ha?"

"Aomine. Likes. You." Kisumi said firmly. "And not just as a friend, just to be clear."

Kise blinked at Kisumi's serious face, mind suddenly slowing to a snail's pace. Kisumi raised an eyebrow, almost impatient, and looked completely serious.

Kise almost jumped a foot away with a sudden start. "What the hell Kisumi," he said. Kisumi was way too straightforward for his own good, but he was always honest, which meant a lot, considering their line of work. But now he was being just plain absurd. "What are you even saying—Aominecchi? Me? What—"

"Look, I don't know him personally, but he's a famous guy," Kisumi argued. "And from what I've seen, he's not the type to do all that kind of caring stuff in general. You're obviously special to him."

Kise's face felt hot, and he was almost sure steam was going to start pouring out of his ears from how heated up his cheeks had become. "No no no no," Kise chanted, stumbling back into his assigned position as the fashion show rehearsals went on without realizing the chaos going on in Kise's head. "That's…I mean—" It was ridiculous, but he had a point, now that he mentioned it. Aomine was far from being an angel, and all the things he's done so far were exceptionally angelic of him, by Aomine standards. But it was ridiculous.

Kisumi leveled Kise with a very dubious and serious stare. "Okay, you can choose not to believe me about him because I don't know him, but I know you," he said. "And you cannot tell me you don't have feelings for this guy."

"Feelings? For Aominecchi?" Kise was dumbfounded. "Well of course I mean—he was my idol in basketball, he inspired me to play—and he's amazing and—" Kise balled his hands into fists, expression turning panicked. "Fucking—"

Kisumi sighed, giving Kise comforting pats on the shoulder, and Kise was too befuddled to even notice. "Well I hope you realize it soon," Kisumi said, turning his back to Kise as he was called for his turn on the catwalk.

"Realize what," Kise grimaced, looking into space.

"You'll figure it out," Kisumi said from over his shoulder, waving a hand as he moved to walk into the spotlight. "I hope."

Kise watched as Kisumi walked away, his face changing from bright and cheerful to serious and alluring, moving with a steady gait and measured strides that they both mastered over the years. Kise was set to be the last to walk, and he shook his head back into some modicum of sense, back into even just a little focus on his work, and moved into position. After a few moments, he stepped out into view, and those who had returned backstage watched him. Those who were directing and running the show watched him. All eyes turned to Kise, the Golden Boy of the industry, all their admiring, envious, and captivated gazes pointed at him. And he was the most anticipated appearance, the star everyone had their eye on, but Kise barely felt the pressure, could barely register the weight of their stares when they didn't even compare to the midnight blue gaze he couldn't get out of his mind.

#

"The fuck happened to your face?"

Kise grimaced, his cheeks practically growing red with soreness. "Hello to you too," he said, opening the car door and sloppily slipping inside.

Haizaki hopped in the driver's seat with a huff, fastening his seatbelt and adjusting the rearview mirror. Behind him, Kise flopped his torso down to lie on the whole backseat, sighing loudly as he covered his face with both hands.

"Seriously though, will I be beating someone up or something?" Haizaki said, looking at Kise from the mirror.

"No," Kise answered. "Had to slap myself a few times. If there's someone you should beat up, it's me."

"Oh, then I'm good," Haizaki waved, switching on the engine. "I'd much rather watch you suffer like this."

Kise grumbled. "Gee, thanks."

"Besides, I know exactly six people who'd have my head if I did anything to you, superstar."

"Oh really," Kise humored flatly. "Do tell."

"Huh. Well there's Rika, there's the president, the vice president; Kasamatsu, Hayakawa," Haizaki counted off, driving into a wide road. "And Daiki."

Silence. There was suddenly only the muffled hum of the car to be heard, and Haizaki could only see Kise's lower body slung haphazardly on the backseat but he knew that Kise had frozen in place.

After a few beats, Kise groaned an incoherent slur of grumbling against the pillow he'd pressed over his face. Haizaki smirked in amusement, ignoring the quiet tightening of his own chest.

"Are you all teasing me," Kise muttered. "Am I being bullied."

"Did someone else tease you today?" Haizaki said. "I gotta give that guy a high five."

"It was Kisumi," Kise said grumpily. "Did you two talk about bullying me."

"Oh, Shigino? Almost forgot he was part of that show," Haizaki commented. "And no, we didn't 'talk'. Bullying you sort of comes naturally to people, you know."

Haizaki couldn't see Kise's face, but he knew Kise was pouting at him. "So cruel," he groaned.

"It's true though, about Daiki," Haizaki said, already knowing what Kise was thinking.

"Are you sure."

"Yeah, he's an arrogant bastard but he'd totally knock me out if I tried anything with you," Haizaki said easily. He already knocked me out before for fucking thinking about beating you up, Haizaki thought to himself bitterly. That hit had fucking hurt. Aomine didn't aim for his nose, sure, but he didn't pull his punch one bit.

A few silent beats passed before Kise grumbled under his pillow again.

"You're only flustered 'cause you're fucking happy about it, aren't you," Haizaki teased, pulling up into a lot and looking around for a parking space.

"Shut up," Kise mumbled. "Why are you all saying these things."

"I don't know what Shigino told you, but it's probably because it's true. And it's for your own good," Haizaki shrugged. His eyes softened after he spoke, and he said, barely a whisper, "And for myself."

"What was that last part?" Kise asked from under his pillow.

"I said it's for your own good." Haizaki shook his head. "A dense idiot like you won't be able to get anything without any help. So be grateful, superstar."

"I'm being attacked," Kise wailed against his pillow. "I'm being mentally and emotionally pummeled by my own friends."

"Your ego can take it," Haizaki said with a sigh.

"Well yeah but you guys could try to take it easy on me sometimes," Kise chuckled. He hugged his pillow against his chest and sighed. "Ah, I—have a date with Aominecchi later tonight."

A corner of Haizaki's lips tugged up in a smirk. "I know. I called Totsuki and got you a reservation to that private room."

"You did?" Kise sat up, his surprised face visible in the mirror.

Haizaki gripped the steering wheel a little tighter to keep himself from breaking the rearview mirror with Kise's reflection on it. "Yep. A lot of celebrities go there too but you'd probably want time alone, huh," he sneered warmly.

Kise pouted at nothing in particular, and Haizaki really had to force himself not to break the mirror and rid himself of the sight of Kise.

"Plus, I'll be busy tonight so Tanaka-san will be picking you up," Haizaki told him.

"Eh? You'll be busy?"

"Yeah, Rika's really serious about the assistant-manager thing," Haizaki sighed. "I can't believe she's having me go with you to the tour today—it's your big acting role and she dumped the fucking bodyguard to do the work, what the hell."

"It's 'cause she trusts you," Kise said, poking Haizaki on the shoulder. "Aren't you happy?"

"Well I'm happy about the raise, that's for sure," Haizaki grinned.

Kise chuckled, and it sounded like light music to Haizaki's ears, and Haizaki wanted to maybe hit his head on the steering wheel but settled for just choking it with his hands. "Don't worry, Shougo," Kise put a firm hand on Haizaki's shoulder. "You've got me, so it wouldn't be any problem. Besides, it's just a tour."

"Well thanks superstar, that's very reassuring," Haizaki sighed, unconsciously leaning into Kise's palm. He thought for a moment before adding, "And I'll say this now before I forget, but try not to get plastered drinking with Daiki tonight."

Haizaki could hear Kise's frown. "What."

"I'm serious," Haizaki sighed. "You're a fucking lightweight."

"I am not," Kise said. "You're just a damn monster when it comes to drinking."

Haizaki smirked. "Hm, well, I guess that's true," he said. "Fine, you're okay at drinking, just don't drink too much around Daiki."

"Why specifically around Aominecchi?"

Haizaki narrowed his eyes in thought. "Hm. It's nothing," he said after considering. "I guess since Daiki will be with you, then I don't need to worry." I hope.

Haizaki saw the way Kise's cheeks flushed faintly as his brows knotted. After a beat, Kise let out a huff, his mood going just a little bit serious. "Aominecchi's different from…"

Haizaki's eyes softened. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly. "I just…you know."

Kise let out a small sigh. "Yeah." From the rearview mirror, Haizaki could see Kise close his eyes and clutch his pillow a little tighter against him.

"I trust him," Haizaki said firmly, absently brushing his fingers over his jaw. It's been years, it had healed up already, but he could remember the pain from a punch that was meant to protect someone like he remembered the fierce blue eyes that stood behind it. "I can trust Daiki with you."

They both went silent, and Haizaki could see Kise hug his pillow tighter, burying his jaw in it to try to hide his cheeks. Haizaki's gaze warmed, eyes softening at the sight of Kise looking more alive and happier than usual. Haizaki ignored the stupid clenching of his heart and let out an exasperated sigh. "And I'm your bodyguard, so."

Kise moved his eyes to look at Haizaki's from the mirror, his amber eyes like honey, sweet and warm. Haizaki felt his chest throb, and mentally kicked himself for the way that his stomach fluttered when Kise smiled and said, "I know. Thanks."

Haizaki nodded, could only nod in response, moving his head to look away and focus on the road, on anything but Kise and those eyes of his. They drove in silence for a few moments, and Haizaki let out a determined huff, switching his concentration to his job. "We're here. Fix up and get ready. A bunch of important guys will be around so go and be Mr. Perfect now."

Kise chuckled, shuffling around at the back to set his pillow aside and straighten himself up. Haizaki parked the car and shut the engine, watching Kise from the mirror as he ran a hand through his golden hair, so soft that they fell into order just like that. Kise closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the redness of his cheeks faded and his flustering gone. He exhaled, opening his eyes, and brought his mind into focus. Haizaki almost shuddered at the sharp concentration in Kise's eyes that he easily called on, at the sudden mask he donned as a rising actor in the industry. It was without doubt that this new breakout role was important to Kise, in more ways than just for his career, and even Haizaki, with all his years of knowing Kise and being his bodyguard, would still be amazed by how Kise took on all these new challenges and conquer them just as easily as he could copy abilities.

Haizaki smoothed his hair back, trying to tame it a little, and pulled on a blazer. They both stepped out of the car and were met by various heads of production for the drama. They bowed, shook hands, and Kise was the shining beacon of perfection all throughout. Haizaki wasn't fond of all the formalities, all the smiling and ass-kissing, but he was comfortable beside Kise. There was just something very reassuring about being next to him, on his side, like you could rely on him to be able to handle everything, and Haizaki absently thought that Kise was still an ace, even off the court. Kise used to be a self-centered prick Haizaki never got along with back in middle school, but Kise had always been the kind of guy who could connect people. It was no wonder that Kise remained the ace of his high school team up until his last year, and that Kise was such a famous celebrity now.

"Over there is Studio A, and across it is Studio B," a producer continued to inform them, pointing to the buildings along the road they toured. "Kise-san's Hospital Room Set is at Studio B, and the adjoining annex is the Rehab Set—we were able to build them together to make it easier for everyone."

Kise smiled, nodding in approval. "I'm glad we were able to get more sponsors on this."

"It's all thanks to you, Kise-san," another staffer said. Haizaki recognized him as one of the PR leads of the series. "You've really helped out in promoting the project."

"No no, it's thanks to everyone's hard work," Kise said sincerely, waving a hand modestly. "I only say the truth, and that's that this series is amazing."

Kise looked completely genuine and humbled, thoroughly charming all those around him. Haizaki smirked as he watched their companions get completely dazzled by Kise, who seemed brighter and so full of radiance that even Haizaki, who was supposed to be used to the sparkling celebrity, found himself getting stunned as well.

As they continued on their tour, Haizaki started to feel the strain in his hips and neck from bowing so much while accepting all the business cards and meeting the shit ton of important people he and Kise were supposed to be acquainted with. He was practically a nobody, just a bodyguard, an aide, but somehow people properly minded him. He was sure it was because of the Kises—Rika's strict training and reputation, and Ryouta's presence and trust in him. Haizaki knew he'd never get used to the life he had now, and no matter how long he's been at it, he was certain he'd never quite fully believe he was living it.

"The training area is at the new gym over here," a producer told the two of them, pointing to a building they approached. The building manager greeted them and opened the doors for them, and inside they found a brightly lit training room complete with all sorts of equipment and gear. They were introduced to a couple of trainers making rounds and taking stock of the inventory, and again Haizaki felt like a fucking hinge because of all the bending he was doing to bow.

"You'll be getting a new trainer, Kise-san," one manager said. "We managed to get someone who was trained in America, and has dealt with the training of celebrities there. You've already completed the first course, right?"

Kise tilted his head in that boyishly cute way of his, his eyes sparkling with interest. He moved his slim fingers to wrap around the handle of a kettle bell on a stand nearby, the label on it reading eighty-eight pounds. He lifted it easily, raising it up and down like it was a picnic basket, and knotted his brows in thought. "I did, but I feel like I still need to continue parts of it," Kise said. "For the second half of the season where Hisanobu's supposed to be spending more time in rehabilitation and training."

Their companions stared at Kise, at the almost delicate-looking ray of sunshine that he was as he gave his comments. The training coordinator approached him and consulted both Kise and Haizaki about Kise's training schedules, the regime, the joint training sessions with other fellow actors, and the assignment of trainers. At one point, Kise shrugged off his jacket and deadlifted upwards of two hundred pounds, thoroughly surprising everyone in the room. After a few shifts, he gently set the weighted barbell down and flicked his head, tossing his hair to one side with a small huff. He had just lifted practically twice his weight, no sweat, and still looked like the picture of perfection, his hair softly fluttering around his face as he spoke to the obviously impressed trainers, everyone else looking to him with sparkling eyes.

Haizaki grimaced, almost shuddering at the sight of the ridiculous pretty boy whose looks belied the undeniable strength hidden under his damn designer clothes. Haizaki made a mental note to hit the gym more often—it wouldn't do him that much good to be a bodyguard who was weaker than his charge.

"Hey Shougo," Kise whispered, tapping Haizaki's shoulder. "Do you think I could have time to go to the gym apart from training?"

Haizaki furrowed his brows. "Why?"

"I feel like I should work out more," Kise told him, his own brows knotted in honest consideration.

Haizaki gave him an incredulous look. "The fuck Ryouta, you don't need to 'work out more'," he hissed at him. "You're a top model on like every fucking billboard and you can deadlift twice your fucking weight, what else do you want?!"

Kise frowned. "But…"

"Jesus Christ, no 'but's, you already have training for the drama, that's enough of a work out, you nut," Haizaki snapped. "And you're gonna lose more sleep if you try to squeeze extra gym hours, so shut it."

Kise's mouth downturned into a pout. "Fine," he whined, turning back to the others around them with a huff.

Haizaki sighed, and this time he pulled out his phone to save a reminder for himself to definitely hit the gym more often. Kise was fucking ridiculous—literally everyone thinks he's got a perfect face and body, and can probably lift Haizaki and throw him across the room—and the bastard still thinks he should work out more. Haizaki wanted to punch him, he really did, but he was almost scared that his knuckles would break at the attempt.

"Haizaki-san, here you go."

Haizaki stiffened in attention, turning to one of the training coordinators who was handing him a document. He smoothened his expression to something he hoped wasn't as threatening as he felt, and bowed just a little as he accepted it.

"These are the notes on Kise-san's training schedules," the coordinator said. "This also includes the information of the new trainers, fellow actors, and studio contacts, among others."

Haizaki nodded stiffly, offering his thanks as he barely skimmed through the list out of courtesy. There were a shit ton of words and numbers and Haizaki would probably have to remember them all but he couldn't be bothered to try at that time. Instead he looked for Kise's name, easily finding the kanji of it and vaguely scanning whatever was most relevant to him.

(Later, much later, Haizaki would mentally kick himself for missing a name printed on the list, for overlooking that one important person he was going to encounter that he wouldn't be prepared to see at all.)

They were ushered out of the gym and led to the next building, a bigger one with some cars parked outside it. Haizaki pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep track of all the new information he was being fed as he followed alongside Kise. Haizaki's head started to throb, and he'd just been walking around being handed business cards and documents and talking to people, but he was tired. There was something about the whole entertainment industry shit that seemed to suck the energy of anyone who'd so much as dip their finger in it, and Kise was fucking living that life—Haizaki sometimes couldn't understand how Kise did it, even if it was his job to stick with him as he did.

Haizaki glanced at Kise, who had that gentle, practiced smile on. He looked calm, just the right amount of interested and always with that abundance of natural charm and charisma. Kise was tired, more worn out than Haizaki, for sure, but he didn't show a single hint of it. Kise almost thrived at the job, took it on like a challenging game, and it took a lot for Haizaki to just keep up.

As they neared the entrance to the next building, the distinct sound of squeaking shoes and rhythmic thuds against the floor could be heard from inside. It was a familiar sound, and stopped Kise in his tracks.

"This is the gym," a producer announced. "There's a shoot going on inside right now, but this will be the set for the flashbacks and team training."

There were more sounds of squeaking and running, coupled with the all too familiar sound of dribbling coming from inside. Kise seemed to gravitate to the door, his eyes open wide with curiosity and anticipation, and he wasn't looking at anyone in particular when he asked, "Can we look inside?"

Kise didn't even wait for the affirmative when he slowly pulled the door open and peeked in, and all of a sudden he was met with the sight of a flash of black lined with white, like a strike of lightning shooting up in the air, and the thunderous sound of a slam dunk resounded through the gym as Aomine smashed a basketball into the hoop.

Kise's mouth fell open, both in shock and wonder. If Haizaki hadn't been beside him, he wouldn't have heard Kise gasp, "Aominecchi?!" under his breath.

Haizaki had to blink out of his own surprise and awe, watching as Aomine landed both gracefully and powerfully on the ground. Aomine huffed, catching the ball as it was passed back to him, and casually played with it as a photographer spoke to him. Around him were various lights and all sorts of photography equipment set up around the court, and a green wall stood on one side of it. Momoi was standing by the sidelines barely concealing her concern, carefully overseeing the shoot alongside the photographers.

In the center of it all was Aomine, dressed in his NBA team's black uniform, his hair trimmed shorter and his fingers nimbly playing with the basketball in his hand. He nodded at something the photographer said, and he shifted, legs moving so smoothly and swiftly under him in a way that completely captivated everyone watching. With a few agile strides, he made a drive to the paint, the sound of his dribbling sharp and strong, and the ball was a blur when he passed it to his other hand just before launching himself in the air with one fluid motion.

He was fast, too fast, and the camera's shutter was frantically taking shot after shot as if it could barely keep up with him. Aomine moved so smoothly, so perfectly, that it was impossible to keep their eyes away, everyone thoroughly captivated by the obvious abundance of skill and power that Aomine possessed.

Kise could only watch in awe, could only stare in open amazement as Aomine turned once in the air and swung his arm down to the hoop, dunking the ball like a thunderbolt with so much strength that the backboard shuddered, almost as if it was just as amazed at Aomine as everyone else was.

Haizaki's jaw slackened for a moment, his eyebrows high with wonder. He glanced at Kise and saw how wide those amber eyes had become, shining with a fire that seemed to blaze at the sight of Aomine. And Aomine grinned, looing like he couldn't get enough of just holding the ball, his form oozing with so much suppressed energy that he could barely reign in. He dribbled the ball from one hand to another, that wide smile and the shorter hair making him look just like he did when he was still a first year in Teiko, except he was bigger, taller, and overwhelmingly stronger; but his steadfast love for the sport only shined even brighter, and it was obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes that Aomine was in his element, right at home so long as he had a basketball and stood on a court.

Haizaki could see in Kise's expression that he was seeing Aomine again, that idol he had encountered so long ago that lit a fire in him that never quite faded. Kise stood so still, but seemed to thrive in the presence of Aomine, seemed to get filled to the brim with life and get completely caught in the torrent of Aomine's skill and self.

"Shougo."

Kise wasn't looking at him, barely whispered Haizaki's name under his breath just enough for Haizaki to hear. Haizaki turned his head to look at Kise, seeing the way Kise's eyes watched Aomine like he was the only light in the room, and Haizaki saw Kise's eyes calm, like he had decided on something, like he had resigned to a fact that he shouldn't have bothered to fight.

And Kise's lips parted, letting out a quiet sigh, a breath he'd been holding, and said, "I think I'm in love with Aominecchi."

#

[tbc]