Chp 8
Chapter Summary: Over the winter break, the tentative balance struck between the three is upturned and destroyed.
Kagami's house, Winter break
"Oh my god." Kuroko said, breaking his ever monotonous voice. "You guys made it into the papers."
"Whoa, Really!?" Kagami jumped up from his seat excitedly, holding the newspaper upside down with a childlike glee. Lo and behold, there they were, their student ID frozen in black and white.
"Duh. You guys won a Tournament. What are you getting so worked up about? I've been featured there once myself." Aomine said arrogantly. "Amateurs." He scoffed.
"Hey, Kuroko! Read this for me, I don't understand Kanji!" Kagami waved the newspaper excitedly, drowning Aomine's remarks under a wave of excitement. Kuroko scurried to the sofa and began scanning the paper quietly.
"Well?!" Kagami asked impatiently. "What did it says about me?"
"They said…" Kuroko mumbled, trying to stifle his laughter. "They said that you're a delinquent."
"WHAT?! IS IT BECAUSE OF MY HAIR?!"
Curiously, Aomine snatched the paper and began to read it out loud. "Two delinquents disrupts basketball game, sending star NBA player to the hospital… Fanclubs is looking to sue-" Kuroko erupts in laughter. "Yeah ha ha, very funny." Aomine said dryly, throwing the wrinkled pile of paper back to the boy.
"Oh come on, Daiki-kun . You have to admit it's a little funny." Kuroko sniggered. "Especially after you pfft… bragged about how after you get into the papers." He broke out into laughter again
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up kid, I'll make sure you'll regret it later in the court." Aomine poked Kuroko's ticklish side, making him squirm and giggle even more. "And what the fuck are you doing?" He snapped at Kagami who is fumbling with a pair of childproof scissor.
"I'm putting this up on the wall." He answered, beaming with happiness. "I've never been on a newspaper before."
Aomine sighed. "… You're cutting out an ad for a refrigerator, idiot."
"Oh…" Kagami threw the page away and held up another one. "Is this the right one?" He asked, waving an article about chickens.
Kuroko rolled onto his back in laughter, clutching his aching side as the two mortal rivals is reduced into lowly comedy duo. They've been like this for about a month now. In the beginning they were aphathetic to each other at best, but now, they're complementing each other like Tom and Jerry. Forget 'the zone', the only zone they're able to reach is the comedy zone.
Kuroko loved it. At first he was worried that if he spent time with one of them, the other would blew up with jealousy. Turns out, every time one of them would make plans with Kuroko, the other would telepathically invade them and join in on the date. As the ever-impartial friend, Kuroko didn't have the heart to leave any of them out, and so that's how the three of them have been spending their winter break together.
There isn't a day where he was alone. Whenever he went out shopping, there they are, fighting over who gets to carry Kuroko's bags. When he's studying, they would be there also, peeking at his notebook so they can copy his answer into their empty pages. When he's out on the park, Kagami would be there, excitedly taunting Kuroko for a game while Aomine sulks and plays by himself, too proud to ask either of them for a game that he wanted to badly. In the end, the three of them would play together, like always.
It was wonderful.
At first Kuroko was concerned that they would grow bored of him, but day after day they came and spend the most mundane of activities with him. It made him feel special. He's not used to being the center of attention. He is always the shadow, the support, the background character whose job is to make the main man shine.
And yet, those two never tire of him. They came, studied, and bicker like always. Long gone was the intense stares and suggestive looks. It was like each other's presence kept the other in check. Kagami mellowed out, and Aomine became more sociable. With the presence of those two, Kuroko began to feel loved, valued, and full of self worth. The three of them complements each other. They're the perfect group of friends.
'Yes that's it.' Kuroko thought to himself as he watches the two bicker and play with each other. 'We're all just friends, nothing more.' He said, realizing just how painful the thought was.
He wanted to be more than just friends. He wanted to be held, kissed, pushed down, and ravaged in ways that friends just don't do to each other. He missed Aomine desperate kisses and Kagami's possessive touch. He missed knowing that there are people who desired him in ways that friends could not. He wanted it all back, but not at the cost of this beautiful friendship.
Kagami love a lot of things about Kuroko. He loves his sense of humor, his wittiness, his shy smile, but most of all he loves his eyes. When those pretty baby blues are on him, it's as if he just scored a game-winning basket. Kuroko's attention is better than water after an eight mile long run. He loved them so much that he didn't mind that he had to share them with Aomine.
"Kagami-kun, you're losing." Kuroko jeered from the sofa. Aomine scoffed, looking as smug as a cat. "You're so bad at this." Kuroko laughed, delighting at Kagami's clumsy fingers in the controller.
"Japanese games are soo hard." He whined, slumping his tall body against Kuroko's smaller frame. Kuroko laughed and pulled away, aware of a certain someone eyeing him from the other end of the sofa. He wasn't the only one that noticed Aomine's looks.
Kagami was clearly aware of the look that Aomine gave him. He always does that. Every time he tries to get close to Kuroko, Aomine would be there, just staring. It pisses him off to no ends. If given the chance, Kagami would just love to punch that bastard, but sadly he couldn't. Kuroko's eyes are on him. He have to be on his best behavior.
So he kept his cool, picked up his controller, and pressed 'continue' on a fighting game that he's losing. He couldn't care less about the game, and even more so about beating Aomine, but he does care about what Kuroko think of him. He is so much more than the hot-blooded dumb jock who's only useful for cheap laughs. He wants to be taken seriously, and that includes holding in his temper and reigning in his desires.
But to what end? Day by day the three of them spent time with each other, stuck at an impasse, pretending to be just friends just to keep the delicate balance that Kuroko desperately hung on to.
Oh, he would just love to tip the scale onto his favor. If it were up to him, Kagami would just love to pull off a stupid stunt to win over Kuroko. Maybe a kiss, and when it doesn't work, an ultimatum. "It's me or him." He would say, and Kuroko would tear up and crumble into his arms, begging for his forgiveness for even considering Aomine.
If it were just that easy.
It would be simple to say "Choose me" again, but Kagami couldn't bring himself to do so. The truth is Kagami isn't sure if Kuroko would choose him over Aomine. It sucks to admit it, but the remnants of their past relationship is still there, and Kagami isn't sure if he could win over that bond.
So he rein himself him and bid his time. With no other reason other than hope, Kagami fought against his nature and simply, coexisted. He's hopeful that one day, Kuroko would stop worrying about Aomine's passive aggressive glares and instead turn eyes onto him. No, not just hope, he knew that one day Kuroko would finally be his.
Right?
Even if he's silent and act like he don't care, Aomine understands a lot of things. He knew that Kagami is the same animal as him, a restless beast waiting for the right opportunity to pounce at his doe eyed boy. The old him would've made a strong gesture to ward the annoying pest away, but for better or worse, Aomine is no longer the man he used to be.
He first realized the change in him when Kuroko pushed him away. The boy never did that before. No matter how badly he treated him, Kuroko would always let him touch him. So when he saw that teary look of indignation in their first meeting, Aomine knew that something is wrong. That he was wrong.
At first he blamed it on Kagami. Since that bastard came into the picture, Kuroko changed. Sure his voice is as monotone as ever, but the air of passivity around him is gone. Now he raises his voice, he knows when to say no, and exert himself more. It was as if he forced himself to no longer be a mere decoration in the background. And it's attractive as fuck.
He thought that the only reason he was with the boy was because he tolerated his selfishness, but seeing Kuroko stood up for himself was oddly arousing. Sure, Kuroko hurt his pride when he dismissed all his advances, but it only fanned the fire in him. After all, for animals like him, casing the prey is only part of the fun.
However, as hard as he tried to be the person that he was, he simply couldn't do it. Chasing prey is no longer fun when they have someone else to run to. Teasing and tormenting him lost it's merits when Kuroko stopped taking him seriously. Then he began to question himself. What is his goal? Why is he trying so hard to posses someone that he claims belonged to him?
'Because he doesn't belong to me.' Aomine told himself as he watched Kuroko laughed at Kagami's stupid joke.
This attractiveness, this self aware independent Kuroko didn't just came out of nowhere. Someone made him, no, someone pulled him out of that bog of self doubt and pushed him to become something more than a mere shadow. Aomine wished he could say that he was that someone, but he knew that he would be lying.
Kagami, the red headed-hot tempered idiot was the one that gave Kuroko his self worth. Aomine may be perfect and capable to in other people's eyes, but that perfectness only burdened his partner. With him in the limelight, Kuroko was relegated into the role of a supporter, a machine made to pass him the ball without the need to grow, nothing more.
On the other hand you have Kagami, flawed, inexperienced, but brimming with raw talent. At first, the thought of Kagami as his rival made him scoff. There's thousands of over-eager idiots with a talent for basketball, but only a few honed their skill to be as good as he is. Kagami was destined to be one of those people, but Kuroko turned him into something more. He filled all of Kagami's holes and inadequacies and turned him into a monster fit to defeat every last one of Teiko's Miracles.
The boy did all of that and stood next to him as an equal, not as his shadow.
Aomine will never have that relationship with Kuroko. Sure he was his lover before, but he was also his oppressor. He offered his hand out to the boy only to let it go out of pride and selfishness. To Kuroko, Aomine is a bad memory while Kagami is the dream that he's been dreaming for. Kagami is the beacon of light that Kuroko wanted Aomine to be.
That is why against all of his basic instinct, Aomine couldn't trudged in and claim Kuroko as his. All he could do is watch when the two gets too close and maybe give a snarky comment or two. It's petty and pathetic, but even someone as self absorbed as he understood his limits. He had no right to ask Kuroko to stay. All he could do is hope that if he hung around Kuroko long enough, he'll forget about their bitter past and become something better. A friend, maybe. He'll be anything for Kuroko. Anything but a mere memory.
"Wow, tomorrow is our last day of holidays and we're spending it in school" Kuroko said a little bit sadly, his eyes reading the paragraph long text from their coach. "Can you believe it? Our coach is way too intense. The least that she could do is give us a proper rest. I wanted to spent the last of the break goofing around with you guys."
"The hell you talking about, Tetsu? We are goofing around right now." Aomine muttered as he punched in a combo to kick Kagami's character.
"Yeah, but I wanted to do something more special that just spend the day playing video games." Kuroko pouted. Aomine hummed in agreement, however his eyes are still fixed on the screen, completely uninterested in anything else but the game.
"Well I for one am thankful for the early practice." Kagami laughed. "After all, I wont be seeing his ugly mug again." He said, bumping his shoulder with Aomine.
"The feeling's mutual." Aomine shot back just as quickly.
Kuroko pouted at the harsh banter between the two. "Ah come on you two. I thought you're friends now."
"Friends? Where did you get the idea?" They exclaimed at the same time, both flustered and unamused by Kuroko's incessant teasings.
Kuroko pulled out his phone and swiped through his recent pictures. The entire album is filled with candid pictures of the two of them laughing, playing, and even talking together. Kuroko's right. In the pictures the do look like friends.
"I reject the existence of those pictures. You clearly used some kind of photoshop magic to doctor the entire album. " Aomine shot him down with the efficiency of a defense lawyer.
"I dunno Da. I . ki . kuuuun." Kagami teased as he flipped through the pictures. "You're the one who is smiling a lot in these pictures. Don't tell me…" He mocked gasped. "You're starting to enjoy spending time with me?!"
"What is this idiot on about?" Aomine muttered to Kuroko. The boy just giggled.
Kagami smiled. Everytime he makes Kuroko laugh, he feels like he just bested Aomine. The man may have his complicated past with the boy, but he's the one making him happy now. In a good mood, Kagami then began asking about what food Kuroko wanted for dinner. "Maybe a good dinner will cheer you up. What do you say huh Tetsu?"
"Make something with meat." Aomine demanded.
"I'm not spending my money to feed you!" Kagami complained.
"Ohh Hamburg steak sounds great... or maybe some hot pot?" Kuroko eyes light up in glee.
"But… but… Kuroko…" The redhead sighed, taking out his wallet and begin counting the coins.
"Heh. Poor people are so pathetic." Aomine jeered, throwing his own wallet at Kagami. Kagami scowled and pocketed the fat wallet sullenly.
"I'm going to the store for a bit." Kagami exclaimed loudly, making a big show of putting on his shoes and coat. He obviously wanted Kuroko to come along, but the boy is already too absorbed in the video game to care. He then turned to Aomine, his eyes pleading him to come with him.
"Oh no. I've provided the fund. I am not going out in the snow."
"Fine, but don't try any thing stupid Ahomine." Kagami said through narrowed eyes.
Aomine just rolled his eyes and turned his focus back on the video game, already used to this tiresome routine. "Just go already, geez. I swear, you nag more than my mother does." Kagami stuck out his tongue and finally left.
After the front door clicked, silence prevailed through the apartment. This was the first time in weeks that Aomine been left alone with Kuroko. Seconds later, a little tiny voice inside his head began tempting him. 'What are you waiting for? Fuck him. You'll never get a chance like this again.' Aomine swallowed and tried his best to ignore it.
"Daiki-kun…"Kuroko surprised him with his gentle voice.
"What?" Aomine snapped automatically, trying hard to not turn around to face the boy.
He felt a gentle hand on top of his head. "Calm down, I just feel like petting you." Kuroko giggled.
'Oh my merciful Buddha...' Aomine sighed, chanting a mantra of self-discipline inside his head. Kuroko seemed oblivious to his childhood friend's struggle and continued petting him.
"Thank you for being so patient with Kagami. I know he's been trying to get a rise out of you these days, but you held on really well." Kuroko sounded delighted. "So yeah, good job Daiki-kun."
"Oh." Aomine mumbled, glad that he's tan enough to hide his flushing cheeks. "He's not that bad, that Kagami kid." He admitted quietly.
Kuroko's eyes shone brightly. "I'm glad to hear that Daiki-Kun."
For a while they stayed like that, Aomine punching the controller blindly as he tried to ignore Kuroko's gentle pats. It's bad enough to control his urges when the boy is within his proximity, but the petting of his small hand is making him extremely… distracted. 'Where else can those fingers stroke…'
"Oi, stop it Tetsu." Aomine snapped again, his voice wavering ever so slightly.
Kuroko only laughed innocently. "Sorry, am I annoying you?"
"Yeah… Fuck off or something." Aomine grunted.
"Huh. You used to like you head petted. Especially after… uh…" He coughed and blushed.
"Yeah, that." Aomine grumbled, referring to how Kuroko used to stroke his head after they had sex. Kuroko giggled in embarrassment and laid his hand on his shoulder instead, tiny fingers touching the nape of his quivering neck.
"Daiki-kun..." Kuroko exclaimed. "You're covered in cold sweats! Are you okay?" Kuroko clambered over his lap to touch his forehead. "Do you need some medicine? I can call Kagami to pick some up."
"My fucking god… I ask you to stop and you throw yourself all over me." Aomine muttered, covering his head and leaning away from Kuroko, hoping that the boy wouldn't notice the growing harness in his pants.
Kuroko sat back, perplexed at Aomine's terrible attitude. "I was just being nice to you…"
"Being nice?" Aomine laughed bitterly. It would be one thing if Kuroko was trying to seduce him, but all of the boy's touches are as innocent as his pretty blue eyes are. In a moment of weakness, he put his large hand on Kuroko's small waist and pushed him down against his own hardness, making sure he grinded his full erection onto Kuroko's pert ass.
"I wanted you to stop because I don't know how I can control myself." Aomine muttered into Kuroko's ear. "Still want to be on my fucking lap, hmm Tetsu? You still want to be nice to me?" He said, his words sharp enough to cut skin. When the boy couldn't answer him, he grinded up on him again and pulled him into a blistering painful kiss.
The kiss was too violent to be romantic. It was expression of possessiveness, an animalistic desire that he was too tired to contain. Just as quickly it began, so did it ended. Kuroko hit him on the face, pushed himself off of him, and walked away into the kitchen.
"Yeah I thought so." Aomine said to himself, both relieved and disappointed at the same time. He looked down on the shameful bulge on his lap, yet another reminder of how he failed to control his lust. "I'm gonna cool off outside." He said, kicking open the door to the balcony, stepping outside, and slammed it shut.
The blanket of heavy snow did little to cool him off. The cold might have instantly shrivelled the tightness in his pants, but it took a while before he could think clearly again. "Ugh not again." Aomine muttered, realizing his own stupidity. Sure he tried his best to keep the whole exchange innocent, but he ended up terrorizing the boy again. "Perfect. Right after I told myself I should be nicer to him."
He slumped over the railings like a washed out rag doll. What is the point of all of this? He's telling himself that he had no right over the boy, and yet he takes every opportunity that he could get to torment and molest him. If being near Kuroko always ends like this, then why is he staying? If he does love the boy, he should just stay away.
No. He belongs with me. I don't fucking deserve him but dammit, I want him.
It's disgraceful to admit it himself, but Aomine knew that Kagami is a better lover, partner, and friend to Kuroko. Kagami makes him laugh, he comforts him, he even goes out of his way to cook food for the boy. But him? What can he do? He knows that he's outclassed in every way, but his heart still yearn for the boy.
Guilty and ashamed, Aomine stayed in the howling wind until his eyelashes are frosted with snowflakes. He blinked rapidly, scattering the tiny crystals trhough the air. 'Enough of this nonsense. I have to apologize. I can't let this ruin our relationship.' He thought. The last time he did something like this Kuroko didn't talk to him for several weeks . 'I can't last that long without seeing him.'
"I'll apologize, blame everything on being pent up, and everything will be fine." He confidently said to himself. However, when Aomine entered the room, Kuroko was gone, and in his place sat a very sullen Kagami. How long was I away? He glanced at the clock and found out that he was out for more than an hour. He walked over to brooding man.
"Where's Tetsu?" Aomine asked, readying himself for a punch or two. However, he gritted his teeth for nothing. He waiting but Kagami stayed silent. The man looked like he's about to cry. "Oi." Aomine kicked the sofa, hiding his nervousness with his usual outburst of violence. "Where is he?" Aomine asked again, suddenly sensing that something felt very wrong.
"Just stop. I can't deal with you right now." Kagami said tiredly, his voice devoid of his usual burning passion. The TV screen flashed, showing a red mark on the side of Kagami's face. It was identical to his own.
"The fuck did you do?" He muttered. Aomine ran through Kagami's apartment and found no sign of Kuroko. Near the front entrance, His shoe is no longer there.
"I'm not joking Taiga. What. The fuck. Did. You. Do?"
"The same thing that you did. Then, he ran." Kagami replied. "Not that I blamed him." He laughed hopelessly. Kagami looked up to Aomine. He said nothing about the fury raging in Aomine's eyes. "Are you going to look for him?" He asked lightly, standing up and began rummaging in his room. He came out with a huge red scarf in his hand. "Make sure he's warm, will you? He gets so cold easily."
"Yeah, I know. And you let him out anyways?" Aomine demanded.
Kagami looked away guiltily. "Just make sure he's warm."
Aomine pushed Kagami up against the wall, ready to pummel him silly. It only took Aomine one look straight into his eyes to understand that Kagami is done.
"Stop looking so defeated you fuck." Aomine growl, feeling a genuine anger that he hasn't felt before. "If you're so worried about him then go after him yourself."
The redhead was silent. Disgusted by his sudden show of cowardice, Aomine pushed him away. "I thought you deserved him. I thought you'll be better to him. Turns out you're just an animal like me."
Aomine gathered his meager belongings and slammed the door open. Before he ran out into the cold again, he paused to put on all of his layers. He stopped at the bright red scarf that Kagami gave him. Something deep inside him twinged painfully. What was this? Sadness? Disappointment? "Come with me." he said quietly, hoping that the redhead's presence could ease his uneasiness.
Kagami laughed in defeat. "Why should I? He doesn't want me."
"So?" Aomine asked, frustrated at how Kagami has resigned out of the race. "He said no to me all year and I'm still going to go out in this blizzard for him."
Kagami looked up, his eyes twinkling with hope. They only twinkled alive for a second, but it was enough to make Aomine heart drop. 'If he really tried he would definitely win Tetsu over. I shouldn't be helping him. I shouldn't.' Kagami came slower to him, grabbing the scarf and wrapping it gently around Aomine's neck.
"You're a good person Aomine." Kagami said quietly. "I didn't mind spending the holidays with you at all. I'm sorry that this will be the last time we'll be together."
He tucked the end of the scarf into Aomine's coat. When he pulled away, Aomine grabbed his wrist and gave him a piercing look.
"Don't fuck with me Taiga." Aomine growled. "As long as there's Tetsu, I will always see you ugly ass mug around."
Kagami laughed, relived at the typical answer. He almost thought that Aomine would turn all mushy and sentimental on him. Like a mother sending her son out to school, Kagami pushed him out of the entryway, leaning on the doorframe to block him from entering again. "Just find him and keep him warm. Please."
"Fine." Aomine shook his head, unable to comprehend Kagami's stubbornness. After one last look, he turned around and opened the door.
"Don't lock up." Aomine said with quiet resolve.
"What?"
"Don't lock up. Cook. Clean. Do whatever that'll cool that dumb head of yours. I'll be back." Aomine turned to Kagami, his eyes dead set with determination. "Set up the table for three people. I'll bring him back here. For us."
Finding Kuroko wasn't hard. Kagami lived nearby a station so a few circles around the block revealed where Kuroko is. The boy is standing in front of a station map, his eyes blank and empty. He looked like he's shivering slightly. Aomine immediately called out to him, but the blizzard turned so violent that he could barely hear his own voice. Unable to catch the boy's attention, he marched through a layer of freshly drawn snow, clumsily stumbling over the boy and fell into a thick blanket of snow.
"Inside!" He screamed, pointing to a crowded café filled with people taking refuge from the blizzard. Kuroko blinked in confusion, not comprehending his words at all, so Aomine just pulled him along from the deep imprint that their body made on the ground.
Inside, the café was like a completely different world. Patrons crowded the coffee bar, and the steaming beverages filled the atmosphere with a warm gentle glow. Aomine pulled them into a corner booth, ordered for them both, and settled on looking at the boy straight in the eyes.
"Oi." He nudged Kuroko's still body. "We're in a warm place now, you can take off your coat."
Kuroko turned to him. He was wearing Kagami's oversized jacket and had it zipped up to his nose. He could only see his gentle blue eyes, already shimmering with tears.
"Awh fuck, fuck, fuck don't cry now... fuck." Aomine held Kuroko's tiny face in his hand and patted the cheeks gently. "Don'tcrydon'tcrydon'tcrypleaseeee I'm going to look like I made you cry."
Obediently, Kuroko wiped his eyes and waited calmly until their drinks are on the table. Aomine sighed, suddenly unable to form coherent thoughts in his head. He just slumped back and watched Kuroko sipped quietly on his warm tea. "Better?" he asked.
Kuroko blinked at him and nodded, adding two cubes of sugar into his cup. "Thanks Daiki-kun." He said.
Aomine frowned. He suddenly got the feeling like Kuroko is becoming even more distant. Remembering Kagami's parting words, he shifted his seat close to Kuroko, cupping his tea to warm up his hand. He took one of Kuroko's cold hands and held them tightly. ''I'm keeping him warm Bakagami." he thought to himself.
"I'll hold your hand until you feel like talking." Aomine said, using his other hand to drink his tea nonchalantly. Surprised at this sentimental gesture coming from Aomine, Kuroko leaned on his arm, closed his eyes, and talked.
Flashback: An hour earlier.
Aomine's kiss surprise him; the man always had a record of being extremely physical. What caught him off guard was how violently he reacted. Kuroko's little touches and hugs may mean nothing, but to a pent up 17 year old? They might as well be napalm. So when Aomine went outside to cool off, Kuroko was left alone with his own thoughts.
Isn't what he's doing is a little bit cruel? To force two individual who dislike each other immensely to be around each other for the sake of 'fairness'. If he just had the willingness to choose one of them then they wouldn't have to submit themselves to this torture.
'But if I choose Kagami, I wont have Daiki… and if I choose Daiki, I won't have Kagami.'
Those thoughts swirled around him like a miasma of poisonous fog. The more he thought about it, the faster that fog swirled and the more he confused he became. He would've 'followed his heart', whatever that means, but heart is the one telling him to stop and wait. 'You'll miss out on one of them if you choose… even worse, you'll hurt one of them in the process. Just be a good shadow and blend into the background. Just be their friend, and in a few years, they'll find a someone new and forget about you.'
He couldn't think of a better option. Aomine is a cherished friend whom he owed a lot of things to, and he has grown to love Kagami the same way he loved Aomine. If only one of them came onto him professing their love, he would've accepted them instantly. After all, what's more wonderful what having your best friend as your lover?
'Having two best friends as your lovers.' A sly little voice said to him.
Just as he was going to have one of his mental debates, Kagami arrived with groceries and freshly drawn snow pilling on his shoulders. "Ahh! I'm so glad I came home before that blizzard really started!" Kagami exclaimed. He kicked off his boots and slumped into the sofa, unknowingly taking Aomine's place. He caught sight of Kuroko and waste no time at giving him a good rub on the head.
"Hey." He said, looking inexplicably happy.
"Hi." Kuroko greeted him back, leaning into the rough hand and forcing out a smile. "Aomine's outside. He'll be in soon."
"Why is Ahomine outside?"
"Cuz he did something worthy of his name." Kuroko chuckled, relaxing into Kagami's gentle touches. He sighed and began rummaging through the plastic bag, disappointed at the lack of snacks or candies.
"What did he do?"
"Oh, you know… the usual stuff. Oh, potato chips."
"What did he do." Kagami demanded.
Kuroko sighed and wandered off to the kitchen. It's better to ignore Kagami when he's getting worked up like this. He emptied the bag of potato chips into a bowl, stealing a few chips for himself. "Want some?" Kuroko grinned, offering the bowl to Kagami.
The red head took the bowl and set it on the coffee table, completely aware of what's Kuroko trying to do. He let the boy chatted away about the show that's playing on the screen. Kuroko might think that he could idle the time away with frivolous chit chat, but Kagami would not be distracted so easily. As Kuroko's voice faded to become white noise, a picture began to appear inside Kagami's head, and it made him furious.
With that though in mind, he began to notice the little changes in Kuroko's surrounding. His wrinkled collar, his reddened lips, the disheveled way his shirt was tucked into his pants. He felt a familiar coldness sliding down to the pit of his stomach. 'Calm down. If Aomine did approached him and Kuroko rejected him, that means he doesn't want him. He wants you'
But inside of him there's a need to stake his claim on the boy. To bite him, to scent him, to mark him as his.
So he did.
He dropped everything he had in his hand and pushed Kuroko back onto the sofa. Gone was the gentle, happy-go-lucky man. He's a territorial beast, desperate to stake his claim on one of his property. He pulled, bit, licked, and ground himself all over Kuroko, oblivious of his protest, no, not oblivious. He was aware of the struggle beneath him. He just doesn't care.
With a sharp and sure kick Kuroko brought his knee up to Kagami's stomach. "Stop!" When the man didnt stop, Kuroko pulled his hand free and hit him squarely on the jaw.
Kagami looked at him, hurt and betrayed at his rejection. "Not now Kagami. Not like this." Kuroko said, glancing out to the balcony to make sure Aomine didnt see them. Kagami laughed, like an injured wolf who howled out of loneliness.
"Then when?!" Kagami shouted, slamming his fist down. "You promised to give me an answer. You can say yes now or you can get out right now."
Kuroko stared at the man, tears streaming down his face. He made this happen. He turned his kind and loving partner into this ugly beast of anger and lust. He should've kept away from them, he should've kept his friendship with Kagami and left Aomine as his rivals. He shouldn't have brought them all of this pain. "I'm sorry." Kuroko whispered, the sight of Kagami's tears brought him into reality. He reach up to touch his face, the barest wisp of skin, before sliding from underneath the man, putting on all of his layer, and stepping out into a world of white.
Flashback: end
"You hate me now… you two really hate me now, right? We are having fun together and now you two are going to leave me…"
"Tetsu…" Aomine frowned. He held Kuroko's face in his large hand. Those flushed cheeks are as cold as ice. Kuroko turned his gaze away guiltily, ashamed of the pathetic mess that he's showing to Aomine. The miracle of Teiko himself was at a loss for word. He wanted to comfort the boy, but at the same time… it would be such a waste to not exploit this opportunity. Conscious of what how big of an impact his words can be now, the small voice inside his head began to grew louder. 'This is your chance. Tell him how much you love him. Hold him close and let him cry on your shoulder. Kiss him. Make him forget about Kagami and show him who he really belongs to.'
Instead, he pulled the red scarf off and wrapped it losely around Kuroko's neck. "You know, Kagami told me to keep you warm with this. I can't imagine saying something like that to someone that I hate." Kuroko stared at the red scarf and sobbed.
'Great. You made him cry harder. Good job.'
"I'm the worst." Kuroko said.
"Eh, there are worse people in the world." Aomine said, shielding the tiny boy from curious onlookers.
"I hurt you both."
"We're big boys now. We'll live."
"I don't deserve you, or Kagami."
"Yeah well, too bad. We're in love with you."
Kuroko looked up to him, unsure what to say at the sudden confession. "You don't hate me for pushing you away?"
Aomine sighed. "It's not that I hate you… I just… I hate not knowing. I want to know where I stand." He rubbed his throbbing forehead. Talks like these are not his forte. "Kagami wanted to know where he stand. It's almost a month. Don't you think we both deserved this?"
"Yes…" He admitted, wiping his tears away. "But I can't. I can't choose Daiki-kun."
Aomine slammed his hand onto the table."And why the hell not!"
Kuroko reached up to him and wrapped him in the tightest hug he could muster. "Because I don't want to loose either of you. I want you both, you hear me? Both. Not as a friend, you see? I want you both."
Aomine froze. Replaying those words over and over again as the boy caress him gently. Finally, he melted down. He gave up his towering stance and slid down into his seat.
"Ok." He whispered gently, their fingers intertwined together. "With or without Kagami… you already have me." Aomine kissed his small hand gently. "I'm yours."
Next Chapter: Aomine and Kuroko came home to Kagami with a proposition.