I'm not even going to go into a full-blown explanation of why I fell off the face of the earth. But I have returned, if only briefly. This chapter took me especially long because of all the assignments I had due and also because this thing was compiled in parts. I have no idea why, but it took me a really long time to get this together, but here it is!
A heads up, finals are a week from now, so do not expect anything from me until after mid-July. If something pops up, I'm either dead or procrastinating. Possibly both.
As always, enjoy and let me know what you think!
"You've really pissed this guy off, haven't you?"
"Shut up, none of this would've happened if you'd found the asshole sooner."
"May I remind you that you were the one who brushed off my suspicions?"
"Okay, geez, I get it, I'm sorry."
Aomine stared out the windscreen sullenly, slumped in the passenger seat of the car belonging to the man who had only recently been bumped down to second on his list of people that should be fed to sharks on account of the first spot being taken by the damned idiot who thrashed his place. The patter of raindrops on the vehicle and the soft rev of the engine were the only things heard for a while. Midorima had gone over to Aomine's apartment when he received the call, leaving a few officers on guard at their suspect's place. He had been told that the place was in pretty bad shape, but he hadn't realized the magnitude of it until he had knocked on the door and something had crashed behind it. It had taken a lot of shoving and several curses on Aomine's part before they managed to nudge the door open enough for the navy-haired detective to squirm out.
"Was there anything missing?" the green-eyed man tried for something less accusatory.
Aomine sighed heavily. "Not that I could see, but it'd be pretty hard to tell with everything the way it is. My safe was still locked."
Midorima nodded. Every police personnel had a safe. It wasn't a procedure, but when you saw people getting mugged every day, you tend to develop at least a bit of paranoia. Midorima was one of only two people who knew the combination for Aomine's safe. It was top-notch, the only thing in his apartment that Aomine had actually invested time and effort in purchasing and would take more than an amateur crook to get into.
"So, where do you want to go?" Out of his peripherals the bespectacled man caught sight of the glance his partner shot him. It was probably a confused look.
"What d'you mean 'where'?" The man was so easy to read it didn't even take any effort on his part.
"You need a place to stay for the night."
"Aren't we going back to Kou Shougo's place?"
Midorima threw an annoyed look at the other man. "I don't need you on a manhunt when you can barely think straight."
He expected a snide comeback that didn't happen. Aomine was silent for a bit and then, "Satsuki's will have to do I guess."
"What about your boyfriend?" The green-eyed detective asked. He heard a sigh from his passenger seat.
"I don't want to bother Tetsu at this time. He'll probably get all pointlessly worked up over it too."
"Pointless, you say," came the dry reply. "You have a psychopath murderer out to get you and you think he shouldn't be worried?"
"This isn't his problem." Aomine responded flatly. Midorima would've choked the man if he didn't need both hands on the wheel. His partner could be more stubborn than a mule at the most inconvenient times.
"If he was in your shoes," he began, deciding that treating the matter gently would have better results than verbal or physical abuse. "How would you feel when you found out that he was keeping all of it from you because he didn't want to bother you?"
He could feel the stubbornness practically rolling off the slumped body beside him. "You already have a change of clothes at his place, don't you?"
"How the fuck do you know that?" Aomine demanded, straightening.
Midorima lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. "You've come into work wearing different clothes but you still smell like a different cologne."
"Damn creeper."
Midorima chose to ignore the words and instead said, "So, where does he live?"
xx
"Hel—" Kuroko's greeting was cut off as muscled arms wrapped around his waist and crushed him against the taller man's body, squeezing so tight that he was lifted a couple of inches off the ground. " – Aomine-kun?"
"Tetsu," he murmured into the creamy white skin of Kuroko's shoulder, inhaling the comforting blend of soap, vanilla, and laundry softener. The small body in his arms was a welcome source of warmth, seeping into his bones through where their skin made contact and soothing the ache inside. This was why he hadn't wanted to see the other man before. All he wanted to do now was crawl under the covers with the blue-haired man and stay there for a month. Everything about Kuroko calmed him, from the puffs of air he felt against his neck, to the fingers wriggling by his sides as he attempted to return the hug.
"What's wrong?" Kuroko tried craning his head back to meet the dark-haired man's eyes, frowning concernedly.
"Nothing," Aomine responded, the way his hold tightened slightly contradicting his words. He tried for a reassuring smile. "I'm just tired."
"You do look rather haggard," Kuroko conceded as he laced his fingers through Aomine's as soon as the detective set him down. "I'll run you a bath and then you can go to sleep."
Already turned to head towards the bathroom, Kuroko let out an involuntary squeak as he was tugged back into Aomine's chest, an arm encircling his front. He looked up, expression confused and opened his mouth to say something when the taller man leaned around and slipped his tongue into Kuroko's mouth. He tried protesting, but his arms were rendered useless by the tan arm wrapped around him. Aomine was insistent, tongue leading Kuroko's in a dance that made him forget what he was supposed to be doing.
The arm around him tightened, pressing him into the lithe frame, and the contact with the hard planes of Aomine's body sent a shaft of lightning down his spine. Aomine finally pulled away, face flushed beneath his tan and expression so saturated with want that Kuroko had to lean away before he completely forgot that it was past midnight on a weekday.
"… said you were tired," he tried to sound accusing, but it was punctured by short huffs of breath so it lost its effect.
"I am," it was some consolation that Aomine sounded just as worked up as he felt. "This is relaxing."
As though to prove his point Aomine resumed the kiss, this time keeping the pace languorous as he explored the crevices of the pale man's mouth. His kisses were heated one second and then sweet and tentative the next, and it was maddening, worrying, and an incredible turn on. Spinning within the circle of Aomine's arm, Kuroko wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck, using that as leverage to pull Aomine down while he stood up on his toes to meet him halfway. He returned the kiss with vigour, decidedly ignoring the nagging worry that nibbled at the back of his mind questioning the dark circles under Aomine's eyes.
When they parted, he ran the back of his fingers lightly over the slightly puffy skin under the taller man's eyes, expression questioning. What he got for an answer was another deep kiss that was probably aimed at distracting him. It did exactly that.
"Bath?" Kuroko asked one last time, just to be sure. Aomine shook his head and shuffled Kuroko backwards down the hall and into his bedroom. The backs of his knees hit the foot of the bed and he fell back onto the mattress, followed immediately by the substantially bulkier form of the dark-skinned man.
"I missed you," Aomine mumbled only just loud enough for the blue-haired man to hear as he ran a trail of kisses down the column of Kuroko's throat.
"It's barely been a full day," he replied vaguely, trying not to get lost in the heat of the fingers kneading the soft flesh of his hips.
"I know," he blinked at the irritation he detected in Aomine's voice. Blue eyes stared up at the man hovering over him, a small frown between his eyebrows. "Doesn't that just piss you off?"
"Why would it?" He asked, expression caught between amused and confused.
Aomine made a face and rolled off Kuroko onto his back. His words were directed at the ceiling. "I hated clingy chicks."
"Your personal preferences don't have anything to do with me," Kuroko replied wryly, eyes on the darkened fluorescent bulb overhead. The light from the hallway was barely enough for him to make out vague shapes by. He was glad that Aomine had gotten off him or he would have noticed the quickening of his heartbeat at the comment. He had known from the beginning that Aomine was not the sort of person who would appreciate excessive romance, and although he had not expected what had begun out of curiosity to last as long as it had, he had been careful to not seem too attached.
Kuroko would resist the urge to text or call the detective to ask him about his day, worried that it would seem as though he had nothing better to do than waste his time. Instead, he would wait for the other man to call him first. He still found it unnerving sometimes that he waited so impatiently for the other man to make the first move. In the past he would have been the first to contact his partner without a second's hesitation. Yet, for some reason, he was wary of scaring away Aomine. The more time they spent together, the harder it was to tell himself that it was like his previous experiences.
"Yes it does," Kuroko turned his head to the side, surprised. Dark eyes returned the gaze. "Now I'm the clingy one, it's annoying."
Kuroko bit his tongue to keep the smile in check. He pushed onto his side facing Aomine and propped the side of his head on his fist. "Would you rather I be the clingy one?"
"That would probably make me feel better about myself, yeah," the dark-skinned man nodded.
Kuroko feigned a thoughtful expression. "But what if you get annoyed with me?"
Aomine's expression mirrored his as he wrapped his arm around the petite waist of the blue-eyed man and tugged him closer. "I don't think so, the sex is too good to give up."
"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Aomine flashed him a lopsided grin, their faces just fractions of an inch apart. "More like a curse. It means you'll be stuck having to deal with me for a while."
Kuroko let out an exaggerated sigh. "Just my luck."
He was surprised when instead of a continuation of where they had left off, Aomine planted a soft kiss on his forehead to end the conversation and proceeded to wrap his knees and arms around Kuroko and bury his nose in the tuft of light blue strands. It was barely a minute later when Kuroko felt his breathing deepen and even out. At a loss, he could only stare at the chest he was pressed against as he wondered how he was going to get out of the larger man's hold without waking him up.
When he tried to slide away slowly, the arms around him tightened and Aomine nuzzled the top of his head.
"Don't go." The sleepy mumble that floated down to him had his eyes widening and a blush crept up his cheeks in spite of himself. He cast his eyes down despite knowing that Aomine had not even consciously said that. Kuroko let out a huff. That actually just made it worse.
"Stop making me fall for you," he scolded the shirt in front of him. Eyes sliding shut, he pressed his forehead against Aomine's chest, comforted in the soft rhythm of the rise and fall of his breathing. He was in too deep, and all he could do was hope that this fantasy wouldn't collapse around him. It almost made him wish that he hadn't given in to the curiosity when they had first met, but at the same time he felt like he was willing to bear the pain of it ending, just for how happy being with Aomine made him.
"Stupid Ahomine." It was his fault that Kuroko couldn't stop falling.
xx
When the sun hit the side of his face, it took him a few seconds to recall that Kuroko's room faced to the west. His eyes popped open and he scrambled out of the blanket cocoon he had made for himself, fumbling through his pockets for his phone. They were empty, but before he had a chance to panic he saw the device sitting innocently on the bedside table. He scooped it up, frowning when he saw no missed calls or unread messages. The screen showed that it was five pm, a fact that usually meant he would be bombarded with calls and text messages from Midorima. He checked the network signal on his phone just to be sure.
"Ah, you're awake." Aomine looked up from his phone, startled. He hadn't heard the other man. Kuroko smiled at him teasingly. "Good morning."
"Good morning," he echoed with an answering tilt to his lips and waved his phone at Kuroko. "Did anyone call?"
"Yes, your partner – Midorima-san? – called this morning. I told him that you were still sleeping and he left a message asking you to call him when you woke up."
"Oh," he said, relieved. He had been worried that Midorima might have been shot dead. He eyed the plain white shirt and khaki pants that consisted of Kuroko's work uniform. "Work?"
"I just got home," the blue-haired man replied, turning and walking out of the room. "I made some food in case you were hungry."
Aomine followed him out of the room, but instead of turning towards the kitchen, Kuroko went the opposite way to the bathroom, leaving Aomine to figure out if all of the twenty something dishes laid out on the table was meant just for him. He heard the shower start as he grabbed a bowl and piled on a heap of rice. He was about to sit down at the table when there was a click barely audible over the sound of water running from the direction of the front door. The detective froze, chopsticks hovering over the nearest dish as he strained to catch any other sound. The sound of the door shutting with a small click was unmistakable.
He wrapped his fingers around the chopsticks in a grip, prepared to use the pointed wood as weapons as his gun was somewhere in Kuroko's room along with all the other necessities he had managed to salvage in the chaos that was his apartment. Taking careful, silent steps, he crept over to the wall, leaning around slowly to try to catch a glimpse of who the intruder was.
There was a flash of red as the man straightened from arranging three pairs of shoes in front of the door. Swallowing the expletive on the tip of his tongue, Aomine relaxed his hold on the chopsticks and rounded the corner, startling a yelp out of the other man who jumped back, hand to his heart.
"What the hell, Aomine?" Kagami demanded, glaring viciously at him. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"It's your fault for sneaking in like that," Aomine deadpanned. "Couldn't you have knocked or something? I nearly stabbed you."
Kagami raised an eyebrow at the chopsticks Aomine produced from his side. "With those?"
Aomine returned the look coolly. "Why don't I show you just how I would do it?"
The redhead shook his head quickly. "What're you doing here anyway?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Aomine led the way into the kitchen.
"Kuroko said he cooked too much and asked me if I wanted some." Aomine nodded, squashing the childish voice that petulantly wished that he didn't have to share anything Kuroko made with the redhead, even though he was well aware that he couldn't finish everything set out on the table.
"Well?" Aomine raised an eyebrow in question as he resumed his seat. Kagami sat down opposite him with enough rice to feed a family of four for a month and began piling on pieces of chicken and vegetable onto the precarious mound. "What're you doing here?"
"I don't need a reason to visit my boyfriend," he replied, more than a little smug. Kagami rolled his eyes in reply.
"It's disgusting seeing the two of you so love-struck," Kagami snorted. He made a face, swallowing a ludicrous amount of food before he spoke again. "When you brought over your things he was so happy he—"
"Who was happy?" Kuroko padded into the kitchen, towel draped over his head and a vaguely interested look on his face. Kagami instantly stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth and began chewing furiously.
"No one," he murmured around the mouthful.
Aomine watched the man opposite him, intrigued and dying for him to finish the sentence. One glance at Kuroko told him that it was probably not in their best interest for him to ask Kagami to continue. He silently speared an egg roll.
"How's the food?" Kuroko asked, retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge.
"S'good but the egg rolls are pretty salty," Kagami answered before Aomine had a chance to. The egg rolls were perfect as far as he was concerned, since he didn't have much of a sweet tooth. Yet, in spite of his words, the dark-skinned man had never seen the bartender look so blissfully happy.
"Really?" Kuroko leaned around Aomine's shoulder and nicked the second egg roll he had picked up. Dark eyes watched the pale jaw work as he chewed, so close to him that he could feel the damp from the light blue strands. Kagami's loud cough snapped him out of his trance in time to watch Kuroko swallow and nod. "They are salty, but I did it on purpose since Aomine-kun doesn't like sweet stuff."
Aomine was taken aback. He didn't recall ever mentioning his preference to Kuroko. The other man seemed to sense his confusion and pecked him on the lips with a small smile. "I pay attention."
With that, he walked out of the kitchen, leaving the two men in awkward silence.
"Just get married already," Kagami muttered disgustedly, not looking up from his food. A smirk lighted up his features when the detective started to cough violently as the food he was chewing on went down the wrong pipe.
xx
"Do you have everything you need?" Kuroko asked as he slipped on his shoes. Nodding, Aomine hoisted the backpack containing most of his worldly goods securely onto his shoulder.
"I probably won't be able to come over for a while," he began. He hadn't explained the state of his apartment to Kuroko, not wanting to worry him. "Work's getting really busy."
"Ah, you should come back here," Kuroko produced a single silver key and held it out to him. "I asked Kagami-kun to give you his key until I can make another copy."
Aomine stared at it like he'd never seen one before. "What?"
"Your partner explained that your apartment got robbed when I spoke to him this morning. He expected that you wouldn't tell me because you didn't want me to be concerned."
He didn't know if he should hug the green-eyed idiot or shoot him. The fact that there was only the slightest hint of reproach in Kuroko's voice made him cringe with guilt inside. "Thanks."
Kuroko flashed him a brilliant smile and hooked a hand around his neck to pull him down for a quick kiss. "Have a good day."
xx
He stood by the sidewalk, wary of everyone that walked past. Too many bad things had been happening to him, he really couldn't afford to be letting his guard down. A frown scrunching up his handsome features, he glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time. Midorima was late, much later than he should be despite the rush hour traffic. He was fiddling with his phone, debating if he should call his partner when a sleek, black Mercedes pulled up in front of him. Cocking an eyebrow, he waited for the darkened window to roll down, not in the least bit surprised by the appearance of the vehicle.
Instead of the window sliding down, the rear door opened and an expensively clad foot appeared, followed by another. Aomine silently waited for the rest of the person to exit the car, and only spoke once the man had shut the door.
"I'm surprised it took you this long to stick your nose into my business."
The other man stiffened slightly, dark eyes narrowing at the younger of the two. "Is that how you greet family?"
"It's how I greet nosy people."
The suited man looked the casually dressed detective up and down, lips pursed. He, too, was tan, but not as much as Aomine was, due to the fact that he had spent a good portion of his life cooped up in an office. "You've lost weight."
Aomine rolled his eyes at the concerned words that were voiced without emotion. "That's mom's job, at least get that much right."
"Must you be so rude?" The other man asked with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. Aomine noted that there were more white strands than the last time they had crossed paths.
"I wonder where I got it from," he retorted. "What do you want?"
"I'm sure you know," his father said, leaning back against the vehicle. "You didn't seem surprised when you saw the car."
The detective shrugged. "You have a knack of showing up at the worst time. I figured it would be sooner or later."
"I hear that there is a serial killer on your trail."
"And?"
"You do not seem as concerned as one in such a predicament should be."
"And?"
He felt a thrill of satisfaction at the annoyed twitch in the older man's face. "You need to take care of yourself."
"Is that all you came to say?" Aomine asked, sounding bored.
"This is a serious matter."
"Yeah, and it has nothing to do with you."
"Honestly, I don't know when you became so prickly. Is it so bad that I am concerned of the wellbeing of my only son?"
"I became 'prickly'," Aomine began snidely. "When my mother and I got kicked out of our home onto the streets with nothing but the clothes on our backs because the new mistress of the house didn't like the way we took up space."
At least the man he was unfortunately related to had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. The moment soon passed, though, and the man resumed his impassive façade. "Your mother has forgiven me –"
"Yeah, and that still pisses me off." Aomine interrupted. His mother was a kind soul, this they both knew. She was also still completely, and utterly smitten by the same man who had tossed them out onto the streets without a second thought after he had gotten bored of her. Aomine knew without a doubt that he had worked to seek them out after years of no contact only because his other wives had not borne any children.
"I made a mistake. I was a young and foolish man," the older of the two said quietly. "She found it in her heart to forgive me, why can't you?"
Aomine stared defiantly at the weary pair of eyes that were the same shade of blue that his were. The bitterness had not dimmed, nor the hatred he felt towards the man whom he resembled so closely. Forgiveness was not something in his nature. "As far as I'm concerned, my father died the day we left. The only parent I've ever truly had is my mother."
He turned on his heels, no longer caring that Midorima had not arrived. Knowing his father like he did, he had probably convinced Midorima to let him come in his stead, and he'd be damned if he was getting in the car with the man. He froze when he saw the blue tuft of hair approach from the apartment complex, expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity as bright eyes darted between the two tall men. Kuroko came to a halt in front of the detective and shot him a worried glance.
"Midorima-san has not arrived?" Aomine shook his head, resisting the urge to look back over his shoulder. He didn't need the man seeing the flustered look on his face. He prayed that he would leave without bothering Kuroko.
"Excuse me, you seem to know my son." The voice that floated over his shoulder sounded pleasantly curious, and Aomine swallowed the curse he wanted to throw at the man.
"Your son?" Kuroko repeated, looking up at Aomine for confirmation.
"This is the guy who fathered me." He gave in to the searching blue orbs swimming with questions. He was going to regret this later, he knew it. "This is Kuroko."
"Just Kuroko?" his father raised an eyebrow.
Aomine shot him a poisonous glare. "That's all you need to know."
He turned to leave again, this time with a hand wrapped firmly around Kuroko's upper arm.
"Daiki," he heard the call as he dragged the smaller, unprotesting man away. "Midorima-kun told to send you to the station!"
"I'm not going," he threw back. "You can tell that asshole to go fuck himself."
He continued walking, unmindful of where they were headed, so long as it was away from the man.
"Aomine-kun," Kuroko's voice was so soft that he barely heard it. "You're hurting me."
Immediately, he stopped and loosened his grip. Kuroko's arm where his fingers had been was a bright red. Letting go of the limb completely, he looked away, ashamed that he had let Kuroko see such an ugly side of him.
"Is he really your father?" Kuroko asked, voice still barely audible.
"Like I said, he fathered me," he replied. "Doesn't mean he's my dad."
Kuroko remained silent for a while, looking thoughtful.
"If I ask, will you tell me?"
Aomine returned the serious stare with a contemplative one. He swallowed. There was no reason to hide anymore.
"Yes."
"Okay," Kuroko nodded, his face brightening instantly. He slipped his hand into Aomine's larger one, unperturbed by the looks he drew. "Let's go home."