A/N: This is the rewritten version of a fic I wrote two years ago. It changed a lot, which means by now it's unrecognizable, at least from a writing point of view. The plot is the same, though. Please leave me a comment so that I know what you like and what not. Who knows maybe I will write more about this future I created for them if there are enough people who take a liking to this!

Where the hell was Daiki? It couldn't have been that hard to follow Taiga after all and it had worked for the better part of the day. But as soon as Taiga lost him out of his sight for mere seconds that idiot had disappeared. There was no sign of him as if he had vaporized into thin air. His gaze shifted from one side to the other, searching for Daiki. The best part was, Daiki had chosen the best fucking place to get lost. In the middle of damn New York, the crowd was just washing through the streets, relentlessly. Taiga scratched his head in frustration. This couldn't be true, it would be a miracle to find him here.

He walked aimlessly from one side to the other for a while all whilst looking over the heads of the people around him. Maybe Daiki would stand out with his enormous height. Not learning English would bite in that bastard's ass royally now, he couldn't even ask for help. Grumbling all kinds of curses under his breath Taiga followed the path they already walked. Maybe like this, he had a bigger chance to find him instead of walking the streets aimlessly. A heavy sigh left his lips at last.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Where the fuck was he? His eyes shifted from right to left, from one face to the other. The people walking past him looked so similar. Apart from their clothes, there was no difference. Some of them wore suits whilst speaking to thin air, others bright colours which were far too flashy to be worn outside -they stood out like neon signs. The shit part about all this was, that he couldn't see Taiga's clothes. It was a miracle to him how he could miss that stupid red hair, it stood out like a Christmas tree when compared to all the other people here.

Yet there he was standing as if he was some confused dog searching for its owner. Several profane words left his mouth as his eyes glued on the spot he had seen Taiga the last time. Maybe this disaster of a moment would show him that he should have told Daiki the address as well, such a dipshit, he had just shrugged and said that there was no need. Grumbling to himself in annoyance he began walking into the direction he thought he saw Taiga the last time.

It didn't take long for him to begin cursing his own stupid mind for not understanding English well enough. Some random guy had talked to him and then laughed his ass off and if Daiki had understood what the bastard had slurred he would've had a fitting answer. English wasn't his area, languages in general weren't. He had realized this soon after Taiga took off to America and Daiki began learning English through some videos and with Taiga's help. The natives just talked too fast.

Albeit the area being filled with all kinds of people he did in fact not collide with anyone, it was an easy walk. His only concern was to look less lost than he actually was. He would never admit it but he startled when suddenly a woman spoke to him. She was holding up a sign. He had to squint his eyes to see what the sign was saying. 'Jesus our Saviour'. His eyes shifted down to the small woman, confusion written all over his face. She, though, just babbled to him while Daiki tried to make sense out of the situation.

If he wasn't mistaken then Jesus was a really famous guy in the western world. Had he been history? Or religion? Or just some famous super star? Daiki really couldn't remember and the non-stop babbling of the woman wasn't helping either.

"No English." He said finally after she stayed persistent, even put a hand on his elbow. Daiki didn't want to make a scene right there. He knew quite well that he would be suspected since he was a 1,90 m giant and she barely half his size.

"Listen, brother. He will save our souls." She said.

Daiki looked down at her and tried to get away. People were watching or they weren't he couldn't really tell. What he knew, though, was that this persistent woman was thinning his patience with each passing second.

"Speak no English." He tried again and tugged his arm as gentle as possible out of her grasp.

"Excuse me. It would be quite nice if you could let go of my friend." Finally, there was a familiar voice. He turned his head to the right and wanted to sigh in relieve when he saw the familiar red he had been searching for the past minutes.

"But brother listen. You should tell him that Jesus the savior will save our souls. He should pray for his soul to be accepted in heaven's doors."

"Yeah, yeah." Daiki felt how he was tugged away by Taiga and he followed without a word. It was out of character but he really wanted to get away from that woman. "But we have to go now." Taiga pushed him away towards another direction.

"May Jesus keep you safe brothers!" The woman shouted.

Daiki turned around to look at the woman, sometimes curiosity did get the better of him. Taiga though just pushed him harder. After a while, they began walking side by side again.

"God, I have no idea how stupid you really are. But getting lost while following me... That's kinda sad, don't you think?" There was a shit eating grin on Taiga's face.

"Shut up. Just admit that you should've told me where we were headed." Daiki growled back putting his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, wait, how was that again? I couldn't understand you. 'No English, Speak no English' and you wanted to ask your way like that?" Taiga laughed out loud and bumped Daiki's elbow.

Daiki's frown deepened, true his English was shit but every person on this godforsaken planet could show a piece of paper and look confused!

"Aw, come on! Don't look like a kicked puppy. Just follow me. But this time please don't get lost. I was worried there for a second, thought that you were caught up in a fight or that you had some trouble with the police." Taiga said his face turning more serious. "Really, America isn't the nicest place at times. There are some asshole police officers here and some of them shoot first before they ask, so yeah. Just be careful." Taiga put his hands behind his head. "Let's get going. We have to get your luggage in our apartment. You know, good thing I came before you, Daiki. Could prepare everything without your sorry ass messing things up." He grinned from ear to ear as he looked at Daiki.

Daiki's heart began beating just the slightest bit harder when he saw Taiga's stupid grin. It was true, they had moved to America. There had been a job offer for Taiga from his father, it paid good and was a secure place at his father's company. The most surprising thing though was, after Taiga had accepted the job he had asked Daiki to move with him. It had been a hard decision for Daiki to that time being. It meant changing locations, changing his whole environment, learning a new language, leaving his family and friends behind. Then there was the fact that Taiga had decided he would go to America before Daiki to prepare everything which meant a long distance relationship.

As new as America was, as much as it seemed like a new world that was confusing yet alluring, Daiki too had his dreams. He had played in some basketball teams in Japan but none of them were really lucrative for neither his paycheck nor his skills. He hoped that America could be his grand debut, or at least something similar to that. He could at least try before settling for some boring job somewhere else. Yet the main reason for him to move to America was that he wanted to stay together with Taiga. He wasn't prepared to lose what he had found after so many years. After finding his rival and equal on court and in life. Taiga had kicked his ass where he had needed an ass-kicking.

Learning English had been the hardest part of it all. The videos he used and Taiga could just help him to a certain degree, he was still not good enough to understand fast speaking natives -which he had already painfully realized on his own skin that day. It had actually been quite a hard time for him, the thought of moving in with Taiga though, made all of it worth it. They would share an apartment instead of trying to find a time to meet. It made him feel warm in some way.

As he thought back he realized how much Taiga had tried to help with his stupid ways, the word tried was important since Taiga really wasn't the greatest teacher on earth. And trying to learn English while having a skype call could also end up in rather distracting activities which involved breathy moans and-

"Daiki don't space out. Our metro will arrive soon. Move your ass." Taiga said way too close to Daiki's ear. Again he didn't talk back, maybe the long plane ride and confusion were getting to him?

"Stay close. Wouldn't want to lose my princess again." Taiga smirked mockingly as they settled inside the metro.

"Fuck you," Daiki growled, there was a fine line between teasing and being an ass. Taiga was about to cross it.

"Had that in mind when we get home." Taiga was grinning again.

"Did you just..." Daiki trailed off towards the end. He was not sure if he should be proud of Taiga for being so bold or worried for his ass. "I won't let you forget that." He then finally replied, and huffed a laugh, a hint of challenge in his voice.

"Hope so." Taiga bumped their knees together, what seemed like an accident to any other person, meant for Daiki that his challenge was well received. "This is our station. Stay close, Daiki."

He would never admit it in his life, not if Taiga asked, not if some maniac came and wanted him to spill the beans, he wouldn't, however, it was somewhat comforting that Taiga knew his way around whereas Daiki felt a bit lost in the big city.

"The next corner right and we're there. This flat is smaller than the one in Japan but it will do. I mean we'll only have one bedroom." Taiga smiled as he turned his head back to check if Daiki was still following.

"Am still here, no worries, shithead," Daiki grumbled to which Taiga only laughed.

He only followed Taiga until they arrived at their flat. It had a nice ring to it. Their flat. Taiga's and his flat. They would be living together from this day on. The keys jingled happily as Taiga opened the door and stepped aside, Daiki stepped inside and took off his shoes at the entrance. Taiga soon followed him. The entrance lead directly into a living room. He looked around the flat, noticed soon that it was quite different to Taiga's previous flat. But like this, it felt all the more like a new home, their home.

"Come on, Daiki. Don't stand around at the entrance." Daiki could hear some shuffling and rattling. "I'll prepare something to eat. Look around the flat for the time being. Get to know our home."

Daiki stepped inside and placed his luggage beside the couch and then began to wander through the flat. Taiga was right this flat was smaller than Taiga's previous one but somehow it looked more comfortable. Enough room for both of them. The only sad thing was that the kitchen was a new room instead of being part of the living room. He wouldn't be able to watch Taiga cook like this, at least not while lazing around on the couch. The next room he saw with the bathroom. Daiki frowned when he noticed the small shower where no way in hell both of them could fit, yet it didn't stop Daiki from imagining ways as to make it work somehow. There were two other rooms of which one had to be the bedroom and the other whatever actually. But as he was about to open the door Taiga's voice echoed through their flat.

"Meal's ready. I only warmed something up that I had bought." He held one of the plates towards Daiki. "I'm tired, cooking would've been too much of a hassle." They Both slumped down on the couch. "How'd you like the flat so far? I chose one near my workplace, so there weren't many options." He placed the plate on the little table in front of the couch. "There's still some work that has to be done, not much, though. Your luggage and a dinner table which can still wait to be built actually."

Daiki wasn't really paying attention to what Taiga was saying as he reached for one of the plates. He took a bite and screwed up his face. Had it been too much to expect a warm meal as a welcome? He had missed Taiga's cooking. Yet he forced the warmed up goo down his throat and looked around the living room for a bit. A television was in the corner, a dvd player, music boxes. The place looked good, there wasn't too much shit crowding the place nor was there too little to look unwelcoming. The dinner table could be placed near the windows and it would be perfect.

"Daiki!" Daiki startled out of his thoughts and looked at Taiga to show him that he was paying attention. "I said, we can go out if you want to. I can show you around the streets. And maybe even corners you shouldn't visit..." he trailed off.

"Ah... sure. But just a court nearby for today. I really want to play some basketball after all that sitting on the plane." A knowing smile was what followed.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

That smile god. Taiga had missed it far too much. Skype-calls weren't really comparable to the real deal. It was amusing and foreseeable that Daiki wanted to let some baskets fly just after having an exhausting trip. Yet again Taiga was exhausted, too but Basketball never had been tiring but more like a break from the real world. So Taiga smiled back. This was it, this was what he -in all those months where he had been alone here in America- had missed the most. These knowing looks, basketball and only sitting around and enjoying the other's presence, a bit of teasing and maybe fighting. It was delighting and calming to sit next to the idiot again. His idiot.

"Grab a ball and some comfortable clothes. They're inside our room. Did you even go inside? Didn't hear that door being opened." Taiga stood up and looked down at Daiki who was still sitting, he sighed. "You know what? Forget 'bout that. I'll get everything just wait here." It wasn't like he couldn't have made Daiki get the things, he surely could have, it was more the fact that he didn't want Daiki to go inside their bedroom without coming out with the most disheveled and ravished look. Ah, he had to get his head straight before other parts of his body went straight up.

He looked through the wardrobe, took some clothes out for Daiki and then changed himself. The basketball was seated right beneath his arm. He returned to the living room and tossed the clothes against Daiki's head who seemed to be deep in thoughts again.

"Stop thinking and dress. You might pop a vein if you think too hard." He laughed as he went towards the door. "Then follow me. But don't get lost this time." He heard a groan behind him. God, it would be the best thing, he would tease Daiki with this forever.

"Don't you think you're outa the age, to tease me with this kinda shit," Daiki said as he stepped into his shoes.

Taiga looked into the other's eyes seemingly thoughtful "Hmm... Don't think so. Now move your ass." Taiga said and hushed Daiki out before closing and locking the door.

The pace he chose was steady and soon he felt how Daiki fell into step with him. It was fitting, their thing, moving along, being on the same level as the other, just being side by side, it fit perfectly. Their bodies and their thoughts, their movements, everything fit perfectly.

Taiga heaved a sigh. It was relieving to have Daiki at his side once again. To tell the truth, it had been hard for him as well to be separated for such a long time, the worst part being that he missed playing basketball with him. However, he wasn't only relieved because Daiki had arrived in America, but also because he had accepted his offer, his wish. At first, he had been worried that he would've said no when he told him about his plans and job offer, however, he said yes. It made Taiga happy even now.

He looked towards Daiki with a smile. If he was entirely honest, he had never intended to return to America after he moved to Japan but the job offer was good. With that payment, it was worth the shot and well… better than ending up unemployed after everything. Even he thought about his future at times.

He bit his lips while grinning as he thought of the day he had made Daiki the offer. Never in his life had he seen Daiki that shocked and puzzled. Until his sudden offer neither he nor Daiki had talked about possibilities like this that one of them might move far away. Thus their relationship was put on a test that day, it had been a new challenge, a decision much harder than saying 'I love you'. Both of them had to decide. Something that would influence both of their lives.

A more serious tone set on Taiga's face as he thought further. Daiki could be quite the insufferable prick when things didn't go the way he wanted them to go or he couldn't deal with the amount of unwanted information that was plunged down onto him. However yet Daiki rarely overreacted, this time though he had begun to shout at Taiga and there had been a fight, a huge one. Not their all day bickering that ended with either one of them laughing or them playing basketball later on. A real fight about Daiki not wanting him to move and that everything was fine the way it was.

Taiga had left Daiki's flat fuming with rage that day. The following days hadn't been better either, there was a lot of silence on both sides and they didn't meet for a few days until Daiki called him. A call from Daiki where he told Taiga that they should move in together and that he'd go with him to America. Of course, he added rather quickly that it was because of his basketball career, Taiga still smiled when he thought about how Daiki sounded on the phone that day. As much of idiots they were even they had difficulties with big decisions.

With a light bounce in his step, Taiga rounded a corner and showed towards the court with his arms open as if presenting a huge present.

"We're here. The court closest to our home." Our home… The ring of it was still very foreign yet so welcome and warm. It was such a nice feeling, knowing that Daiki would be there at their flat to annoy him every day. Taiga laughed to himself.

"I'll wipe the floor with your sorry ass, Taiga." Daiki showed him a challenging grin as he let their sports bag fall on the ground near the fence.

"In your dreams, jerk." Was Taiga's only reply as he positioned himself in defense. "I'll even let you have the ball first." His hands were itching as he waited for Daiki to position himself, god, he had missed this.

A cold breeze washed through the street, carrying the foul smell of a big city, yet everything was perfect for the time being, with the blazing sun at the top and the ball hitting the ground.

"We'll see who's dreaming, idiot." Then their game began.

The heat, the moves, everything collided. Dark red and navy blue met again and again. Trying to beat the other without leaving bruises, to make up the time they had lost in those months.

"Not half as bad as I'd thought you'd be without training." Daiki laughed as he passed Taiga going for the hoop.

"Who said I didn't train, Daiki." Taiga growled right beside him punching the ball out of Daiki's hands.

This was how it usually was, teasing and challenging. Sometimes they'd be too close to one another, sometimes too far away. They ran from one side to the other, blocking, jumping, catching, throwing, counting their points. Taiga had missed these matches as much as he had missed Daiki. This, after all, was what bound them to each other, a major part of their relationship.

As their game neared the end, they were panting with a huge grin on their faces, sweat was running down their backs, the wind was soothing just little of the heat that built up between them, couldn't hinder the sparks from flying. They knew they were meant to be this way, fight, clash, yet be the ice to the burning heat inside of their hearts. Finally, the final point went through the hoop and they bent over to catch some breath. They were laughing together as they straightened up and went for their bag to drink.

"See..." Daiki gasped for some air. "Wiped the floor with yer stupid ass." He added right after.

"Still have one more win in total." Taiga winked at him. "Sorry, darling." He added with a mocking tone.

Daiki growled. "I will shove that one win down your throat at some point." Was his dry reply.

Taiga watched Daiki from the rim of his eye. The way his adam's apple bobbed while drinking and the way he smiled shortly when their eyes met. It was like nothing had changed as if they never moved away from Japan.

"In your dreams." Taiga stood up and grabbed their bag. "Let's get going. I need a shower and you too." He mustered Daiki from head to toe. "Then I'll make us some dinner."

"Hope you'll cook, Taiga. No way in hell will I force that warm up shit down my throat again." Daiki said walking alongside him.

"Don't whine around, you big baby," Taiga said laughing whole-heartedly. "But, yes, I'll cook."

xoxoxoxoxoxox

The long path they'd share together began, leading them through the gray street of a huge city. Bright colours of some shops' neon signs tried to lighten up the shadows of the surrounding area. An unknown future was what awaited them in a city that seemed to swallow them whole. Yet as the sunset shone behind their backs, casting a long shadow in front of them, they knew they made the right decision. Their shoulders bumped, hands brushed. A new chapter in their still young lives had begun and they were keen to explore whatever lay ahead of them.

A/N: P.s. The old version of this fic is still up, if you want to compare them please do haha, you will realize that my writing did change a lot throughout time and if you are a writer this might help you gain some confidence in your writing and show that there is a difference when you just write on with the goal to improve!

And if you think your writing is bad as of yet this might show you that it doesn't matter, you'll get better while publishing, do as your heart desires, I did and look where it got me!

Of course, I still plan to improve,

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this fic (I had a hard time cringing over my old writing but it was still fun rewriting this piece!)