Chapter Text
‘I swear to God Daiki, don’t cry… Don’t do this to yourself.’
The inner mechanisms of Aomine’s mind were working overtime to keep his overflowing emotions in check.
And despite their very best efforts, it wasn’t working very well.
Because as soon as he saw Kise on that hospital bed, he felt like he was going to explode with every kind of feeling there ever was.
‘Stupid feelings, what did I do to deserve this?’
Despite what his basketball opponents may say; Aomine Daiki was human just like the rest of them, he had a heart that could be broken, and he had a chest that could fill with butterflies when he was nervous. He lived and breathed and broke down…
A few months ago Aomine saw such things as hindrances in his life.
After all, who would need such trifling things?
All he needed was basketball, all he need was a rival, someone to beat, someone to beat him.
Something to assure him that he wasn’t the monster people kept telling him he was.
But now; Daiki wasn’t sure he hated such feelings anymore.
The ones he felt now; even though they were strong. Even though some coiled around him like a venomous snake.
Some emotions made him feel warm inside, they made him feel whole.
They made him feel happy.
Aomine doesn’t wait for Kagami to drag him over to Kise’s side. He figures he can make it there himself if he tries hard enough.
Luckily for him; it’s only a few strides forward and he’s there.
And yet it feels like a mile after what they’ve both been through.
The tanned man practically collapses beside the bed side, his legs giving out entirely under his own weight and wraps his arms around the blonde without even thinking about the risks.
Having Kise in his arms again was something that Aomine wanted more than anything in the world when he was being tormented by that awful man…
Before he knows it, the tears that he so dreadfully wished to hold back were unleashed upon the apples of his cheeks and he was crying.
Kise was alive.
Kise was here, right beside him.
Something about that fact overwhelmed Aomine to the point of tears.
The blonde had been the only thing that kept Daiki going in that, dark, horrible cellar he had been chained in.
“I’m sorry Aominecchi.” Daiki heard Ryouta whisper in his ear, the young model’s arms enveloping the basketballer the very same way Aomine held him. Kise held on so tight, so strongly that Daiki was surprised of the man’s strength.
But he didn’t pull away, no, he didn’t dare.
“Why are you sorry?” Aomine sniffled, “You’re the one that got shot.”
“Yeah but it was my fault you got- got, taken in the first place.”
Daiki grabbed hold of Ryouta’s cheeks. “Don’t ever think that, Kise, that wasn’t your fault. None of this was. I don’t blame you at all. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Kise looked Aomine then, his eyes wide with thankfulness.
Maybe it was because someone else was finally telling Kise these things, not just himself.
Maybe it was because all of this was finally over.
But Ryouta couldn’t help but heave a sigh in enormous relief.
He had everything back again.
He had Aomine. He had his friends.
He could even see his family again.
“I love you…” The blonde uttered out before he could stop himself; feeling the truth leave his lips without warning.
Aomine doesn’t flinch, he doesn’t even react before he says “I love you too.” Right back at the young model.
They were both a mess. There were so many things to figure out.
But at the end of it, Kise was certain that they’d both be okay.
Right now, he was free from fear.
He knew it would follow him even after the threat was gone, but he was okay with that.
Living with lingering fear was better than the constant paranoia that the blonde used to face alone.
It was strange but Kise could only feel acceptance for the scenario that had played out now.
In the end, the shadow of his past, that awful threat was gone.
And both himself and Aomine were alive to see another day.
Together
Ryouta didn’t know how else to react, really; for the first time in what felt like years. He was genuinely at peace with his situation.
And it was all perfect.
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There were two reoccurring thoughts stuck in Aomine’s head. The same two things constantly playing back over and over like a broken record player.
The first being basketball, no true shock to anyone that was familiar to him. Basketball in general was something the man lived and breathed.
He felt more connected to the sport ever since he joined the national team; and nothing could take away his high of having so many tough opponents to face.
The second, well, it used to be a complete mystery to him as to why this particular man was always invading his personal thoughts. It used to plague Aomine at night, it used to make him stay up late wondering about it.
But after so many years of thinking (which was never his strong suit in the first place) Daiki finally established the reason as to why this certain blonde stuck in his head after all this time.
After seeing him in the yellow tulips in the field he walked by to get to school.
After seeing him in the sunlight that flashed down on him; warm and pleasant.
It was finally clear to Aomine that he loved Kise Ryouta with all of his heart.
And what was better was that the man himself loved him back.
“Ryouta, what the fuck are you doing in there?” Aomine all but screeched at the blonde, who had forbidden Daiki from entering the kitchen at all costs.
Not letting Aomine enter the kitchen of all places…
It was an awful idea.
“Patience is a virtue, Daikicchi~” Kise all but sung.
“Please do be lenient, Aomine-Kun, Kise wanted this to be special.” Kuroko called from his side. Looking at the basketballer as if he was keeping a secret.
Aomine didn’t like it one bit.
“You know what he’s doing in there, don’t you?” Daiki squinted his eyes at the shadow.
Tetsuya kept his pleasant smile, his lips not moving an inch to tell Aomine about the secret that he’d been keeping for well over two months.
Daiki was sure he would have noticed Kuroko’s smug smile sooner if he actually lived with the sneaky kindergarten teacher anymore.
Fortunately for Aomine, he no longer had to listen to the raucous sex noises that came from both of his former roommates anymore.
About a month after both Kise and he had left the hospital; the two had decided to move in together.
Well, more like Ryouta brought an apartment in the general vicinity of Daiki’s place and Aomine somehow gravitated toward the space until Kise handed him a key and told him there was no point even leaving anymore.
Which Daiki was grateful for; Kagami was driving him up the fucking wall.
Taiga insisted on taking Aomine with him to shop for engagement rings for Tetsuya.
Which was ridiculous considering Kagami and Kuroko couldn’t even get married in Japan yet.
Stupid as it was, Daiki knew he was far too lazy to fight something as trivial as this.
And maybe just maybe, he was curious. As to which place to buy an engagement ring just in case he ever needed to buy a certain someone a certain ring…
Not that he had ever considered himself and Kise ever getting married and owning a white picket fence house with a dog and a cat and a giant basketball court out the back. Living it up in suburbia.
Nope, not at all.
Besides, Kagami always did promise him a one-on-one for his troubles. So at least Daiki could pretend that was why he tagged along…
“Okay it’s doneeee~!” Kise sang from the other room, his voice trailing out into the hallway.
Aomine turned as the blonde came into view holding what looked like a gigantic chocolate cake in his arms. Kagami followed suit, looking rather frazzled with flour all over his face.
“Surprise!” Ryouta cried, grinning at him. “I decided to throw you a party to celebrate this very special event! I invited Midorimacchi and Takaocchi. Oh and not to mention Murasakibaracchi, Himurocchi, Momoicchi, Aidacchi and Akashicchi! They all agreed to come, how exciting!”
“What the-?“ Daiki shouted, being bombarded by an assortment of nicknames he hadn’t heard in what felt like a thousand years.
Aomine, however, was cut off mid yell by Kuroko, who just so conveniently blew a confetti popper in his face.
“What is this even for?” Daiki asked, trying not to sound a little bit touched from the gesture anyway.
A whole party just for him…
How nic-
Aomine glanced at the giant confectionary item in Ryouta’s arms and couldn’t hide the grin from his face.
‘Congratulations on breaking fifteen basketball hoops in official games and not being fined collateral damage once!’
“I’m surprise you even know how to spell ‘collateral’” Aomine muttered, trying to stop smiling.
“Be as tsundere as you want, Daikicchi, you can’t be mad when there’s cake!”
Ryouta did have a point.
Cake was pretty fucking great.
“Thanks, Ryouta, it’s wonderful. It will be uh, great, to see everyone again.” Aomine smiled at his boyfriend, grinning up at the blonde, so genuinely, so pure…
Kise turned bright red.
Perfect.
This had become Daiki’s life now.
There was no more wondering what could have happened if Kise was by his side, because he knew. There were no more nights alone.
Sometimes nightmares kept him awake, sometimes the memory of the chains around his wrists felt a little too real.
But instead of facing it by himself. Isolated, miserable.
He had Ryouta.
And in the end, Aomine realised that was the only thing missing in his life.
Kimoi Kumo was found guilty of blackmail, kidnapping and attempted murder. But thankfully, none of it got out to the news. Ryouta was aware of how much of a scandal this would be if it got out and was utterly grateful to have such a good manager to take care of him…
Aomine and Kise were only at his trial long enough to know that Kimoi was going to be put away for a long, long time.
Daiki still wished that he had gotten to punch the guy at least once, but figured that his vengeance would better off be unfulfilled.
After all; he didn’t want to become anything like that monster of a man. So twisted with finding his petty revenge that he let it consume him…
Kise and Aomine had clutched hands the entire time they had to sit through the hearing, it was painful for the young model to hear all of the accounts being brought to life once more.
Even more so letting his own family know about it after all this time.
But Ryouta stood it, knowing that it was all over now. Everyone was safe.
No one could be hurt anymore.
In the end.
It was all worth it.
Up until now, Aomine had been trying to fill the missing piece that the blonde had left behind. Attempting to hole up a gap that didn’t even need to be fixed.
It just needed to be found again.
Daiki looked around, at Kagami and Kuroko. At Kise. At the night sky filling the window with a wild darkness that couldn’t be contained by the atmosphere.
And he couldn’t have been happier about where he was now.
It took more than a single night for him to figure all of this out; it happened gradually.
But when he did, all of those hours stuck together like glue and made him complete. Every night that broke him down, built him up again.
In one single night he had his heart broken.
In one single night he got it right back.
And after all this time, after all these nights…
Whether it was fate or something else entirely…
Aomine knew he belonged with Kise.
~The End~