tenacityreturns

[tenacityreturns]

ok heres some social media hcs for kagz:

forgets about it for long periods, doesnt check every day

posts infrequently

hates photos of himself Intensely

all his pics are him w/ other people and he almost always hates how he looks

posts game pics tho bc he thinks he looks cool in the pic (if HE thinks he looks good then he does, because he Doesn’t like how he looks)

subtweets confuse the hell out of him and he never understands them

that said he subtweets the fuck out of everyone and almost all his tweets are him bitching about someone else JSHDJSDJH

definitely talks about games, will be like “game on!!!!!!” and “lets get that bread” and “ready to kick ass!!!!!!!!” and its vague

is quiet in group chats until picked on then he will all caps defend himself

prefers texts or calls to social media dms

actually he straight up doesnt check his dms because theyre usually from people he doesnt know and he figures if someone actually wants to contact him they’ll do it via text or call

his profile pic is not himself, it’s probably a bball star or something

talks to his american friends over social media a little so half his tweets are in japanese and half his tweets are english

rts a lot of american content

loves tikto.ks and vines and 6 seconds is really just the perfect length of time to retain his attention

posts excitedly about the nba

posts pics of new sneakers he wants and tags his friends

not afraid of tagging friends in things, will @ them in things he sees that interests them

Keep reading

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kagami really thinks navigating his life feeling constantly tense is normal? and feeling as though he’s gotten over the fact that he genuinely believes his dad doesnt love him? is just chill and normal? and that his dad is just like this and it’s all just fine and cool? alright. i mean. oh my god. but alright.

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Kagami isn't interested in flexing, he thinks it makes Aomine look like a loser trying to prove a point way too obviously. Affectionately, though, because it causes a dry smirk for half a moment. But the mood shifts. Weren't so... what? Kagami's eyes flash to him in warning, daring him to say something awful. So he knows, then. Go on, be a dick about it. See how far it gets you. This happened back home, too. For some reason, it was assumed that because he likes guys, he wouldn't fucking deck one for talking shit to him? That guy was insane for that, Kagami is known for his fighting. But Aomine doesn't see the look on his face, he isn't looking at him.

Weren't so Kagami. Yeah, he doesn't know. There's no way he'd say that and then launch into big macs if he knew. "Whaddid you just say?" Kagami demands, but it's ignored.

"Quit complaining," he growls in response to the question. Aomine's getting on his nerves. "It'll be ready soon."

Wha--- huh? What? Aomine then launches into a weird and uncomfortable tirade about Kagami's flirting habits? It makes Kagami's skin crawl to be perceived like that, honestly.

"No," he replies as a knee-jerk reaction to how to seduce Aomine as a chick, because NO, he's never thought about that in his life! Kagami grimaces at the last bit, but thinks of the girl in his class. He bares teeth in an all-encompassing grimace before, red in the face, he returns to his cooking. Sweet, sweet cooking. You never put him through the wringer like this. "Who said it hasn't happened? Like hell I'd tell you."

How dare Kagami try to make him look like a weirdo in this situation. He’s innocent! He’s a victim! He was led here under false pretenses…it doesn’t matter if he was going to attempt to weasel his way into staying regardless. That’s not the point. Dark skin flushes to a noticeable extent, before he gains a modicum of composure and sports his signature scowl. “Uh, duh? Why would I be a ladies man? Look at me?” He flexes his biceps that already look like they’re on the edge of tearing his form-fitting tee. Flexing is another good defense mechanism. “You would be too, if you weren’t so, y’know.”

Shaking his head, he reaches in the cupboard and grabs the bowls, setting them on the counter and making SURE this time, that there’s no accidental contact. “If you weren’t so Kagami.” What he means by that remains to be seen, as he busies himself with sitting at the dining table, drumming his fingers absentmindedly.

Kagami’s back is to him, and his eyes do wander. From that shock of crimson hair, rippling traps, the way that—dude get it together. “Is it almost done? Coulda already had 3 Big Macs by now.”

Leave it at that, leave it at that, leave it at that.

“Fuck you mean you wouldn’t do it like that? Huh? You think about that type of shit a lot? How to seduce me if you were a chick?” He laughs and it’s far too sharp and loud. It could be taken for nervous, even.

Leave it there. Please. For the love of god.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find a hot babe who thinks you’re God’s gift for winning the championship. Shocked it hasn’t happened already.”

Amen that it hasn’t.

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Kagami grimaces. He's not being nice. He's being normal. "Don't get so--" but the phone rings before he can tell him off for being sappy and weird. Annoying. Oh well. He returns to the cooking, not looking at him while he answers the phone. That was the intention anyway. Instead, Aomine's voice changes like he's talking to something he knows will leave him. He's gentle and soft on the phone. It's not a language he understands, so he's gotta be talking to a relative in Hindi, that's surely the answer. He wants to know what he's saying. Has he mentioned Kagami? Well, why should he? What does that matter? ANYWAY.

In goes the can of coconut. It's white and pretty as it swirls into the orange, oily sauce. Kagami is uncomfortable with the prospect of being perceived as being especially nice, and confused by it because haven't they been bickering since the moment they set eyes on one another? Doesn't that negate the whole... nice stuff?

His stomach drops when Aomine talks to him again. When he goes from almost normal, a little uncomfortably close to not, to accusing him of making a move. Kagami's chin jerks back, causing double chins under his jaw. "What the fuck?" Why did he go to that first? Does he know something? What could Aomine possibly know? Maybe Momoi found out and told him that he likes guys, though? And this is how he responds? "You ain't got enough friends if you think you're getting hit on right now. Fuck. That's so weird."

Because he isn't getting hit on. Kagami would do it a different way. Wouldn't he? He doesn't know. Doesn't really think about it. It feels a little thrilling shooting that down like that, but he should be careful. "Yo, Aomine, there's bowls in that cupboard," return to normal, please? "Why'd you think I was making a move on you, jeez? I didn't know you were a ladies man." So much for returning to normal. "If I was a chick--- ha, weird, -- I wouldn't do it like this."

This feels weird. This is sticky and unplanned. Yeah his Grandma cooks for him every night, but that’s IT. Not Momoi, not Sakurai, this is so…weird. He wants to protest this whole affair but damn if he isn’t hungry. His stomach churns, from the emptiness and from the unknowing. Defeated, he opens the fridge and scans through, settling on the aforementioned Pocari. He cracks it and goes back to overseeing/watching/staring. “Why you being so nice to me, Kagami?” WOW he said his proper name. “Well, you and I aren’t exactly…” what are they?

He’s saved by his phone buzzing incessantly in his pocket. Momentarily distracted, he fishes it out, gazing over the 25 texts from Momoi, and now a call from Grandma. Wonderful timing. What’s he supposed to say? He’s getting made dinner by a guy? Maybe he shouldn’t answer. No, that’s too suspicious. Fuck.

“Kya galat?” (what’s wrong?) He finally answers, sipping the Pocari and leaning against the wall. The chief complaint is pretty simple. Momoi can’t get ahold of him and he’s at a random location. Momoi called his Aayi, and now here we are. Jesus, these women are so nosy. “With a friend. Hanging out. Yeah I know him from basketball. No you haven’t met him. No he doesn’t do drugs.” (He thinks?) He dissuades her concerns in Hindi, the most gentle and soft you’ll ever hear his voice. Aomine is relieved when she finally eases up, promptly exchanging goodbyes and hanging up. Talk about embarrassing.

“Anyways, like I was saying,” he continues to Kagami, before downing the Pocari and tossing it into the trashcan with effortless grace. “Like if you were a girl I’d totally think you’re trying to do me right now or something.” Smooth.

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"I bought the ingredients, dumbass." If Kagami doubted his cooking then maybe he would get DoorDash in the face of this much resistance, but he knows his food is good. It's not like they're his own recipes, he just sort of... steals them from restaurants he visits! Compliments to the chef, hey, is that bayleaf I taste or something else? Ah, interesting! And then recreate that shit at home for way cheaper.

Sidenote: Kagami's Dad is rich. He is. There's no denying it in the penthouse apartment, and no denying it in the white walled, professionally cleaned, L.A. mansion. But Kagami Jr. isn't. Kagami Jr. gets enough money for food, but not for random spending. Anyway, he's not big on spending money he doesn't have to. He has the essentials and the comforts, whatever he's used to.

Aomine vanishes and Kagami gets down to business. Rice on in the rice cooker for ease, focus on chopping the ingredients and cooking the aromatics up. Quickly, the kitchen smells delicious, and Kagami's stomach rumbles eagerly. He notices the grim expression on Aomine's face when he comes back and is dead set on impressing him. He already wanted to, but that disdain is something he has GOT to prove wrong.

"Uh, I don't actually care. I love burgers." He replies, stirring the cooking veg in the pot. Kagami glances at the coconut milk on the side and estimates when he has to open it up while he continues: "I didn't give it any thought where I was gonna take you, 'cuz I didn't plan on losing today." Again, contrary to the shit talking, he gestures over to the large fridge. "There's coke in there if you're thirsty. Or pocari sweat, lucozade, whatever you want."

Wait a minute…wait a damn minute now!

“Huh?” Aomine offers, half from the bewilderment of just how big this place is, and also by the fact TAIGA KAGAMI is cooking for him? Was this the plan all along? Had he been played? What the fuck? “That wasn’t the bet. You were supposed to buy me dinner not make it.” Aomine is bitching, but he’s still unlacing his shoes and (somewhat) kicking them off, pouting at the betrayal. “And now I know you’re definitely not broke so you have no excuse. What, you trying to poison me?”

The dramatics simmer momentarily as he latches onto something else. The fact he really did need to take a piss. Whatever…they can argue later. He mumbles something under his breath in Hindi before shuffling off, wondering if this is how girls feel like when he asks them to “come over to hang out.” Wait, no. It’s definitely not like that.

The bathroom is huge, it makes him feel small. Lazy eyes wander over the various products, somewhat triumphant to find the name of the cologne. After washing his hands, yeah he could go yell at Kagami some more…but he was also told to do whatever he wants.

He takes the opposite way down the hall, his only driving factor being nosy. Before long he’s standing in Kagami’s bedroom, scanning like a detective. There’s a picture of a woman on his dresser, his mom? More shoes than Aomine owns, that bastard. His bed was made. What a square.

After a moment Aomine realizes how creepy he’s being and exits, opting to stand in the kitchen with his arms folded, critical. “Hope you know that if you won I woulda only taken you to McDonald’s.”

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i keep thinking about irl conversations i've had with mr man and NEEDING to commit them to aokaga mini comics. kagami replying to aomine saying :( im tired with "have you considered sleeping" / kagami thinking aomine wants popcorn when actually he just wants to hold hands at the cinema. what? no that never happened. it happened again today actually. anyway. / kagami saying something annoying as shit and then aomine going :/ and then kagami going :)

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dozing off 😴

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that idiot

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pretty boy aomine you will ALWAYS be famous

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reposting a meta i did under someone else's post bc people have been asking me to psychoanalyse aomine or kagami and i think nobody saw this one :( anyway @cemetery14 's original post is here!

jumping on for a second to talk about this bc it's so important to me. i'm not trying to mansplain aomine daiki here but his attitude is one of my fav parts of knb so pls excuse me if i say something obvious HSDHSDJH

just as a preface, i spoke about aomine's sense of security in the people he loves HERE, in the context of my aokaga fics. it's mostly hc because it talks about his parents whom we don't get to see in canon, but i'm fairly confident in this analysis to discuss this angle without referencing to that. i founded the parent hcs on how he acts with momoi.

SO. let's discuss aomine's relationships first and foremost. in the series, aomine refers to THREE people by their first names, and he does it exclusively when he feels comfortable and/or friendly with someone enough that they've earnt it. unlike with some of the other characters, he doesn't do it to get a rise out of anyone by assuming familiarity, and he doesn't do it to make fun.

he calls kuroko tetsu when kuroko proves that not only does he love basketball as much as he does, but that he's a good person and someone aomine feels he can trust. even when they fall out, even when aomine believes that kuroko must hate him, and he wants to hate kuroko for his naive view of basketball, he still calls him tetsu. he doesn't waver at all, not around other people, or shouting his name at the top of his lungs from the back of an arena. kuroko is tetsu. it's a badge of honour.

momoi is his childhood best friend and someone he does not believe will ever leave. she is, and has been for over ten years by the time the show starts, satsuki. in my view, he treats momoi as one would a sister, almost, because he treats her honestly pretty badly with no expectation that she's taking him seriously. he's surprised when he makes her cry (like in the rain when she's suggesting he pull out of a competition due to injury), because yeah he's calling her ugly and telling her to fuck off and all of that, but there's an unbreakable bond underlying his meanness that aomine trusts won't break. he shouldn't treat his friends like this, but i'm just trying to come at this from his perspective. he expresses his love for her quietly, but it's there.

as i said in my linked hc post, aomine does not believe that he has to do anything special in order to earn the love of those he trusts. he does not believe that their love is conditional, he does not think that it's linked to his skill or status as a prodigy. for better or for worse, he feels known by these people, and therefore, he's immature about responsibilities and regularly acts up around the people he loves. he ditches people, he shirks chores, and he genuinely does not care about annoying or bothering people.

and now we come to sakurai. aomine and sakurai have a faaascinating dynamic. they're classmates as well as teammates, but i'd love to know how they started talking. neither of them have the kind of personality to just sit next to the other bc they're in basketball club together. sakurai appears skittish, insecure, wet, pathetic, we love you sakurai but you have a reputation. and it's bullshit. sakurai's "drawback", what makes him look weak in the eyes of those around him, is in his need to please others. he takes it bitterly personally when he does something wrong, or he believes he does something wrong, quickly reducing to tears and the classic "i'm sorry! i'm sorry! i don't want to live! i deserve to die!" spiel he usually descends to. but in clutch mode, in his favourite sport, sakurai can be just as arrogant as the rest of touou. he has the confidence to make threes against strong opponents instead of just passing to the prodigal ace. he wants to score points. he isn't interested in proving himself to anyone, he already knows that he's great.

sakurai's actual personality, rather than his perceived one, is probably what draws aomine to him. i can very easily imagine that they're in a game early on, and sakurai looks like he's about to get into trouble with the opposing team who are picking on him a little. but instead of crumbling, he gives them the most disgraceful look of disrespect, and scores an amazing three. it's a moment like that which would make aomine interested, and as he pays more attention, he'd notice other things he also would like. sakurai is kind, he loves basketball, and he is not afraid of aomine. he's not afraid of his skill, however much he is impressed by it, and he doesn't see aomine is someone to prove himself to or compete with. sakurai honestly doesn't seem like he thinks about aomine much at all. which aomine would like. he's also a great cook. again, my idea is that they were eating together, and aomine is looming because he kinda wants to make friends but isn't quite sure yet, and sakurai offers him a little food. you know, like the neighbourhood cat? anyway. once he's had some, he wants to have more, and so, a friendship occurs.

sakurai's food making is one of his more beloved traits in his team, and everyone is comfortable enough with him to snatch and steal etc. like wakamatsu eating all the fucking lemons so aomine wouldn't get any. my fav team. stupid idiots. there are instances were sakurai expresses that he wishes they wouldn't (like the cursed replace novel where aomine eats all sakurai's food he made for the team during a study session to do aomine's homework, without him knowing, and when he discovers an empty fridge, he starts crying and has to be comforted), but overall his protestations are, in my opinion, coming from modesty rather than actual discomfort. sakurai is a strong enough person not to have people walk all over him, he simply doesn't mind being useful to a team he has grown to love and respect.

sakurai is the third person aomine refers to by his first name. sakurai earns this in his basketball skill, he earns it in how he stares fearlessly and disgracefully at nonbelieving opponents. the food definitely helps, but aomine wouldn't have just stolen a stranger's food. he doesn't view sakurai as weak. he doesn't bully him. wakamatsu may think that aomine is bullying him or taking advantage of him, but aomine isn't like that. he doesn't take advantage of the weak, he protects them. like the lady's bag getting snatched. like fighting haizaki when he knew his friends couldn't (not that he thinks they're weak, it's just that their hands were tied). i don't think i've seen him ever take advantage of anyone like that. he certainly takes advantage of friendships as i've mentioned above, but it feels different to me. idk maybe i'm just an aomine excuser at this point. it'll happen again.

for someone who doesn't sincerely smile much, btw, look at how he is in that scene with sakurai:

sakurai: but... this is... aomine: huh? sakurai: sorry, go ahead!

i think this dialogue is less aomine bullying his way into sakurai's bento, and more sakurai realising that the neighbourhood cat is getting more comfortable with him. would he have told him to get lost? probably not. but he doesn't move away when aomine's near, and he isn't flinching or worried about anything bad happening. if anything, his eyes closing when aomine's draped all over him shows, to me, that he's sort of accepting his fate, bc he knows aomine's not gonna do anything but take the good bits of his bento (not a bully. wakamatsu. please calm down). in fact, look at aomine's reaction when wakamatsu tries defending sakurai, whom he believes is getting kinda bullied here:

first, he checks on sakurai. look, he's fine. sakurai cries at everything, he's calm here. he hasn't overstepped any boundaries. but to me, aomine's first words being a reply to wakamatsu's claims that he should be at practise, and not about stealing food, suggests that aomine hasn't actually considered that he could be doing anything wrong enough to rile wakamatsu up this much. it has gotta be about coming to practise. he stops eating sakurai's bento and tries to leave. i think he'd probably be embarrassed by the idea that he could bully anyone. mean as he is, selfish as he is, aomine's good at heart. he'd definitely think his whole team was stupid as fuck if they believed that aomine would bully sakurai, or degrade him in any way. aomine's just showing that he's comfortable with him in the only way he tends to: by being a little shit.

phew! aomine brain dump out of the way. let's discuss haizaki more briefly because haizaki is a lot of fun, but he's not as fun to talk about as aomine.

i think it's a super interesting, deliberate choice to introduce aomine as a nuisance and then haizaki as a nuisance in a similar setting. aomine's food stealing, to me, looks like it's founded on habit and friendship. he doesn't view sakurai as weak and pathetic, and i think already by that point is calling him ryou, so they're solid friends. aomine is a definite loner and doesn't seem to want friends, but ryou is one of them. one of three, as i mentioned, whom he refers to by first name.

haizaki's entrance in the food hall is different because he doesn't have that base level of friendship with kuroko at all. from memory, he calls people by their first names and it makes them uncomfortable. that's likely why he does it. he is big on disrupting the balance of things. i know he hates the generation of miracles, i know he hates team play and friendship dynamics (likely because he finds it difficult to relate to people like that, and to forgive when someone does something that he finds annoying or weak). haizaki does prey on the weak. he's a menace to women walking around at night, he's a menace to kise in their match (his views on kise are super interesting but i don't wanna get into them now, but he does view kise as weak). and he definitely thinks kuroko's weak. it's no surprise that he targets kuroko's plate (this is all from memory so i'm hoping i'm right lmao).

haizaki's food stealing is a power play. look at what i can do, i can take what i want. you can't do shit about it. when called out for it, he says this:

(mido said fuck YOUUUUU aomine) now, i don't think this is actually haizaki believing that aomine is doing it for the same reasons he is. i don't think haizaki gives a shit, and he just sees aomine making a fuss and wants to cause trouble. (side note: aomine's i only take when i'm hungry is so funny. he's saying i'm DYING before i steal from my friends!!! that's so stupid. he's such a pain. but he's never going to say "i only steal from my best friends" because that is crazy talk, this is still aomine, whether he's 12 or whatever.)

murasakibara complains, drawing himself into haizaki's zone of interest, and then haizaki shows he doesn't give a fuck by talking only of the food. i am SURE there are translation issues to be taken into consideration, but haizaki's word choice at face value is: a) your fried chicken looks good too, b) that's mine now. essentially: the fuck are you gonna do about it? he likely doesn't view mura as weak, i think here he's just willing to fight for it. mura plays defence and haizaki loses interest.

haizaki seeks to remind them that he isn't emotionally invested in any of this shit, he just takes what he wants to because he can. it's a power play, and everyone knows it.

the fact that it's aomine putting up a fight about not stealing food is telling to how different they are. it doesn't matter that aomine thinks he only steals when he's hungry so it's alright, if he even does view it like that at all (aomine has a history of talking shit and lying sooo). aomine sets them apart by making it clear that he doesn't have any ulterior motives. haizaki is very quick to announce that he does. he isn't doing it because he has to, he's stealing and being a general menace because he wants to. and he tends to target either those he views as weak, or those he knows will fight him.

i wonder why he didn't take from akashi? i wonder whether it's a testament to nijimura's fighting skills or that haizaki didn't fight back when nijimura beat him up?

anyway. i'm so sorry i wrote an essay on your post. i love this topic obviously and i'm critically insane.

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Kagami watches Aomine's micro expressions with satisfaction, pleased with himself for having won that one. 3-2? Who's really keeping track of wins, anyway? Isn't the more important thing that they keep playing?

Out of the elevator and toward his front door, Kagami battles with the key again (stupid, cold fingers) before opening into his stupidly large apartment which he just figures Aomine will chastise him for. Everyone always does, like he can help that! It's not like it's his money, anyway. It's his Dad's, and this apartment had been for his Dad. So he doesn't hold a lot of stock in its fancy looks. It gets the job done, and that's what's important.

Kagami bristles again at the mention of Instacart. Yeah. He knows all those delivery services. He used to have to get them because Dad ate most of his meals out at work events and would forget to take the young Kagami shopping. One of his nannies complained once that she was worried he wasn't eating enough. That... yeah. Anyway. "I buy what I need, get off my back, yeah?" He doesn't really mean anything by it. Off come the shoes, and he takes back the shopping bag with a polite thanks following the hostility of the previous comment. "I told you there's curry already, right? Jeez, you should pay more attention." Put those big ears to use, Aomine! "It won't take that long to cook up. Just do whatever you want. Bathroom's down the hall."

This isn’t anything like his grandma’s house, that’s for sure. Aomine and her resided in a modest but tidy apartment with a patchy backyard. You’d think his parents would send more money, provide a better living situation to the woman who’s raising their son. Oh well.

His Jordan’s squeak as he sulks in the corner of the elevator, looking everywhere but that pretty smug expression. “Dude you’re delusional. Pfft.” He scratches the back of his neck, the power dynamic shifting again, as it always does. At a frenetic, dizzying pace. He’s never been so happy to step out before, the proximity putting him on a buzzy edge.

“What the fuck you even got in here? Don’t you know about Instacart?” He complains as he trails after Kagami like some kind of…like some kind of puppy. Ugh. Was the food even worth it at this point? “DoorDash too. If you wanna just order me something that works too. Kinda not ready to freeze my balls off again.”

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Kagami shrugs at the request. Yeah, duh, he can use the bathroom. But again, he's so set on his plan to just stay at home that he's forgotten he hasn't actually voiced it yet.

Yeah, sure. This living alone schtick is great. It's fine, Kagami really can't complain. He knows he's lucky to have a roof over his head and food in the fridge, and the NBA subscription is a nice side bonus on that big TV. But it gets pretty lonely by himself, even with all his friends from school. Even with the friends he's made who understand him a little more intimately than most people. Like Aomine, who knows what it is to be scorned for his skill.

Kagami doesn't understand the Uptown Girl reference. Or maybe he does, and Uptown Girl starts playing in a corner of his mind, but he ignores it. "Shut it," he says as a fine retort.

Kagami puts up a fuss about having the bag taken from him, and goes to tug it out of reach when Aomine's hand touches his. It's not for the first time, right? Maybe it happened at some point in the zone, in a steal -- or the failure of one. Kagami brushed his hand when he had been trying to reach the ball. It sends him right back to the Zone, anyway. He has flashbacks of their most intense moments. He doesn't know why. The bag stolen and well out of reach, Kagami blinks and starts going for the key again. OK, cool. Key in the door. He leads them into the air-conditioned, white-lit lobby of the apartment building and straight to the elevators.

"I get along just fine without you," Kagami jams his thumb into the button for the top floor. A smile starts to burn its way across his face and he leans into the mirrored wall. See, if he looked like this when a camera was out, he could have been a model too. "But the real question is: what would you do without me? Still be freezing your ass off on that park bench just hopin' I'd walk by?"

Aomine isn’t the most emotionally aware. He’s not the most empathetic, the most understanding. He’s a teenage boy with the burden of both mommy and daddy issues. That being said, Kagami’s tone when he gives his own brief synopsis is…telling. Nobody else would have noticed. But Aomine has seen Kagami in a way people seldom do. On the court, they’re naked, stripped bare, no false pretenses. He’s memorized the sound of his heartbeat.

He KNOWS that the topic is making the other bristle, a silent melancholy that floats on the breeze and wraps around him, like Kagami’s cologne that was reaaally starting to get to him. He doesn’t push it further. Let that be where they leave it.

“Dope. Mr Independent. Do whatever the hell you want, sounds great.” Aomine replies through a lens of a teenage boy. It does sound great. Just like being Tōō’s golden boy, like being DAIKI AOMINE sounds great. But he knows there’s more to it. “Yo can I use your bathroom? I gotta take a leak.”

Truthfully Aomine’s taken by surprise when he peers up at Kagami’s place. Whoa. Wow. Holy shit. This is… “Damn. You’re really an Uptown Girl, huh.” He’s half hoping Kagami catches the reference, other half begging he doesn’t. Aomine watches Kagami try to fumble with his keys while holding such a treasure tribe of groceries. Tch. “Here, just gimme.”

Hands brush for an eternity and a millisecond all at once. Kagami’s are bigger, more calloused. Aomine has those slender piano player hands. From his mother. Maybe. It’s hard to remember details like that.

He hoists the bags over his shoulder, quite pleased by his act of…something. “Whaddya do without me?”

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kagami is competitive but it doesn’t exceed his inability to concentrate on something boring. he cannot play, for instance, board games and he has limited attention span for video games either. just saw a post talking about him playing monopoly (he loses, he is traumatised by how competitive the miragen got and he doesnt want to play with them ever again – something i totally agree with) and the way he would lose on purpose so he can go and do something else? remarkable. 

[tenacityreturns]

Honestly, moved here when I was three was more information than Kagami had been expecting. He's interested to a certain degree, just because he likes to know what goes into the making of a basketball legend such as Aomine Daiki is already turning out to be. But he's such a private person himself that it was almost a year before his friends knew where he lived, and most of them still don't know about his mom. But then, why would they? Why would they ask? Who cares? Well, besides himself. And his dad. Anyway.

When Aomine continues, Kagami listens with a stiffened spine and nervous tingling in the pit of his stomach. He swallows it. It's not that big of a deal, right... ? Well, now he has all this information about Aomine he had never dreamed of asking about and no idea where to put it. No idea where to put Aomine. He clearly trusts Kagami with that information, huh? Unexpected. Kagami catches himself grumbling that of course he knows what cricket is. He's never played, because why would he, but he knows what it is. Duh!

Kagami bristles when asked about his parents. He can't help that. But he plays it off with a shrug. "I live alone." And for a moment, that's all the answer he gives. He doesn't know what to say about the divorce, he doesn't know what to say about the cricket. If he was to say anything it at all, it would be okay, because cool, thanks for the info.

But he doesn't feel right leaving it at that. "You prob'ly already know this 'cuz of Momoi and her information super power or whatever, but my Dad lives in L.A. still. He was gonna come out here for work, but... yeah. It's kinda cool... I guess." Bright sides to everything! Aomine doesn't need to know that his mother's dead or his dad is too focused on his work to realise he missed his son growing up. Aomine doesn't need to know that the penthouse apartment and flatscreen TV don't make up for the absence of love. Also, whether it's obvious or not, this is more talking about his personal life than Kagami has done ever. It is surprisingly easy to talk to Aomine... weird. Probably doesn't mean anything though.

Aomine instantly feels a bit stupid. Well, that was a valid point. Why’s he so hostile with Kagami anyways? Sure he has dickish tendencies, but man if this guy doesn’t trigger some primal fight or flight response with…just existing. He trudges after the redhead without a care in the world, eyes flitting up to look at the sky. It was really bright out, clear. Yeah, it was a good day.

“Yeah, I was born there. Moved here when I was three.” Once again he’s initially annoyed at such a dumb question, before remembering they are not friends and know virtually nothing about each other off the court. Should they keep it that way? Well, he’s buying him dinner…

“Dad’s from here. Met mom on a work trip. Ta-dah, me. After they split, she moved back there. Dad’s company is based in the Philippines now, so I’ve just been staying with my grandma for awhile.”

Such an intense lore drop makes him wince. Was any of that necessary? He answered everything but the important question. He’s revealed too much. What if Kagami, oh god, asks more questions? What next? Does he have to explain that his parents were, and will always be, career driven over family oriented?

The fights they’d have when they thought he was asleep. That technically it got so bad that his grandma has had legal custody of him since he was 12? Not that his parents seemed to mind. They’d send him gifts, buy him whatever he wanted, would check in for his birthday, most times. Nah, they’re not gonna get friendly enough to divulge that. Momoi knows it all and that’s enough.

“It’s not real big over there.” He clears his throat, pace slowly slightly behind Kagami, trying to think of something snarky, he can’t. “Might visit this summer and I’ll be lucky to find a court. It’s all cricket. Bet you dunno what that even is.”

Ah, there it is. “Your parents gonna be home? Your mom hot?” Double success.

[tenacityreturns]

It's important to note that Kagami is attractive, okay? He's got fresh, clear skin, he's got nice teeth (if a little sharp on the canines), and despite the 3-in-1 torment he puts his hair through, his hair is pretty good too. Little on the wiry side, would be a softer texture if he used the right products but he doesn't. All of this to say that the picture Aomine takes of Kagami in a moment of disgusted, confused surprise is not a flattering one. Kagami doesn't think there's a single picture of himself where he doesn't look like a goofball, actually. He just doesn't photograph well, okay? He panics.

So he's grimacing some more when Aomine's texting the picture back to god knows where. Kagami decides that he doesn't want to know. He groans about it and starts making his way off the court.

Not picky is great, not picky is exactly Kagami's favourite kind of person! He shrugs his shoulders at Aomine's comment. "Sure," because they're going home? Of course he's dropping his stuff off? He isn't consciously luring Aomine anywhere, it's just that he doesn't feel like it's worth explaining the plan. Aomine will get food. That's the important bit. Kagami almost chokes on air when Aomine drops his accusation though.

"The fuck? No? It's Thai curry, anyway. Jeez Louise." Nice save. "You ever go to India before? The basketball any good?"

What a sore loser. It’s okay, Aomine finds himself glossing over things that are so annoying in others, but oddly charming in Kagami. He glances at his phone, once frozen fingers now warmed by adrenaline and…companionship? Momoi sending him a pic of Kuroko in a spa mask. His grandma telling him to safe and have fun, wherever he ran off to. A reminder that he was supposed to be getting to top rank in Fortnite. All of it seems so inconsequential in this moment.

Momoi dings again, demanding to know what he’s doing, is he with a girl? A boy? They’d been sharing their locations for over a year, a safety measure he’d agreed to, in case he has to save his best friend from any and all danger. In reality? Momoi uses it to stalk him down, whether to drag him to practice or to glean hints of his private life.

“Say cheese, scrub.” Aomine raises his phone to take a candid, offguard photo of them both (this photo will later be important, stay with me now), captioned “lol kicked his ass so bad u shoulda seen it.”

The phone slips back into his pocket and he thinks the question over. Now that the rush is fading, he’s realizing how fucking cold it is. “Uh, yeah, sure? I kinda eat whatever. Not picky.” He glances down at the shopping haul, choosing his words carefully. “Don’t you wanna drop that shit off at your crib first?” Successful. Not weird at all. He’d just stand outside and wait. Or something. “Wait. You asking me that because I’m half Indian? Christ man.”

[tenacityreturns]

Can Kagami say something so honestly to you, the reader, who loves and supports him through all of his wrongs and his even worse, stupider wrongs? Playing basketball against an opponent faster than you are, who clearly enjoys the sport as much as you do, has got to be better than sex. It's got his blood pumping despite the cold, it's got him happy to be alive. He's never had sex, not really planning on it anytime soon, either, but it's gotta be overhyped. There's no way it has anything on feeling like this. He's on top of the world.

Even if he's on the bottom of the scoreboard. By the time Aomine decides to call it, Kagami feels like he might just die. His chest heaves, his limbs feel simultaneously gelatinous and like they weigh one million tonnes, and his head's all foggy from exhaustion. He went all out, obviously, and now he's got to lug all his shit home? This is such a pain.

"K-Dog?" Kagami huffs, grimacing but unable to do much more than that. "I'll fucking kill you. Show you star-struck. Don't give up now, anyway, I'll still win today!"

But the game is over. Aomine's got his jacket on. And, yes, he'd seen the flash of stomach, but he's too exhausted to focus on it. He follows and picks up his bags. When he speaks, he's still breathless. "Like I need a consolation prize, bitch, I'll just win next time. Uhhhh," blearily, he looks around himself for some inspiration. He has curry ingredients at home he'd been intending to have, it'd be a shame if that went to waste. "You want curry?" No, he won't tell him that it would be at his house, cooking for him, because Aomine will probably try to put up a fight about it. Just accept people being nice to you, idiot!!!!

Nothing matches it, honestly. The rush, the exhilaration, the need for more. No hookup, no risky pull from a joint after practice, no matchup against ANYONE but Kagami makes him feel so alive. It’s dangerous, it’s so addicting. He will never get enough, he will never be satisfied.

“Whatever. Cope harder,” he rolled his cobalt hues, but just like Kagami he’s smirking, no, beaming like an idiot. Was Aomine steadfast in his belief he’d win? Yes. But did he savor how he was forced to work for it, to actually dig deep? Kagami makes him able to listen to the music of the court, and it’s hypnotizing.

…

As predicted, Aomine reigns triumphant. 10-8. Way too close for comfort, but he’ll take it. He thinks about offering a handshake, a compliment? He does, in the only way he knows how. “3-1. I gotta find a better rival. You really that starstruck, K-Dog?” Surely he wouldn’t be mad at that, it’s not the first name. It’s a sick dumb game, calling him by anything but his preferred. He’s gotta think of more.

He yawns, stretching, a sliver of tanned skin flashing when his jacket rises and hints at the rumor of impeccable abs. “Sooo, as a consolation prize, I’ll let you pick the spot. If it sucks, I’ll genuinely never forgive you.”

[tenacityreturns]

actually aomine i think he manages to do that by himself