Chapter 15: Caretaker
Tatsumaki shoves hands into shorts pockets as she wears the colors of her school, determined to support the team she's currently traveling with to the very end. She had decided that wearing her Stride attire would be easiest, and as such wears a loose black crop top with red shorts and sneakers. Her eyes travel over the members of the team, watching as they calmly exit the train station and make their way to the stadium that holds their basketball court. They're due to play a game soon- one which holds an old team mate and fellow Generation of Miracles member, thus Aomine will be playing. Hence the reason she's even there. This time she had been formally invited by Momoi and Imayoshi to watch them play and 'protect' their things on the bench while they play. Each member of the team looks serious, but they are confident as well, their strides strong and heads held high. Her greens slide over to the male at her side, only to find a bored expression on his face. In his eyes, however there is an excited tenseness to them tells of the adrenaline that already flows through his veins. She can nearly feel his pulse in the palm that presses against her own, fingers clutching her hand firmly.
It's something that he had started to do recently. Holding her hand whenever he pleases. She cannot say she dislikes it, however, the contact giving her a warm tingling feeling in her arm that is strangely addictive. Hell, only just today she had beat him to the grip, holding onto this bronzed appendage with little care. Still, as they walk she looks around the growing familiar area. The same building that the last game had been held in is hosting this match as well. Through the doors and posing as part of the team, she walks with the basketball players whilst ignoring curious glances. Yes, she's tall. Yes, she's walking with those who will be playing today. People need to get over this. All the same she releases Aomine's hand when they come upon the locker room which they'll be using to change in. Momoi stays, however, in order to give them the down low of what will be going on.
The time for the game to begin comes far more swiftly than she had expected. She tilts her head however as before Aomine hits the court he leans down and places either of his hands on both sides of her legs. It brings his visage close to her own, however she isn't bothered by the close proximity of his person. "You're going to watch only me, right?"
"This again?" She raises a brow and brings her hand forward to flick him in the forehead earning a flinch and a scowl from him. She rolls her eyes before offering him a nod. "You're the only interesting one to watch" she admits with certainty, "Of course you're the only one I'll be watching".
Seemingly pleased with this answer, Aomine flicks her forehead back- getting the same reaction he had given- as revenge before standing, "Good," and going to join the others.
"You know, it's weird," Momoi ponders from the girl's side, having seen the whole little exchange between the two aces. Upon seeing that she has the taller girl's attention, she smiles, "I've never been asked to watch only him play- he really doesn't care for being the center of the stage or anything like that. So I guess you guys must be really close for him to ask that of you. On top of that, I haven't gotten to hang out with him for a while now, it's kind of lonely". Seeing Tatsumaki open her mouth to say something, the pinkette holds up a hand to stop her, "I don't mind though," she admits, "It's nice to see him have a friend other than me around here. God knows he needs one. So thanks for being Aomine-kun's friend, Tensai-chan".
Tatsumaki pauses, a light blush littering her face even as the game has already begun and the sound of a bouncing ball echoes from all sorts of angles with the origin never being in the same place. What was up with that? She continues to stare at Momoi even as the girl returns to watching the game. Her brows furrow. Why did she thank her in the first place? Isn't being friends with someone similar to you a normal thing for one to do? For her it is. Before she can insist that she's only doing what is natural of her, the demanding voice of a certain someone rings in her ears despite the distance between them, "Oi! Eyes on me only woman!" Aomine snaps as he takes the ball once more, weaving around those that attempt to stop him and mowing down his enemy. As he says this, he shoots and scores yet again, sweat trickling down his face. Her eyes snap to her blue haired companion as he slams the ball into the net with the grace of a hunting and starved predator. Savagely he drops down to the ground and moves again.
The court is a war zone even during the very last second of the first half, with Aomine using everything he has to crush Kise Ryota and Kise attempting to copy the prodigy. Of course, Tatsumaki had realized the blond part time model from when she was doing research on Aomine in the beginning of the year. However she hadn't fully believed in this apparent skill of his to copy everything he sees perfectly and even add his own twist to it until she saw it in action. Spotting some of Kagami's signature moves, she honestly was left to be stunned. However, Aomine continuously has been shutting the blond down, ripping the ball from his grasp at each opportune moment.
As the announcement for a ten minute break sounds off, Tatsumaki and Momoi both stand and approach the members of their team, helpfully handing off towels and water bottles to the lot of them. She moves as to offer her fellow ace a spot to sit, which he takes immediately after throwing the towel around his neck and taking a long drink of water. "You do realize that if you gulp it like that, you're going to fuck yourself over," she offers.
"What are you, my mother?"
"No, thank god," she grunts in turn and reaches forward in an attempt to dry his face with the neglected towel. When he moves her hand away, she persists, "I'm a runner; I know all too well the feeling of too much cold water in a hot stomach. And stop slapping my hand away would you? Let me be nice and dry you off, jerk. I'm trying to help you".
"Tch," Aomine scoffs lowly, but does not slap her hand again and ignores the grumbling of Wakamatsu as he eyes the white haired girl.
"If you're gonna take care of him, why don't you just become his keeper?" The tall blond demands of her, taking a short sip of his own drink within which is a powder that carries electrolytes.
"Wakamatsu, that was rude," Imayoshi denies, "Is she not already his lover?"
"Huh? Sorry but I didn't hear anything about that," Sakurai inputs.
The Vice Captain of the team takes his turn, calmly turning down such a suggestion, "There is no need to make such assumptions, guys". He feels kind of bad for making the girl's face a brilliant pink, though Aomine doesn't seem to be bothered at all.
Said blue haired man grunts and pulls away from Tensai's prodding towel and hands, "Shut up. We're not dating or anything; we're friends. Ain't it normal for friends to take care of one another?" He stands, refusing to look at the white haired Stride mistress as the break comes to an end far faster than he would have liked. He cuts off a pained grunt as his knees begin to protest due to the harsh treatment that they aren't used to. Instead he ignores the pain all together as the others trot onto the court behind him. Yea...He and she aren't a thing.
"You okay Tensai-chan?" Momoi carefully intunes as she eyes the green eyed racer, "You know they were just giving you a hard time, right? Or...At least Imayoshi was. I'll make them apologize if you're really upset about it".
However Tatsumaki is broken from her momentary daze, her mind having gone off on its own and decided to imagine what it would be like to be the basketball ace's girlfriend. "No, it's fine," she assures after a moment, her eyes once more settling on their target. She doesn't want to miss a single beat nor movement. Not when the center of this war is centered around the very friend she had been drying off. "I can understand the misunderstanding". She couldn't help it though; he hadn't moved to do it himself and it was irritating her.
All the same she watches intensely as the battle reaches a climax when finally Kise manages to copy Aomine. Seeing it brings her to a moment of utter surprise. After all, the only one who can beat Aomine at basketball is him- this she firmly believes. And yet, as Kise takes on Aomine's stance even, she can't help but see him not as himself but rather as Aomine's rebellious shadow. This is obviously a heavy threat to Aomine sent his way, with Kise pulling out all the stops. "Momoi," she gets the pink girl's divided attention, neither of them willing or even able to look away from the game, "...Kise really admires Aomine, doesn't he?"
"Huh?" Momoi blinks, "What makes you say that?" She knows that the girl isn't wrong, having been with the Generation of Miracles since middle school and therefore knowing each individual personality far better than the average manager or even coach. It's curious though that this white haired lass has managed to pick this out simply by only watching the part time model take on Touou's ace.
Tatsumaki pauses, pondering. "Well...I'd have to say that it's because I can see it in his eyes. The desire to catch up if not over take Aomine is definitely there don't get me wrong. But what seems to be most prominent is the want for Aomine to acknowledge him to the highest degree possible". She's seen it before. Not with her, but with other runners or people in general. "I'm right, aren't I?"
The pinkette smiles and laughs a little, both surprised and to a degree amazed at the other first year's ability to read the situation at hand. "You are. Ki-kun has always look up to Aomine-kun. He's the reason Ki-kun started after all. Back in middle school, he was always watching or challenging Aomine-kun to a game. As you can guess, he never really succeeded- or came close to succeeding for that matter. He's come a long way since then that's for sure".
Tatsumaki nods, "I'll say". She continues to watch him ever closely, her eyes zoned in on movement after movement, pass after carefully calculated pass. She ignores the exclaims of the crowd when Aomine suddenly throws a shot that should have probably been impossible. She however smirks confidently. It's a trick that he had developed during their games together. Helping him gain even more body control was something he had requested of her in the past. The result is this, a throw where the thrower's body is nearly parallel to the ground and falling, causing the angle of the ball to arc high. To most it would appear impossible to do. However, the basket is made, giving Touou another point. Her smirk falls however when only a few moments later, Kise throws the move into Aomine's face, copying it perfectly and making the shot as well.
From that point forward, it is a competition to see who can do what and make the shot. Aomine does one move, Kise copies it perfectly and returns it. Aomine does something different, Kise once more copies him and adds a twist to it so assure success. The fight goes on and on, neither of their team mates really able to fully catch up to the two. It's like watching an aerial dog fight, the jets weaving around one another with savage grace and skill but not managing to one up one another.
However, eventually the tie is broken, and not in Kaijo's favor either.
Aomine pulls out on top, his skill and speed, body used to the abuse done to it while doing the tricks that he pulls out of his hat. Kise's however gives way, his foot stepping oddly and causing him an ever so slight hesitation and a grimace of pain. It is more than enough time for Aomine to take the win, slamming the ball into the basket and afterwords further leading Touou to victory. Tatsumaki's ears ring with the cheers of Touou supporters and the surprise of those that were Kaijo supporters or neutral viewers. She grins as she watches Aomine walk his way to her, his gaze meeting her own before a lop sided smile spreads across his features. Exhaustion is clear on his face even as he stands in front of her.
"I won," he announces though she obviously saw it for herself.
Tatsumaki nods and offers a towel and water to him. "I saw. Good job," he beat the boy that was attempting to become his shadow. However, as the blue haired giant ignores either of these things and instead rests his sweaty forehead on her shoulder, she blinks and then blanches. "Aomine, have a drink. I'm sure you're thirsty".
"Shut up. I'm tired," he whines instead, only standing there and using her as a pillow. The scoff sent his way and the towel that begins to rub through his hair causes him to smirk. She's not always taking care of him- obviously- but the fact that she currently is is rather nice.
Two days later finds Tatsumaki standing in front of a house that is not her own. One with a slate gray roof and basic white siding coupled with dark blue shutters and a door. She sighs and raises her hand to knock only for the door to open up seemingly on its own. The person to greet her is a short woman of maybe five feet and five inches tall. Her hair is a pretty ebony, her skin a gentle cream color and her body shape curvy. She looks young, her pretty gold colored eyes staring up at her with a broad smile. "Oh, good to see you again, Tatsumaki-chan," she greets broadly obviously more than pleased to see her, "Come to check up on Daiki again?"
Hearing that name is still odd to her, though luckily she knows whom that is. She offers a smile to the woman she towers over, her German blood truly shining bright compared to the pure blooded Japanese woman before her. She offers a bright smile back to the mother of her friend and nods. "Yea. Momoi asked me to since she's busy with the basketball team and I have some free time. Is he up in his room?"
"Yes," the woman answers. "Oh! Where are my manners, come in!"
"Thank you," Tatsumaki replies, stepping through the threshold of the door and taking her shoes off in the entry way. Looking around to spot the soft white walls decorated with family photos, she smiles lightly. "You have a lovely home as always, Aomine-san". The walls clash well with the dark wooden floors that look clean enough to be eaten off of, while the hallway leads to two rooms on one side and two others on the other. At the end of the hall is a staircase and a third door. It is a fairly nice sized home, well cared for and with a comfortable air about it.
Behind her Aomine's mom closes the door gently, "Anata, Tatsumaki-chan is here with Daiki's things. Why don't you come say hello to her?"
"Tatsumaki?" The gruff voice of a male rings from what Tatsumaki thinks she remembers to be the living room. Confirming her thoughts is made easier as she makes her way to the room and finds a TV showing an aired show blinking over the screen as the characters do as is scripted. Poking her head into the door, she spots a bronzed face looking over his shoulder and the back of the couch to look in her direction. It still stuns her just how similar father and son look. Aomine Sr. however has slightly longer, shaggier hair and his gaze seems a shade bit lighter than Aomine Jr.'s is. However the facial structure and natural scowl are the same. As is their build as the tall man stands to come and greet her. His six foot six frame hints at Aomine's possible height, his shoulders broad and body hard from either working out or just manual labor. "Good to see you again girl," he greets by offering a hand which firmly grasps her own in a shake. "Daiki's up in his room. You know where it is, right?"
Tatsumaki smiles fearlessly to the monster of a man, "Yes sir," she holds back the slight twinge of pain his grip gives her and instead continues to literally grin and bear it. Aomine Senior nods and releases her. Again she nods, showing that she'll be departing, and turns away only to spot a miniature version of the man who she was just shaking hands with. So that's why the dad looked over her head.
"Are you going to come up or what?" Aomine demands on shaky legs, his knees wrapped up to help support them. He thought he heard her voice, and is pleased to see her standing there in his living room almost as though it were her own. He appreciates the fact that she isn't frightened by his old man; Momoi had been weary for years and going out to dinner often gets them strange and frightened looks.
A sigh escapes her lips before she places down the homework and other things she was told to bring to him for summer vacation to the side. "Momoi would scream her head off if she saw you like this," she grunts, shouldering the larger teen fearlessly, throwing his arm over her shoulders and standing steady when he drops his weight onto her.
"Yea well she's not here and she won't know that I'm walking, now will she," his voice echoes in her ear, bouncing off the walls of the staircase.
Tatsumaki's shoulders stiffen ever so slightly as his breath ghosts across her skin and tickles her ear, however she forces the blush down before it can go anywhere "No," she sighs, "But you didn't call her 'that bitch' this time. So I'm guessing you guys kissed and made up?"
"Like hell I would kiss her," Aomine grunts, "But yea, we're cool now". He can understand why she did it- worried for his health and all. But he's still kind of miffed that she went so far as to go behind his back and do it. That was the part that really wasn't cool. His free hand opens the door to his slightly messy room, old clothing strewn here and there but the floor is visible and the tops of his dressers are basically clear. Along the wall next to his bed is a book case filled with various movies and video games, and across from the bed next to the TV and game console set up is his closet. The walls are a navy blue off put by a creamy white, his bed being a queen size due to his stature being too big for a simple twin.
"Good," she sighs out. You should have seen just how sad she looked. She looked seriously ready to cry the moment I was near her- because apparently I remind her of you for some reason".
"Whatever". He sighs as he sits back onto his bed, his hands nursing his knees gently. There is a knock at the door frame, causing the two teens to look to the woman that stands there.
"I've brought your things, sweetie," she states with a gentle smile. "That way you don't have to come back down. Tatsumaki-chan, are you staying for dinner tonight?"
Before the addressed girl can open her mouth and kindly decline, a different person answers for her, "Yea she'll stay".
Aomine's mom nods, obviously pleased by the answer. "Excellent! Dinner will be ready in a short while. However if you need anything feel free to just call, okay?"
"Yea, thanks mom".
With the black haired woman out of sight, Tatsumaki waits for her to exit ear shot as well before whirling and half heartedly glaring at her fellow ace. "Since when did I ever tell you I'd like to stay for dinner, huh?"
Aomine shrugs and stands again, ignoring the girl's stronger glare as he slowly shuffles his way to the book case. "Since it's now summer vacation and I'm bored," he tells her. "Stay a while; we can watch movies or something". Before she gets a chance to deny him this, he stoops down and places a disk into the game player and turns on the TV before gathering up a controller that'll second as remote. At last, to his knees' relief, he flops fully onto his large bed, the comforter welcoming him kindly. Spotting her just standing there, he reaches forward and grips the girl's wrist, tugging her easily onto his bed and forcing her to settle down next to him against the head board.
Tatsumaki hadn't been expecting him to insist that she stay. The last few times she's come to visit he let her leave on her own. But she wonders what's different about this time around. Feeling the comfortable sensation of the bed she can't resist. It's such a comfy spot. Though refusing to let herself seem like someone who gives in too easily, she crosses her arms over her torso and huffs. "Whatever. What are we watching?"
Pleased further with her settling down next to him, their shoulders brushing, "You'll see," he states blandly not bothering to give her an answer. Hearing her scoff and huff again amuses him. Her small gestures of frustration are funny. After pausing, he sighs, "Great, now I'm thirsty. Stay here, I'll be ba-"
"I swear if you walk again I'm going to punch you," she grumbles, frown marring her lips deeply. "I'll go get you something. Your mom said it was okay if I asked for her help. What do you want?"
"Just get me some soda or something," Aomine answers, a smirk gracing his lips to further show his amusement. He watches as she grunts and leaves the bed, her feet padding softly across his carpeted floor and back out the door leaving him behind to watch the movie load and come to the menu screen.
In the mean time, Tatsumaki carefully makes her way through the hallway, feeling almost as though she is intruding on a place she shouldn't be. All the same, she heads for the closest door on her right and enters the spacious white-themed room. It is simple, with gray tiling and white wooden furniture. The walls are a creamy color a bit darker than the color that contrasts the navy in Aomine's room. At the island counter in the middle of the room is the inky haired woman from before, cutting up onion with a smile on her face and skillful hands. Mustering up the courage she clears her throat, catching the mother's attention and earning herself a curious glance. "I was wondering if I could get some drinks for Aomine and I?"
"Oh of course," the mother answers kindly, pulling away from her task and moving to the fridge behind her. "Did he say what he wanted? Tea? Juice? Soda perhaps?"
"He said he preferred soda," she answers smoothly, "Do you have grape juice?"
"I do," the woman replies before pulling forth the contents requested. Quick to move, she gathers up a simple tray coupled with two glasses, a can of soda and a can of grape juice. "There you are dear," she offers the tray to the white haired girl, "Thank you again for coming to visit- I know staying was a surprise for you- Daiki doesn't bring many friends over other than Satsuki-chan. I was beginning to worry she was the only friend he has. But it's a good thing I was wrong, huh? After all he has a pretty thing like you by his side".
Startled by the thanks and the compliment, Tatsumaki can't help but laugh sheepishly, "Ah, it's nothing," she chimes. "We get along well so I'm happy to be there for him".
His mom giggles a bit more before turning back to the food, "I'm glad".
When Tatsumaki returns, she frowns to find something she hadn't been expecting. "...Seriously?" a cold, displeased shiver runs down her spine. She knows the movie well, but only because the last time she saw it, it gave her nightmares and she made a mental note never to watch it again. The first scenes of 'Silent Hill' flash on the TV that sits in front of Aomine's bed. Blandly she walks over, puts the tray down and makes to leave without even giving the other ace to explain why he had chosen it.
"What, you afraid?" he taunts with a grin, finding her annoyed grimace turn into a full blown scowl.
"Yea, actually. I hate this movie," well, more specifically she hates some parts of it. The movie over all is excellent as she loves the horror genre. However, some of the scenes are a bit too much for her to handle. The result being her nightmares and her desire to not watch it again. "I'm leaving. Here's your drink".
"Wuss," Aomine grunts, a frown now pulling at his lips, "You're going to leave just because of a little movie you're afraid of? Weak".
"Don't say that just because you're not affected by it," she returns with a growl, "So what if I'm afraid? If you want to watch it, feel free; I'm not going to".
"Do you just fear the movie itself?"
"No, there are some parts that just freak me out," she returns, looking over her shoulder. However, the tall blue haired male is far closer than she expected him to be. Standing behind her, he meets her gaze evenly, staring down at her as though trying to figure something out. "You shouldn't be standing," she denies. She realizes that by this point that it's more of a precaution as he's not actually injured-though his parents think he is- and that him slumping his weight onto her was just for show. But that doesn't mean he should be pushing himself.
The Touou basketball ace grunts, his eyes narrowed down at her, "I can do what I please". She's only afraid of some parts? Hasn't she heard of doing that thing where girls hide their faces into someone's shoulder or a pillow or something? Shit, he has two shoulders she can use if she wants and a pillow if she wants that instead. He doesn't want her leaving- he's been bored all day. If she leaves, then what the shit is he supposed to do other than sleep the day away? And doing that isn't nearly as relaxing at home as it is on a roof of a school whose classes he should be attending. "Since you're leaving, you can't stop me".
Oh, so he's going to play the game like that. With a scoff the girl turns and places her hands on his hard chest, making to push him, "Go sit down," she demands. However when she shoves him, he only rocks a little. Spotting his feet, she realizes that he's placed himself into a stable stance. However, she insists on pushing him again, shoving harder to get her point across. "I said go sit".
"Make me".
More than just a little annoyed, the white haired teen tries a third time, only to find that she's shoving against something of a brick wall. In the end, being masculine and even if only slightly bigger than she puts him at an advantage that she cannot over come with raw strength. Grabbing his shirt, she hooks her foot behind one of his knees and pulls while her hands push. This forces him to back up, knocking his other knee into the edge of the bed. However, instead of going as planned, Aomine's arms wrap around her shoulders before she can pull away. He takes her down with him, pressing her to his torso as he lands back first onto the bed with her on top of him all while the movie continues to play. The two bounce twice before settling down into one position. Tatsumai lays there, atop the blue haired male, surprised by the all. However she shortly composes herself, "There, I made you settle back down; now let me go so I can leave".
But Aomine is actually rather comfortable like this. With a pillow of softness under his back and the girl on his front. Instead of releasing her, his grip on her person grows tighter, "Nah, I think I'm comfy like this," he denies with a smirk as he eyes her from his position.
Tatsumaki squirms, "Well I'm not," he's so warm. His chest is so hard, his body covered in muscle against her fit but still softer body. It makes her face grow warm and her arm stiff with discomfort. "I want to leave, Aomine, let me go".
"You know you can just hide your face when the bad parts show up, right?" he asks the girl whim is acting especially stubborn today. What's up with her? All he wants for her to stay, and normally she complies, but this time she's rather against it. "Just stay and watch it with me and then you can go".
Tatsumaki sighs, and shuffles, realizing that she probably won't be winning this argument. "Fine," she relents at last, "I'll stay. But let me go so I can get comfortable. And when the movie is over, I'm leaving".
"Yea yea yea," he intones, opening up his arms and letting her stand. He in turn lays back again against the head board, letting her to do the same like they were before she went to go get them drinks. Their shoulders brush, though the warmth it gives him is nothing compared to what it was only seconds earlier. A shame. He should have insisted she stay like that. But then she'd probably call him a creep and resort to violence to break free and leave all together. He doesn't want that. As the movie progresses, he watches as her face contorts openly into looks of fear or shock, her body jolting when frightening parts come to her. However when a particularly 'frightening' part pops up, he allows for her to bury her eyes into his chest- a cliché scared girl action, but one he openly accepts- as his arm naturally wraps around her like something of a security blanket. He'd make fun of her, but honestly he's enjoying the contact too much to bother to.
"Daiki, Tatsumaki-chan! Supper!" the cry of his mother's voice jolts the two from their current position of him on his back and her laying atop of him with her head on his chest listening to his just barely steady heart beat.
Leaping up from their positions, with Tatsumaki stumbling onto her ass with a thump, Aomine eyes the girl before calling back, "Coming ma!" His gaze returns to the girl he had been grasping only to find her standing and offering him a hand with a small smile.
"I'm hungry," she admits with a blush, "Shall we?"
He stares at her, spotting the pink on her cheeks and finding it cute silently, before taking her hand and slowly getting to his feet. Once there, he allows her to sling his arm over her shoulders and bear his weight for him, their steps slow and careful for the sake of his legs. She smells good, he realizes, like vanilla and fresh air. He decides that he likes it. Ignoring the tingling feeling he currently has during such close contact with her, he steps down onto the first floor fully and follows her into the kitchen. Once sitting down, he sighs and leans back into his chair. He misses the odd tingling feeling that slowly creeps its way away from him now that he isn't touching the girl. With the other three, he give thanks for the food before digging in, the taste of his mother's home cooking familiar as usual.
"By the way, Tatsumai-chan, are you spending the night?"
The girl in question chokes on her food, caught by surprise by the sudden question thrown her way. With wide eyes, she makes to swallow what's in her throat and coughs a few times to get a noodle out of her air passage way. "Um...I'm sorry Aomine-san?" she requests uncertainly. Did she hear Aomine's mom right? When the older woman repeats the question, she waves her hand this way and that, "Oh no, I'm going home after this. My house isn't that far from the school so it's not that far a train ride from here".
"That's half an hour, though," the mother insists, her brows furrowing. "And with Daiki hurt, I can't have you leaving all on your own. Please, I insist, stay the night. It is summer break and I'm certain your parents will understand if you call and explain to them the circumstances. I'm also certain that Daiki has something you can wear for the night. It's fine with us if you do, right dear?"
Aomine the older looks up from his food, having obviously only been partial attention to the situation at hand. "That's right. Can't have a pretty little thing like you wandering the streets on your own. I would offer you a ride home, but unfortunately my care is in the shop. I'll talk to your pop if need be".
Before Tatsumaki can open her mouth to further decline, the rumbling voice next to her speaks in her stead, "She'll stay. She can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the floor," he assures. This leaves the white haired girl more than just a little stunned.
"Excellent," madam Aomine smiles, more than just a little pleased.
Later finds Tatsumaki tugging at the clothing placed onto her person, a shirt and nothing more as that's all she needs despite only being four inches shorter than he. With his shoulders being broader than her slender ones, there's more enough fabric to cover her up with. Awkwardly does she sit on the queen sized bed, her fingers playing with the fabric, "You know I could have just run home," she innitiates the conversation she's been wanting to have with him since dinner, "It's not an issue".
Aomine however looks up from his duty of making up a bed for himself on the floor. "Just go to bed already," he insists blandly, "Ma wouldn't have shut up if we let you go home on your own. She's the kind that worries too much when she gets into one of her 'moods'. It'll be over before you know it". After making to turn off the light, he flops onto his make shift bed, it being surprisingly comfy despite being situated on the floor. "G'night Tensai," he bids and closes his eyes, not at all bothered by the fact that he's been moved to the floor for the night.
Tatsumaki is awkward as she sits there, having no choice now but to go to bed what with the light on. Trying to leave is a no go, seeing as she could trip over her classmate in her attempt to flee. That would alert him and he'd again shoot her down. How did things turn out this way, she wonders? She had only come here with the goal of giving him his summer work, being the only person other than Sakurai who can get close to him without feeling like they'd be killed by his constantly scowling face. Carefully, trying not to alert Aomine to her movements, she digresses and makes to curl up under the covers that await her. Laying her head down on the pillow, she notes that it smells like the basketball player, the scent of ozone- oddly- a foresty smell and natural masculine musk. There's a hint of aftershave too, making her wonder if he actually does get facial hair. It's over all a nice smell, she realizes as her body begins to relax under the comforter despite her mental protesting to stay awake for the rest of the night. Alas, dream world takes her.
Unknown to Tatsumaki, Aomine hadn't actually gone to sleep after turning out the lights. Instead, he lay there as though he were sleeping, his eyes closed and motionless. How would he be able to sleep with her in his bed, after all? Sitting up, the tall male brings himself to a standing position at the edge of the bed. His eyes, used to the darkness of his room, are locked onto the now slumbering girl under his covers. Her features are soft and calm, gentle even, her lips slightly parted as she breathes in and out through her mouth. Her normally swept bangs cover her forehead and face gracelessly, though he finds that they soften her usually more strict features from when she gets upset with something or someone.
Honestly, he cannot recall when he started to feel these things for the annoying white haired girl whom insisted on becoming his friend all those weeks ago shortly after school began. He doesn't know when he started seeing more than just the happy side of her. Naturally the girl is kind and open to others, a social butterfly. Despite her social abilities, however, she prefers to be on her own or with just one person, it would seem, keeping her from getting something like social over load. There is a cynical side to her, whom sees normal people as weak for not being capable of doing what she can with ease, much like he does. Coupled with a lazy work ethic and you get one Tensai Tatsumaki. Strangely enough, she only really lives up to her namesake when she runs, tearing through the Stride course with ease. She is easy going, the kind of girl whom at the very base of her personality is a 'go with the flow' kind of person which he appreciates. She is stubborn as well as competitive.
But the fact of the matter is that he does feel these things for her, and that they don't seem to be going away any time soon. Reaching a dark hand forward to brush her bangs from her face, he gently places the feather light tresses to the side of her head away from her eyes. She may not be his type physically, though she is bigger than the sports bra she apparently is always wearing for support allows others to see, she certainly is his type personality wise. Oddly enough, that is what he's been drawn to this whole time. She is a fun girl to be around, finding the moments where she decides to be out going or cocky amusing, and watching her confident side shine is something to behold. She is a pretty girl whom cleans up rather well, something he learned thanks to the cultural festival not too long ago.
Looking at her makes him feel out of character. Oddly soft and oddly caring and gentle. Protective in a strange way, and possessive though she is not his- he would like her to be, however. Having her near him brings a very nice calmness to him. Not to say that he is constantly jumping off the walls like that idiot Kise, but rather his mind is always pointing out that he cannot be beaten. With her around, however, these thoughts are quieted. He's not certain why, but he appreciates it. He spots her lips twitching, her limbs beginning to move as though guided by an active dream. Not wanting her to be more restless than she may be due to the odd circumstances, he brings his lips to her ear, bending his body over just to ghost his voice into her eardrum. "Sleep well, Tatsumaki," the name slips off his tongue with ease, surprising and amusing him. He would very much like to touch her face, feel the soft skin of her visage against his rough hand. However, he supposes whispering in her ear is good enough. Tired of having mature and all too caring thoughts for one night, Aomine settles down into his make shift set up and closes his eyes for sleep for real this time.