Chapter 8

Kagami awoke groggily, surrounded by warmth and the strong, masculine scent of his boyfriend, wreathing around him like a second blanket. He could feel Aomine's broad chest expanding and relaxing slowly and rhythmically as he breathed, and one lean arm was draped across Kagami's midsection loosely, the unconscious gesture conveying protectiveness that he didn't think he'd ever seen Aomine show in the waking world. Smiling softly to himself, he glanced up at Aomine's reposed, handsome face, noticing his eyes darting beneath his eyelids. Wonder what he's dreaming about… he thought absently.

He felt Aomine's fingers twitch against his hip, then his legs shifted, almost as if mimicking a running step. God, he's like a freaking dog...running in his sleep. It was actually kind of cute, he realized, though the amount of cute attributes the harsh, crude, tough Aomine Daiki possessed added up to almost nil...or at least that was how it should be. But somehow, gazing at the tufts of dark hair mussed up with sleep, the sporadic shifting of pupils behind closed eyes, the very slight part of lips he knew to be deceitfully soft, he couldn't help but feel endeared.

He would have liked nothing more than to curl up beside his powerful, yet adorable boyfriend and rejoin him in sleep, but light was already showing through the curtains, and reluctantly, he acknowledged that Aomine had to leave. If left to his own devices with no alarm to wake him, he'd probably sleep until at least noon - he knew this because there had been times the idiot had answered his phone grumbling and slurring with half-sleep at about two o'clock in the afternoon - so he leaned up slowly and brushed his lips against his forehead, then against his slack mouth; increasing the pressure of the kiss when this yielded no response and gently biting his lower lip. Startled blue eyes snapped open, and Kagami could see the beginnings of sleep-addled questions and protests forming in them, before being utterly washed away when Aomine seemed to remember where he was. Rewarding his return to the land of the living, Kagami's tongue ventured into his dazed mouth, lips wrestling with the softer, albeit drier ones, chapped from lack of use. Gradually, he withdrew to let Aomine breathe and clear his head, as his responses still seemed to be fuzzy in the limbo between awareness and sleep.

"What're you doing?" Aomine mumbled, blinking a few times and taking in his surroundings.

Kagami let a grin slide onto his face, amused, "Waking you up."

Aomine's gaze returned to his, and a tiny, delirious smirk flitted across the lips that had just been in Kagami's possession, "Do continue…"

Kicking him once under the sheets, Kagami couldn't force the grin off his face, and his words shook a little with mirth when he spoke, "Get up, you lazy moron; you were the one who said you were leaving first thing. That was just a makeshift alarm."

Aomine seemed to consider this, and his smirk widened a little, "Usually I need three or four to get me up."

"Nice try," Kagami snickered, rolling out of the loose embrace Aomine had maintained even after waking, and standing up beside the bed, "You'll just have to make do without. Now let's go."

With a reluctant groan, Aomine covered his head with the blanket and curled in a ball, "Five more minutes…"

He's such a child, Kagami thought in amazement, resisting the urge to jump back in and snuggle up to his warmth. Shaking his head to himself, he moved over to the foot of the bed, and promptly yanked the blanket off of Aomine, getting into an honest-to-God tug of war over it before the other surrendered it with a huff and curled up tighter, hugging his knees to his chest. A six foot three, generously muscled man wrapped stubbornly in the fetal position - actually pouting, though it was difficult to believe - ….it was enough to incite Kagami to burst out laughing.

Apparently, Aomine didn't like being laughed at, because he straightened out and shot Kagami a petulant scowl, but still didn't budge from the bed.

"If you don't get up, so help me I'll tickle you within an inch of your life," Kagami threatened teasingly, poising his fingers like claws.

Aomine blinked, with what might have been a flash of fear, and then the scowl returned, "You wouldn't d - agh!"

Undeterred, Kagami proceeded to prove him wrong, and the larger man broke off mid-sentence as wicked fingers pounced on his feet, attacking the sensitive soles and toes, the objecting exclamation dissolving into helpless laughter as he tried to jerk them out of reach. One foot got free and collided soundly with Kagami's face as Aomine's athletic leg pumped reflexively, and, recoiling with a string of curses, he released him, gingerly feeling his nose to make sure it wasn't broken or bleeding.

"Son of a bitch," he swore under his breath, the whole area throbbing something vicious, as if it had been very suddenly introduced to a sledgehammer.

Aomine sat up, appearing to Kagami's streaming eyes to be giving him a 'serves-you-right' sneer, which gradually faded to a look of concern, though it very well may have been his imagination.

"Next time steer clear or you'll lose what little brains you have left; I don't know my own strength. ….Actually I do, and it's pretty devastating." he added, which Kagami supposed counted as a roundabout way of asking if he was okay….maybe.

"Well, my nose is still in one piece, but I'm probably going to have a bruise the size of your ego by the time it stops throbbing…"

Aomine's arrogant sneer returned, once it became evident Kagami hadn't suffered any serious injury, "If it was that big, it would cover your entire face and then some," he remarked.

"Shut up," Kagami said without heat, standing up straight, "...I take it from your dramatics back there you have time to stay for breakfast?"

The change of subject was more effective in getting Aomine to fall silent than telling him to be quiet, and he bit his lip thoughtfully before hunching his shoulders in a shrug.

"Sure. I mean, you owe me for that surprise attack and all..."

Kagami glared at him, "And here I thought having my teeth kicked in was payment enough."

"Oh, stop whining and grow a pair," Aomine muttered, getting to his feet and stretching with flourish, the lithe muscles of his shoulders and back flexing and pulling obviously under the straining fabric of his shirt. Forgetting to come up with a witty response, Kagami just watched him, entranced, heart thudding somewhere around his Adam's apple.

Swallowing hard to try to fix the situation - as he couldn't speak or even breathe while being choked by his own pulse - he was both relieved and disappointed when Aomine turned to face him, arms falling back to his sides. He was pretty sure his face was starting to match the color of his hair, and he prayed Aomine would think it was because it had been smacked by his foot, not because he'd been all but drooling over his flawless body.

.

.

"You sure you can't just stay awhile longer?" Taiga wheedled, one hand skimming down his arm as the two sprawled on the couch, a few plates of food on the floor below, mostly cleared spotless.

Aomine rolled his eyes, "I told you, I have to go. Don't be so clingy, it's gross."

Taiga bristled with offense, and Aomine couldn't help but smirk; his rich red eyes were gorgeous when they flared with anger, and Aomine was guilty of purposely antagonizing him, often, just to see it. Besides that, it was fun to mess with him, especially because Taiga could and would fight back, just as scathingly. They argued viciously, and judging from how often their fighting blurred right into fierce kissing, he was willing to hazard a guess the clashes were pretty exhilarating for both of them.

And Taiga proved him right, unable to resist jabbing back, "You were the one clinging last night, I don't think you stopped hugging me from the moment you fell asleep."

Aomine snorted, suppressing a flash of self-consciousness; was that true? "I was trying to strangle you," he shot back easily, "Maybe crush your ribs...you know, like an anaconda or something."

"So I've been sleeping with snakes now…" Taiga sneered, "Always had a feeling you were spineless."

"Snakes have spines; shows what you know." Aomine retorted, "At least act like you've got a brain."

"Better brainless than spineless,"

"Better spineless than ball-less,"

"You would know,"

"Fuck you."

"Fuck you!"

"Been there, done that." Aomine smirked.

"Did the lack of balls make it easier for you?"

"Aha! So you admit it!" Aomine shouted triumphantly.

"Asshole." Taiga growled.

"Takes one to know one,"

"Bastard."

"Takes one to -"

"Shut up!"

Aomine paused a beat, and grinned savagely, "Why don't you make me?"

The words were hardly out of his mouth before the redhead's fingers snagged in his hair and their lips slammed together, all teeth and tongue, panting and groaning and groping for closer contact as the fire between them blazed.

When he broke away, Taiga was gulping air and flushing darkly, chestnut eyes burning and glazed with pleasure. His own chest was heaving against the warm body pressed to his, his heart hammering with excitement as he tried to get ahold of himself and refrain from shoving his rival down on his back and taking him right there.

"God, I love you..." Taiga murmured breathlessly; and he blinked, the almost inaudible, unfamiliar English words jumbling in his ears. The tone, however, registered loud and clear and frighteningly fervent.

"What did you say?" he asked, and his rival blinked before looking at him steadily.

"I'm in love with you." There was something in Taiga's gaze as his lips outlined the foreign statement, something tentative, experimental, and yet heartfelt.

He fought the inclination to roll his eyes; it didn't seem the appropriate response and would probably piss Taiga off in a non-desirable way.

"I can't understand you, idiot. If you're going to say something, stop being a pussy and say it."

His knowledge of the English language sucked, to be honest, but the words he was hearing sounded strangely familiar, as though he'd heard them repeated in just about every piece of American media available, gradually getting the gist of what those celebrities spoke of and singers sang of without actually translating. Right now Taiga wasn't communicating; he was throwing words at a soundboard that only vaguely got what he meant, just enough to be infuriatingly confused.

Taiga fidgeted, something Aomine had not known him to do, nervousness screaming from his darting, vibrant eyes.

"...Nothing." he said quickly.

Pushing his irritation aside, Aomine forced patience, "Not nothing; what were you saying?"

"Don't you have to leave?" Taiga tried, refusing to meet his gaze.

This time he actually did roll his eyes, "Yes, but that can wait."

"Why is it so important?"

Aomine threw up his hands in frustration, "You tell me! You're the one sending mixed signals here."

"You're the one prying like your life depends on it!" Taiga snapped back.

Aomine started to retort, but then broke off, "Fine. Your thoughts are your own; I'm leaving." He shoved to his feet, locating his shoes and slipping into them.

Taiga seemed to hesitate, wrestling with himself, and Aomine wondered if he would cave and say what he'd been skirting around, or if he'd say nothing at all.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" He burst out finally, looking up at Aomine.

Stopping briefly in the doorway, Aomine glanced at him over his shoulder, and then sighed, "Whatever."

He let the door click closed behind him, and left the apartment behind without a second glance, but he couldn't get the momentary look of panic in those familiar red eyes out of his head.

.

.

Kagami wanted to throw something, hit something, hit himself…this was the difference between their usual teasing banter and a real, hit-hard argument. And really, it was over something just as stupid as their fake disagreements typically were, and was completely avoidable. He understood Aomine was just confused and frustrated at the lack of answers and the literal miscommunication between them, and he hadn't made it easy on him, clamming up like that.

But - and he loathed to acknowledge it - he was afraid. Afraid of how Aomine would respond, of rejection, yes, to some degree….but mostly afraid of being wrong, being trapped, if he verified what he'd been cautiously half-admitting; cowardly hiding the confession in another tongue so he could analyze his own feelings about it before bringing in Aomine's.

What if he was mistaken, and the sentimental word he cloaked admiration and attraction in failed him? What if it wasn't love, just passing infatuation, and he'd have to take it all back as soon as he offered it? He couldn't take something like that back...especially not from someone like Aomine; he couldn't be weak...couldn't let him down when so many others had. Besides that, he didn't know what would happen once it was a real and understood fact between them; he didn't know how it would affect their already barely-balanced relationship. Things were spontaneous and fluctuating enough as it was without throwing a complicated subject like love into the mix.

And, above all, he was afraid of loss. That fear had caused him to do some stupid things in the past, like turning Tatsuya on him when their bond as brothers was threatened, and when Aomine had walked out the door a moment ago, something in him had tensed up, aware of how easily what he said could be parting words, for good. Though the idiot drove him nuts and was a terrible, horrible influence on him...he didn't want to lose him. He didn't want to lose what they had.

But, he couldn't deny the realness of his feelings, at least as far as he understood them. There was a passion between himself and Aomine that didn't end on the basketball court, that much was obvious, but it was the little things - like that his heart jumped into his throat when he remembered how beautiful Aomine was, or that he sometimes forgot how to speak when he smiled at him - that made Kagami suspect he felt more than that. Wanted more than that. Going after what he wanted was a tremendous risk; he knew that...but he had never backed down from a challenge, and he wasn't about to start now.

"I love him," he told himself, staring at his own hands braced on his knees. Turning one of them over, then the other, he switched to his first language after a moment's hesitation; the confession sounding and feeling completely different, making his stomach twist and his pulse race with elation and nerves.

"I love Aomine."

TBC