Chapter Text
The smell of burnt rubber, asphalt and freshly trimmed grass enveloped Daiki’s nostrils. His eyes darted around the atmosphere, he was at the basketball court located at the park near his home. School had ended hours ago, and the sun was about to set, the sky a tangerine color. The usually lively court was eerily empty, a gush of wind sent shivers down his spine.
Daiki clicked his tongue, there had to be a reason he’d be out here, but he was standing alone. Alone, holding a basketball that looked as if it had taken thousands of beatings in the cement of various outdoor courts. His basketball, marked with his initials D.A., written sloppily in black permanent marker.
If Daiki was a good student, he would head home now and get to studying immediately, but he also concluded that schoolwork didn’t matter until high school and college anyway, and his legs abruptly moved on their own. He found himself bouncing the roughed up ball and sent it flying towards the hoop, followed by the familiar and exciting swoosh as it glided through the net. The ball bounced back into his hands and Daiki’s heart hummed, there was nothing in this world he loved more than basketball. He lifted his arms, ready to shoot again until he felt icicles pressed at the back of his neck.
“Wah! What the–” Daiki sputtered, he snapped his neck around to be met with a familiar sight of big blue eyes. Fingers now laid at his sides, Daiki took in the image.
Tetsu, cheeks flushed as if he’d been running, let out a breathy laugh. His hair was a mess, short strands defying gravity in angles unimaginable. Tetsu, who worked his way up to the first string, and practiced every single day in the dimly lit gym, despite the words of his peers and teachers. Tetsu, who was standing right in front of him, eyes gleaming with excitement, Daiki’s very best friend.
“Tetsu!” Daiki slipped, thinking out loud, he continued—lowering his voice,— “you scared me dude, thought ya had a quiz tomorrow and were goin’ home to study.”
“That is true.” Testu hummed, expression unreadable. “Even so, I had a feeling you would be here. Before I knew it my legs were taking me in this direction so…I guess it can’t be helped.”
He’s as honest as always… Daiki snickered in thought, “Well if yer ready to get absolutely destroyed in a game then it’s my pleasure.” He teased, only increasing the excitement shown in Tetsu’s gaze.
The two backed up and got into position, Daiki had possession of the ball first, instantly driving at an awkward angle making Tetsu stumble a bit. He prepared to do a left-handed layup until his eyes locked with a sky blue blur of color, Tetsu matched his form near perfectly. Though unfortunately for him—he still lacked speed—and Daiki used that to his best advantage. He swiftly changed his form and went for a hook shot, that was until he felt familiar icicles brush his knuckles at the slightest.
How did he catch up so fast?
Daiki’s body seemed to freeze on its own mid-air, his fingers hesitant as he released the ball. Tetsu’s determination was a sharp scent, his eyes didn’t leave Daiki’s once throughout the interaction. Time felt as if it had slowed down until he saw that undoubtedly Tetsu had pushed past his limit as his knees buckled and crashed into Daiki’s chest, sending the two of them plummeting to the hard asphalt. Sharp pain shot through Daiki’s back as it hit the cement, he hissed upon the impact.
“Owww…Tetsu what the hell was that?” Daiki spat, his body aching. He heard a small groan of pain from Tetsu—suddenly feeling guilty. He continued, softer this time, “You’re not usually this clumsy man.”
“I’m sorry, I..” Tetsu trailed off, as if searching for the right words, “I believed I could do it.”
Daiki sighed and got up, brushing dirt off his knees, and held his hand out for Tetsu to grab. Tetsu’s eyes widened, he reluctantly took Daiki’s hand and stood up. His legs wobbled and Daiki's eyes locked on the crimson splatter of color on Tetsu’s knees. It was clear he took the brunt of the fall, he had fallen forward with his knees dug deep into the asphalt, unlike Daiki who had fallen on his back.
“Your knees..” Was all he managed, eyes locked on the injury.
Tetsu hadn’t even paid attention to the state of his lower half before he looked down to see blood dripping from his knees, staining his white socks. He lifted his finger and pressed it to the wound on his left knee and winced, biting his lower lip. “Ah. I might be dying." He said, somehow with an even more painfully monotone voice than usual.
Daiki couldn't help but let out a light chuckle at the sight, “Yer such a weirdo, y’know that?” Tetsu’s lips turned slightly into a soft smile, and Daiki’s own grin widened even further unconsciously. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Without thinking he took Tetsu's hand, his cold fingers bringing relief to the warmth spreading through Daiki’s palms. “Satsuki’ll have some first aid stuff on standby, so just bear the pain till we get there alright?” Tetsu opened his mouth slightly to say something, then his lips pressed into a line, only nodding instead.
They walked in silence for a while, but it wasn’t awkward.
It wasn’t like the eerie silences Daiki heard when he came home after school to see no one home—or what it seemed like until he'd spot his mother sleeping in a terribly uncomfortable position at her work desk, glass bottles surrounding her desk and some rolling on the floor.
No, this silence was warm, even comfortable. Tetsu never made Daiki feel like he owed him entertainment, like just his presence was enough. He was special that way, in a way that Daiki’s friends and classmates could never compare to. He caught himself tightening his grip on Tetsu’s fingers, even so he did not protest. Tetsu then started to speak, voice wavering, almost nervous in a way he was when he first started playing basketball in real matches with the first string.
“Before summer starts, around the end of the school year..” Tetsu’s eyes glued to the floor, continued, “I want to tell you something, something I should have said a long time ago.”
“Hm? Gonna finally confess your undying love to me?” Daiki teased, imitating a girl’s voice.
Though he couldn’t lie he was curious, Tetsu was always a pretty secretive guy. What was it that he wouldn't tell him now? That he had to wait till the end of the school year for?
“Wha—” Tetsu’s eyes wrinkled and he let out a hearty laugh, louder than his usual soft ones. “Pft, In your dreams,” he mocked until arms slung around his neck, locking him into a chokehold.
”Hah?” Daiki questioned, giggling. “You say something, or did I imagine an annoying voice just now?”
“Ao—mfph,” Tetsu struggled hopelessly against the tightening arms around his throat. “I th…ink…I’ll…die…,” he wheezed in vain.
Daiki let go, instead relocating his hands to Tetsu’s head, ruffling his hair. “Whatever, idiot.” He said in a playful tone, then continued with more seriousness, “But ya better promise to tell me alright?”
Tetsu shifted his gaze to Daiki, his eyes sharper than a blade, similar to the way he looked when he’d play in matches. “Promise.”
They both nodded simultaneously, and brought their pinkies together, interlocking them. Daiki had no clue what Tetsu wanted to tell him, be it a special move he’d been working on, a new idea he wanted to bring to life, it didn't matter. Because the big blue eyed weirdo was always a bit distant, he shared just enough for the people around him to not press for more information so he’d fall into the background. A fleeting presence.
Daiki often wondered if he actually felt okay with being a ghost, or if he was just so used to being one that he embedded the presence with his identity. Because Tetsu could talk a lot, he would know—the way he’d ramble on about a book he was interested in at the moment—while Daiki would listen comfortably. It was nice. It was nice to be more than just ‘the kid who’s crazy good at basketball’ or whatever boring rumor his classmates would say about him. With Tetsu, Daiki could just be himself. It didn’t matter that they were different in damn near every way, being together felt balanced, it felt right.
He never wanted this to end. The feeling of looking forward to seeing Tetsu another day unknowing what they’d end up doing, be it eating burgers on the swings, new basketball combos until the two would almost pass out due to exhaustion, or simple days in the library where Tetsu would study and read his textbook for whatever boring subject he was working on which Daiki used as a lullaby and would doze off to.
A beat of comfortable silence passed, and two let their fingers stay intertwined for a moment longer than necessary.
I’m really glad I met you, Tetsu. He thought warmly, though he’d never say it out loud. And as if on cue to the passing thought, Tetsu slowly pulled away his pinky.
“My knees are still stinging.” He deadpanned.
“Ah, why didn’t you say something earlier? Let’s go.” Daiki’s eyes wandered on Tetsu’s hands thinking of grabbing them again, but for a strange reason he couldn’t bring himself to. It seemed a bit embarrassing now, his own palms felt sweaty. Instead he shoved the weirdo and shouted, “Race ya!”
”Isn’t it rude to challenge an injured patient to a race?” Tetsu remarked, though his legs were already in motion.
The smell of burnt rubber, asphalt and freshly trimmed grass started to fade slowly, his vision was blurring gradually and he started to hear chattering in the background. He then heard a gentle voice saying something, though it was unintelligible.
”Um…excuse me.” A woman’s voice echoed in Daiki’s head. Huh? Then slim fingers planted themselves on his shoulder shaking him slightly. His eyes peeled open to see a young lady holding a small baby in one arm, “Is your stop for University of Tokyo? I didn’t want to wake you but you just seemed like a student—“
“Shit.” Daiki’s eyes darted to his watch, surely enough it read 1:31, his train had arrived.
He quickly pulled up his backpack and grabbed his luggage, he noticed the train doors were nowhere more than a couple seconds from closing. He swiftly exited in time, muttering a swift “Thanks,” to the lady on the way out. Sure enough if he used his legs to their fullest potential he wouldn’t be late to the orientation class. Not that he cared if he was late anyway, today would just be the stupid shit like introducing yourself to your new classmates or whatever. He yawned, walking with leisure and picking the skin of his thumb nail. Man he wished he could go back to sleep and back into that dream he was having, though he didn’t remember anything of it really. Just that it had left his chest feeling weird—all warm and fuzzy, like watching puppies cuddle or something.
About several yawns later Daiki had made it, he wandered the hallways searching for the room number he was supposed to be in. For the first day, it was pretty serene, being absolutely nothing like his former high school where you’d see kids shoving each other into lockers at the ass crack of dawn. Though his tour was cut short as his eyes caught familiar numbers, yeah this was the class. English, painfully boring and Daiki expected it to be just as if not more the same this year. But if he managed to snag a seat in the back row he’d be able to resume his pleasant nap earlier, the thought sent contentment blooming through his chest.
He just had to be subtle, sneak in quietly and grab his seat and that was wraps—the professor might not even notice him and he’d get to skip introducing himself.
It was a nice wishful thought while it lasted.
The huge doors decided it was Daiki’s lucky day and made a wonderfully obnoxious clank upon his entrance. The previous chattering came to an abrupt stop, heads turned and eyes burned through his skin instantly, too many to count.
The professor shot him an unimpressed glare, yet continued in a welcoming tone, “Another one hm. Well, would you mind introducing yourself?”
“Aomine Daiki.” He replied curtly. Whispers broke out among the students and he could more or less assume what they were talking about. It wasn’t exactly subtle, he had been on magazines, news reports and god knows what else during his basketball career. The memories left his mouth feeling dry.
“Nice to meet you, Aomine, go ahead and take a seat. Class, I will resume the syllabus presentation shortly.”
Daiki sighed in relief, that had gone faster than he anticipated. Unfortunately for him, all the back row seats were taken. Crap. His eyebrow twitched in irritance. The only seats open were near the first three rows in the front. The seat farthest to the left of the third row called to him, his feet carrying him to the spot. He slung his backpack over the chair and slumped into it comfortably. The professor resumed the syllabus presentation, talking painfully slowly but it seemed like Daiki wasn’t the only sleepy one here as his gaze ran across the interior to see various heads also positioned comfortably in rest. He yawned at the sight, luckily there was an empty seat next to him meaning no one would try to nag and talk to him during his nap. He stretched, draped his jacket over his head and let his eyelids fall.
“Excuse me.” A soft voice spoke nearby. It was comforting, smooth and sharp at the same time. The sound lulled Daiki into a deeper sleep, but then it pricked, accentuating. “Excuse me.” The voice repeated, irritation seeping from it now. Were they talking to him? Daiki grumbled, the feeling of perfectly good deep sleep withering away sucked. He couldn't bring himself to care, and didn’t bother budging an inch. Then his jacket was dragged off his head and Daiki winced at the harsh light entering his vision so abruptly.
“Tch, hell’s yer problem?” He was pissed now, he was not interested in making friends in a damn orientation. Though any words of irritance that had bubbled up died down quicker than Daiki could even imagine, because staring down at him were huge pools of eyes he hadn’t thought he’d ever see so soon.
“Aomine?” Tetsu murmured, gaze expressionless yet full of everything all at once. Daiki thought his heart stopped, his vision was blurring, he couldn’t look away. He opened his mouth but no words came out, a pathetic grunt of a noise. Then, spoken as casually as someone pointing out the weather, Tetsu continued, “You’re in my seat.”
Hah? Here Daiki was, unable to form words, chest hammering for some reason, and here Tetsu was, standing almost mockingly calm in front of him.
The former irritation he had felt had come back in full force, he shot up, grabbed his backpack and moved to the open seat to the left of Tetsu. Daiki faced away from Tetsu’s gaze, only to feel it burning through the back of his head.
Silence filled the air, he had no idea what to say.
A brief ache hit him, he and Tetsu had not spoken since the summer. And after watching Tetsu during the winter cup, discovering he was the zone's gatekeeper and the realization that they would never be able to play alongside each other again...his chest suddenly felt hollow.
Even during Tetsu’s birthday party when they played together—“Nice pass, Tetsu!”—the laughter and the fist bump they shared, it all felt hollow. He played along, but every small gesture and interaction with him pressed on a bruise he’d been trying to ignore, the reminder of the days they could have experienced by each other's side.
They texted from time to time, but not much. Daiki had no clue that the guy had chosen the same university as him, they’d never discussed their future together. He finally turned his head, breaking the thick cloud of silence that settled between them,
“Still full of surprises aren’t ya.” Daiki mumbled, facing wide blue eyes.
“Seems like it.” A pause, “Aomine, I am quite shocked to see you here.”
“Hah? Why?”
“Well, you need decent grades to get into this school, no?” Tetsu's deadpan expression didn’t waver, but his tone was unmistakably playful. Daiki felt himself relax for a brief moment, this was Tetsu after all.
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Tetsu let out a breathy chuckle and Daiki swiftly ignored the way his stomach stirred at the sight. He then continued, “Either way, I’m happy to see a familiar face.”
Daiki couldn’t stop his mouth from curling into a faint smile. “Yeah.” Sure, even if things would be different, going to school with Tetsu again could be nice. Back in Teikō, they were always in different classes, though either way they spent the majority of their time together outside of class. But this was different. This was new.
Orientation continued, and for some reason Daiki wasn’t able to keep his leg from bouncing and his fingers from fidgeting awkwardly throughout the day.
He even knocked his pencil down at one point to be met with Tetsu face to face, close, too close.
He jerked back, “Gah!”
“Here.” Pale fingers brushed his as he handed the pencil.
Daiki promptly ignored the stir in his chest, “Thanks.” He muttered, quiet and calculated. It was like meeting Tetsu all over again, except with new painful knowledge that he desperately wished he could forget.
He ended up falling asleep once more, then woken up by the commotion of chairs moving and backpacks being zipped up. He lifted his head and scanned the room, it was damn near empty besides him and like two other random dudes packing up their study materials. Unconsciously his eyes drifted to the right of his seat, Tetsu had already left. It didn’t disappoint him, really. Daiki should be getting to his next class anyway.
He grabbed his backpack, but he couldn’t help but spot that it was zipped up. Daiki had never bothered to zip up the thing before, let alone have his papers already cleared off his desk before class was over. He’d usually just shove 'em all together, notes for each subject getting mixed up.
Weird. He yawned, and walked out of the classroom.
For a brief moment he remembered some times when Tetsu would pack up his stuff for him when he’d doze off in class. He brushed off the thought, and decided to ignore the whole subject matter entirely.
The rest of the day was as boring as Daiki had expected. His classes went slowly and he napped through every single one. His classmates would try to start a conversation but he wasn’t subtle about implying that he did not care for small talk and lame introductions. It was irritating, because it was obvious they only wanted to know why he had quit professional basketball.
They’d ask questions around the subject and he’d tell them, “People change.” Simple and flat, and the conversation usually died down after that.
The truth was basketball wasn’t a stable career (not that Daiki ever cared about stability) but because of that fact, his parents wouldn’t stop nagging him about when he’d find a ‘real job.’ But he wasn’t the type to listen to others or care about their opinions, he didn’t quit basketball because of them. He quit to shorten an inevitable fate, his teammates dropped one by one, and he consistently didn’t get along with anyone.
Even after he had started to come to practice more, the excitement he once felt was fleeting. The one rival and team he’d look forward to playing was Seirin with Tetsu and Kagami, but the red-headed bitch decided to go to the NBA and flew to America. Tetsu quit shortly after that, said he appreciated and didn’t regret those years for a second, but that he had done some reflection and had possibly found something else he’d like to pursue. Though he never mentioned what exactly, and Daiki didn’t prod him for answers.
They hadn’t spoken casually since summer break where the teams all went to some amusement park in blazing heat. He fondly remembered when he, Tetsu and Kagami went on the spinning cup ride and Tetsu wouldn’t stop throwing up after. The two of them laughed like crazy at the sight only for Kagami to end up puking alongside him too. Daiki remembered how his chest ached with laughter and the thought made him feel warm.
To think those days would end so soon and subtly.
He bit his bottom lip and picked up his pace, he wasn’t sure where all these sappy thoughts were coming from, but they needed to get a move on. The faster he’d get to his dorm the better. The thought of rest filled him with satisfaction, only for it to dissipate when he realized he might come home to an annoying dorm mate.
Tongue bitter at the thought, Daiki pulled out his dorm key. The room was one hundred and something..Oh yeah, 131. He walked by dorm 128 and was shortly met with the door of his new room. The place he’d stay in sharing a room with some random dude for four years. Whatever, as long as the guy wouldn’t complain about his magazines and wasn’t a clean freak that’d nag him about tidying his side of the room he could tolerate it.
Upon entering Daiki saw off the bat that the room was snug, two beds close enough that he and his roommate's knees could almost clack together if they got up at the same time. But said roommate was nowhere to be seen…his eyes darted to every crevice—no sign of unpacking done by a person. The springs of the bed yelped as Daiki plopped himself on it, legs dangling off the sides. He then stretched, joints popping and knuckles brushing the wall. He just might have gotten himself a dorm all to himself, (Hell yeah!) it was one of the last ones on the floor anyway and it was way late. He could unpack whenever, so with a heavy metallic clank of the door, Daiki left to grab his luggage.
He hadn’t forgotten his magazines of course, the first thing he did when he got back was sprawl them across his bed. He flipped through them mindlessly to kill time, though time wasn’t budging for some godforsaken reason. He groaned, without a roommate there was a lack of sufficient entertainment. Daiki loved being alone—that was true, but a part of him begged to disagree. It was the part that realized Satsuki had pretty much been by his side since he was a kid. She was like an annoying leech you just can’t get rid of no matter what, always tellin’ ya what to do and whatnot. Daiki didn’t have any siblings, but when people asked, he’d tell them he had a bratty sister because it sure as hell felt that way whether it was true or not. But she was off to university now, Keio was it? Something like that. It was quite the way from his school, but he’ll drop dead before admitting out loud that he would likely miss her. Just a little.
He wasn’t gloomy, not at all. Not in the slightest. He tried to convince himself that as he reached for his flip phone and dialed her number.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings.
“Hello, you have reached Satsuki Momoi, I promise I’ll get back to you soo–”
Interrupting the voicemail, he clamped his phone shut.
Of course she was busy. Everyone was.
Tetsu was probably studying somewhere around campus like the little teacher's pet he was. While the others were all in different places miles away.
Midorima was studying to become a doctor in med school (nerd). Murasakibara wanted to make sweets for the rest of his life so he was in culinary school (of course), Kise wanted to become a pilot, said ‘he’d fly anywhere he wanted to pick up chicks’ (die), Akashi was…
Ah..
He hadn’t a clue in the world. That guy was downright mystifying, always in his own world. In a way he reminded Daiki of Tetsu, but he couldn’t put his finger on why exactly. Besides the fact, his pants would ignite in flames for lying if he said he didn’t miss them even a little too.
Geez, the hell’s up with me today?
Daiki kicked off his shoes and rubbed his eyes, it was nothing sleep couldn't fix. The bed creaked as he shifted himself to a more comfortable position, it didn’t help that there were no bed sheets on the damn thing cause he forgot to buy them prior. Not like comfort ever mattered. He used to sleep anywhere, on anything—asphalt, grass, bricks, cobblestone, you name it and Daiki’s probably slept on it before.
With heavy eyelids, Daiki’s breathing slowed, and he allowed the familiar comfort of sleep to envelop him once more.
Daiki woke to the sound of creaking floorboards. He sniffled, cracking his back as he changed positions, hand now embracing the warmth underneath his pillow.
The noise carried on, the sound of a backpack zipping, papers brushing against one another, a pen clicking. Daiki let out a grunt, hoping to give the dude a hint that he was still trying to sleep here.
His eyes shot open. Wasn’t he alone in here? There’s no way his no-show roommate came last night, by the time he would've unpacked students should have already been at their dorms. Daiki swallowed, mouth dry. A ghost…? Nah, he wasn’t in middle school anymore, he was probably just hearing things. The persuasion lasted about an exhale, he couldn’t help it and slowly cocked his head to no longer face the wall.
The room whistled in silence.
No footsteps or sign of a presence lingered at the slightest.
That was when the metal door started rumbling. Holy shit. Did some staff or something find his magazines somehow? Was he being exiled from university? Or was it the gh—
Pale fingers latched onto the sides of the door, opening it slowly and carefully.
“Oh.”
Daiki said out loud, unsure what the make of the image unfolding in his eyes.
“Ah, Aomine. Good morning.” Tetsu said softly. “I’m sorry for waking you, I had forgotten something here.” He shuffled to his side and took a thin white binder from under his bed, “I’ll be on my way now.”
Daiki just stared, eyes glued to the guy in front of him.
Tetsu flashed him a brief smile before whipping around and disappearing through the front door, gone as quick as he arrived.
…
Daiki wasn’t sure how long he had been staring at the door where Tetsu once was, but he eventually collapsed back onto his bed like dead weight.
What the fuck.