AOMINE AND HIS MOTHER didn't speak a word the next few days. It was starting to bother him a little, but he wanted her to understand and know that his love life was his own choice and responsibility. He didn't like the idea of getting into forced relationships, and dating Momoi was never gonna happen. No matter what.

The blue-haired student, head now filled with his beloved Kuroko, was about to enter his classroom before Kise got out, and they bumped into each other accidentally.

"Shit, I'm sorr-"

"Aomine-" Kise gasped. "-cchi."

Aomine rolled his eyes, but a smile was plastered on his face. The two were only inches apart and Kise didn't realise he was staring at his lips. He gulped before his eyes slowly travelled up to a familiar pair of blue eyes. Ones that could easily suck him in.

"You're still calling me that?" Aomine chuckled as he carefully stepped away from the blond boy. Kise only smiled shyly, even though his heart was starting to hurt. It's been a while since they've talked.

"You're my friend," He said softly. "Of course."

Of course. Just friends.

Who knew one word could hurt this much.

"Hey, can we talk?"

Another sentence that Kise didn't like. He felt his stomach turn and it wasn't a pleasant one. He flashed Aomine a fake smile, but before he could answer, the other boy continued.

"It'll be quick. I promise."

The two ended up going to the gym for a short basketball session. How did Kise agree to this, one would never know, but he also couldn't deny the fact that he was looking forward to this. Maybe it didn't always have to be awkward. Maybe they can still be basketball buddies. If this was the only way to be close to Aomine, Kise would gladly take the chance.

Kise realised he sounded desperate. He chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny?" Aomine questioned, his back facing the blond boy as he went to pick a ball up.

"Nothing." Kise lied.

Aomine's footsteps were loud as he approached Kise, spinning a basketball in his hands. The blond boy visibly gulped, wondering what the tanned boy was scheming. Aomine noticed how nervous the other boy was becoming, so he laughed before shooting a hoop.

"I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable," He voiced out before picking up the ball again. "But I really do want to talk to you."

"Well, what is it?" Kise didn't hide the slight annoyance in his voice and Aomine definitely sensed it. He sighed.

"I just thought things didn't have to be this way," Aomine finally explained. "The awkwardness, I mean," Kise only blinked in response. "Didn't we play so well together, Kise? You can't deny that."

"I guess, but..."

"I know it'll be selfish of me to ask you to pretend nothing happened, so I won't. All I'm asking is for you to play basketball with me."

Deep down Kise missed playing basketball with Aomine too – he's been skipping practice ever since the rejection, and it was probably a dumb excuse to skip practices. Their coach would definitely scream his lungs out when he sees Kise again. The blond boy bit his lip nervously, head filling with so many thoughts.

"Kise," Aomine placed a hand on Kise's shoulder. "You can say no if you don't want to. I'll understand if you're still not comfortable. But that doesn't mean I won't wait for you!"

Kise's head shot up, eyes instantly gazing into Aomine's. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Aomine gently took Kise's hands and allowed him to hold the ball. "I will wait for you until you're ready to play with me again."

Kise couldn't help but burst into laughter. His heart was melting at those words, but he also found it amusing because of how cheesy it was. Especially when it was coming out from Aomine's mouth. Aomine watched as the blond boy laugh until his stomach hurt, and he felt his face heating up in embarrassment.

"I will hit you if you don't stop laughing." He breathed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Kise mused. "I just didn't expect that to come out of that pretty mouth of yours."

Shit.

What the shit?!

Aomine raised his eyebrows, slowly stepping closer to the boy in front of him. Kise was now freaking out. How did he become the one who's embarrassed right now? How did the table turn so fast? Did someone flipped it?

"What did you just say?"

Aomine's voice was low and it sent shivers down Kise's spine. He didn't know what was happening and he was afraid the confusion will cause him to pass out. This was too much to handle!

"I didn't mean... I didn't mean that!"

Now Kise was cornered.

Aomine, on the other hand, didn't know what he was doing. His head was yelling at him to stop because 1. Anyone could walk in right now and 2. That anyone could be Kuroko, and he definitely didn't want Kuroko to see whatever he was doing.

Kise's face was obviously red now and it somehow made Aomine feel different kinds of emotions. One of them was excitement, and another was guilt. Removing his hand off the wall, he slowly stepped away. Kise dropped to the ground, as if the teasing was too much for him.

"I'm sorry," Aomine quickly apologised. "I don't know what's gotten in me."

"It's fine." No, it's seriously not.

"I think I'll go now," Aomine mumbled. "I... See you."

Aomine ran as fast as he could. He needed to see Kuroko. He needed Kuroko to get his mind of whatever that just happened. For some reason his heart was stinging so much but he didn't know why. Maybe he felt bad for teasing Kise, or were there other reasons as well?

When the familiar small boy appeared in his field of vision, Aomine immediately shouted for him, not caring if the other students were giving him death glares for shouting and running in the hallway.

"Kuroko! Kuroko!"

Kuroko heard his shouts and turned around. His eyes widened in fear and confusion when he noticed Aomine approaching fast, one hand waving furiously.

"Aomine-kun?"

"Ku. Ro. Ko!" Aomine was panting heavily when he was finally standing in front of his crush. Just being near him was good enough to calm him down. He was still trying to understand why but for now, he's accepted that Kuroko was his sense of peace.

"Hey." Aomine finally greeted.

Kuroko blinked in confusion, then he placed a hand on the tanned boy's forehead. His smooth and warm skin made his heart race, but Kuroko silently ignored it. After all, Aomine hasn't rejected him yet, which might mean he still had a chance.

"Good to see you, Aomine-kun," Kuroko gave him a small smile. "And you don't have a fever, that's good."

"No, of course not." The taller boy chuckled before taking Kuroko's hand in his. The pale boy blushed a little.

"Let's walk home together after school."

Momoi was definitely not happy when Aomine sent her a text to ditch her. Even though he had promised to go shopping with her, which he dreaded, spending some time with Kuroko was his first priority. He also figured he should talk to Momoi about this as well, or else she'd continue thinking the person he liked was a girl. Kuroko was, in fact, a 100% boy.

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko spoke in a hushed tone next to him. Aomine's heart fluttered at the feeling of both their hands brushing against each other. "I finally figured out one of the reasons why I might like you."

"That's great!" The taller boy grinned. "What is it?"

Kuroko intertwined his finger with Aomine's pinky, and that small action alone made Aomine shriek internally.

"I love how genuine you are when you play basketball. I know not everything has to be about basketball, but it feels like I'm watching the real you in court,"

"You don't care what others think of you. You play basketball the way you want and you have a beautiful form, though others may think otherwise."

Aomine smiled a little. Kise used to say something similar. He made a mental note to apologise to him again. What he did was wrong and Aomine was an idiot.

"You may look mysterious and unapproachable in reality, but you're the most open when you're playing basketball. You made basketball a beautiful sport and I'm glad I'm in it with you."

Kuroko's eyes had a slight glimmer when their eyes met. Aomine had never wanted to stare at someone for so long because he knew how annoying it could be when someone does that to you. But something about his light blue eyes was compelling and he felt himself getting pulled in closer to Kuroko.

"Tetsu," Aomine responded in a low voice. "That was sweet."

"T-Tetsu?" Kuroko stuttered, his pale face tinted in red when he realised Aomine was too close. His heart started to race but he doesn't show it.

"Yeah, I figured it was time."

"I guess it sounds nice." Kuroko gave him a small smile.

"Hey, Tetsu?"

"What is it, Aomine-kun?"

"Can I kiss you?"