Roads that lead to you

In which Kagami always finds himself unconsciously drawn to a certain basketball idiot no matter in which universe.

Three unrelated drabbles ranging from platonic to shippy taking place in different universes. Also there is a teeny tiny bit of AkaKuro in this since I just couldn't resist. This might be a little bit on the cracky side (sorry I totally suck at humour *sigh*) Please tell me what you think!

Merry Christmas to the lovely kagoomytaiga! from tumblr! This was my secret santa fic for her this year.

#1 Spring

"The fuck is that?" the boisterous voice of one Aomine Daiki bounced off the thin, white walls of their slim sociology classroom. The tall male eyed the sack of flour currently in his hands with open distaste, and the way he held it a respectable distance away from his body between his thumb and forefinger telling volumes about his feelings on the matter. A huge frown was marring his face and if looks could kill the flour would have been transformed into any form of food already with the heated glances Aomine was throwing it.

Taiga watched the scene unfold with a scowl of his own, but refrained from saying anything. Their teacher would clearly reprimand Aomine. From the corners of his eye, Taiga could see him already moving towards the boy. Not a second later, Takeda-sensei had taken the flour out of Aomine's grasp to set it down before him on the desk again.

The boys outburst weren't anything new, neither were his frequent absences. The class could count on one hand how often he had seen the boy in his class. Scratch that, they could probably count it on two fingers. So the teacher knew what he was dealing with already.

Then the man sighed and pushed up his glasses to cover his exasperation. "This, Aomine-kun," he waved at the sack of flour before him, "will be your charge for the upcoming 6 weeks and also your project for this term. If you had been present in the first four lectures of this course, you would have known that it is the requirement to pass this class as it makes up 50% of the final grade."

The only reply their teacher got was an indignant 'hah?' from Aomine, who only looked on in puzzlement. Taiga swore he could literally see the world crashing down on him with the last sentence.

Takeda-sensei pinched the bridge of his nose, patience clearly thinning before he made another attempt to fill Aomine in on the proceedings of the project. Taiga could honestly relate to the man. Dealing with a blockhead like Aomine could push even the strongest-willed person towards the edge.

Not that Taiga was any better.

Over time he had simply learned to not splutter out the first thought that was running through his head. That, and he'd had his little 'outrage' at the beginning of the course already, so that was that. Besides, being friends with Kuroko certainly helped a lot in keeping his temper in check. Taiga wondered why it didn't have the same effect on Aomine since the two of them seemed awfully close, much to Taiga's displeasure (and continuous bewilderment).

"Now that we are all on the same page, please find yourself a partner," Takeda-sensei finished his explanation, but not before adding, "Please remember that this project is important for the progression of this course, so choose your partner wisely. You will have to spent a lot of time together after all."

Hushed voices could be heard in their little group as people went in search for a suitable partner/spouse. Taiga threw a quick glance at his best friend, hoping to somehow get the small blue haired boy to partner up with him so he wouldn't have to endure Aomine of all people. (He knew that nobody would volunteer to be that idiots partner, obviously, even more since the stakes were high and Aomine was renowned for being a lazy little shit.)

However, this hope died as soon as he saw Kuroko making gooey eyes at a certain red haired demon, ahem student, that had transferred to this class just this term. Said red head had already made his move and now stood beside Kuroko, casually touching his shoulder and granting the boy with a fond smile that almost made Taiga gag at the cheesiness of it all. Taiga could practically see Kuroko melting under the other boys touch and attention. He blanched at once. He was so screwed.

Though Kuroko remained impassive on the outside, as his best friend Taiga was acutely aware of even the tiniest twitch in his mask. He groaned, because judging by the hearts almost shooting out of his eyes and the dreamy sigh escaping his lips, the deal had already been sealed.

Kuroko smiled giddily at him then and Taiga sent him a betrayed look. Damn traitor.

Taiga watched as the two of them came to stand in front of one of the flour sacks, this one with a blue ribbon, indicating it to be a boy, and Kuroko took it into his arms almost tenderly. Takeda sensei nodded in approval as his dark eyes swept over their little group, checking if everyone had partnered up. Their teacher seemed to make a mental recount before his gaze landed on Taiga and the person beside him... which was unfortunately Aomine.

"Okay, that leaves... Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun."

The man took one of the sacks and pushed it into the arms of a dumbfounded Taiga "Congratulations," he said in false cheerfulness and the rest of the class stifled their laughter at the hilarious look on both his and Aomine's faces. "From today on this will be your daughter. Please take good care of her." He then handed two notebooks to Aomine, leveling him with a glare that could freeze hell and quickly went to hand out the rest of the necessities, one of which was a funny looking wrist band, before he briefed them all in on the general handlings.

Taiga only listened to it half-heartedly, still trying to come to terms with the fact that he was basically married (more like shackled) to Aomine of all people for at least six weeks. Six awfully long weeks. Why did god hate him again?

"Don't forget, this project is to determine how well you work in teams when put under pressure. So please, do not screw it up. Also, should you by any chance break your 'baby' you will have immediately failed this class."

Taiga looked at the sack in his hands, then to Aomine who kept poking their 'daughter' nonchalantly with a very pointy finger and back to the very fragile looking sack. Yes, he was definitely screwed.

Those would be very, very long six weeks.

::::

During the following month, Taiga actually found out that the sacks of flour weren't simply, well, sacks of flour. Rather, they had some sort of technology imbedded in them that would make them cry whenever they wanted to be fed or needed a diaper change. He even came to know what the wristbands were for, as they should indicate changes in the sacks' health or whatever. Kuroko had explained it to him in more detail a few weeks back when the stupid thing just wouldn't shut up with its wailing and Taiga, in his desperation, had come barging into Kuroko's apartment (he had a spare key) begging for help.

(He hadn't had a good nights' sleep in forever, damn it, so would you shut up already!)

Kuroko had the thing calmed down instantly, making Taiga breathe out a sigh of relief at the silence. He didn't know how Kuroko had done it, but that didn't matter anyway. He never knew how blissful the quiet could be before that point.

After placing the 'baby' down beside his own eh son, Kuroko had sat down with him and patiently described everything he had to be aware of as a 'father'. Akashi, his 'spouse', had joined them sometime later, claiming to simply want to spend some time with his husband and son. Taiga thought that the two of them were taking this whole thing way too seriously.

After his little visit, Taiga came to realize two things.

One, this whole thing wasn't as bad as it had originally seemed. It was even fun sometimes and the thought how this was an easy grade, especially since he always barely passed in written exams, made the prospect even better.

The second thing he realized, however, was that Aomine was a terrible spouse. Not that Taiga hadn't known that from the beginning, but there had at least been a grain of hope that Aomine would try to pass this class together with him. Well, that hope died as soon as Aomine had opened his mouth and declared Taiga a single father as he was too busy with basketball and other things. Though Taiga seriously wondered what exactly these 'other things' contained, since he only ever saw him lounging about.

Nevertheless, in the end Taiga supposed it wasn't that big of a deal doing this alone, even more so since Aomine had a completely different attitude towards almost everything. It probably wouldn't have worked out anyway, or that's what he told himself at least. Sometimes, though, he wondered how it would be if he weren't alone. Kuroko and Akashi were working very well together, spending almost all their free time with each other. Taiga had even seen them holding hands at some point. Urgh.

He wouldn't dare admit it but he was slightly jealous of their relationship, whatever that was. They appeared happy, even while pushing along a sack of flour in a very expensive looking buggy. Well, it couldn't be helped. Might as well one of them get anything out of it, he guessed. And as long as Kuroko was happy with the arrangement, Taiga wasn't about to complain to him because of his own malfunctioning one.

Taiga was even content with how things were until he found himself sick near the end of the project. Unable to so much as move a muscle, taking care of a baby (yes he had admitted that it was at least supposed to be one at some point) was a complete nightmare. He admired people in real life who were able to pull it off regardless of their health. And while Kuroko had offered to take it for him, it was impossible for him to skip all his classes just because Taiga was sick and he had his own son to take care of as well. So he was left taking care of his daughter despite his aching body and fever-clogged mind.

He was surprised to find Aomine in front of his apartment on the third day, mumbling something about 'stupid Tetsu, manipulative little shit' making Taiga immediately aware that Kuroko had somehow roped Aomine into finally taking responsibility, a glorious feat in and on itself. He wouldn't complain however. Nope. Not when Aomine was here, forcing him to drink his medicine and taking the wailing sack of flour into his arms, rocking it awkwardly back and forth until it stopped crying.

Taiga watched him from where he was laying on his bed, exhausted but relieved at the support, a drowsy smile on his face.

"What are you smiling about, idiot?" Aomine grumbled but it was half-hearted at best.

"Nothing." Taiga buried himself further into the blankets, his eyes drooping sleepily. "This look suits you, is all." And then he was out like a light.

When he came to a few hours later, his mind had cleared up considerably and he even found that he would be able to make himself something acceptable to eat. Aomine was still loitering around his apartment, yet seeing as he had been able to keep the crying of the baby to a minimum he didn't mind his presence for once.

He decided to make something to eat for the tanned boy as well while he was at it and busied himself with preparing the rice and chicken for dinner. Aomine kept throwing him glances from time to time, their daughter yet to leave his arms.

"Well, I guess this isn't so bad after all." Aomine blushed slightly, grateful that it wasn't that visible over the tan of his skin, as he watched Taiga scurrying about in the kitchen.

Taiga blinked at him in shock, watching him rock the sack - eh their daughter - back and forth in his arms, as Taiga prepared dinner for them both. It was the first time he had seen Aomine with such a timid look on his face. It unconsciously flared up his own cheeks at the sight. He cleared his throat, turning his back to Aomine to not show the huge ass blush he had on his face.

"So, now that I'm not a single father anymore I guess you will stay for dinner?" Taiga said after awhile.

Aomine spluttered but didn't complain. But the slight scowl (pout) on his face answered it anyway.

#2 Summer

When Taiga came home that night, silence greeted him. All lights were out and only the sound of rustling could be heard as the wind brushed softly against the curtains by the open windows. Summer was stifling in Los Angeles, and he was glad that his boyfriend had minded to let some fresh air into the apartment now that the sun had finally set. However, there was no sign of said boyfriend besides the shoes haphazardly strewn about in his entryway. Taiga sighed, taking off his own sneakers and making his way further into the room in order to put the groceries into the kitchen.

Once everything was put in its respective place, Taiga decided it was time to look for his boyfriend. He knew the man couldn't be that far, since his sprained ankle wouldn't allow him to put much pressure on it. So the most likely bet was that he was sprawled out in their bedroom.

As he predicted he found Daiki laying face first on the cool red silk sheets, his arms lazily bunched up in one of the pillows and, much to Taiga's chagrin, with his feet NOT elevated as the doctor had told them.

Taiga let out an exasperated breath before joining his boyfriend on the huge bed.

"Move over, idiot," he muttered, coaxing his boyfriend to make room for him on his other side.

Daiki did as he was told with a low grumble, forgoing the fluffy pillow as cushion in order to lay his head on Taiga's lap. "What took you so long?" he mumbled into his shirt after a while. "I was bored to death without you here. Satsuki wouldn't even let me hop to the couch to watch some basketball."

"Some of us have to work, ya know." Taiga poked his cheek, eliciting another low grumble from the man. Daiki simply swatted his hand away.

"S'not my fault that asshole broke my ankle."

At the comment Taiga let himself lean against the headboard, trying to find a more comfortable position for himself. Then he sighed. "I know. But it's not gonna get better if you refuse to follow the doctor's orders. You know what he said."

"You are such a mother hen."

"Well," Taiga clicked his tongue. "One of us has to be or otherwise you would have already killed yourself on accident."

"First Satsuki now you. Will I ever be free of your nagging?" Daiki complained. There was no hard edge to it however, so Taiga let it slide. It was funny how times had changed. A few years ago this comment would have blown up in a full out fight.

Taiga still remembered it clearly.

They had met purely on accident one rainy morning, both running late for their respective classes and going purely on caffeine because of various all nighters that week (thank you term papers). Bumping into each other had been like the holding a lighter to a gas pipe. Even Momoi had to admit that the insult thrown at the other were nothing less than imaginative when she had been told about the incident later, and that was saying something considering it was Aomine they was talking about. It shouldn't be their last meeting however, as they continued to run into each other from then on, always arguing for all it was worth. They just didn't see eye to eye, though Momoi had pointed out at some point that it probably had to do with their similar personalities. It wasn't until half a year later when the both of them seemed to find a middle ground in basketball that their fights finally tuned down to a more friendly banter.

Around that time they'd also noticed the reason for the continued run-in's one morning when they both came out of the same apartment complex. Now, three years and thousands of insults later, they had finally taken it a step further and moved in with each other, something that Momoi was incredibly grateful for since she feared her childhood friend would be hopeless otherwise.

It worked out surprisingly well. Both of them had respectable jobs that were paying good - Taiga as a fireman and Daiki as a professional basketball player. The only thing that kept them both on edge sometimes, were the risks that came with their jobs. More than once Daiki had voiced out his displeasure at Taiga continuously putting his life on the line, and even more than that Taiga had assured him that he would be careful and promised to come back to him, always. In return Taiga often nagged at Daiki to be more careful during games. The red head had to patch up his boyfriend more than once already, after things had gotten a little bit rowdy on the court.

But all in all, they were fine.

Taiga softly ran his hands through Daiki's midnight strands once his boyfriend had finally found a comfortable position on him, and Daiki sighed in content at the soft caress. Lately, they hadn't had much time to just lay together like this. It was only due to Daiki's injury that they got to enjoy each other's company more often.

"This is nice," the tanner male mumbled drowsily, the gentle touches slowly lulling him back to sleep.

"Yeah."

"Y'know. Once my ankle has healed we should take more time for stuff like this."

Taiga hummed, a low soothing tone, liking the idea very much. "Mhm, we should."

"S'good."

"It is. Now go to sleep idiot. You need your rest."

"Sleep with me?" Daiki asked, looking at him through hazy sleep-filled eyes. Taiga cursed him for looking so irresistible even in this state. He grunted, his body moving down to fall against the cushions. Daiki snuggled into him and breathed a big, content sigh before falling asleep on top of his boyfriend. Taiga merely closed his eyes, relishing in the warmth of the other male despite the scorching heat outside.

He fell asleep soon after, breathing in tune with his rival turned lover.

# 3 Winter

Back in America, Christmas had been one of Taiga's favorite holidays. He couldn't exactly say what it was about it that drew him to it but somehow the whole atmosphere always enveloped him in comfortable warmth and made him feel lighter and more carefree. Maybe it were the sparkling lights draped all over town, blinking happily in tune with each other. Or maybe it were the cheerful songs and the laughter of the people during the days leading up to Christmas that sucked him in. Perhaps it was even just the fact that he was able to spent the holidays with his father. Taiga loved cooking together with him - whether it be baking cookies or going all out for the big party on Christmas Eve - and he relished in the time the both of them could spent together. Even more so, since his father was almost always busy with work and the two of them had little to no time together most days. Regardless of the reason, he simply loved Christmas and all that came with it, so the traditions had stuck and they celebrated it ever since.

Even back in Japan, Taiga had made it his mission to keep true to their customs though Christmas differed somewhat from how it was celebrated in the US. Naturally.

It didn't deter Taiga in the least, though.

This year, however, things were a little different.

Taiga let out a startled grunt as the warm air of the hospitals heaters hit his skin like a ton of bricks, making him feel like he had just walked straight into a sauna. His cheeks, flushed from the cold, were quickly heating up surrounded by the new warmth, and he could even feel some perspiration building underneath his thick layer of clothes. The weight he was carrying in his arms wasn't helping any, either.

Outside, the temperatures had dropped by a considerable amount these past few weeks. The weather forecast even predicted snow in the upcoming days, so he had put on a layer or two more not to get sick. Especially with him wandering throughout half of Tokyo.

Inside, the hospital itself held a cozy atmosphere with a few Christmas decorations strewn about here and there. Some of the nurses even had their own version of Santa's hat upon their heads, probably because of all the children having to spend the holidays in the hospital instead of at home. They greeted him warmly, throwing fond Taiga smiles and some curious glances as he passed them. None of them questioned the box full of glitter and ornaments, or even the tip of the tree glimpsing out of it. Neither did they try to stop him to take it away, and for that he was grateful.

By now all the nurses knew him by name and welcomed him with a sort of friendliness that made him feel more like part of their family than a simple visitor. It had its advantages, since Taiga was sure he wasn't allowed what he was about to do otherwise.

Soon, he rounded the corner to the all too familiar room with the number 0415, where his boyfriends little brother had been residing in for the past weeks. The poor boy had been admitted with another bad case of pneumonia that resulted from his hereditary immune deficiency, and the doctors had wanted to have him there longer this time for a more thorough observations.

Taiga and his boyfriend spent lots of their free time in the hospital ever since.

The first thing he noticed once he deposited the boxes was the slouching form of one Aomine Daiki as he lounged on one of the few chairs the room was equipped with. Despite his height, he looked rather comfortable where he sat, one of his adult magazines in his lap as he flipped through it diligently. Daiki didn't seem to have noticed him yet, as he made no move to put the magazine away even though he knew how Taiga despised them.

"Oi, idiot. Stop reading that in front of Tetsuya," he admonished lowly as to not wake the sleeping child laying not a few feet away.

Daiki simply raised an eyebrow. "I don't see where your problem is. The kids out cold. And he won't realize what those are if he weren't either way."

"You are hopeless." Taiga sighed, but let the topic drop nonetheless.

"Yeah and you love me for it," Daiki smiled cheekily, earning him a roll of his eyes from his boyfriend. "Anyway, what's with all that stuff? Did you rob the mall or something?" He motioned towards the huge box barricading half of the entrance.

"Idiot. It's for Christmas! Tetsuya won't be out of the hospital for a while so I at least wanted him to celebrate Christmas like we usually would."

Daiki visibly deflated at the last part, aware that the condition of his brother wouldn't allow him to go outside anytime soon. In times like these he was truly grateful to have someone like Taiga who was way better at the comforting thingy than he was (although that fact admonished him every single time).

Taiga shrugged the heavy jacket off his shoulder, draping it over one of the chairs near the little table when he noticed the small package deposited innocently atop of it. He took the few steps towards it, picking it up to examine the neatly wrapped gift. "What's this?" he asked after a while, still turning the little thing between his fingers. It wasn't one of theirs, that much was clear.

Daiki simply shrugged nonchalantly, his mouth stretching in a big yawn. "Dunno. Some brat left it here a while ago," he drawled. "Pretty intimidating too, you know. You should have seen him. He practically demanded me not to let Tetsu open it before tomorrow, even threatened me not to touch it in case I might drop it or something. Tch, who does that brat think he is anyway."

Taiga eyed him with a frown, letting the words sink over him before carefully setting the box back down onto the table. "Well, I guess it's alright. As long as Tetsuya is happy," he conceded at last, imagining twinkling blue eyes and the small barely there smile Tetsuya always had whenever he was happy. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Taiga remembered a time not too long ago when he'd had that same expression. Something about Sei-kun if he remembered correctly. He quickly shook his head, discarding the thought for now.

With purposeful strides Taiga made his way over to the other man sprawled lazily across the uncomfortable looking plastic chair. Despite everything Daiki was still reading the stupid magazine and it was beginning to get on his nerves. In one smooth motion he snatched it out of Daiki's hands, ignoring his bubbling protest, and flapping it down against the back of Daiki's head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Don't yell! And you know exactly what this was for, idiot." He chastised with his hands on his hips, all the while throwing glances at the sleeping boy and the box scattered on the ground. "Now help me with this, will you? I want to be done when he wakes up."

Aomine grumbled begrudgingly, but got up nonetheless.

The decoration wasn't much, but at least now they had a small Christmas tree complete with ornaments and even hung up a few lights here and there, making the room appear more welcoming and homey.

They finished in record time, not wanting Tetsuya to wake up before everything was set. The rest of the time flew by in comfortable silence and with Taiga watching Daiki nearly fall asleep in his chair. Taiga let him, knowing full well that his boyfriend spend most of his free time in the hospital ever since his little brother had been admitted weeks ago.

Taiga went to get coffee for the both of them every few hours, they wanted to be awake after all when Tetsuya came to again surrounded by everything Christmas-y. "You know," Daiki began after a few minutes of silence between them. "I was thinking about adopting Tetsu once he gets out of here."

Taiga swiveled his head around in shock, openly gaping at his boyfriend before swallowing the lump in his throat. "Are you sure? It won't be easy getting custody of him even with your parents being like they are."

Daiki slumped further in his chair. He took a sip of coffee, relishing in the warmth of the hot beverage as it ran down his throat. "I know. But I can't keep watching how he keeps being neglected. And now that I moved out, I can't keep taps on him either. I already talked with the others about it and they agree. I hoped you would too, since you know..." Daiki trailed off, throwing a glance at the metal band around Taigas finger.

Taiga blushed prettily but was quick to push the embarrassment down again. "You know how I feel about Tetsuya." He mumbled. Then added with a little more conviction. "Let's do it." The ear splitting grin on Daiki's face was definitely worth it. Taiga laced his fingers with Daiki's, squeezing them reassuringly as they watched the steady rise the small form sleeping on the bed.

When the little boy stirred in the morning, Taiga felt assured of their decision once again. It made his heart swarm with warmth at seeing Tetsuya so happy. His eyes were twinkling and taking everything in with awe and both Taiga and Daiki were glad that the boy could forget about his illness for at least a little while. They ruffled his hair affectionately and indulged him by opening all of his presents together with him.

They didn't mention their plan to him yet, as it was still in their early stages and needed much more investigation before they could be finalized. For now, seeing Tetsuya smile so happily despite everything was enough for the both of them. They would talk about this at a later time, and hopefully then Tetsuya would already be up and about again, playing like a child his age was supposed to.

Taiga looked at Daiki over the bed, and his lover gazed at him just as fondly. "Merry Christmas."

And truly, it was.

Bonus:

That same day, eyes bright with joy, Tetsuya showed off the delicate silver bracelet with the red and blue gemstones engraved with an unmistakable claim of a certain red haired brat.

Seijuurou & Tetsuya forever

"Taiga-nii, Daiki-nii! Look! Sei-kun wants me to marry him!"

"WHAT?!"

"That little fuck-"

"Daiki! Don't cuss in front of Tetsuya!"

"The hell I'm going to let that brat marry Tetsu!"

"Daiki!"

"Oh god, he will be my son in law!"

The child simply laughed gleefully, pressing his precious bracelet against his chest as he watched his two nii-sans bickering about his fiancé.