Chapter II

Outsiders

"Dai-chan, are you awake?" a heavy weight landed on the top of his head, making him groan as he looked up at the woman standing with a box in her hold. She was smiling far too brightly for her thoughts to be anything but troublesome.

Aomine sighed while leaning his forehead against his arms again, fully determined to continue sleeping through the lunch break. He had been losing precious sleep and helping the pinkette with whatever it was—that she could most likely do on her own anyway—was not something that would help him retake it. His silent refusal didn't beat down on her sunny demeanour though.

"Da~i-chan~, don't be like that, I need your help," she cooed while poking his head with the box. He simply grumbled at her in response, sinking back into the seat further. "You should be happy you're asked by the great Momoi Satsuki to help her," she groused and reached under the bench to kick his shin.

"There's nothing great about you except your great annoyance," the tanned man sat up, rubbing his eyes with chagrin eminent on his features.

"Charming," she rolled her eyes before dumping the box on top of his desk. It was rather heavy seeing it made a loud thump when it landed and it made Aomine wince. "You're going to help out with the cleaning today is what coach said, and it's gonna be thorough," she smiled and opened the package, pulling out a pair of rubber gloves.

"Don't wanna," he huffed and slouched his shoulders to make the point of him not going to bother with what the coach says.

"Well you're gonna if you don't want to be banned from matches," she beamed at him, putting the gloves on his head like a hat, "so no skipping."

"Dammit I'm a third year I shouldn't have to do this," he was so utterly disgruntled at the turn of events he didn't even try to protest anymore, he simply closed the box again and used it as a pedestal for his chin.

"Good, I'll go and tell the other's too, so make sure to bring these stuff later ok?" she petted the paper container before happily skipping out of the classroom, probably going to tell Kuroko about the plans for the afternoon. Why she had bothered telling Aomine to bring the box he didn't know, he would just forget about it and she'd have to remind him later again when she was back anyway.

With a deep sigh he tried to go back to sleep, but now that he had woken up his stomach was making itself known to be empty; chasing away the chances of rest until he'd filled it with something. He didn't bring a bento, and the cafeteria was almost too far to go for, but seeing as he had no option he had to. Hopefully the crowd had died down by now so that he could buy from the special menu offered those in sports clubs without having to push through starving middle schoolers. Dammit he should've asked Satsuki's mom to make him something. Usually he would have gone to the roof to have lunch with his friends or the players of the first string in the basketball club but…certain circumstances were keeping him from doing so.

Ryouta would be there, and that would mean that his twin would be with him. The two were inseparable whenever they didn't have to sit in their seats in class or when Ryouta had training, his perfect copy always waiting for him to finish up. So surely they were on the roof, sitting close to one another—because it wasn't strange, they were twins after all—eating out of the combined lunch they would've brought from home and feeding the things they didn't like to each other. Ryouta would try to steal his older brother's food while claiming he needed more energy since he was training and not just brain-wrecking, earning himself a reprimand but more of the share non-the-less. They'd do chipper conversation with each other and those around them, sitting as if they were joint at the hip.

And Haruki would sneak little glances at Aomine if he decided to join them, mocking superiority in the reddish amber before sneaking his hand round to the hem of his twin's trousers when no one was looking. Of course Ryouta would react with a cautious glance or a stammering hiss of the other's name. It was something that had started occurring last week when Aomine had seen them…doing it. Haruki was making sure that his claim on his brother was clear to the tanned teen and he surely revelled in the jealousy and hatred it stirred.

The older of the two had never liked their childhood friend. Ryouta had been absolutely starstruck with Aomine the first time he saw him playing street basket in the summer of their second year in elementary school though. The twins only spent the summer and winter in the neighbourhood Aomine lived in up until the end of the first year in middle school, having a grandmother they visited on their long breaks living next to Aomine's house. When they were young Aomine was the only child in the area their age, and since his mother was friends with their relatives they were immediately introduced. Haruki hadn't been too keen on the idea though. Being used to have his beloved little brother's full attention every day it was very much distressing for him to see admiration for someone else beside himself shine in Ryouta's eyes.

Almost immediately Haruki had taken measures to remove the new addition from their lives, angry with the nuisance he thought would bring a rift between him and his brother. He refused to play with the other boy, only to discover that his twin wasn't as reluctant to leave his side as he had hoped. So when he decided that keeping close to the enemy was a better tactic he would gladly join the games, startling the other two by doing so. Aomine hadn't been a suspicious nor very smart boy, but he had his instincts and more than once they had helped him get out of a terrible pinch he only realized years later was the result of the older twin's malicious design.

Everyone had been swept away by the pair of pretty children—Aomine included—and they continued being objects of admiration in their current middle school years. There was a reason they were the most sought after singles in this side of town.

Or maybe not so single, considering their current relationship.

Groaning to himself, Aomine tried to think less of fair haired sources of trauma and stress and more about what he was going to get into his stomach. The cafeteria was full with every table occupied and a few students were sitting on random spots along the wall to enjoy some bread or other handheld foods while some still tried to get their lunch from the stressed ladies behind the counter. Not minding the bustling atmosphere he went in, stood in line and strained to not listen to the girls next to him who squealed about the handsome seniors in the football club.

Once he had paid for the lunchbox containing a variety of things probably good for exercising teenagers he headed back to his homeroom class. Still no one of interest was back in their seats so Aomine proper himself by his desk adorned with the box Momoi had delivered and started eating. The salad was kind of disgusting but the rice and meat tasted fine, nothing like his usually home-made lunches though.

After lessons were over and people were packing up to either go home or go to club Aomine sighed heavily and tried ignoring the box placed between his feet. His forehead was leaning on the desk and he groaned when a light smack fell onto his back. Turning his head, he peered behind him and saw Midorima standing there with a sour look.

"Let's go, Akashi wanted everyone to be on time," the shooting guard stated gruffly before propping up the strap of his lucky item (which happened to be an orange purse) on his shoulder and walking out. Thoroughly annoyed, Aomine sat up straight and stretched. He groaned as his back cracked a little before standing and taking the god damned cleaning equipment with him.

In the changing room a few others of the starters had similar boxes, including Kuroko, Murasakibara and Ryouta. The first and second years were also complaining about why they had to clean so excessively today seeing as it was in the middle of the semester and they would be using the gym every day the coming week as well. Some of the more disciplined members tried to quiet down the whinges, not wanting the esteemed third years to think they were lazy, but really, they saw the issue in just about the same way.

When the entire club had gathered in the first gymnasium Akashi was standing in waiting for everyone to settle down before he started speaking. It didn't take long though, seeing as everyone had great respect and slight, underlying fear of him.

"I have news for you all. Next week club activities will be suspended due to an inspection of the gymnasiums' foundations. This is because the director is worried about earthquakes and would like us to put safety first, and we were unable to book any of the outdoor training grounds. However the football, judo and baseball club offered to let those who are willing to join in their strength and stamina training. So today will be the last training in a week, but I advise you to not slack off. Any questions?" coolly, Akashi scanned the surprised audience, waiting for hands to be raised. A second year reluctantly asked for permission and gained it.

"Isn't it possible to train in the park? There's a large court there and running tracks," he suggested, nervous about the other club members staring down on him.

"Activity outside the school grounds without an application to the administrator cannot be deemed club activities and you would have to take personal responsibility for your health, but it is a good idea to conduct a private training session in that location if you so wish," nodding with approval, the redhead then looked for more questions but found that there were none.

"Before you go I would like to inform you about the training camp two weeks from now. The long weekend will be spent in Utsunomiya, and it is obligatory for everyone in the first and second string, however I recommend the rest of you to participate. If anyone would be absolutely unable to make it a note has to be written by your parents. More information will come when training resumes after next week," with finality Akashi called the gathering to an end and ordered that the training would start. The coach was nowhere to be seen so Akashi asked the reserves in the first string to go and direct the younger ones while he dictated the starters.

The warmups started with light jogging with different jumps and motions to heat up their bodies to be followed by a routine of strength exercises with each set repeated fifty times consecutively. For most of them there was little trouble with the routine, but as expected Kuroko was panting hard halfway through the push ups. Kise cheered him on quietly while Midorima scoffed and Aomine just snickered quietly.

"Ryouta, Shintarou and Atsushi will start with rushes, the rest of you pair up and do wheelbarrows until I tell you to stop. Don't forget to switch," with that Akashi motions for Kuroko to come up to him and do the workout, since they were in a similar height to each other.

Unfortunately Aomine had to pair up with Fukimasa, a tall second year which he had gotten into a few arguments with. He didn't particularly dislike the guy, he just hated his guts; showing up late to matches with obviously fake excuses and then acting like the team's future big-shot and even talking back to the coach about silly things like free food on the bench. Other than his blatantly big ego Fukimasa wasn't that bad of a guy, he could be quite fun to hang out with since he was rather carefree and usually had some trick up his sleeve to show off although it often ended in failure.

But the real reason for his distaste of the younger boy was more rooted in his similarity to Haizaki. The grey haired male was no longer part of the club—hadn't been for almost a year—but the anger and resent Aomine felt hadn't disappeared. It may be unfair to alienate someone based upon similarities with an unrelated person, but every time he was reminded of the bastard ex-member Aomine could almost feel a vein pop on his forehead. Most shared his antipathy, but not so many had such a personal distaste left in the wake of Haizaki's absence. His terrible sportsmanship and general disinterest in fair play pissed the tanned teen off, but what made him see redder than a rampaging bull was how the bastard had treated Ryouta when he was accepted into the first string.

Luckily Fukimasa had a deep respect for the blonde twin, so Aomine didn't have a real reason to make life harder than necessary for him. And he was strong too; easily lifting the ace by his ankles and keeping the hold steady as they raced across the gymnasium on his hands. Concentrating on the balance between his two arms at the speed they were going at was helping him clear his mind of useless things, and soon Haizaki and the unpleasantness concerning him had disappeared from his thoughts. Right now his biggest thought wrecker was how the hell Kuroko managed to go so fast with his sorry excuse for strength.

After a number minutes the captain called everyone together again, announcing that they'd be having practice matches after everyone had rehydrated. Just when he was about to return to the bench to grab his water bottle a sudden and heavy weight draped itself around his shoulders as quick pants brushed by his ear. Shocked and flustered at the contact, Aomine felt his cheeks heat up.

"Daikicchi, I'm tired!" Ryouta whined, letting his feet drag as he was practically carried over to the bench by the other.

"Get off me, it's too hot," the ace grunted but made no effort in shaking the burden off himself. After all, he enjoyed the contact more than he should. An incomprehensible wail was the protest, and loosely hanging arms clasped around the broad shoulders they were resting on.

Smiling just a tiny bit Aomine reached for his bottle, squirting a great volume of water into his dry mouth before offering the bottle to the thankful blonde tiredly using him as leverage. Pink lips sucked greedily on the cap, eyes closing dreamily and cheeks tensing with every gulp rolling into his mouth. Small breaths of relief sounded awfully much like pleasured moans, making Aomine watch and listen intently to the painfully ordinary action. When Aomine realized his blue eyes were focused on the gulping blonde he shook the other off, it would do no good getting excited in the middle of practice.

"Nooo, Daikicchi carry me more~," Ryouta complained and tugged at the other's shirt, earning him a reprimanding stare from Akashi.

"Ryouta, stay after practice and go over the routine three times," the captain said as he stretched on the ground, grabbing his toes and pulling his upper body down. Murasakibara came and sat beside him, absently chewing on some kind of rubbery candy before rolling over onto his back and stretching his legs up in the air to grab. He earned a reprimand from the redhead about it being dangerous to eat while exercising and that he had to take care of his teeth.

When their bodies were warm and loosened they were divided into teams of three to play at half-court with light weights strapped to their ankles and wrists; an exercise Momoi stated to be good for their stamina and active recuperation. The small add to their individual limbs wasn't very much of a challenge at first, but as the last minute rolled on of the first five minute interval they were all groaning at the heavy feeling. Their movements were getting sluggish so when the whistle was blown for a break the entire team either dragged their feet to drink water or sat down on the spot they were standing, only the tall and freakishly strong center player with a big sweet tooth seemed to endure the training without problems.

Nine more mini-matches were played, and by the end of the last one barely anyone could lift their arms anymore so Momoi had to go around taking off the weights and start disinfecting them herself. Akashi, despite his tired state, stood up and called for the others to start with stretching to avoid soreness in the morning.

"Daikicchi, help me stretch will you?" Ryouta came rolling from across the court, stopping when he bumped his stomach to Aomine's head.

"No way, you're too limber, do it yourself," the bluenette huffed while pulling his left knee up to his chest to flex the muscles at the backside of his thigh.

"Daikicchi always rejects me," the blonde pouted before throwing a leg up in the air and straightening it before pulling it down towards his torso. Seriously, the guy was too flexible; how did he even do that kind of—

Oh, wait.

The thought that came to mind had Aomine groaning—he did not want to think about what kind of perverted kinks Haruki had about his brother at the moment. Rather he'd never think about it, but it had proved to be a challenge so far considering the older of the two twins liked to remind Aomine of their shenanigans.

"Ryouta."

'Speak of the devil,' Aomine thought cynically as he stood to bend his waist to the side and simultaneously glare at the new addition by the side-lines of the gymnasium.

With his name called, Ryouta sat up quickly, grinning widely at his twin and hurrying over unsteadily on his tired legs. Haruki greeted him with a warm smile and grabbed a towel to dab at the sweat rolling down his little brother's face as he spoke lowly. His lips slowly relaxed down into a neutral position again before turning slightly downwards as his brows drew together while Ryouta waved his hands around and bounced on his heels in something akin to excitement. When a little pause was made in the enthusiastic barrage the older twin snapped something irritably while looking over at the team captain, causing the other to do the same. Taking that as a request to speak with him, Akashi made his way over to the identical pair.

"Something wrong, Haruki-san?" the redhead inquired, standing with his hands behind his back, evenly looking up into red-stained brown.

"You're having a training camp in two weeks?" the disgruntlement wasn't even attempted to be hidden as Haruki watched the shorter male from the corner of his eye.

"That is correct," with a quirk of a red brow Akashi pinned the other with his stare.

Sneering slightly, the older twin reached to hook a couple of fingers to his brother's hand, "Ryouta's not going."

"Oh? Why is that?" the captain's eyes darkened with anger at the opposition to his will. Unlike most people Akashi had never liked Haruki, finding a lot of cracks in his seemingly perfect behaviour. Maybe it had something to do with his unique clairvoyance-like ability, or maybe it was the similarities to his own eerie side that was ticking him off. One thing was clear though; if the two of them would come to a clash it would be hard deducing the winner beforehand. And it seemed like such a clash was imminent.

"Because I say so," Haruki tugged his twin closer to himself, "and he's good enough already, he doesn't need that kind of thing."

"Haru-nii, I want to go, I'm not nearly good enough to skip out!" Ryouta protested as he pouted at his brother.

"I agree with Ryouta. He has less experience than the other players and his skills are also incomplete. Unless you can come up with a more legit reason than your own convenience I suggest you leave so we can continue our training," the redhead blinked calmly, "an outsider has nothing to do here."

Suddenly the atmosphere became dense around the trio. Haruki noticeably tensed up as he glared down into red irises, his own left eye twitching in annoyance and resent. The suggestion of his out of place position at Ryouta's side surely made him shove the captain up a few ranks on his extermination list. His jaw clenched before he let out a shuddering breath in frustration, calming himself when a small squeeze to his fingers reminded him that Akashi had nothing to say about their closeness. His lips then spread in an unnerving smirk and he jutted out his chin in a motion of superiority.

"Aren't you the outsider here?" the amusement in the twin's voice was a wakeup call for Aomine who quickly strode over. When Haruki started laughing there was a great chance things would somehow get out of hand, and it would be best in the long run to break up the argument now.

"Cool off Haruki, Ryouta can decide for himself," the tanned teen said before sweeping a zip from his water bottle.

The two similar but oh-so different domineering teenagers turned to him with blank stares. He felt a little awkward under the insistent attention but could bear with it, especially seeing how Ryouta's face washed over with relief. Though that brief feeling of accomplishment was replaced by a cold shiver as a conceited grin grew on the older twin's face. Blinking sweetly at the ace Haruki laced his fingers more intimately with his twin's, stepping just a tiny bit closer to his brother before asking with an almost happy tone; "will you be there Daiki?"

"It's obligatory," Aomine replies passively, brows furrowing in confusion of the older brother's sudden change in mood.

"Hm, is that so. Then maybe it will be fine to let Ryouta go. After all," Haruki leaned his head on the shoulder beside him and smiled gently with a warm twinkle in his eyes, "I trust you Daiki."

He didn't want to, but his body tensed up at the seemingly earnest confession. There was no way such a thing could be sincere though; Haruki would never speak well of Aomine unless it favoured him, and this situation was surely not favourable from his perspective. He never patronized anything that might separate him from his twin—Aomine was counted into those unfavourable things, but since his presence made Ryouta happy he wasn't removed—so the creeping feeling of unrest that was settling in the pit of the ace's stomach was surely not without reason. He had had his share of dangerous situations thanks to the blonde that he knew he'd have to be extra cautious for a few days.

"Now when that is solved we would have to continue with the cleaning, so I demand you to step outside," Akashi said neutrally, motioning towards the door.

Ignoring the shorter male Haruki turned to his twin and draped the towel around his neck with a smile, "I'll wait for you outside Ryouta."

"See you later Haru-nii," the faintest of blushes appeared on the hot cheeks as fingers brushed against his ear and down the side of his neck before dropping completely, ticking Aomine off with the underlying sensuality. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he watched the non-member walk out the doors and out of sight.

"I'm sorry about that, Akashicchi. Haru-nii gets a little paranoid when we're separated," smiling uncertainly, Ryouta bowed to the captain to apologize in stead of his brother.

"It's neither your fault nor your duty to take responsibility for you brother's actions," Akashi gently ruffled the damp yellow strands before clapping his hands and calling everyone over to finish off the training. Before everyone gathered though he nodded to Aomine in recognition and thanks for helping him get out of the previous situation without too much trouble. The ace returned the gesture and wiped his face off with a towel before standing at Ryouta's side to wait for the closing words.

"As some of you are aware, Satsuki has given a selected few of you cleaning utensils, so we will wrap up early today to clean the gymnasium and equipment for the upcoming week," no one groaned, because Akashi didn't approve of such leisurely things, but a few sighs of resignation passed among the crowd. After he had sent Momoi to tell the other groups of the cleaning he told the ones remaining with him to go and get the boxes they had gotten earlier in the day and get started.

As Aomine walked to retrieve the damned thing his blonde friend jogged up to walk alongside him. "Thank you for convincing Haru-nii earlier, Daikicchi," Ryouta smiled and bumped their shoulders together.

"You should stop letting him boss you around like that," the tanned boy said with a sigh, already knowing what the answer would be. It was always the same laugh and reassurance that the blonde could make decisions for himself despite having such an overbearing brother. Before Aomine hadn't been so bothered by how Ryouta was dependent on his twin—he thought it was going to wear off once they started high school—but now it was just a painful reminder of the breathy, high-pitched 'I love you's he'd overheard them exchange.

Because he liked Ryouta, and Haruki knew that.

And Aomine now knew that he could never have the other as long as his older brother was in the picture.

When the gymnasium was shining clean and the basketballs shone like orange pearls Akashi finally let the members leave. The starters all agreed that an ice cream would be nice when they were changing, deciding they'd celebrate the week-long break from training with a cool sugary treat. Murasakibara was suddenly much more enthusiastic in showering and putting on his uniform, proved by the way he almost elbowed Kuroko's face in his hurry. The shadow simply leaned a little bit to the left through the entire course of his own dressing.

Kise excused himself a few minutes before the others, saying he'd wait for them together with his brother. He threw his bag over his shoulder and didn't care about putting on his blazer or tuck his shirt in, only brushing his hair into an orderly manner quickly. Aomine tried to keep him back until he had changed, but his question was casually answered and shrugged off. Frowning, the tanned teen went back to drying himself as quickly as possible and covering his body to rush out the door, completely unaware of attentive eyes watching his frantic movement.

When he dashed out from the warm hall and the chill evening air hit his face, but the blonde twins were nowhere to be seen. Had they already gone? No, Ryouta would absolutely not want to miss the usual popsicles, even if Haruki would insist they'd depart without anyone else. Dark blue brows drew together before remembering that a few benches were placed between the school's main building and the gymnasium and that the identical pair was probably waiting there.

They were, only that they weren't doing so much waiting as they did touching.

Ryouta was pressed up against the wall with his legs wobbly, his entire weight supported by his twin as his arms clung around Haruki's neck. Their lips smacked against each other as they shared a hungry kiss, small and shaky moans coming from the younger twin who tried to both pull back and cling closer at the same time. A hand that had been squeezing his ass slowly travelled up, pushing up the turquoise shirt of their uniform to reveal toned and quivering muscles. Ryouta tried to remind his brother that they were out in the open and the rest of his team was soon coming out, but he was simply ignored as warm lips moved down his sensitive neck, sending pleasant tickles along the smooth skin. With burning touches caressing his abs Ryouta arched his back off the wall, hips involuntarily rocking against his brother's leg, forcing a broken breath from his mouth. His fingers came up to tug at Haruki's hair, not quite wanting it to stop but not urging on either.

"Haru-nii… stop it," the mortified whimper was answered with a deep groan.

"I love you Ryouta… so much…" the words seemed too desperate, too vulnerable, to be coming from Haruki. He was a strong individual, undeterred by anything. Hearing weakness instead of confidence in his words would've been pitiful if it had been anyone but him saying it.

Aomine felt his heart beat hard in his chest at the words and sight though, jealousy and rage bubbling up to tie a hard knot in his throat. His ribcage hurt; he didn't want to see this again.

Quickly he strode back a distance, leaning his head against the wall to try and collect himself and relax the painful tension suddenly evident in his entire body. He so badly wanted to just walk up to them and rip them apart, to roar and make them stop, to take Ryouta away. The knowledge that nothing would come of it if he did so made him frustrated beyond belief. Why did Haruki have to be Ryouta's brother? Why did Ryouta have to be so enamoured with Haruki? It wasn't normal; they were siblings! Exact mirror images of each other! The only forte compared to Aomine the older of the two brothers had was that they had been together since before birth; it should be Aomine that Ryouta would fall for damn it!

He ran a hand through his hair, taking a few deep breaths and sighing out shakily. He needed to do something before the rest of the team saw the scene unfolding around the corner, because he could hear them coming out from the changing room by now. Swallowing thickly he tried his voice with a monotone tune before calling out, "Ryouta, you here?"

He was proud of himself that his voice managed to sound so unfazed despite his current whirlwind of emotions, but the answer he received wasn't nearly as composed. "D-Daikicchi?! Um, w-we're over here!" the pitch was far too high and the shaky stutters were too obvious to be played off as anything but surprised.

By now the rest of the generation of miracle players were approaching Aomine who gathered himself to round the corner again, this time seeing eye-to-eye with the older twin who seemed more exasperated than anything at the disturbance. Ryouta was nervously tucking his shirt into his pants now, then combing his slightly tussled hair out with his fingers. Haruki was holding his blazer for him, casually nagging about his twin running out without fixing himself properly. Glancing over, the older of the two narrowed his eyes angrily at the ones appearing one by one from behind the corner.

It seemed like Akashi noticed the disgruntlement but remained passive about it, observing Aomine instead to wonder about his tense frame. "Let's go," he said none the less, not minding accompanying his friends despite his own home being in the opposite directions to theirs and the convenience store they were going to.

Aomine though couldn't relax. His blue stare burned into Haruki's back, trying to make him drop dead unexpectedly. The bastard shouldn't be allowed to walk near the tanned teen right now, but he had little choice in the matter seeing as they were all walking on the way towards his home.

"Dai-chan, what's wrong?" Momoi came up to his side, looking up at him with worry at his edgy expression.

"Nothing," he snapped back crossly, immediately regretting his harsh tone because it earned him a grumpy pout.

"I just asked, no need to be so angry at me," the manager scolded before punching his arm in retribution.

"Stop being violent woman!" Aomine grunted before noticing reddish amber eyes on him. Again his complexion strung up in a passive-aggressive frown, making a light of revelation flash over the orbs watching him.

Haruki smiled, almost kindly if it hadn't been for the gleam of mirth and domination. He threw and arm around his joyously chatting twin and whispered something in his ear, surely breathier and more scandalous than what could be considered brotherly because a red tint dusted over Ryouta's face when he gasped at what he had heard. Shoving at his older brother playfully, Ryouta reprimanded him but still moved closer to the other none the less. It was disturbing to see for Aomine, but no one else thought anything of it.

Maybe that was what bothered him the most; no one but him saw what was going on. No one thought the close skinship was strange, no one found the unnatural possessiveness Haruki felt strange. No one asked why the hell Ryouta had seemed so dishevelled when he would've had plenty of time to fix himself up earlier. No one wondered why Aomine was so antsy around the pair recently. No one noticed anything.

And Haruki exploited that, so he'd graciously continue enjoying his game of slowly filling Aomine with bitterness and hate.

To be continued

Thank you so much for all your kind and encouraging words! They really make my day, I just want to hug all of you through the screen!

So the second chapter is here! I think it's a little boring, but it's an important groundwork for the future character interaction. I shouldn't enjoy writing Akashi and Haruki this much, but it was the most fun thing to do in this chapter uhu. I hope I got their similarities across, their differences hasn't been shown so much as of yet though.

Also it's about double the length of the first chapter, which is the length I will try to keep myself around for now to make the updates as frequent as possible.

Word count: Approximately 6 000 words