"Okay, can we all agree that last night was a pretty good night?" Jo grinned as she walked beside Ishimura, who was looking rather cheerful. No one had mentioned the slight trace of a hickey poking out of her collar, not when Ishimura had a rather nice one sitting smack bam on the side of her neck. This wasn't slight either, it was dark and purpling and was going to bruise something nasty. When Meyer brought it up Shira had scowled, rubbing at it and blaming Aomine for being an idiot. Ishimura announced she probably deserved it, earning a high five from the captain.
"I would agree, if I could remember more," Shira shrugged. Meyer pursed her lips to try and stop her laughter from escaping. Only Takami saw and made sure to remind herself exactly what Meyer had seen Shira doing that would earn her that smirk.
"Yeah, shame you missed out on Takao though."
"And his strip tease, Katsumi looked horrified," Takami added with a laugh. Jo leant forward and punched her shoulder, grinning.
"Hey, she wasn't the only one."
"It didn't help that Otsubo put money down his underwear," Meyer laughed. Shira scowled, genuinely annoyed that she had missed out on seeing that. No one had told her that Ishimura hadn't seen it either, but they had a speculation she had been doing something far more interesting.
"So let's get this list down. One, Takami walked in on Imayoshi naked. Two, Takami saw a strip tease. Three, Otsubo offered to do one as well and added a wink in her direction, what does this tell us?" Jo cackled, moving up and wrapping her arm around Takami's neck. Takami spat her tongue out, shaking her head furiously. Everyone knew that Otsubo had been joking when he'd offered, made obvious when Takao had forced a mock horror and muttered how that was meant for the Shutoku boys eyes only.
"That I need to stick with Takami more."
"I would have said that Otsubo was still drunk," Ishimura laughed. Shira looked over her shoulder, grinning slightly to Ishimura.
"And dear Yuki, what were you doing during this festivity huh?" Ishimura's cheeks blazed slightly red and she looked away, scowling. Meyer knocked Shira's arm, shaking her head slightly but Takami looked up to Shira, grinning mischeviously. Obviously she'd made the assumption off Ishimura's lack of input in that conversation and the red mark.
"Says the girl who disappeared with Aomine all night."
"Yeah, what exactly happened?"
"No idea, can't remember."
"Ugh, that's boring," Jo scolded but her eyes furrowed slightly, thinking back to Aomine that morning. He looked genuinely pissed off, so Shira must have said or done something she couldn't remember, and then completely turned around on the head when she had woken up.
"Are we all forgetting one important person right now?" Takami questioned, coming to a complete stop. The girls frowned, stopping on the side walk as well and looking back to her with slightly blank expressions. Takami raised one eyebrow, looking between them, waiting for them to realise who had been absent that morning. Meyer realised it first, looking around the group and her mouth falling open with a pop.
"The fuck is Saka?"
"Someone call Kazuki!"
"She went home with him."
"Better fucking not have!" Their voices fell into a mix of each other as Meyer scrambled for her mobile. Jo looked like she was about ready laugh her ass off while Shira and Ishimura looked genuinely impressed. Takami just pulled her own phone out, getting Saka's phone number up just in case. Meyer's phone was at her ear. She pulled it away after a few moments, shaking her head as she looked to Takami hopefully.
"Her mobiles off."
"His rang out."
"Oh, someone got laid," Ishimura cheered only to be hit on the back of the head by Shira. "No need to get stroppy just because you didn't!" Shira looked like she was about to hit Ishimura again but Jo grabbed the latters shoulders, pulling her back and out of Shira's line of sight. Shira scowled, crossing her arms across her chest and shaking her head.
"I could have if I wanted to."
"Sure sure."
"What about you, don't think we haven't all noticed that!" Shira proclaimed as she pointed to Ishimura's collar. The latter shrunk back slightly, her cheeks reddening, her eyes widening as she tried to think of something. No one even wanted Shira to know what they had done, because Shira never really forgot. Ishimura caught Meyer's eye and the captain sighed, elbowing Shira in the ribs lightly.
"Come now, let's all stop being idiots and..."
"Oh, I haven't even started on you with your cuddle partner!"
"Actually she has a point Meyer, you were hanging around with Kagami all night," Jo teased. Ishimura's blush dissipated and the blood seemed to flow into Meyer's cheeks instead. She shook her head, biting back her tongue as she started walking a little faster than usual.
"It wasn't all night."
"And then cuddling on the couch, all snug like," Takami joined in, shoving Meyer's shoulder lightly. The Captain scowled, shaking her head before turning on her heels, ready to yell at her team for being idiots.
"Talking in English so not many people could understand! That's very cheeky captain!"
"Were you talking about," Shira leapt forward, grabbing the tops of Meyer's arms and pulling her close, their faces only centimetres apart. Shira looked very serious and Meyer was preparing herself to headbutt the Power Forward for whatever stupid comment she was about to make. "Dirty things?"
"I'm going to kill you all."
"Yeah well, you're going to have to get in line for Shira. Pretty sure Aomine's getting ready to draw blood by the stink face he pulled when he left," Jo grunted, pulling Shira back and gently pushing Meyer to keep walking. Shira scowled again and Ishimura looked genuinely surprised.
"Wait, what happened? I missed this."
"Because you were making out," Takami coughed, dodging Ishimura's wayward smack and skipping ahead. Shira looked like she didn't want to talk about it, but the look on Meyer's said she would. Their Captain scratched the back of her head, delivering a shit eating grin to the power forward before loudly clearing her throat.
"You held him up against a wall last night sticking your tongue down his throat before dragging him into a bedroom."
"I did what now?" Shira coughed as Ishimura and Jo both let out a low 'ooh', whilst Takami let out a whoop, punching the air. Meyer grinned, looking between her friends before looking back at Shira, almost daring her to say something else. Shira scowled, wondering what Aomine had lied about before her blood ran cold, taking into consideration that just because her pants had remained on and unloosened didn't mean his hadn't. She felt the colour drain from her face.
"And you," Meyer continued, jabbing her finger into Ishimura's shoulder, "you have a lot of explaining about Kuroko."
"I did something to Kuroko?"
"What? No, no, I mean the whole 'Tets' thing. When exactly did you get comfortable enough to call him that? Remind me."
"Hey, I didn't break any rules, I wasn't hanging out with Seirin and I never organised to ever meet Kuroko. I'd just into him on my runs and help him train for a bit, that's all," Ishimura replied, putting her hands up in the air. Meyer contemplated her answer before shrugging her shoulders. She hadn't wanted to annoy Riko any more than they already had, but if Ishimura was just helping Kuroko train outside of Seirin's scheduled hours then she couldn't give two shits. "Who told you, anyway?"
"Kagami."
"I'd ask but I know you wouldn't have done anything interesting. Shira on the other hand looks like she's seen a ghost, so you got to spill," Jo pushed. All eyes turned onto Shira, who's colouring looked even worse than her earlier epiphany, shaking her head furiously before tugging on a loose strand of hair.
"Hey I already said I don't remember anything."
"Yeah but I bet Aomine does," Takami laughed and Jo's eyes practically sparkled. Shira didn't get a chance to ask what was going on because she was suddenly greeted by the bread Katsumi had all but forced down her throat after she had returned to the kitchen. She ran down the street, in search of a garbage bin (which luckily she managed to find) and promptly buried her head inside as she expelled everything in her stomach. She was ninety percent sure that the vomiting hadn't been induced by the alcohol and instead with possibility of her doing something with Aomine that may have constituted why he reacted so badly to her teasing.
"I hope that wasn't because you remembered what you - ow fuck Jo, I think you broke my skull!" Shira ignored Ishimura yelling after her and closed her eyes. She begged her mind to tell what happened the night before, but nothing was popping up. Grimacing slightly she turned around, looking at her friends who were rushing towards her.
"I have a feeling I did something I shouldn't have."
...
Takami sat on the bench, watching as Ishimura dribbled the ball along the ground. It had been three days since the party and Meyer had sent the pair to train on the street court by Ishimura's house whilst Meyer worked closely with Jo's defense. Shira hadn't been able to stay behind to train, instead having to go to her mums work and help out. Nothing more had been said about the party, well not around her in any case, although Takami had managed to worm a bit of information about Saka's night. Despite what they had all thought, the teen had in fact not gone home with Kazuki, the highschooler instead walking Saka home and then leaving her. This of course earned brownie points from the centre, who had promptly reminded Shira about how she had failed the dare.
"Hey Ishimura," Takami called as she dropped her phone onto the bench. Ishimura glanced to her for a moment, dodging an invisibile adversary before shooting for the hoop. She managed to get it in and collected it from where it was bouncing under the hoop. She jogged over to Takami, continuing to dribble as she did so.
"You want to get up your ass and start training?"
"Something like that." Takami stood, holding her hands out. Ishimura rolled her eyes as she pushed the ball forward, the sound of flesh hitting leather echoing in their ears. Takami dribbled around Ishimura, lazily strolling towards the middle of the court and turning suddenly, shooting to the opposite end that Ishimura had been.
"Show off."
"If you hadn't skipped out during middle school you would be able to do it too," Takami said as she let out a laugh. Ishimura rolled her eyes as she rushed forward, scooping the ball from the ground and spinning on her heel, sending it back to the shooter. Takami stuck one hand out, catching the ball and without taking a moment to aim, she shot again. The shot was nearly perfect, it hit the back of the rim before bouncing into the net. Ishimura grabbed it before it could hit the ground, passing it off like it was on fire and she couldn't hold it any more.
"I didn't skip out in middle school, I just didn't see the point in all of us being able to shoot," Ishimura snapped. Takami tilted her head to the side as she caught the ball easily, frowning a little. The motions they were going through were just that, motions they had become used to over the years. In a way, she doubted they even tried anymore, not unless they were up against Katsumi. "Besides, I was out when Meyer decided to start training for it."
"Does it act up still?" Takami questioned. Ishimura hesitated before rubbing her right wrist, shaking her head.
"Not so much any more, but I still want to kill her."
"You shouldn't have let her egg you on." Ishimura scowled, motioning for Takami to take a shot. Takami rolled her eyes, thinking to the constantly growing feud between Ishimura and Hotaru. They all knew, in middle school, that one day it would come to a head, but they never considered the consequences. In the second year of middle school they played Hotaru's team as one of their first matches. There had been no love lost between the pair before, but the tension grew worse when just before half time Hotaru passed the ball off, purposefully hitting a sprinting Ishimura in the knee and sending her to the ground. Ishimura fractured her wrist and was forced to leave the court, partly because of her injury and partly because she had punched Hotaru so hard in the face that the latter had been knocked out. "I could teach you, if you want."
"No need, not like we're short shooters. Besides, I like what I do," Ishimura grinned. Takami grinned back, bouncing the ball gently on the ground before tilting her head slightly.
"If you don't mind me asking Ishimura, what happened with you and Midorima?" Ishimura's cheeks flared slightly as she tilted her head, raising both of her eyebrows. Out of all the girls, Takami was the one who discovered most about the others. Even though Shira was her best friend, Ishimura wouldn't risk telling her everything. There were some things that she didn't know how to handle and that would result in sarcastic and snide comments more often than not.
"It's not like you to ask."
"It's not like you to avoid an answer."
"I thought you didn't use your 'gift' on us."
"Never thought everyone would shut off to the point I would have to," Takami shrugged. She bent her knees slightly, leaping into the air and straightening her whole body. Ishimura felt that swell of pride she always felt when Takami lined herself up mid air, gently sending the ball to the hoop. Ishimura watched the ball soar through the air and sink perfectly into the hoop. Ishimura caught it before jogging over to Takami, dribbling as she did.
"What do you mean everyone? I thought... never mind. Hey, I ever tell you your shots are flawless?"
"You could stand to do it more."
"Shut up."