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It was pure coincidence. The kind that makes Aomine wonder how much he messed up for you to actually agree to the divorce those four years ago. Did you even intend to tell him the news?
A memory of you smiling at him resurfaces and Aomine curses under his breath, because it was that same moment he told you about the divorce. The way happiness and all the love you had for him left your eyes makes his heart ache. How much of an idiot he was back then.
But now he can’t do anything about it. Not when a stoic man stands beside you as you stare inside a children store. There’s an obvious bump that Aomine can’t miss, but the boy, the boy the man holds in his arms, so painfully similar to all those pictures from his childhood with his eyes, hair, the dark skin tell him more than any words ever could.
He sees the boy laugh at something the man said and you smiling at them and his heart aches at the sight. You look so happy and he’s jealous, because that could have been him beside you. And the worst thing is he can recognize the man that has your whole attention. It’s one and only Wakatoshi Ushijima, Schweiden Adlers’ wing spiker, the one that rose to his fame already in high school.
“I know I’m not perfect by a whole mile when it comes to us, but I’ll be the happiest man there ever is if you’ll be mine and I’ll do my best to not make you cry constantly.”
There are tears in your eyes and you laugh before you fall on your knees and wrap arms around him. You nod your head and you continue to do so, chanting silent “yes” as Aomine slips a ring on your left ring finger.
“I’m the luckiest man there is.” He murmurs into the crook of your neck before he pulls away and kisses you on the lips. You return it immediately, surrounding yourself into his warm embrace and into the heat of the moment, feeling the happiest you could ever be.
Something stirs inside Aomine when Ushijima leans down and kisses you on the cheek. It makes you laugh and most likely shy as well, if that flustered expression on your face is anything to tell him. It’s the way you smack Ushijima’s arm that makes Aomine’s head fill with jealousy, because that could have been him. But it isn’t. And he has no one else to blame than himself.
Voices were raised and a picture was thrown, hitting Aomine’s cheek. His eyes flashed in anger and yours widened in shock and surprise because the next moment he stood in front of you, his fist right beside your head.
“Stop pushing your luck.”
“I’m worried about you, Daiki!” you didn’t want to stand down, not when it came to his well being. “You’ve been at the station for the last couple of days, I barely see you anymore!”
“It’s my job, damn it! What do you want me to do? Huh? What? Do you want me to leave our only income and remain jobless like you are?”
The words spoken made your lips part, but unable to say anything. You blinked with your eyes, trying hard to stop the sudden emotions that overwhelmed you, Aomine too blinded by his anger to see what he had said.
“You know I can’t find a job yet. Not with my diploma.”
“Then find something . Retail work, for all I care.” He groans and goes with hand through his hair. “Or go back home.”
You scowled. “Screw you, Daiki.” You turned and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door behind.
Aomine stared at you before he grabbed the lamp close to him and threw it against the wall.
Turning at the sound of a familiar voice, Aomine spots Kuroko and Kise walking towards him. They’re talking to each other, or what it seems like until Kuroko spots Aomine’s sullen expression. He raises an eyebrow and it catches Kise’s attention as well, because suddenly he’s bombed with questions for his well-being.
“’m fine…” he grunts and unconsciously looks your way only to spot you staring at him.
Your eyes are wide, like you’re surprised to see him before you turn to Ushijima and tell him something. It must have been regarding him, Aomine realizes, because Ushijima is also looking at him, frown quite visible on that stoic expression and Aomine wants to leave. But he can’t. Because Maji burger just happens to be right behind him.
“Oh…” It’s Kise who murmurs. “Why don’t we go ahead, Kurokocchi?”
“We’ll be inside, Aomine-kun.”
All Aomine can do is nod as he watches you cross the street in a rather quick pace. Ushijima is standing there, across the street, his attention completely on you, until you stand in front of him. A chill runs down Aomine’s spine at the attention he’s getting from the man, but it’s expected when it comes to your safety.
“Hi,” Your voice is quiet, almost whisper-like, and Aomine finds it hard to suppress the need to hold you in his arms right at this moment.
Your sobs reached his ears and Aomine sighed. He leaned his forehead on the door, biting his lower as he wondered what to say. Then again is it his right to apologize?
“[Name]…” he called your name.
“Go away.” Your voice is cold and Aomine sighed again. “I don’t wanna see you.”
“Come out. Let’s talk.”
There’s silence before the door bursts open, startling him. Tears stained your cheeks, your glare never subsiding as you held a suitcase behind yourself.
“What are you doing?” he frowned as you pushed past him.
“Leaving, what else.” Short answers that made his heart ache.
“No, wait, you-you can’t leave now.” He grabbed your wrist, but you snatched it from his grip. “It’s late and-and you don’t have a place to go to.”
You scoffed, shaking your head. “Three years, Daiki.” Your voice was too cold. “Three years of our marriage and you ask for a divorce. Ten years of us being together and you want us to separate. What did I ever do wrong? Can you tell me that? Was it because I was worried about your wellbeing when you overworked like in Teiko and Tōō? Or was it because I’m jobless ?”
Every word you spoke felt like someone was cutting him alive. He was unable to answer, to tell you and you took the chance to walk to the hallway, sniffling.
“P-please…” he stuttered when you reached for the doorknob. “Don’t go.”
You hesitated and looked back at him. “I can’t do this, Daiki.” You released the suitcase like you remembered it only then that you still had it. Taking off the ring, you placed it on the closet beside the entrance, tears streaming down your cheeks. “I tried. I really did try. But I can’t help you if you continue to destroy yourself like your health and I mean nothing to you.”
“I’m sorry.” Aomine blurts out before you can say another word.
Your eyes widen, but the expression quickly softens and a small smile spreads across your lips. You shake your head, looking directly into his eyes. “There’s nothing to apologize for. We were young. We didn’t know what we were doing.”
“But I still love you” is what Aomine wants to say, but he knows he can’t. Instead he looks across the street and sees Ushijima talking to the boy and pointing at something in the store. It’s a small pink dress he realizes and his heart misses a beat. A baby girl.
“When…” he starts, but stops. He clears his throat, feeling eyes from inside the Maji burger and he has a sudden need to leave. He feels like suffocating the longer he stares at the boy. “When did you find out?” he chokes on the words.
Your silence is too much for him. “The day you asked for divorce.”
“Shit…” he curses and goes with hand through his hair.
There’s a silent laugh and he looks at you. “I can’t say I was angry and devastated, but I can’t deny I feel glad you feel bad about it.” Your smile doesn’t reach your eyes and Aomine wants to snap, because how the fuck could he mess up like that. He had everything and he ruined it.
“I’m sorry.” Is all he can say, and then; “I know you’re with … Ushijima, but if I can, I want to support you.”
You watch him in silence before you answer; “He knows the truth.” At that his eyes widen. “I thought about it long and hard, both alone and with Toshi and we decided to tell him. You don’t have to support us, I have a job with good-income—I can also work from home—and Junpei is a good child. He can’t wait to meet his baby sister.” You smile and caress your stomach as you look down fondly.
There’s a moment of silence before you look back at him.
“Although he thinks of Toshi as his father, I hope that when he’s older, and if he wants to meet you, you won’t deny his request. That’s all I ask of you.” Your voice is almost pleading and Aomine can’t find himself to deny that request.
“I-I’ll try.” he says instead and you smile. The same smile you used to give him years ago.
“[Name],” A voice calls from across the street and you turn only for your smile to widen. Junpei is calling for you as well and waving while Ushijima’s expression is that of a fond partner and father.
“I’m coming!” You call back and then you turn back to Aomine. “Thank you, Daiki.” Your voice is so soft, so kind that it makes his heart skip a beat and eyes burn from a sudden wave of emotions.
“There’s nothing to thank me for.”
“There is.” You nod, disagreeing with him. “Contact me when you’re ready to be part of his life. I know Junpei would like that very much. So does Toshi.”
Aomine chuckles and shakes his head. “Does he really?” he asks and looks at Ushijima, who’s staring at you both. “Does he really want me to be part of his life?” he looks at you and sees pain flash through your eyes. He curses silently for causing you to make that same expression.
“Daiki,” you call quietly and reach for his hand. “I loved you so much. It broke me when I saw you overwork both in school and at work. When you spent nights at the station, I was at the end of my nerves, hoping and praying for you to be safe wherever you are, thinking that maybe there’s another case that held you back. When I found out I was pregnant, I was so happy, because suddenly our family grew.” You’re smiling at the memory only for it to disappear.
And Aomine doesn’t need to guess what you remember.
“And then you come home and ask for a divorce. I spent so many days and nights crying and thinking that I must have done something wrong or that you fell out with me and it hurt. It hurt so much to realize that I meant nothing to you anymore. I had no idea what to do. I wanted to ask Satsuki, Tetsuya, anyone for some clue or something, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t involve them when this was between us. You’ve been so cold to me in that week and I’m still wondering if it was me after all this time.”
“No,” Aomine shakes his head and cups your face. He closes his eyes and sighs, leaning his forehead on yours. “It was never you, believe me on that. I truly am sorry for what I did to you and I have no excuse. If he makes you happy, then that is all I wish for you.”
Releasing your face, he smiles only to spot tears in your eyes. He internally panics, but then you chuckle and shake your head.
“You constantly make me worry.” You sigh. “Even after all this time.”
“I’ll try not to.” This time he grins and messes your hair that makes you grimace. “I want to be part of Junpei’s life if that is his wish.” He says after a moment, his composure just a bit straighter. I want to be part of yours as well. He wants to say only for; “If Ushiwaka makes you cry, tell me. I’ll beat his ass.” to leave his lips.
You roll your eyes, laughing. “Can’t believe you’re calling him like that as well.”
Ushijima calls your name once more. You nod his way and before Aomine can say a word, you’re pulling him in a tight embrace.
“Thank you, Daiki.”
He’s speechless and all he can do is watch you cross the street. He sees Ushijima talk to you, must have asked you something, because you’re smiling so wide and shaking your head before you’re leaning closer to Junpei and kissing his forehead. Jealousy grows inside Aomine at the sight of seeing Ushijima smiling at you two, but there’s nothing he can do.
He can only wish for your happiness, although a part of him wishes for you to run back into his embrace.