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The second the ball left Tetsu’s hands, Daiki knew he was screwed.
Since the first pass between Tetsu and him in middle school, he was on the edge of something.
As he watched the ball left Tetsu’s hands even as it disappeared he knew it would go in, and it was like he had dived head first of the edge.
Crashing his life to pieces but it also settled everything, and Daiki thought that was an accurate simile to Tetsu.
Tetsu turned to him as the ball dropped through the net, Daiki felt his heart pound in his ears as Tetsu gave him the most stunning look of joy. He wanted to reach and trace the smile so he could remember the feel out of it but it froze him.
“Aomine-kun?” Tetsu asked as the smile changed to confusion.
Daiki was never the paragon of impulse control, but with his mind muddled and his heart trying to escape out of his chest, so he could be forgiven for his next words.
“You’re beautiful. Wait no, I meant that was a beautiful shot,” Daiki fumbled feeling like the time he shot up four inches in a couple of months.
Tetsu flushed, and Daiki lost his mind because that’s the only way he could figure out why he continued to talk, “I mean that was an amazing shot, You’re amazing. Only you could pull out a disappearing shot, that was--”
Tetsu blushing madly, thankfully put the both of them out of their embarrassment by covered Daiki’s mouth before he could spew any more words.
Daiki flushed and smiled wryly as Tetsu removed his hand.
The soft, “Aomine-kun?” quickly dashed him Tetsu would let it go, but it
Daiki sighed even as his face heated again, of course, Tetsu wouldn’t let it go.
Taking a deep breath, he decided that he really had nothing to lose, Tetsu either felt the same or didn’t but either way, he had to trust that Tetsu wouldn’t walk away not after everything they had been through.
“I like you, a lot.”
“Oh,” Tetsu breathed, taking a small step into Daiki’s personal space, Daiki kept his hands to his side, even as hope made him want to raise them.
“Yeah, you always took my breath away with your basketball even when we weren’t talking, but I guess seeing you make that shot was the last straw, and now I am a rambling fool,” Daiki groaned as he wrangled in the rambling again.
Tetsu smiled and let out a small laugh, “Now you know what I felt like when I watched you play basketball.”
“Felt?” Daiki picked out the past tense and the hope dissipated a little.
“Feel, as much as I hated your ‘only I can beat me’ mentality,” Tetsu did an impression of him, and Daiki snorted, “you looked good on the court as always. Though you look better when you’re happy.”
“Ah, really?” Daiki teased as leaned into Tetsu’s personal space.
Tetsu hummed, “Really, I love your smile,” and as summoned Daiki felt himself grinning.
“I love yours too”
Tetsu grinned and grabbed Daiki’s shirt and brought him the extra few inches until they were kissing. Tetsu tasted like vanilla and red Gatorade, and both of them couldn’t stop smiling. So it wasn’t a long kiss before they separated and Daiki rests his forehead on Tetsu’s.
“Go out with me?” Daiki asked quietly.
“Of course,” Tetsu smiled, and Daiki pressed a fleeting kiss on the smile, before backing up.
“I should probably help you get that phantom shot down,” Daiki smiled.
Tetsu rolled his eyes, “No one will ever believe me when I tell them you are the dork that started the trend of naming our moves.”
Daiki laughed, “Good, I have a reputation to protect you know,” he teased as he jogged over to where the ball had rolled forgotten.
“Oh, really, as does this reputation mean we aren’t telling anyone about us?” Tetsu asked, it was nonchalant but Daiki could see the tenseness Tetsu posture meant Tetsu was anxious about the answer.
“Tetsu,” Daiki started as he bounces the ball into Tetsu’s hand, “Unless you don’t want to, I will make sure everyone knows that I am the lucky one that you picked.”
“Territorial,” Tetsu noted as he got ready for another shot, his face perfectly calm.
“Damn right I am,” Daiki snorted, as he watched the basketball head towards the net, “You may not see it but you could have your pick of partners,” Daiki caught the ball as it bounces off the rim and passed it back to Tetsu, “the fact you want me after everything I put you through, of course, I will let no one think they have a chance.”
“Unless you want to keep it quiet.” Daiki amended because maybe Tetsu wanted to keep it quiet. Even though Daiki was pretty sure from Tetsu’s body language that wasn’t what he wanted. Daiki grew up with his mom adamant he never took what someone’s body language was telling him as fact and with Satsuki as his best friend who instilled over the years that sometimes verbal communication was important.
“I never said I didn’t like it,” Tetsu smiled as another shot went in, “I want to tell everyone too, as I am just as aware that you could have whoever you wanted, and I am as proud to show you off.” Daiki grinned as he tosses the ball to Tetsu.
“You know not everyone going to like the fact we are two guys,” Daiki felt the need to point out, watching the ball disappear as Tetsu shot it. He knew that their Teikou friends won’t care, hell Satsuki and Kise will probably be ecstatic for them for getting their acts together, but strangers, their other teams, and other friends might.
“People’s opinion never bother me, and most don’t see me anyway,” Tetsu shrugged.
“What about your team?” Daiki asked as he passed the ball because he knew that there were a couple of benchwarmers he would have to scare to leaving him alone when they hear about Tetsu and him.
Tetsu shrugged again as he lined up the shot, “Kagami-kun shuts down any type of homophobic talk when he hears it, and most of my senpai don’t care.”
“You let me know if you have any problems.”
“What about your parents?” Tetsu asked instead of agreeing, as he finally sent the ball flying. Daiki figured he would have to suck it up and ask Kagami to watch out for Tetsu. To make sure the other’s stubborn and independent ways didn’t get him hurt.
It was Daiki’s turn to shrug before he had to duck as the ball ricochet of the backboard, “My mom won’t care, she loves you, and my dad will either get over it or not, I don’t really care what he thinks he’s barely home. What about yours?”
“My grandmother, I think she already knows that I like you, and well you are her favourite,” Tetsu teased as Daiki tossed the ball his way, and Daiki smiled thinking about the older woman that always had a warm smile and kind words for him, “My parents aren’t home enough to notice.”
Daiki scowled but said nothing, Tetsu already knew his opinion on his parents, no need to say it. From the way Tetsu smiled at him, he appreciated that Daiki was mad on his behalf. It was still far too brittle of a smile for him to do or say nothing.
So when Tetsu made the next shot, Daiki pulled Tetsu into his arms again as the ball dropped into the basket, “My mom, your grandmother, Satsuki, Kagami and your team, Kise, even Midorima and Takao and I am certain you will drag Murasakibara and Akashi back to us, just like you did with the rest of us,” Tetsu stared up at him and Daiki caressed Tetsu’s cheek with a soft smile, “Those people are our family okay, the people you call parents and my father don’t get to claim anything more than to share DNA,” Daiki promised softly.
Tetsu reached up and laid his palm on Daiki’s cheek, “Romantic,” Tetsu whispered, his smile equally soft.
“For you, always,” Daiki promised, kissing Tetsu on the forehead.
“I like the sound of that,” Tetsu murmured.
“Come on,” Daiki smiled as unwrapped his arms but kept a hold of one of Tetsu’s hands, “it’s late, you have a game tomorrow, you have the form down and I would love to see Ba-chan.”
“Okay,” Tetsu smiled and let Daiki lead him over to where the things we set in the corner. Daiki dropped Tetsu’s hand to grab the basketball and put into the sports bag, once he grabbed Tetsu’s hand again interlocking their fingers.
They left the court, smiling, and ready to face the up and downs of tonight, tomorrow, and every day after.
Two stubborn boys, with an unrelenting love of the same sport, and blooming unrelenting love for each other.