Kuroko no Basuke/黒子のバスケ 1. A Slip of the Tongue

Chapter 1: A Slip of the Tongue

Momoi Satsuki had made the worst mistake of her life. In the beginning it had seemed like a great idea, this foursome thing of theirs. Unorthodox as it was, the change from friends to something else had felt natural for Satsuki and her boys. Not inevitable, mind you, not at all, but at the time choosing any other path would have resulted in heartache for all of them. She knew that if others found out about their... Arrangement, they would judge. But even though she had always cared for people's opinion, this thing the four of them now shared had been too special to let anyone else's opinion on the matter bother her. Besides, Satsuki had to admit that she had always been a little odd when it came to love.

To begin with, her first love had been basketball. Not what one would expect from a girlish girl in flowery dresses with ribbons all over her hair, but from an early age Satsuki had had trouble adjusting to conventions. Since she was a baby, her father had sat her on his lap and together they would watch game after game on an old tv set —her infant mind had immediately fell in love with the bright bouncy orange ball, the lively colors of the players' uniforms, their impossible jumps and improbable loops. And it had been her early passion for the game what led her to befriend their neighbor's nutcase son. The dark-skinned smirking little imp had tormented Satsuki from day one (with spiders and worms and all kinds of disgusting bugs), but he had also all but pulverized the park's local bullies when they tried to steal her ball. At first glance both kids didn't have anything in common, but they had both loved basketball more than anything in the whole wide world and so, after a while, they had soon come to realize that no one else was more fun to be with than each other. For as long as she could remember, Dai-chan had been the most important person in her life. Their childhood together had created an unbreakable bond between them and, for the longest time, Satsuki had sincerely believed that, stupid and disgusting and exasperating as he was, she wouldn't be able to love anyone as deeply as she loved Dai-chan.

However, soon they were in middle school and, when hormones kicked in, Satsuki learnt that there where other ways to love someone... It had been kind of ridiculous how hard and fast she had fallen for Kuroko Tetsuya —Tetsu-kun, who was Aomine's complete opposite; who was gentle and calm and so dismissible but with an iron will beneath it all; Kuroko, whose unwavering loyalty and determination had led him to fulfill his promise to Satsuki and brought back the old Dai-chan during that fateful winter cup (fateful because, as much as she liked to deny it, deep down she felt like only Fate could explain some of what had happened).

And she had felt so grateful then... Her heart had been so full of love for both despite the different feelings she held for each. That's why it was a bit ironic that the two of them —the one she was in love with and the one she loved the most—, would end hooking up before her very eyes. Truth be told, Satsuki should have seen it coming. Despite being the boob-lover that he was (and Dai-chan loved them from the very bottom of his heart), basketball was the measure of all things for him, and it had been Tetsu's unwavering loyalty and determination which had brought a smile back to his lips. In the court the two of them had always had a chemistry that was hard to miss and off it they still complemented each other beautifully: Aomine and Kuroko, Light and Shadow. And even if the whole Generation of Miracles fiasco had made them drift apart, it was an undeniable fact that they had been key players in each other lives.

Back in Teiko, Kuroko had been unable to help Aomine when he had needed it the most and the darker boy had carelessly hurt him in return. However, maybe precisely because they had lost each other once, they held on so tightly afterwards. They had hurt each other at one point, but before and after they had also inspired and protected one another. Aomine had been the first person to see and believe in the invisible boy, had pushed Kuroko to discover his own worth and had helped him to go beyond his own self-imposed limits (and Satsuki would never forget how her heart had skipped a beat when she saw Tetsu's ball go through the loop for the first time). In return, Kuroko... Satsuki could hardly find the right words to explain everything that the quiet boy had done: he had taught Aomine to walk in another person's shoes, had humbled him and made him grow. But most important of all, Kuroko had found a way to awaken Aomine's love for basketball and, in the process, had brought back the spark of life to her friend's dull eyes. And that made all the difference for Satsuki.

Even though logically she should have felt some kind of heartache when the two of them went from friends to lovers, at first she had actually felt glad for them. She couldn't deny the slight pang she had felt on her chest whenever she saw them smile at each other, of course, but for Satsuki Dai-chan's happiness had always come first, and Kuroko obviously made him happy.  
Truth be told, nothing had really changed between the three of them after the two of them got together. When she was with them they behaved towards each other as they always had: they were still blunt and a bit emotionally retarded (one more than the other, mind you). And even though Dai-chan was a bit touchy-feely, he had always been like that. Actually, if she really thought about it, the one thing that really had changed was that all of them began to spend much more time together, and since most of that time was dedicated to playing basketball, a fourth was soon added to the mix: the fierce redhead that was Kuroko's new light, Kagami Taiga. And even if in the beginning Dai-chan had complained about Kagamin tagging along, he hadn't really fooled anyone: Satsuki and Kuroko could clearly see the delight on his face every time the redhead challenged him to a one-on-one.

Satsuki herself also found Kagami's presence somewhat of a blessing. Even though Kuroko and Dai-chan never did anything to make her feel like a third wheel, sometimes she still felt like she was intruding in their relationship when it was only the three of them, but when Kagamin was there... She genuinely liked him and she loved how he unwittingly brought out the playful side on Kuroko (and Nigou seemed to enjoy it just as much!). Similarly, lazy and apathetic as he was, Aomine came back to life playing against the fiery redhead and, amusingly, soon their little challenges began to spill out of the basket court: they would fight over who got to eat the last of the popcorn on movie night, over which flavor of pizza to order, over who got to exit a room first, over whose ugly-mug was uglier. It was kind of ridiculous, specially because the childish behavior didn't diminish with time.

However, Satsuki couldn't help finding the whole situation... Odd. Because if she had been going out with Kuroko, she'd have liked to horde him completely for herself. On the other hand, both Dai-chan and Tetsu-kun had seemed perfectly comfortable despite their lack of alone time. Weird as it was, she had no room to complain! The more the basket-idiots fought, the more time she had Tetsu-kun's attention all to herself and, even if she could never have him as a boyfriend, she could still share other things with him. Satsuki had always loved talking to Kuroko. He was an excellent listener and his opinion —soft-spoken but honest as it always was— had helped her see things from a different perspective time and time again. And so, even if at the end of the day Tetsu left with Aomine, she had still felt special.

That is, until she saw them kiss.

It happened one of those odd days when Kagami wasn't around. Satsuki herself was running late because she had had to stay after practice to finish a school project with a couple of classmates, and Dai-chan had headed on his own to their usual spot to hang out with Tetsu-kun till Satsuki could make it. When she arrived a couple of hours later, she found them exactly as she thought she would: playing basketball. Of course, Dai-chan's games with Kuroko where never near as... Intense, as his one-on-one with Kagami, but they were delightful to watch simply because the old light and shadow of Teiko still moved like clockwork. And regardless of how different their skills were, sometimes Kuroko managed to get past Aomine and when that happened, stupid Dai-chan let excitement get the better of him, and when that happened, accidents were prone to occur. Satsuki arrived that day just in time to see Aomine elbow poor Tetsu-kun directly on his cute button nose as the latter bravely tried to stop quite an impressive dunk.

'Shit, Tetsu! I didn't mean to.'

Kuroko covered his aching nose with both hands and, even from a distance, Satsuki saw him glare ominously at Dai-chan, while the offender in question bit his bottom lip (his own expression a funny mix of 'upps' and concern).

'Aomine-kun is a brute,' declared Kuroko mercilessly, but the effect was quite ruined by his nasally voice and the unshed tears in his eyes.

'Sheesh, I said I was sorry, didn't I? Here, let me see.' And Aomine leaned in, trying to pry Tetsu-kun's hands from his face.

'I'll rather you didn't.'

'Just let me see.'

'Hm...' Resigned, Kuroko allowed the other to inspect his poor reddened nose, wincing as Aomine probed at it with surprisingly gentle fingers.

'I don't think it's broken,' concluded Aomine with a loop sided grin.

'It better not be,' replied Kuroko, glaring still, 'otherwise someone is going to be in trouble...'

Even as he frowned, Aomine's thumb shifted softly from the other boy's nose to his cheekbone.

'Tetsu...'

'It's fine,' said Kuroko at last, standing on his tip toes as he reached for Aomine's neck.

And as she saw the tender brush of lips, Satsuki's heart broke into a million pieces.

At the time she had truly though that she wasn't affected by the fact that they were together (that they were lovers). However, that instant was all it took to make her realize that she wasn't as selfless as she had believed herself to be. Incapable of holding back her tears, she had ran away before either could notice her and, heartbroken, lost and confused as she had been, she ended up in the only place that had felt safe at the time... Kagami's.

It didn't make sense really, that she would go to him, because even though they hung out nearly every day, they were not really friends. They didn't know each other for that long nor even all that well, not like she knew Dai-chan or Tetsu-kun. But when he opened the door after her thunderous knocking, and his scowl shifted to concern as he saw her crying, she threw herself at him and clung to his neck and cried against his chest, pouring her heart out for what felt like hours. However, most surprising of all was that the often rough redhead let her. Even if he had hesitated at first, Kagami had hugged her back gently and led her to the couch, where he had patiently lent her his shoulder to cry on and lean against. And Satsuki had done just that.

Much later, when her desperate crying had finally subsided, she had felt a little bit embarrassed. But he had merely shrugged his shoulders and handed her a big mug of hot chocolate, which was the sweetest and more delicious drink Satsuki had ever tasted. Afterwards, as he had sat again next to her on the couch while she sipped the tasty treat, she had felt comforted because even if Kagamin was no good with words, he somehow was able to make his actions speak for him.

'Thank you,' she had told him that day.

And he had simply shrugged his wide shoulders again in response and said:

'Such a pretty girl shouldn't cry.'

It had been a slip of the tongue, she knew because he turned bright red and apologized not a second later, but his bold words made her pause nonetheless. And when she saw him pick up her discarded tissues, when she saw him refill her empty mug with more of that delicious chocolate that he had made specially for her, Satsuki found herself thinking for the first time that Kagamin would be a very sweet boyfriend. Despite her tears, she felt a smile tug on her lips. And even though it would be months before the two of them would actually start dating (Kagamin was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of a girl in distress), in that precise instant Satsuki had begun seeing him under a different light.

In hindsight, she should have realized back then that it seemed like Fate was meddling again on their affairs, because it really was ironic that the first time that Kagami had laid eyes on her he had made her cry whereas now, when it was her seeing him for whom he truly was for the first time, he was the one drying her tears and making her smile. Only the infamous Fate Dai-chan sometimes talked about could be so wry.

And knowing that, Satsuki should have been more weary because wherever Fate meddled... Conflict was not far behind.

tbc


	2. Words vs Actions

Chapter 2: Words vs Actions

It was strange, having a boyfriend. She had spent so many years day dreaming about Kuroko Tetsuya, that now that she had the real thing... Well, she didn't really know what to do with it. It was ironic, though, that just like her dear Tetsu-kun had been the opposite of Dai-chan, Kagamin himself was the opposite of her lifelong sweetheart. Overall the whole thing didn't make much sense, but Satsuki was happy.

She liked spending time with the redhead. She particularly enjoyed teasing him because even though he had a short temper, he wasn't one to hold grudges (Kagami was quick to anger but even quicker to forgive, and she loved him for that). Satsuki had learnt early on that Kagamin was surprisingly good at taking things in stride and that, underneath his tough exterior and rough personality, he was unexpectedly very mature. She found out that he lived on his own and that he had for a while now, that he could cook, clean and generally take care of himself and behave like a responsible adult. And when she spent time with him, specially after being most of her life looking after Dai-chan, she felt like a responsible adult too as opposed to a mother hen. It was a nice feeling. What she had with Kagami felt real and solid. But sometimes... She wanted to be with him, she loved being his girlfriend —she liked how his huge hand completely covered her own; she loved his sweet goodbye kisses and his honest smile when he saw her in the mornings—, but sometimes, Satsuki couldn't help wondering what it would be like to share something like this with Kuroko because she had been dreaming about doing so for way too long. And when her imagination ran wild, she felt completely and utterly lost.

If she had a boyfriend that loved and made her happy, why couldn't she get over Tetsu-kun! More often than not she felt angry at herself but other times she blamed Kagami. Because he had to be responsible somehow. Because Satsuki had heard the girls in her class talk and most of them had gone all the way with their boyfriends whereas she and Kagamin... How was she supposed to fully give him her heart, soul and body if he didn't seem interested in the latest! It shamed her to admit it but even after months of going out together, they still had to do more than kiss. It disconcerted her and made her very self-conscious. She tried to think nothing of it. To smile and be patient and kind in return but...

Satsuki knew he was passionate. She could see it in his every action; in fact, one only had to see him play basketball (specially against a supposedly unbeatable opponent) to realize that every bit of the intensity he exuded was justified: his play was aggressive, risky, straightforward and, above all, passionate. However, when it came to her he suddenly became shy and kept his hands strictly to himself and, frankly, it was driving her up the walls. She didn't know what to do. For a while, she considered talking with one of her more experienced girl friends from school, but every time she tried to bring up the subject she felt like she was betraying Kagami somehow. However, that was not the only reason behind her tightly sealed lips: deep down, in a way, it also embarrassed her because maybe... Maybe it was all her fault. Maybe Satsuki wasn't pretty or attractive enough. That would definitely explain why Tetsu-kun had never spared her a second glance despite her obvious interest.

And once the self-doubt crept into her mind, Satsuki couldn't stop thinking about it.

'That doesn't make any sense, Satsuki,' complained Dai-chan pointing at the numbers in her notebook, 'You multiply it times seven, see? Oi, are you listening?'

Satsuki felt bad because she knew he was trying his best and Daiki hardly ever put any effort into anything that wasn't basketball. Trying to get rid of the depressing thoughts for the time being, she braved a smile for him and tried to concentrate on his explanation. This was a little secret of theirs that would astonish anyone who found out: since they were ten years old Satsuki had helped Dai-chan with most (if not all) of his homework and, in exchange, (and here came the unbelievable part) her childhood friend often helped her with her own Maths and Physics homework —because even though Dai-chan sometimes mixed the concepts since he hardly ever studied, he understood the mechanics and could figure out problems surprisingly quickly.

'Satsuki, are you listening? I said times seven,' he complained loosing his patience after her third mistake, 'Sheesh, you are such a spazz...'

Any other day, she would have swatted him in the head or returned the insult with some wittier retort, but today the feelings of worthlessness were eating her up inside, and the mockery got to her. Before she knew what was happening, she felt warm tears running down her cheeks. It was stupid, she knew it was stupid, but once she began crying Satsuki couldn't stop.

'Hey, what's wrong? I was just joking! I don't really think you're a spazz.'

And seeing the actual concern in his face, the walls of her composure were completely destroyed. Soon she found herself blurting it all out to Dai-chan. She cried and cried and cried some more. Weeks of keeping her feeling bottled forced them to tumble out and she talked and talked about her issues with her boyfriend till there was nothing left to confess.

That emptiness helped. Just getting it out of her chest helped her feel slightly better, even if nothing had really changed. It was beyond embarrassing, specially taking into account Dai-chan's lost expression, but now that the whole thing was out in the open, Satsuki wanted his honest opinion. The secret was out, there was nothing left to hide, so it made sense to make the best of the shameless confession and try to see the whole situation from a different perspective. That's the reason why, red in the face and with tear-streaks on her cheeks, she looked at Dai-chan expectantly and asked.

The poor boy actually floundered.

'Are you seriously asking me for advice?'

She had to admit that it was a bit embarrassing talking about her sex life (or lack thereof) with Dai-chan of all people but, awkward as it was for both of them, Aomine owed her, simple as that. They had seen each other at their most shameful so there was nothing to hide, not really. And if he attempted to mock her, she had plenty of blackmail and he knew it.

'Well, you are a guy too!' she replied trying to sound reasonable, 'And you play basketball with Kagamin every single day.'

'What does basketball have to do with anything?!' he countered back, 'We are not even friends and—'

But seeing the tears begin to well up again in her eyes, he stopped his macho-macho bull-crap and sighed loudly, running a hand through his short dark hair.

'Shit, Satsuki, I dunno...' But despite his words he lounged back in his chair as if readying himself for an awkward conversation, 'He probably thinks he's being a gentlemen or something. You do try to kick me pretty hard when I comment on your choice of underwear, so of course the poor guy is scared.'

It was her turn to stutter. That was NOT what she had been expecting.

'Excuse me?!' Satsuki cried out when she managed to get over some of her shock, 'Why would I kick him? He's my boyfriend and you are...' She hesitated, it was always difficult to find the right word to define Dai-chan, 'You are you!'

'So what?' he replied acting bored with the conversation, 'Sheesh, Satsuki, the idiot is probably waiting on you to make the first move. No big deal, really.'

'No big deal?! And what am I supposed to do? Tell him I want to... That I want him to... Gosh this is embarrassing!'

'Just shove your rack in his face. He'll be all over you in no time.'

'Aomine-kun!'

Slap!

'Oi, Satsuki! This is why the guy is scared shitless. See how you reacted just now?'

Satsuki was practically foaming at the mouth and blushing so badly that her face most certainly clashed with he hair, but despite it all she couldn't help considering Dai-chan's words. Could it really be that Kagami was concerned for her and was holding himself back till she let him know she was ready? Loath as she was to admit it, something so stupid and unnecessarily noble wouldn't be above Kagamin... The big idiot.

It relieved her because she still felt unsure and confused, but now there was a glimmer of hope. Satsuki let out a deep breath. However, she couldn't let Dai-chan realize that he might be on the right track.

'Do you always have to be such a pervert?!' she said as she grabbed the notebook and began going over his chicken scratch next to her own bubbly numbers. 'You know nothing about girls anyway.'

'I know plenty about women!' he replied as he brought his chair closer to hers again to peer over her shoulder at her calculations.

'Slobbering over those disgusting gravure magazines of yours doesn't count as experience.'

'Hey! Don't you dare mess with Mai-chan. And I don't slobber.'

Sasuki chuckled and he frowned. Nevertheless, through the corner of her eye she saw Dai-chan's expression soften and his lips quirk a tiny bit when he thought she wasn't looking. And so, tension gone, the duo reviewed the problem again till she got it right. But later, when he was picking up his stuff to go home, he surprised her yet again:

'For real, Satsuki,' he drawled in that particular way of his that feigned disinterest, but the way he kept shuffling papers to avoid looking at her gave him away, 'Kagami is a dude. Show interest and he'll do whatever you want. Just don't be subtle about it, after all this is Bakagami you are dealing with. He doesn't do subtle.'

Satsuki blushed again but nodded.

'Thanks, Dai-chan...' she told him softly.

And in response he ruffled the top of her head gently, as he sometimes did to Tetsu-kun. Tetsu... Her heart flickered for a moment like a bird within its cage. Now that she though about it, even though she had all but poured her heart out to Dai-chan, he had never actually told her anything about his own relationship with Kurorko. Did the two of them ever fight? She had to wonder. Satsuki knew that back when they had been only friends the two of them had sometimes had petty squabbles and misunderstandings which were quickly forgotten. However, when it came to actual serious arguments, both had always been infuriating. The bad thing about Dai-chan and Tetsu-kun (the one thing they had in common, unfortunately) was that when they got really angry at something or someone, they both wanted to be left alone, so when they fought (really fought) afterwards they never talked about it, probably not even with each other.

And now that they were a couple...

'Hey, Daiki...' she began softly.

Aomine grunted in acknowledgment and stretched his arms high above his head, getting out the kinks.

'Hm?'

Satsuki played with her hair and shuffled her feet, making one of his eyebrows rise in amusement.

'Dai-chan, you never tell me anything about Tetsu-kun,' she said at last, choosing her words even more carefully when she saw how he lost absolutely all expression from his face. 'I know you don't like talking about it, so I won't ask but... You know you can tell me anything, right? I was in love with him but it's alright, ok? Now I have Kagamin. I am happy and I'm happy for you too. So, yeah, I'll listen if you ever, you know, need to talk, alright?'

Aomine averted his eyes.  
'Dai-chan...'

He licked his lips and seemed to consider his words just as carefully as she had seconds ago.

'Tetsu is different,' he said at last.

'Different? Different how?'

But he closed off then. Completely. And Satsuki, who knew him better than anyone, realized that she wouldn't be able to pry a single word on the subject out of him now. When Aomine didn't want to deal with something he became unreachable.

And despite being worried, she tried to let it go because the very next day both her friends behaved as they always had: comfortable in each others' presence and utterly happy to be together. On the other hand, the easygoing manner they treated each other with gave her something to think about and provided her with the courage to face her own issues with Kagamin. And so, that afternoon, when she found herself alone with the redhead in his house watching a movie, she followed Dai-chan's advice. Blushing to the roots of her hair, she made her move andeven though he seemed incredibly shocked at her boldness, he got the hint very quickly —after all, Kagamin had always been a man of actions rather than words. And despite his claims of not being Kagami's friend, Dai-chan had been surprisingly perceptive about him. It made Satsuki feel a little silly because she was Kagami's girlfriend, and so she should have known better. They were both idiots, though, so that had to count for something.

That night, Satsuki and Kagami had sex for the first time. The whole experience was nothing like Satsuki had imagined it would be. To begin with, in her fantasies the body next to her had always been considerably smaller and paler, but the Tetsu of her dreams had been no less gentle than Kagami was that night. The real thing, though... It hurt and it was uncomfortable and somewhat embarrassing, but when he kissed her sweetly and told her in that simple but honest way of his how beautiful she was, Satsuki felt special. How could she have ever doubted his attraction to her, she now wondered, when it was so clear in his eyes. And afterwards, when the two of them laid together in his bed, warm under the covers, she felt closer to him than ever before. It was kind of stupid how things could change so much, how feelings could evolve, after something so simple as sex. But for some unexplainable reason, as she laid there in his arms, she felt safe, loved and happy.

She ran her fingers up and down his strong arms, feeling him drift gradually to sleep and charmed she watched him drift of, strangely warmed by his soft snoring. In her dreams, Kuroko had never snored. Kuroko... What would it feel like to be in his arms now? To have shared something so special with him rather than Kagami? Surprised by her treacherous thoughts, Satsuki hid her face in the crook of her boyfriend's neck and willed herself to sleep. But despite her efforts, now that invisible boy had entered her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about him... Because Aomine had said that Tetsu-kun was different and she couldn't help wondering how. Because despite her feelings for Kagami (feeling that she had believed strengthened mere minutes ago), Tetsu-kun had been her first love and she had imagined being with him so many times that it just felt right and natural to think of him now.

And so, even if she fell under Morpheus' spell wrapped in Kagami's arms, the one she dreamed about was not him.

Tbc.

Alrighty! Let me know what you think.


	3. Chasing Dreams

AN: I hope the story gets more and more interesting with every chapter. Sorry for the slow progression, but the hints for future conflict have to be there from the start. :)

Chapter 3: Chasing Dreams

High school went by for Satsuki in the blink of an eye. Basketball practice and tournaments, victories and defeats, afternoons playing street ball, exams, movie nights, lazy sundays and more basketball in the evenings. Dai-chan began taking his basketball as seriously as he once had, and nothing in the world could have made her happier. At the same time, Satsuki grew even closer to Kagamin and at one point had even formally introduced him to her parents as her boyfriend. During that crazy dinner Dai-chan had done as much as was in his power to make the poor redhead uncomfortable in front of his future "in laws" but, once Kagamin had politely bowed his goodbyes, her childhood friend had assured Satsuki's parents that Kagami Taiga couldn't be a more decent guy. Satsuki could have slapped him right then and there, but inside she had been grateful for his support because even though her parents trusted her, for some unfathomable reason they had always trusted him more when it came to her choice in boys!

Since middle school Aomine had basically scared away any boy who tried to propose Satsuki. And even if she found the idea of an intimidating Dai-chan absolutely ridiculous, for some reason other boys all but crapped their pants when Tōō's power forward even glanced their way. It should have annoyed her, except that she hadn't really liked any of those boys that Dai-chan had scared away, and since he never seemed to have a single real complain about her interest in Testsu-kun nor her dating of Kagamin... Well, Satsuki had never considered putting a stop to the annoying habit, though it still baffled her that her own parents would trust Dai-chan's judgement more than her own daughter's (Dai-chan's! Whose opinion on girls was completely biased by their cup size. Unbelievable).

Truth be told, however, Kagamin had managed to charm Satsuki's parents all on his own: her father had liked how he had tried to behave like a proper gentleman (though his eyebrows certainly look a bit crazy, Satsuki-chan, let's just hope it's not inheritable for the sake of your future kids... / Daaad!), and her mother had all but pinched his cheeks when he offered to help to pick up the table and wash the dishes (oh my, he looks so gruff but he's actually adorable, Satsuki-dear / Mom, please!). The night had gone surprisingly smoothly, even with Dai-chan's (and her parent's) teasing. However, later, when both boys had gone home, her slacker of a father had fallen asleep on the couch and it was just Satsuki and her mom tidying up the table, her mother surprised her by saying:

'Kagami-kun... What a curious young man. He didn't say much about himself, did he?'

Confused, Satsuki stopped folding the napkin between her fingers and looked at her mother across the table.

'There's not really much more to Kagamin, mom. He loves basketball. He loves food. And I think he loves me. He's a good person. That's all.'

Her boyfriend wasn't a mystery like Kuroko. No, Kagamin was reliable and stable and there. Maybe he wasn't what she had spent her life dreaming about, but he was what she needed.

'Oh, yes, I can tell he's a honest person. But I wonder... He hardly said anything about his family, did he? What did he tell us his father did for a living? I seem to have forgotten.'

Giving up on trying to fold the stupid napkin, Satsuki dropped it on the table.

'Some kind of CEO for an international company or something. Sheesh, mom, what does it matter?'

Her mother shrugged, putting forks and knives on a single plate to carry them to the kitchen.

'I was just thinking that it must be difficult, being so young and having to look after himself. In any case, I wasn't expecting someone like Kagami-kun, Satsuki dear.'

A complain was on her mouth from the very start, but it was that last part that made her pause.

'What... What do you mean?'

Her mother shrugged.

'Oh, don't get me wrong, he's perfectly nice, but I always though that the day you introduced us to your boyfriend, well... I guess I always thought Tetsu-kun would be the one.'

Satsuki had thought so too. Uncomfortable, she began packing plates one on top of the other.

'Actually, mom... Tetsu-kun is seeing someone else. He's been for a while now,' it felt awkward to say so and, at her mother's surprised expression, she couldn't help thinking: If only you knew who.

'Oh dear, I didn't know that. When did that happen? I always believed Tetsu-kun was, how should I put it, a late bloomer...'

Satsuki cleared her throat.

'It's ok, I love Kagamin. And I'm all over Tetsu-kun. I'm happy he found someone else.'

It sounded fake to her own ears, and her mother must had found it odd too, because soon her own eyes took a thoughtful sheen. Poking her lips with one perfectly manicured finger, the older Momoi said:

'Actually, it's kind of silly...'

'What is, mom?'

'Kagami-kun, he couldn't be more different from Kuroko-kun, don't you agree?'

'So what? I like Kagamin,' she set the plates down and crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling defensive. It was stupid, her mother was not accusing her of anything nor was she implying anything at all, but Tetsu-kun was and would always be a touchy subject for Satsuki.

Nevertheless, her mother's eyes widened at her response.

'No reason to get upset, Satsuki. You'll get wrinkles from that much frowning. Besides, I can't help it if I find it funny...'

Satsuki inspected her brow in the curved reflection of a spoon. No wrinkles. Good.

'What could you possibly find funny? Could you please cut the chase? You are making me nervous.'

'Well... Kagami-kun kind of reminds me a little bit of Dai-chan, don't you think?'

Please, deep down the only thing the two of them had in common was their love for basketball. Both were Tetsu-kun's opposite, true (she had thought about the irony before), but despite that they couldn't be more different from each other.

'What are you talking about, mom? Kagamin is tidy, thoughtful, mature... He's everything Dai-chan isn't!'

Her mother didn't seem convinced.

'Whatever you say, Satsuki-dear. But they got along surprisingly well.'

Satsuki blinked, confused even further by the statement.

'So what?!'

The whole cryptic conversation was upsetting her. What on Earth was her mother trying to say?

'It's nothing, Satsuki, as I said, I just found it funny,' picking up the plates that Momoi had previously piled up, her mom began walking towards the kitchen. However, just when Satsuki though the whole thing was finally over, she heard her mother say: 'It's funny because dear Daiki doesn't have many friends, does he? Not since middle school. So it surprised me to see how well the three of you get along, that's all.'

Frustrated, Satsuki watched her mom's small back disappear through the door and sighed in defeat. The whole conversation had left her with a sour taste in her mouth. She felt like her mother had been trying to tell her something, something important, and for the life of her she couldn't get what that was! She hated when her parents pulled this kind of stuff on her. Age didn't make people wiser, just crazier!

'Mom?' she called as she entered the kitchen.

And her mother, who had just finished putting the plates in the dishwasher, walked to her and poker her playfully on the forehead.

'What did I tell you about frowning?' her expression softened though as she looked up at Satsuki, 'In any case, I really liked Kagami-kun. I'm happy you two found each other.'

Satsuki nodded and tried to keep those words close to her heart.

'I'm glad too.'

Months passed by surprisingly quickly. And before Satsuki knew it, High School was about to be over and important life decisions had to be made. What did Satsuki want to do with herself? She had a vague idea, but nothing set. She was certain both Dai-chan and Kagamin would continue playing Basketball, but she didn't want to stay a manager forever. She though about studying something related to Basketball, though, like Sports Medicine or Nutrition. But she couldn't really make up her mind, so in the end she thought she should just follow her father's footsteps. Satsuki had inherited her analytic skills and knowledge from her mother, who was a doctor in the local hospital, but her father had studied Business Administration and was basically a jack of all trades who had become a sports commentator due to his passion for the game.

When she told the others, Dai-chan actually laughed in her face (because Satsuki had always admired her mom but had been unfairly harsh in the past when it came to her dad) but Kagamin had been supportive and Tetsu-kun... Tetsu-kun had surprised her yet again.

She supposed that it made sense that such an extreme specialist like Kuroko wouldn't attempt to make it into professional Basketball, a sport that valued flexibility and an ample set of skills in all its athletes regardless of the position they played in. However, she couldn't have been more surprised when he expressed an interest in teaching. And the mental image of Kuroko ushering a bunch of little boys and girls inside a classroom made her fall in love with the gentle boy all over again!

Kuroko had seemed somewhat nostalgic when he told the three of them about his own plans for the future, and when a confused Kagamin asked him why he was willing to give up basketball, Tetsu-kun had answered with his characteristic bluntness:

'I achieved my dreams. I fulfilled my promise to Momoi-san,' and her heart skipped a beat at his words and more so when Kuroko nodded at her before turning to regard Aomine, 'I made my former team-mates acknowledge my Basketball' he said (to which Dai-chan smirked softly) before shifting his soulful eyes to Kagamin: 'and I helped Kagami-kun become number one player in Japan. I've done all that I set out to do and even more.'

Kagami regarded him silently, as always a bit uncomfortable in the face of Kuroko's extreme sincerity.

'You always say the most uncomfortable things so easily!' he complained trying to fight down a blush. However, as soon as he sobered up, he added with a little bow of his head: 'But, Kuroko, thank you. I wouldn't have made it without you, not in the right way, at least.' And he sent a sidelong glance to Aomine then, making the darker male cross his arms over his chest and tch subtly. Turning back to look Tetsu in the eyes, Kagami smiled widely and sincerely. 'I enjoyed every minute I played. And I owe it to you. Thank you, Kuroko.'

Tetsu smiled back somewhat timidly, but with pride and happiness reflecting clearly in his own eyes.

Satsuki chuckled quietly to herself because they all truly owed Kuroko. The spirit the quiet boy had instilled Seirin with had inspired others and led his team to the very top. As their ace Kagami had pushed them to victory and in the process he got recognition as Japan's number one player. Not a year later, Aomine —whose passion for Basketball had been revived and who had started practizing again and thus getting back in shape—, followed suit, but his victory had been a close one, because any team with Kagami and Kuroko playing together would always be a rival to be reckoned!

And Satsuki had been there every step of the way, seeing her boys fight, stumble, fall and pick themselves back up again. It had been a tough journey, but an interesting one non the less. And now that it was coming to an end, now that they had to prepare themselves for a new adventure, well... Satsuki felt like she had no reason to be afraid as long as the four of them remained together. That's why what happened on that quiet evening of their last day of class shocked her to her very core. Because she had been expecting anything but something like what Kagami pulled on them.

Her boyfriend had been acting weird for weeks before he actually dropped the bomb but when Satsuki had expressed her concerns, he had merely grunted in response, uncharacteristically dodging the topic. Truth be told, Satsuki hadn't really given his unusual secretiveness too much thought because she had concluded that such wariness was probably due to their final exams (Kagamin had never been a good student, so of course he was anxious about fucking up at the very end). That's the reason why, when he finally revealed what had been on his mind, she had been completely unprepared...

That day had been no different from any other. After saying their goodbyes to their respective team-mates, the four of them had met on basketball court near Seirin's School to spend their evening playing like they had been doing nearly every afternoon since that fateful winter cup.  
Kuroko had sat on the bench by the court halfway through the game, unable to keep up with the two basketball beasts that where his boyfriend and his best friend. And despite herself, Satsuki enjoyed the quiet proximity. She always felt at peace when Tetsu-kun was near so, subtly, she observed Kuroko as he watched the other two play.

'Kagami-kun looks tired,' he told her quietly. 'Is he alright?'

'He hasn't been sleeping well,' replied Satsuki, a bit concerned herself, 'the exams are probably taking their toll on him.'

'Hmm.'

In front of them, Aomine scored again and slapped Kagami harshly on the back of the head.

'What the fuck, Ahomine?!' complained Kagamin, rubbing his aching head as he glared at his rival.

'Your heart isn't into it, Bakagami,' replied Dai-chan, letting go of the ball and walking towards Satsuki and Kuroko. Game over, his whole body language said. 'You are no fun like this.'

Kagami actually went red in the face.

'I don't play to amuse you, stupid!'

Aomine merely yawned quite rudely and continued stretching, waving his hand dismissively. When he reached the pair on the bench close to the court, he let himself drop to the ground next to Tetsu's feet. The pale boy complained when Dai-chan leaned his sweaty head against his knee, but Satsuki saw his fingers card through the short dark strands affectionally. She sighed resignedly and turned to look at Kagamin, but he looked wary again as opposed to angry.

The redhead had picked up the ball and now held it front of himself as he shifted nervously.

'Is something the matter, Kagami-kun?' asked Tetsu-kun suddenly, speaking out loud Satsuki's concerns.

Kagami froze, his fingers clutching the ball tightly. He opened his mouth, but seemed to think better of it as he closed it again.

'Oi, speak up, Bakagami,' drawled Aomine, draping an arm over Kuroko's knees to lounge against it as he peered up at his rival.

The insult seemed to do the trick. Anger apparently gave Kagami the edge he needed to voice his thoughts aloud.

Clutching in one hand the silver ring that hung from his neck, Kagami said:

'I've spoken with Tatsuya.'

And that had to be the last thing Satsuki had been expecting.

'Himuro-san?' she wondered, 'What about him?'

Kagami swallowed loudly. Satsuki knew Himuro was like a brother to her boyfriend and that after the reconciliation during the Winter Cup both had been keeping in touch. However, it had been nearly a year since the slightly older boy had gone back to the States to start College abroad and Kagami hardly ever talked about him.

'I've spoken to Tatsuya,' he repeated, 'and he's made me realize that I have a much better chance of becoming a professional basketball player over there. If I get to play for a big name university in the States, later I might be able to play at a professional level.'

Satsuki was so surprised that her mind went completely blank, numb, because how could he decide something so huge without consulting her (her girlfriend of two years!) before? Not a single word, at that. Nothing. Satsuki considered herself an understanding girlfriend, she wouldn't have asked him to give up his chances of achieving his dream for her, but that he hadn't even considered talking to her before deciding to move abroad... It hurt. And the lump in her throat got even worse when Kagami looked straight at her with regret and sadness clear in his expressive eyes.

'I'm going to apply to a couple of these universities,' he told her, his voice cracking ever so slightly. But then, the most surreal thing happened, because his eyes shifted ever so slightly to Kuroko with an apology visible in his every move, before looking straight at Aomine. 'And you should apply too.'

Satsuki froze in the spot. So did Aomine and Kuroko.

Shaking his head as if to clear it, Dai-chan stood up.

'What the fuck are you on, Bakagami? You know my English is crap and how the fuck do you expect me to pay for a "big name" university overseas, dumbass?' his arms opened wide to express his frustration, 'How stupid can you get? Unlike yours, my folks aren't exactly load—'

'If you are recruited you won't have to pay a cent!' cut it Kagami, 'And your English doesn't even have to be very good' Despite his anger at his rival's insults, Kagami's expression was completely serious. 'I mean it, Aomine. With your skills, there is no way they would turn you down.'

Satsuki couldn't believe her ears. Kagami's disregard of her relationship had been bad enough, but this... This —Satsuki had no words to describe the anger that began welling inside of her. Who did Kagami think he was to decide what was best for Dai-chan?! Looking after the dumb boy had been her purpose in live for as long as she could remember, the dummy relied on her for every little thing and they had been joined at the hip since practically the day they were born! Kagami had no right. However, what scared her the most was that she actually saw Dai-chan pause at Kagami's crazy proposal.

Her childhood friend regarded the redhead silently, as if judging the other's true motives, which unnerved her even more since she knew that Aomine would only find sincerity in his rival's stare (mistaken or not, Kagami always did what he thought was right). And so, she felt her heart sink slowly in her chest and a surge of anger towards her so called boyfriend like she'd never experienced.

Aomine suddenly shifted, snapping her out of her furious thoughts. Looking somewhat lost underneath his bravado, Daiki glanced at her for a couple of seconds (as if searching for something in her) but when the only thing he encountered was her utterly confused expression, his jaw clenched and his eyes shifted to the impassive Kuroko. In the face of Tetsu-kun's stunning composure, Aomine seemed to visibly relax. However, before Dai-chan had a chance to speak, Kagami approached him and touched his arm gently, asking him to wait, and the redhead himself crouched in front of the bench in between Satsuki and Kuroko.  
'My parents' old home in LA is still there,' he said, choosing his words very carefully, as if afraid to offend them, 'they won't care if I use it, and it's big enough for four.'

Could he...? She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

'Kagami-kun...' began Kuroko, once again echoing her confusion and voicing it.

'Let me finish!' Kagami said with a desperate note in his gruff voice, 'Please.'

Satsuki had never wanted to insult someone so badly before, but Kuroko beat her to it... However, he didn't say what she had been expecting.

'Go on.'

Kagami muttered a quiet "thank you" before clearing his throat and turning to look at his baffled girlfriend. Would wonders never cease? He hadn't actually forgotten about her then...

'Satsuki,' he started hesitantly, 'you said you were thinking of going to a business school, right? The Universities I'll be applying to have some of the best business administration programs in the world!' he grasped her hands in his large ones and in his excitement he couldn't help standing up again. Turning to the straight-faced Tetsu, he continued: 'And you would have plenty of collages to chose from too, Kuroko! I've browsed some of their web pages and there are courses on literature, creative writing, foreign languages, just the kind of thing you like! You could be a teacher in no time! In fact, there are plenty of scholarships you both can apply for and, even if you didn't get one, in the States it's normal to find part-time jobs that help pay for studies.'

Satsuki was speechless. And the whole situation became even more surreal when Aomine actually laughed loudly and slung an arm over Kagami's shoulders.

'Look at you,' he said amused, 'you have thought out every little detail! I'm impressed, Kagami.'

And wether it was due to the compliment or because of the light teasing present in Dai-chan's voice, Kagamin pushed him away in embarrassment.

'Shut up, stupid,' he said before adding somewhat shyly: 'I want to do this. But I don't want to do it alone.'

Aomine smirked widely and kicked Kuroko softly on the foot.

'Oi, Tetsu, what do you say? Want to live the American dream?'

Dai-chan could joke about this as much as he wanted, but Satsuki could see how serious he was deep down. Her dumbass childhood friend was actually considering Kagami's plan! And Tetsu could see it too. The two boys regarded each other quietly for a few seconds, communicating in that strange way of theirs that Satsuki had never understood. But one thing was clear to her: Aomine was leaving the final decision on Kuroko's hands. She felt a pang inside because, even though the two of them were a couple, the person who had spent her life taking care of the idiot had been her. Didn't she have a say in the matter? Was it fair to leave the whole decision on Kuroko's hands? It unnerved her terribly because even though she could read Dai-chan like an open book, Tetsu-kun was another story.

Feeling everyone looking at him, Kuroko's big wide eyes settled on Kagami and, to Satsuki's utter astonishment, he asked:

'What about Nigou?'

That's it. No refusal, no complains, no nothing.

Kagami paled at the mention of the "beast". He looked left and right, as if trying to find and scape, but at the end he shrugged nervously and nodded.

'Ummm... My house has a garden?' he stuttered, turning the statement into a question but visibly resigning himself to live with the dog.

The smile that suddenly appeared on Kuroko's face was brilliant and Satsuki... Satsuki felt at a loss...

'Oi, Satsuki,' called Dai-chan un-expectantly, making her rise her head to look at him. There was a slight note of concern in his face, nearly imperceptible to anyone who didn't know him. And Satsuki wondered why on Earth did he dare to look worried now, when the three of them had decided what to do without considering her part of the equation.

Satsuki looked away from him, a deep sense of betrayal making her hide from them. Her fingers clenched tightly the fabric of her skirt, wrinkling it. And suddenly Kagami was crouching in front of her again, placing one of his large hands on top of her trembling fingers.

'Will you come live with me?' he asked with burning cheeks but eyes full of hope, 'With us?'

Surprised, Satsuki rose her head and looked at the three of them. Next to her, Tetsu-kun smiled reassuringly and in the background Dai-chan offered her his crooked grin whilst one of his sharp eyebrows rose an as if in challenge.

'But...' she started.

'Please,' interrupted Kagami. 'At least think about it. We could make this work. All four of us.'

He was being sincere. Her opinion was important for him. Maybe not enough to dissuade him, but he wanted her to say yes. She could see it in the expectant look in his eyes, in the way his fingers clutched hers so tightly that it was nearly painful, in the way he licked his dry lips anxiously. Stupid as it sounded, she felt like he was putting his heart on her hands. And it was up to her wether to break it go along with his crazy idea.

'I...' her own throat felt dry. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to think.

But suddenly, as mad as the whole thing still sounded in her head, and despite knowing that her poor parents would freak out when she told them what she was considering on doing, Satsuki felt a twinkle of excitement spark in her chest. Because, maybe, if the four of them remained together, things would work out in the end, wether they were in Japan or in the other side of the world.

Shaking her head, she let out a slightly desperate laugh.

'Alright,' she said at last, 'let's give this crazy plan of yours a chance.'

Kagami let out a huge breath, sighing in relief, whilst Aomine slapped him in the back, barking with laughter. Kuroko nodded softly at her, and despite all her misgivings, she felt like she had made the right decision. She felt at peace with herself.

And couple of months later, when she found herself on a plane on her way to the United States of America with Kagami on the seat beside her and Aomine and Kuroko on the ones just in front of her, most of her apprehension had banished. Of course the prospect of a new live scared her, but she also felt excitement: she had finished School with a brilliant academic record so at the end she had been admitted into one of the best business schools in the world. She would be by Dai-chan's side as he made his way to the top alongside her boyfriend, and her beloved Tetsu-kun —who fought and persevered and always found a way to make things right— would be with the three of them every step of the way. She would have everything a girl her age could ever dream of, a place for herself and her boyfriend which she would share with her two best friends in the world!

What she hadn't known as she fell asleep against Kagami's strong shoulder on that flight towards their new life, was that they four of them would end up sharing more than just a living space. And if her naive self of back then had known what the situation would turn out to be like in the end, she would have broken up with Kagami the moment he made his crazy proposition. But at the time, she hadn't known any better and the worst was yet to come.

Tbc.

I swear we are getting closer to the actual foursome now. and that's when the real drama will start. Review!


	4. New Beginnings

**AN:** Hi, first of all sorry for the delay. I aim to update this story once every week, but sometimes other things get in the way… Oh, well. Second, thanks a lot for all the wonderful reviews. Every comment makes me sooooo happy, but long reviews, where you guys actually take the time to give your impressions on the characters, their reactions, etc, that takes the cake! So thank you.

**4\. New Beginnings**

The first few months in the States were fantastic. Maybe if it had been just Satsuki on her own, she would have found starting anew in a foreign country more difficult. But somehow everything seemed to come together nicely. College was a challenge, her courses interesting, her teachers understanding and her peers friendly. Even though Kagamin had assured her that people in LA were generally very open minded and that the Asian Community was particularly huge, Satsuki had had her reservations. She needn't have to: she fit in right from the start.

It was a good change of pace too, meeting new people, as it meant broadening her circle of friends beyond her boyfriend and two best friends. The break from basketball was also kind of refreshing, it was still a very important part of her every day life (how couldn't it be when she lived with whom she lived) but simply being able to discuss philosophy and politics with other people, or even a simple movie or book, was new and _fun_. However, and even though she was quite popular and had made many different friends, no one ever surprised or engaged her as deeply as _he_ did. Tetsu-kun, whose particular view of the world —observant and pragmatic but idealistic all the same— would never cease to amaze and enlighten her. Kuroko Tetsuya was something else...

'Have you heard the rumors?' A girl whispered to her friend at the entrance of the Library. 'The seventh floor is definitely haunted. A freshman nearly had a heart attack the other day. People say there's a ghost there...'

Satsuki chuckled to herself and made her way to the elevator. She was a frequent visitor of the lonely place and so was well acquainted with the so called ghost that haunted its halls. The elevator doors chimed opened and, fearless, she pressed the button for the infamous 7th Floor.

Each and every floor in the Library was huge, but this one, the foreign languages section, was different from all others. Maybe it was because the space was hardly used and thus hadn't undergone the modernization that other floors had gone through. Whatever the case, in between the low evening light filtering through stained glass windows, the antique tiled floors and the sturdy wooden bookcases crammed with ancient tomes, the Seventh Floor did feel like some kind of crypt. No wonder people expected a ghost to roam its walls. However, no ordinary spirit haunted this floor... Whatsmore, the ghost in question could be quite absentminded.

'Shouldn't you be cataloguing books or something,' said Satsuki, voice loud and clear on the empty hall, 'I thought that was what librarians supposedly did, Tetsu-kun.'

The boy in question actually jumped in his perch, unused as he was to being spotted. Kuroko, with his nose buried in some heavy tome, had been sitting on the top step of the ladder that helped get the books from the highest shelves. Big blue eyes roaming around the room, his lips quirked into a lovely smile when they found Satsuki's.

'Momoi-san,' he greeted polite as ever, 'my section is perfectly organized, but this tome had been misplaced. I was about to put it back in its rightful place.'

'Misplaced, huh?' she asked with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face which looked completely fake. 'And you had to read it through, didn't you? Form the start to the end.'

'Of course,' he replied, expression serious despite the playful glint in his eye. 'I might need to re-categorize it, after all.'

'Oh my, Tetsu-kun, what a responsible librarian you are. You have to be careful, though, rumor has it that there is a really naughty ghost on this floor...'

Tetsu blinked innocently, and Satsuki could barely hold in her laughter.

'A ghost?'

'Yeah. They say a ghost is really in charge of this floor and that's why no other students ever visit it. It must be so lonely for you... Having to hide from a ghost with nothing to do all day but read.'

Kuroko scratched his head.

'But Momoi-san, I've been here the whole time and there's is no ghost.'

Satsuki gave in and laughed. Kuroko always managed to get her to smile. And apparently, seeing her happy made him smile as well, because his lips curved ever so slightly at her reaction. Closing the book on his lap with a definite slap, Kuroko put it back in the shelf and climbed down the ladder to meet her on the ground.

'What can I help you with, ma'am?'

Satsuki chuckled again (and tried to fight down a blush at being called ma'am by him).

'Stop it, silly. And I came here to pick you up. Isn't it time for you to wrap up for the day?'

Kuroko's eyebrows rose towards his hairline when he glanced at the clock next to the elevator. And Satsuki knew from his expression that he had indeed lost track of time during his Reading yet again. Inconvenient as it was, she found this absentmindedness unexpectedly adorable...

'Oh, our idiot boyfriends should be wrapping up too,' he said, walking to the counter to pick up his bag, 'let's hurry, Momoi-san, before they kill each other.'

Momoi nodded and let him close the floor for the night, turning the lights off, and together they left the seventh floor and the library, walking towards the basketball courts.

Walking side by side with Kuroko through the campus always was one of the highlights of her day. They didn't have to talk about anything really, simply walking side by side enjoying each other's company made her happy. Their arms brushed and Satsuki wished she could reach out and grab his hand, hold her in hers. But intense as that desire was, she knew it would have been inappropriate. What would Kuroko think and do if she tried to? What would Kagamin say if he saw his girlfriend holding her former crush's hand?

'We need to buy food for Nigou on our way back,' said Tetsu-kun, his gentle voice not disturbing the pleasant silence they had been sharing.

'Right,' she answered, 'and more cereal for Kagamin…'

Kuroko shared with her a knowing smile that made her weak on the knees.

'Poor Kagami-kun...' he chuckled to himself. 'He couldn't eat his fruit loops.'

And Satsuki had to admit that Kagamin's face upon finding the empty box in the shelf that morning had been a poem.

'Dai-chan doesn't even particularly care for them,' chuckled Satsuki, remembering the unshed tears in Kagami's eyes as he shook disheartened the empty package in a desolate attempt of finding at least one of the colorful sugary loops.

Kuroko lowered his face in order to hide his smile.

'Aomine-kun just eats them to spite him. Poor Kagami-kun.'

Speaking of which, she could see her idiot boyfriend in a considerably more cheerful mood by the door to the gym. And Satsuki had to admit that when she saw him like this, fresh out of the shower and with a bright smile on his lips, he looked unexpectedly handsome. In moments like this the redhead had about him some kind of charm completely different from Kuroko's subtle beauty.

Nevertheless, it always took her by surprise seeing him with his teammates, because back in Japan her boyfriend usually towered over other basketball players, whereas here in the States… Well, here both him and Dai-chan were kind of on the tiny and scrawny side. She teased them about it relentlessly, and apparently so did their teammates, or at least they teased Kagamin, but it was all in good humor, she could see it in the friendly way they patted his back when they said their goodbyes.

'Kagamin!' she called to get his attention.

And as he saw them approach, his face brightened. Waving goodbye to his teammates, he jogged to meet Satsuki and Kuroko.

'Hey,' he grunted, making Satsuki sigh with a mix of endearment and exasperation: her boyfriend really had to work a little in his communication skills. Although, looking at the way his teammates roughhoused with one another, grunting and growling like a pack of dogs, she had to admit that Kagamin fit right in...

It was obvious that the redhead was well liked amongst his peers. Despite his somewhat reserved nature, he was a straightforward kind of guy and he loved the game from the bottom of his heart, so his teammates had warmed to him quickly enough. Dai-chan on the other hand… Let's just say Aomine liked making things difficult.

As if summoned by her thoughts, her childhood friend suddenly stormed out of the gym. He looked messy and sweaty still, as if he hadn't had a chance to clean up with the rest of his teammates. And as he passed them by he actually pushed one of them out of the way, passing then by Kuroko, Kagami and Satsuki as if he hadn't even seen them.

'Dai-chan!' she called after him, appalled by his behavior and inevitably a bit concerned for him.

He halted, as if realizing for the first time that they were there, and grumpily crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for all three of them to catch up.

'What was that for?' asked Satsuki when they reached him.

He tched and put his hands in his pockets, starting towards their house.

'Dai-chan!' she demanded.

'Just let me be, Satsuki,' he drawled as if annoyed by her interest. 'Come on, let's go.'

He was utterly infuriating!

The four of them walked in silence. But unlike the tranquil quietness she had shared with Tetsu-kun mere minutes ago, now the air was tense and uncomfortable. In the end, predictably enough, it was Kuroko who cut the chase.

'If Aomine-kun is going to be in a hissy fit all afternoon…' he started, and Satsuki knew even without looking how the condescending tone would get to Dai-chan.

It did. Throwing his bag to the floor, he turned in anger towards them.

'The fucking coach won't let me play, okay?' he growled.

Kuroko and Satsuki startled. But before either of them could react, Kagami placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders and sidestepped them to approached Aomine. Before the later had a chance to direct his anger towards anything/anyone else, Kagami took hold of his forearm.

'Kagami... '

'You know why,' the redhead cut his former rival, looking him straight in the eye, 'You hog the ball and you won't play with the others. The coach won't stand for that.' Aomine snarled arrogantly and tried to get free, but Kagami didn't let go. 'No, listen. You gotta play with the team. You know how to, I know you do. You play with me all the time and back home you had started to play with your teammates. Even back in Teiko you enjoyed playing with Kuroko. Aomine, you know how to play with others.'

'It's not the same,' argued Aomine in a deep rumble, getting more frustrated by the second, 'You are where you are supposed to be! You know what I'm going to do, but these…'

Kagami didn't let him finish.

'Get to know them!' he said, his hand clenching on Aomine's forearm as if trying to get his point across through physical contact as well as words. 'There are really awesome players in the team. You've seen it. But you don't trust them and they can't trust you because of that.'

Aomine looked away.

'It's tiresome, Kagami. They bore me and I don't need them to score.'

'No you don't,' conceded the redhead, however, his tone suddenly lowered and the change made Aomine look back at him, 'but you need them to _play_. If you want to keep playing basketball, you need to start relaying on your teammates. That one time… You know that's what made all the difference.'

Aomine actually flinched. Satsuki knew which event Kagamin was talking about: it had to be the Winter Cup, when Seirin —and particularly Kuroko and Kagami— had gotten the best of Aomine through sheer force of will and team-play alone. She glanced at Tetsu-kun then, trying to get his take on the whole situation, but the silent boy's eyes were riveted to the other two.

'You can do it,' continued Kagami in that quiet intent tone he hardly ever used, 'I know you can.'

And suddenly all tension left Aomine's body, who sighed deeply as his shoulders sagged. Kagami tightened his grip on his rival's forearm once before letting go and stepping back.

'Sheesh, acting like a know-it-all. It doesn't suit you, Bakagami!'

'Stupid, Ahomine! Get your head out of your ass!'

And even though the exchange of insults had been an attempt at normality, the rest of the walk home was uncomfortable. Satsuki tried to fill the silence with chattering about her day, but she could tell that neither of the boys were listening to her. The stop by the supermarket was non-remarkable too (they got some dog food, the fruit loops, some milk... But not even the play boy magazines on the stand next to the cashier improved Dai-chan's mood). When they finally arrived home, Nigou met them at the door, barking happily and wagging his tale, but Aomine made himself scarce by calling dibs for the shower.

No sooner was he out of ear-shot, however, that Kuroko turned to Kagami.

'Is he giving you a hard time, Kagami-kun?' he asked, surprising both the redhead and Satsuki with his question.

'Me? No, not at all,' reassured Kagamin trying to shoo Nigou away without much success (Nigou was not a lil fluff ball any more, much to Kagami's chagrin, and the sheer size of the beast made shooing him impossible), but when he noticed Kuroko's serious eyes, a strange expression took hold of his own features, an expression which Satsuki couldn't quite interpret. 'But…'

'But…?' prodded Tetsu-kun gently.

'But you should see him, Kuroko…' Kagami finally confessed as if he was sharing a secret, something which he had kept close to his chest for a long time. And once he began talking, it was as if he couldn't stop. 'The players here… They are much more of a challenge and Aomine…' He paused, seemingly unable to find the right words to describe what he was thinking. By now, though, Satsuki had made sense of his wide eyes and arching eyebrows, and thus it didn't surprise her when his lips curved into a dumb-looking smile. 'He's unbelievable. The things he does, the way he _moves_. Even the coach is impressed! His basketball is…' Kagami ran a hand through his hair, apparently still at a loss for words even though his face alone spoke volumes, 'Now that our opponents are stronger, you wouldn't believe the things he's capable of! He can go all out and he is... He...' he laughed as if unable to do anything else. 'You should see him play, Kuroko.'

Nevertheless, Tetsu-kun sighed unimpressed and, even if it came out as a quiet barely audible sound (he never did anything loudly), his frustration was crystal-clear.

'_But_ he's back to struggling with teamwork,' concluded Kuroko.

And Kagami could only shrug his shoulders.

Kuroko frowned in response, and Satsuki could have sworn that she saw a determined glint in his eye.

'Stupid Aomine-kun…' he muttered to himself as he made his way to the stairs, 'So stubborn, he never learns…'

'Tetsu-kun,' called Satsuki, 'where are you going?'

'To knock some sense into that guy's thick skull,' he said without missing a beat.

'But... Now?'

'Now.'

And he wasn't joking either, his steps were determined and his shoulders set as he went up the stairs and disappeared down the hallway.

Kagami gulped audibly besides Satsuki as they heard a door slam open and closed.

'That guy is so dead… A pissed off Kuroko is scary.'

He turned to look at Satsuki then, and his expression changed as soon as he laid eyes on her… She knew why. She could feel the heat on her cheeks and the blush extending all the way to her ears.

'Satsuki, what…?'

Oh dear…

'Tetsu-k…' Her voice cracked and she had to start again. 'Tetsu-kun looked very driven, didn't he?'

Kagamin scratched his head in confusion.

'Yeah, yes he did. So?'

Impossibly, Satsuki felt her blush get even worse.

'Well, Dai-chan did say he'd be in the shower…'

And when the picture of what their two friends could be up to that very second formed in the redhead's mind, poor Kagamin chocked on his own saliva.

'Sa-Satsuki!'

Thankfully, she didn't think she could get any redder herself. Kagamin was not so lucky, though. And seeing his shocked expression as he groaned and valiantly tried to erase the steamy image from his head, Satsuki couldn't help the nervous chuckle that escaped her.

However, even though at the time the whole situation _had _seemed kind of funny (in a semi-masochistic kind of way), the lack of intimacy in their house would soon become an issue.

Tbc.


	5. Such a Small Home

Chapter 5: Such a small home

One might believe they know a person, but it takes sharing a household to actually get to know them, because only then does someone's true character come through. Satsuki had stumbled upon this realization after the first five months living together with the boys, and her new findings had been... Unexpected, to say the least. Dai-chan was Dai-chan and he would always be so, Satsuki knew him better than she knew herself and therefore hardly anything he did ever took her by surprise, but the other two...

Honestly, Kagami's obsessive compulsive tidiness sometimes got to her. Yes, obsessive compulsive, because even if he hid it well behind his tough guy attitude, he was worse than Satsuki's mother. For example, no matter how tired he was Kagami simply couldn't go to bed if there were dirty dishes on the sink. It brings roaches —he had said once with the same kind of weariness he reserved for Nigou. And it made her roll her eyes since a mere couple of glasses never killed anybody. On the one hand, she was aware that her sullenness wasn't fair because he was rarely pushy about it —unless the other's messiness/dirtyness/lazyness got really out of hand, more often than not Kagami ended doing everything himself rather than fight about whose turn it was to wash the dishes, throw the trash out or even do the laundry. However, unknowingly he made her feel kind of useless because, awful gender stereotypes aside, not only was he a pretty decent handyman but also a much better housewife that Satsuki could ever hope to be. And sometimes it got on her nerves but other times it actually concerned her, because that painstaking need for order seemed to go beyond a mere personality quirk and hinted at a childhood trauma of some sort. But Kagami rarely talked about himself and Satsuki was hardly a psychologist, so she tried to accept his neatness as part of who he was and didn't give it too much thought. Besides, the other two seemed pretty happy having Kagami picking up after them.

Satsuki wouldn't have guessed in a million years that Tetsu was kind of on the messy side. It's not that he was inconsiderate of others, not at all, but he could be as absentminded as Dai-chan and if left to his own devices his stuff began taking over their living space. Like their owner, you didn't realize they were there till you stumbled upon them and specifically his misplaced books had become a real safety hazard: once Satsuki had actually fallen down the stairs after tripping over a forgotten tome of Shakespearean poetry. At least the painful/shameful incident had motivated Tetsu to try to keep his books within the room he shared with Dai-chan (and how those two ever found anything in that den was a wonder), but unfortunately Kagami's OCD had gotten even worse since... And oh how she hated when her boyfriend unknowingly impersonated her own mother almost perfectly when he sighed in resignation before picking up and folding Satsuki's discarded clothes. What was wrong with her supposedly dirty socks at the foot of the couch? Where they really so offensive? She wasn't the one with the huge smelly feet, mind you. To be fair Kagami really wasn't trying to be condescending, but his attitude occasionally got on her nerves.

At the end of the day, though, and considering their tight living spaces, it was kind of difficult not being in each others faces now and then.

Satsuki had to admit that the house itself was nice enough: two bedrooms and a bathroom in the top floor and a living room with an attached kitchenette and a second bathroom in the ground floor. It wasn't big by any means, but it was very well situated and had a gorgeous garden (Kuroko had forced the other two boys to pick the weeds their very first week so that Nigou could play in peace). Better yet, their front yard had a small paved area which led to a hardly ever used garage, and the first thing Aomine did when they arrived was hang a hoop on the wall above it (where he got it, Satsuki didn't even dare to ask...).

However, on the downside the lack of privacy in the tiny household was meant to create some inevitable tension. In the mornings toilet-time in particular had become an issue because, even though they had two bathrooms, only the one upstairs had a bath/shower, and the four of them ended up needing it around the same time before classes. Okay, so Satsuki herself hoarded the bathroom, but she was the only girl in the household and thus it should have been expected and understood (and here she was happy enough to stick to gender stereotypes to argue her point). However, unfortunately, her main competitor when it came to shower quality time was Dai-chan and, unlike the other two, there was no arguing/reasoning with her childhood friend when he felt entitled to something.

'Dai-chaaaan, can you please hurry up?!' she begged for the eleventh time that morning, knocking on the bathroom's door as annoyingly as she could. 'Come ooon!'

'Get lost, Satsuki,' he drawled through the door, his voice muffled by the running water of the shower, 'Sheesh, woman, give me five minutes.'

'Five? More like fifty! Daiki you selfish oaf!' she shouted back. The nerve of that guy!

Did he really have to take his sweet time in the shower? Really? How much grooming could a man possibly need? He would be sweating like a pig as soon as he hit the court anyways! Did he really have to spend 20 minutes in the shower? For God's sake, Satsuki had had to fight him since they were three years old to even get him to comb his hair (and she had never forgiven him for passing her lice that one time in primary school!), so this strange love for the shower that he had developed as of late was unexpected and un-welcomed.

'Dai-chaaaan! Please, I'm going to be late!'

This time he didn't even bother to answer back and there was nothing she hated more in the world than him playing dumb/deaf. Satsuki cried in frustration, both at him and at herself. She shouldn't have slept in, not today when she had a presentation at uni to which she couldn't afford to be late! But did Dai-chan really have to be a jerk this particular morning? She had been begging for at least ten minutes and he hadn't even attempted to hurry, the bastard!

'Aomine-kun, for real! I'll drag you out of there if I have to.'

Nothing. Fed up, Satsuki made up her mind and decided that if he was going to be a rude prat, then she could give him a taste of his own medicine. Mind made up, she smirked evilly as she tried the doorknob and, just like she had expected, he had indeed forgotten to lock it. Silly Dai-chan... In the court he might be the most unpredictable player she had ever seen, but off it he was so obvious that it was kind of ridiculous. Preparing herself to be flashed, she threw the door wide open and stormed right into the bathroom, hands on her hips and chin tilted up.

'That's it, out you go!'

Dai-chan actually slipped, but he regained his balance quickly enough.

'Shit, Satsuki, can't a guy get some alone time in this fucking house!'

And that's when her eyes inevitably drifted down his naked body to his very obvious and quite impressive erection. Poor Satsuki turned so red that she probably burst a couple of blood vessels. Aghast, she screeched like a banshee, covered her eyes as best she could in her stupor and tried to exit the bathroom. However, as she wasn't really seeing where she was going, instead she bumped clumsily into the door and nearly knocked herself out. An instant later Dai-chan was by her side in all his naked glory, and Satsuki could have died of mortification when they heard Kagami calling from downstairs, asking if everything was alright.

'Mind your own business, Bakagami!' replied Aomine in a growly voice that didn't quite hide the husky quality of it. And just hearing it made Satsuki blush even harder!

'Good morning to you too, Ahomine!' Came Kagami's voice (blissfully ignorant), making Aomine growl and rub his neck in annoyance.

Next to him a blushing Satsuki slipped from his grasp and threw a towel at his face.

'Will you cover yourself up already?!' she begged miserably.

At least his raging erection had flagged considerably. Oh, God, this had to be the single most embarrassing moment in her life!

Dai-chan wrapped the towel around his hips and tched sulkily. He was behaving very naturally about the whole thing, but even his tan complexion couldn't quite hide his subtle blush —not as if Satsuki could look him in the eye either at this particular point, mind you.

'Sheesh, Satsuki,' he complained running a hand through his short hair, 'you have seen me naked tons of times, so stop acting like a prude.'

'A prude?!' she cried out, 'Excuse me but I've never seen you touching your... Ah!' She couldn't even say it, it was so embarrassing! 'And don't do that in the shower, you big pervert, we all use it!'

'Eh?! And where else would I fucking jerk off, Satsuki?' His hands left the towel to gesticulate in frustration and the poor girl covered her eyes again just in case.

'The towel, the towel!' she fretted.

'Oh, come on! It's not as if this is the first time you have walked in on me, don't you remember that time when—'

'Shut up, Dai-chan! If it happened I erased it form my mind.'

'Tch, you don't sound like such a prude when you have Kagami—'

Satsuki threw the hand-soap at his head.

And that was it. They left it at that and they never brought it up again. However, that didn't mean she was actually able to erase the incident from her mind. Shameful as it was, she couldn't stop wondering about... Well, Daiki and sex were two words that she had always tried not to use in the same sentence, because if she did eventually her thoughts turned to Tetsu and if they did... Let's just say that Satsuki had been trying very hard not think of Tetsu in a sexual manner since she had started going out with Kagamin.

However, now she couldn't help it. She kept thinking about that time a few days ago when Tetsu had confronted Aomine in the shower and, now that she had seen half of the equation, her traitorous imagination was quick to supply the other half... And Tetsu looked beautiful in her mind, smiling impishly and with his soulful eyes regarding her from underneath wet bangs. She thought about his gentle hands and pale skin, about his slight frame which was really so compatible with her own, about his quiet sighs and soft panting when he played basketball. Quiet. Tetsu-kun was always so quiet... In bed he had to be even more so. Satsuki was sure that when he made love, the most loving whimpers would scape Kuroko's sweet lips: she would pleasure him just to hear those soft sighs, and how she would love to have him murmuring sweet nothings in her ears, no louder than a whisper, while he caressed her body till she was breathless.

And the fantasy was beautiful, but reality always found a way to bring her back to earth.

Because as gentle as Kagamin was when they had sex, as considerate as he tried to be for the sake of Satsuki's pleasure, he was still Kagami: blunt, straightforward and just that tiny bit overwhelming. And Satsuki loved him dearly, but he wasn't Tetsu-kun...

And it should have frustrated her —it had for a while when the four of them first moved in to live together, because then Tetsu couldn't be closer but farther from her at the very same time—, but ever since the shower incident... Somehow Kuroko had wormed his way back into her lizard brain, and since then, to her deepest shame, Satsuki's sex life had improved since distressingly as it was just imagining Kuroko made any sex she had all that more enjoyable.

And it was unfair to Kagamin, because he loved her so much and tried so hard to please her, but deep down Satsuki didn't really feel guilty about it because, intense as they were, her fantasies were simply that: fantasies. At the end of the day, the one she was building a life with and the person she slept next to every night was Kagamin, and that was what was important. Who cared who she fantasized about? Everyone had kinks and fetishes, she just happened to be a bit Tetsu-obsessed. But as long as she felt happy with Kagamin and Kagamin with her, well, who cared if dream-Tetsu made her sexual experiences a bit more interesting? The two of them were happy together and Kagamin probably had fantasies of his own, right?

Turning on her side as she lay in bed, she glanced at the wall on the other side of the room, the wall that separated her from the bed Kuroko shared with Dai-chan. Tetsu-kun... It was always quiet on the other side, which came as no surprise either because Tetsu-kun always had had a calming effect on Dai-chan and he himself had such a subtle presence that it was easy to forget he even lived on their house. However, sometimes she heard Dai-chan's laughter from the room next door or his half of an animated conversation, and she felt reassured that Tetsu was there. All things considered, the two of them were a fairly quiet and reserved couple. However... Maybe precisely because of that she was so curious about the pair's bedroom activities. It shamed her to admit it as she felt like a deviant trying to listen in on them but, well, the whole thing was really Dai-chan's fault for flashing her in the first place!

Sighing in frustration, she turned to face her own partner again.

'Kagamin?' she started, poking him gently on his strong chest to get his attention.

'Hm?' we grunted back sleepily, opening his eyes and yawing widely before smiling at her.

Sheesh, this was going to be an awkward conversation, but if she couldn't ask her own boyfriend about a perfectly normal inquiry regarding male physiology, then who could she possibly ask? Despite her reasoning, though, Satsuki found it easier to look at his well defined clavicles rather than his eyes.

'Satsuki?' he sounded content and sleepy as he always did after sex.

'Do you ever...? You know...'

Fighting to overcome her embarrassment, she gestured subtly with her hand, an up and down motion close to her groin.

She felt Kagamin choke on his own saliva.

'Satsuki, no way you just...'

'Do you or do you not, Kagamin?' she asked pointedly, too bashful for any other approach. And why wasn't he answering straight away? Come on, he was supposed to be the blunt one in their relationship!

Kagami shifted slightly in place. She heard him lick his lips in though and felt him swallow. After as short pause, his arms tightened around her waist and he shrugged his shoulders.

'Well, now and then. Mostly when you are busy and don't wanna, you know...' He cleared his throat then, blushing adorably all the way down to his chest, but then he had to ruin it by saying: 'Ehm... Do you?'

And he seemed genuinely interested too, the pervert!

'Kagami-kun!' she chastised, pushing him away and putting a pillow between them for good measure. The nerve of him!

'Sorry, sorry,' he amended quickly. However, he wasn't going to be back in Satsuki's good graces any time soon (what kind of perverted boyfriend asks his girl if or how often she masturbates?!).

Besides her, Kagamin covered his eyes with his forearm and groaned loudly.

'You know, Satsuki,' he said, 'Aomine is right, you do send mixed signals.'

Satsuki blushed.

'I do not.'

'You get me all worked up with your tricky questions and then you give me the cold shoulder. That's cruel.'

Taken aback by his words she looked at him. Kagamin seemed even more upset than when Dai-chan had eaten all his fruit loops. And she had to admit that the kicked puppy look kind of got to her...

Besides, maybe it was kind of unfair to get angry at him for asking something that she had probed him about first. Sighing, she moved the pillow out of the way and crawled her way back to his chest.

'Kagamin looks funny when he pouts...' she said teasingly in an attempt to make up with him.

And he removed his forearm from his face to glance suspiciously at her. His hand moved to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.

'Maybe funny to you...' but his lips twitched up nonetheless. And even if Kagamin wasn't Kuroko, when he smiled she felt like she could fall in love with him all over again, because his grin was so genuine and transparent and, most importantly, Satsuki loved how she had put it there in the first place. Plus, she had always thought that Kagamin looked very handsome when he smiled.

Feeling mischievous all of a sudden, she poked him in the nose.

'So I got you all worked up, huh?'

Kagami chuckled in defeat.

'You have no idea...'

'You are just easy,' she teased.

And Kagami's funny eyebrows rose high in his forehead. A few seconds later Satsuki actually laughed when he rolled her over and lounged at her.

tbc


	6. A Moment of Bliss

Chapter 6: A Moment of Bliss

The morning after, Satsuki felt well rested and quite cheerful. Even though she hadn't really gotten over Tetsu-kun, she had found some kind of equilibrium and the life she led made her happy. She and Kagamin were a good match. They complemented each other nicely. And despite both being very busy, they always found time to spend together. In the evenings, for example, as he prepared dinner she would sit by the little counter that separated the kitchen from the living room and review out loud her notes from the law courses they two of them attended (even though Kagami was hell bent on Basketball, he had matriculated in Law). It helped both of them study, him because he memorized better when someone explained things to him and her because simply repeating and explaining to someone else helped fix the lessons better in her mind. It was nice and homey and she got to try Kagamin's fabulous dishes before anyone else in the household! This night in particular she felt specially lucky because he was going out of his way preparing a steak that had had her salivating from the moment the first waft of meat and spices reached her nostrils. Oh dear god but he could cook! Usually he didn't have time for preparing such an elaborate dish, but tonight was special because his basketball team had experienced their very first official victory in the national championship.

Satsuki and Tetsu had been there cheering for the team, she shouting at the top of her lungs and him gripping tightly the edge of his seat, breath held and heart beating wildly. And what a show it had been. The other team was good and it had been a hard earned victory, but their university's team was a force to be reckoned with, and now that Kagami and Aomine had joined them... Well, it had been an amazing match.

Kagami might not be the tallest or strongest player in court, but he was like a bulldozer, pushing and pushing and pushing forwards till his team made it to the hoop. His will was overwhelming and his capacity to work with and read his teammates (an ability he had learned at Seirin) made him unstoppable. And Aomine... Satsuki could see him struggling to hold his instincts back, fighting tooth and nail against the need to grab the ball and sidestep every single player on the court —teammates and opponents alike—, but he was managing to do so and the more he played... The more amazing it was. Because his game was by nature unpredictable and by passing, by sharing, he was making his own team's play just as unreadable and irrepressible.

However, it was when her two boys played together that it truly became enchanting. Because Aomine and Kagami had been playing with each other for years now (during matches as opponents but also one on ones on the streets, day after day after class throughout high school), and so they had come to know each other so well that the redhead could play with the other purely on instinct. And it was simply amazing because Aomine could tear open the gates of the Zone at will and Kagami always followed him right after: no holding back, going all out, the court was theirs and it didn't even matter who actually made it to the hoop, because when the two of them played together (be it as opponents or teammates) for an instant everything else ceased to exist. It was basketball at its essence and it was truly a privilege to watch.

When the whistle announced the end of the match and with it their team's victory, Kagami had actually been dog-piled by his more than impressed teammates and some of the most daring ones had even patted Dai-chan on the back. However, most important of all, when her childhood friend made his way back to the bench, the coach had actually given Dai-chan a subtle nod, making Satsuki sigh in relief: he was securing his position in the starting line-up. Satsuki couldn't have been more proud of him, and if the way Tetsu-kun clasped Dai-chan's hand in his for a moment the instant they caught up with them was any indication, Kuroko couldn't have been more pleased and impressed either. What surprised her, though, was Dai-chan's tight lipped smile. Despite the victory and approval of his coach and teammates, somehow Aomine still seemed on edge.

His strange mood lasted all the way till dinner. And that's when Satsuki began to note other things as well: the subtle bags beneath his eyes, the permanent frown in his brow, the tension in his frame... Why was he so on edge? Aomine had merely had a bite of Kagami's steak when he pushed the plate away as if in distaste and stood up, leaving the table without so much as a glance in their direction.

'Dai-chan, where are you going?' asked Satsuki, completely confused by his behaviour.

'I'm not hungry,' he said dismissively, making his way to the stairs, 'gonna crash early.'

'That's extremely rude, Aomine-kun.' Kuroko didn't even look up from his steak, but his tone alone made Dai-chan pause. Tetsu finished chewing and swallowed, proceeding to carefully cut another small piece of meat. 'Kagami-kun spent hours cooking for us even though he's just as tired. Come back and show some gratefulness, please.'

A strange tension suddenly filled the room. Wondering if they were missing something, Kagami and Satsuki glanced at each other in confusion before the redhead added:

'It's ok, Kuroko,' and turning to his teammate, he said courteously, 'I'll save some steak for you, you can have some tomorrow.'

Satsuki saw how Aomine's whole posture changed in an instant, going from bored lazy-ass to arrogant-asshole in a matter of seconds.

'I don't want your fucking steak, Kagami,' he said cuttingly, surprising everyone on the table, 'gorge on it for all I care.'

Feathers ruffled, Kagami pushed his own chair back and strode to Aomine.

'What the fuck is your problem?' he demanded, poking him in the chest.

'You two are my fucking problem!' replied Aomine even more aggressively, pushing Kagami's hand away as if disgusted by the contact.

'Dai-chan!' began Satsuki an instant before Kuroko himself intervened:

'Aomine-kun...' something in Tetsu's tone was threatening (even Nigou could hear it, who fled the room immediately sensing his master's quiet anger) but Aomine paid it no mind.

'What?! I just want to get some fucking sleep while I can!' he said haughtily, 'Let me fall asleep before these two freaks begin bumping the bed next door.'

The accusation shocked all three of them so badly that time froze in their living room. Kagamin turned beet red and Satsuki knew that her own face couldn't look much better.

On the other hand, Kuroko became pale as a ghost and visibly tensed all over.

'Daiki,' he said, and Satsuki had rarely heard him sound so pissed off or, now that she thought about it, refer to the other by his first name before.

Sensing a fight, Kagami intervened yet again.

'Sorry, man,' he told Aomine, hands up in a pacifying gesture. 'We didn't realize...'

'The fuck you didn't!' But Aomine had decided to be difficult. 'Give me a break! Can't you freaks keep it down? Does she have to scream like a fucking whor-'

Tetsu stood up suddenly, his movements so uncharacteristically harsh that the table rattled, which made the tea he had been drinking spill all over.

'Stop. Now.' His voice was deadly quiet.

Aomine's lips curved into a mocking smirk.

'Of course it wouldn't bother you, you piece of...'

Kuroko pushed his chair out of the way and left the table.

'That's it,' he told Aomine as he reached the stairs, 'We are done.'

Aomine flinched as if slapped. However, as soon as he recovered his wits, the arrogance was firmly back in place again.

'See if I care...' he murmured to none one in particular as he left the house slamming the door loudly behind him.

Her first instinct was to run after him, but she was so shocked by what she had just witnessed that by the time she moved and made it to the door he was nowhere in sight. Oh no...

Had they broken up then? For real? Just like that? It was ridiculous and unbelievable. And yet, that seemed to be exactly what had happened.

That night Aomine didn't sleep at home. The morning after he didn't show up for class and neither did he to practice. He didn't answer his phone when she tried calling him and Satsuki was on the verge of a nerve attack. Before, back in Japan, she would have known all of his hiding places but here... Had they really drifted apart so much that she didn't know where to find him anymore? How stupid was she?! She hadn't even realized that they had indeed been drifting apart. Oh, Dai-chan...

Worried as she was, she attempted to speak with Kuroko to try to find out if her idiotic childhood friend had actually spoken to him since their falling out, but Tetsu avoided her and Kagami like the plague. And when Kuroko wanted to be invisible, well, it was like trying to grasp the wind.

On the third day since Dai-chan had walked out on them, Satsuki and Kagami managed to corner Kuroko when he came back home from walking Nigou. However...

'I haven't talked to him either. I'm sorry, Momoi-san.' He seemed so cold...

'Have you tried calling him?' begged Satsuki.

'No.'

'Will you?' And seeing the hesitation in his eyes, she grabbed his hands and came close to tears. 'Please, Tetsu-kun. Who knows what that idiot has managed to get himself into. Please.'

Sighing softly, Kuroko took his phone from his pocket and dialed Aomine's number.

The mobile you are calling is not available...

Kuroko closed the lid of his phone and regarded her with tired eyes.

'Sorry.' He apologized even if he had no reason to.

And next to him Kagami grunted before averting his eyes and offering an apology of his own.

'Kuroko. I don't understand but I'm sorry...'

'It's not your fault, Kagami-kun. And neither is it Momoi-san's.' Kuroko was quick to reassure, voice strong despite its softness. 'This has been an on-going issue between the two of us. It has nothing to do with either of you. I apologize for his behaviour. You didn't deserve his rude words.'

An on-going issue? Had they been fighting then? If so, for how long and why had Satsuki not known about it? They lived in the same house, for god's sake, and Dai-chan was supposed to be her best friend! Why hadn't he trusted her? What's more, why hadn't she heard anything about it? They had seemed so normal, the two of them. So at ease with each other that she would have never guessed...

'Tetsu-kun...'

'Goodnight, Momoi-san. Kagami-kun.'

The dismissal couldn't have been more obvious. Satsuki and Kagami left for bed after uttering their own goodnights whilst Tetsu stayed up for who knew how long, quietly writing in the living room surrounded by a wall of spread books and papers. Despite the big purple bags under his eyes, he didn't seem able to sleep. And even if he was behaving coldly, he wouldn't be having trouble sleeping if he wasn't worried too.

That night, Satsuki had a pitiful sleep. She kept dreaming about that time when she and Dai-chan had been five years old and, during a family holiday, he had gotten himself stuck in a well trying to rescue Satsuki's doll. Back then it had started to rain, and Satsuki had truly believed he would drown. Eventually, she had found their parents when Dai-chan managed to persuade her to leave his side, but she had been so terrified for him. And now she kept trashing in bed, remembering her friend's muddy face in the dark bottom of that well, trying to smile reassuringly for her sake.

Creak, Thump!

A noise startled her awake. Disconcerted, she looked around herself. Kagami slept restlessly beside her and beyond him the clock in the nightstand read 03.07 am. Had she dreamed the noise? Or could it possibly be... The door! Trying to move quietly for Kagami's sake (the red-head had also had trouble sleeping and he needed the rest), she left the bed as quickly as she could and closed the door behind her, tiptoeing her way down the hallway to the stairs. Peering down through the bars, her heart skipped a beat when she realized that it was indeed Dai-chan who stood by the door.

He looked scruffy and worse for wear, but overall he seemed uninjured. Satsuki would have run down the stairs, either to kiss him or whack him, she wasn't sure, but his stillness halted her. And that's when she remembered Tetsu-kun.

Kuroko was still on the couch, watching Aomine quietly from behind his wall of books. After a couple of tense seconds during which the two boys regarded each other wearily, Tetsu moved as if to stand up from the couch and Aomine immediately gave a step towards him.

'Wait,' he said as he approached, his voice scratchy.

Kuroko stopped but kept his eyes downcast. Aomine's followed suit, drifting to his own feet as if in shame.

'I...' he started with difficulty, rubbing the back of his head, 'I'm sorry, Tetsu.'

That made Kuroko glance up at him, surprise evident in his face. After a couple of seconds, the quiet boy shook his head.

'No,' he murmured with hardly any inflection, 'we knew this would be a problem from the start. I understand, you can't...'

Aomine went to him, crossing the room in a couple of strides till his knees touched the couch.

'No, no. Listen, I... I have been frustrated...' he started in a low growl, unable to meet Kuroko's eyes, 'I have to hold back all the time, Tetsu. In practice, at games, with the team...' he sighed, 'Sheesh, there is also the courses, the exams, the projects and the fucking English. It's difficult. And then hearing them... It got to me, okay? Because of all the pent-up shit or I don't know. But this has nothing to do with you, with us.' And then he finally glanced at Kuroko, sincerity in his eyes despite his struggle for words, 'We... We work, Tetsu. So don't... Just don't.'

He was at a loss. And it pained Satsuki to see him like this, because for as long as she could remember his pain had been her pain, and never before had she failed him so badly. She hadn't even known he was going through a hard time. Of course she had noticed how he had reverted back to some of his worst habits in the last couple of months, but she hadn't realized that he was struggling that much with the changes in their lives.

Downstairs, Kuroko sighed.

Tetsu wasn't looking at Daiki, instead, he kept his head bowed, but Satsuki saw how his eyes were on Aomine's hands and the smallest of trembles in her childhood friend's fingers. Hesitantly, Kuroko reached out and clasped Aomine's hand, tugging gently till the other sat on the couch next to him.

'Tetsu...'

And Kuroko shifted then, rising till he stranded his partner's legs. When they kissed, it was with a hint of desperation. Satsuki saw Aomine's hands clench Tetsu's slight waist so tightly that it had to be hurting the slender boy, but Kuroko simply hushed his partner, whispering quietly against Aomine's lips. He continued doing so till the other relaxed.

And Satsuki would have sighed in relief then, however, a sudden shift in Aomine's breath alerted her, and that's when she realized where Kuroko's hands had actually drifted to... She couldn't see much of anything from her position on the top of the stairs, but the movement of Kuroko's pale arms was unmistakable. White as a ghost herself, Satsuki felt her heart thump loudly in her chest when Aomine groaned quietly and buried his head on Kuroko's soft hair, effectively hiding his expression from view.

'I'm sorry...' she heard him mutter.

'Don't be,' replied Kuroko even more softly. There was a strange sadness in his voice, the root of which Satsuki couldn't understand. 'We knew from the start. This can't work, this—'

'No!' the desperation was back in Aomine's voice. 'It's enough, Tetsu. This is more than enough, please...'

He actually said please —him, Aomine fucking Daiki, who had never begged for anything in his life. Kuroko hushed him again and Aomine kissed him, sighing deeply against Kuroko's parted lips:

'I need you.'

'You don't.'

'I do.'

Kuroko leaned in and silenced him with another kiss.

At that point Satsuki looked away, because there was something raw and vulnerable about the whole exchange and she knew it wasn't meant for her eyes to watch. Quietly, she tiptoed her way back to her room.

As soon as she snuggled back under the covers, Kagami startled awake.

'Satsuki?' he asked groggily but becoming more alert by the second.

'It's okay,' she reassured, getting his arms around her and spooning against his strong chest. 'Daiki is back...' She felt Kagami tense over, but before he could leave the bed, she repeated: 'It's okay, he's with Tetsu-kun. They are making up.'

Kagami let out a deep breath and hugged her close.

'I'm glad.'

'I'm glad too,' she murmured.

And despite the sincerity of her words... Satsuki couldn't help nor explain the sudden clenching on her chest.

The morning after, Momoi happened upon Dai-chan in the hallway. When the friends saw each other, they froze.

'Satsuki...' he started with some reticence, as if afraid of her reaction.

Sighing in resignation, she strode towards him and poked him on the chest with one accusing finger.

'If you ever call me a whore again, Dai-chan, I won't forgive you.'

Determined to make a point she started poking him harshly, but little by little one finger became two, and two three, and three a whole palm, which eventually rested against his chest. Even if she was still angry, simply feeling his heartbeat reassured her. She had been so worried for him...

'I didn't mean it,' he said scratching the back of his neck, his voice still somewhat growly from disuse.

'You are an idiot,' she said as sternly as she could, though the soft spot she had always had for him prevented her from getting truly angry.

And his lips twitched.

'Well, Satsuki, you are kind of loud.'

'Dai-chan!'

She elbowed him. However, deep down she was kind of relieved that they could joke about it. Huffing, she looked up at him, a mix of exasperation and fondness in her eyes.

Looking at her in return, his smirk softened and he rose his own hand to cradle her cheek. Satsuki turned her head and whispered against the warm skin:

'Don't you ever run away again. I mean it, don't pull something like this ever again, Dai-chan. I was worried sick.'

His thumb moved ever so slightly, the hint of a caress, and he nodded just as softly.

'Promise me,' she asked.

'... Okay,' he said at last.

And Satsuki sighed in relief and moved back.

Later, downstairs, Aomine approached Kagami as the redhead was having breakfast and clasped his shoulder.

'Play with me,' he demanded.

And Kagamin lit up like a Christmas tree, nearly choking on his cereal as he tried to scarf it all down before the other made it to the door.

'Wanna get your ass kicked so badly, Ahomine?' he asked in challenge as he hurried to put on his shoes whilst trying to avoid an excited Nigou. 'Shoo, beast.' He said hopping on one foot, attempting to tie the shoelaces that the dog was happily munching.

'As if,' replied an amused Aomine from the threshold. Even though he held the door open for his struggling rival, he couldn't help encouraging the dog. 'Come on, Nigou, let's show this Bakagami what we've got.'

'Hey, it's not fair if you use the dog against me!' complained the redhead, completely serious. 'Leave the beast out of it and I'll whoop your ass six ways to Sunday!'

Aomine smirked.

'Keep dreaming, Bakagami.'

And the door closed behind them, followed soon by the distinct sound of a ball dribbling and a net whooshing.

Children. The two of them behaved like children, but secretly Satsuki was glad that her boyfriend was willing to let go any hard feelings he might have been harboring for Aomine after their argument.

Next to Satsuki, Kuroko suddenly sighed, starting her so badly that she very nearly spilled her coffee.

'Tetsu-kun! When did you get here?'

He blinked his huge blue eyes.

'I've been here the whole time, Momoi-san.' And he continued sipping his tea calmly.

Shaking her head, Satsuki relaxed once again on her chair and looked at the ceiling.

'Dai-chan can be such an idiot...' she murmured.

Kuroko's fingers tightened ever so slightly on his mug.

'He's never been good at dealing with change. And you know what he's like: Aomine-kun will keep quiet until he breaks...'

Breaking —what a particular verb to chose. When Satsuki thought about their last years at Teiko, that one word accurately described what had happened not only to Dai-chan (though he had been the catalyst) but to the whole team. However, Satsuki didn't think that now they were so close to the edge. After all, circumstances were completely different and they had all learned from their past mistakes and, hopefully, matured.

Discreetly, she turned her eyes to the quiet boy next to her. Kuroko, who sometimes was so transparent whilst others so hard to read. She thought about the scene she had been privy to last night. She recalled the bitterness in the air and her own mixed feelings. Looking at him now, Satsuki thought she could still see the remains of that melancholy on his face.

'You know,' she began very softly, 'Dai-chan is not the only one who keeps things close to his chest till it's too late...'

Kuroko glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

'I'm okay, Momoi-san,' he reassured gently.

And Satsuki folded her hands one on top of the other on the table.

'Tetsu-kun... I know it's not any of my business, not really but... What's going on between you and Dai-chan?'

Despite her gentle tone, he seemed to tense all over.

A heavy silenced filled the kitchen. Even Nigou's barking outside seemed a world away. Satsuki prayed that she hadn't upset him, but she had had to ask.

'Tetsu-kun...'

'It's complicated,' he said at nearly the same time.

Both halted.

'... Complicated?' she ventured.

Kuroko poked the little spoon gently, watching the tea twirl inside his cup.

'Seeing him smile, that's the one thing I want,' he said softly, 'We have been together for years now, and he swears he's happy but... I know I am not what he needs.'

There was a sadness to his words, his voice, his whole demeanor, that made something clench deep within Satsuki's chest. Because how could this incredible wonderful boy ever believe he wasn't good enough for somebody? Kuroko was willful, determined and loyal to a fault. He was gentle and caring. He was beautiful in all possible ways. Subtle, yes, but generous and beautiful both outside and inside. That he would believe himself inadequate, deficient or flawed, it pained Satsuki beyond words.

His soulful blue eyes seemed lost and his sweet lips seemed tense and tight. Satsuki wanted to get rid of that deep sorrowful sadness. She wanted to see him smile. Because he deserved it more than anyone else in the world. Because those gentle lips shouldn't know sadness. Those lips... Those lips were as soft as she had always imagined they would be.

Before she knew what she was doing, Satsuki had leaned in and kissed him. A simple brush of lips, a gentle caress. His breath was sweet.

Thump.

The noise startled them both, breaking them apart. A basket ball rolled to her feet, partly deflated. And by the door, there he stood: Kagami, still like a statue and with shoulders tense, watching them both with a dumbstruck look on his face which quickly morphed into something unreadable.

'Kagami-kun...' began Kuroko, quieter than a whisper.

Kagami's intense stare shifted from one to the other.

But nobody dared to say a word.

'Hey, Bakagami, are you getting that ball or what?' interrupted Aomine, approaching the door and peering inside from over his teammate's shoulder, 'Is something the matter?'

With one last charged glance at the table were his girlfriend and best friend sat, Kagami turned heel.

'I'm hungry,' he said with a monotonous voice so unlike himself that it was as if he had been possesed. 'I'm going to go catch a bite.'

Bewildered, Aomine looked at his retreating back before sending a confused glance at the pair on the kitchen. Since neither seemed willing to provide an explanation and seeing the other was getting away, he closed the door resolutely behind himself and went after the redhead.

'What the fuck? Wait up, Kagami!' they heard him call. 'Didn't you just have breakfast?'

'You don't have to come if you don't want to,' answered Kagami's retreating voice, angry and tense.

'Eh?! Wait up, moron. Sheesh, what the fuck is wrong with you?!'

If Kagami responded, he was already too far away for them to hear him through the walls.

Alone in the kitchen, Kuroko and Satsuki stared at each other. The silence was so thick that it was suffocating her. At it must have felt the same for Kuroko because suddenly he stood up without uttering a word and left the table, leaving her on her own.

Guilty, confused and overwhelmed, Satsuki hid her face behind her hands and fled.


	7. A Crazy Proposal

I am really sorry about the long wait. I wouldn't be surprised if all of you who actually reviewed this fic completely forgot about it after the couple of decades that it has taken me to update it. RL got complicated and I lost the motivation to write fanfiction. I am slowly getting it back and I am determined to at least finish this fic. Most of it is actually written (so it would be silly to give up on it) but I have to admit that I have been struggling to do this particular chapter since the beginning. It is a very important chapter in the story, key to the plot and a turning point for the cast, and for a long time I didn't even know how to breach the subject. I wrote so many versions of it that it got kind of ridiculous, specially since they all felt fake to me. In the end, I decided to forget about plot and flow and structure and simply let the "characters" write it for me (what's the role of each in this relationship, what do they mean for each other, how would they react to a certain event, etc). And even though I am still not 100% happy with how it turned out, I want to continue this fic and in order to do so I needed to get this out of the way. So there! I hope you guys enjoy it and that it makes you think.

Chapter 7: A Crazy Proposal

Momoi didn't know what to do. Things had changed, changed for the worse, and it was all her fault. That kiss with Kuroko... She had spent her whole life dreaming about it, yes, but it had been so brief that now the only thing she could remember of the whole incident was Kagami's stricken face when he found them out. And now, their whole life was being affected.

"It was just a kiss..." she tried to tell herself when the guilt that was making her stomach turn in knots got to be too much. But deep down Momoi knew it wasn't just that...

At least Aomine remained blissfully none the wiser. He knew something was up but thankfully nobody had cared to enlighten him and he was too trusting of both Kuroko and Satsuki to actually even suspect anything close to the truth. Momoi counted that as a blessing as she wouldn't have known what to do if her childhood friend had learned of her betrayal. But the other two...

To begin with, Kuroko had become skittish around her. He wasn't exactly avoiding her, not really, but the usually quiet boy kept glancing at her strangely every time he thought she wasn't looking. _Do you hate me?_ She found herself wondering every time he caught his carefully assessing eyes looking her way, and every time, her heart clenched in pain. Because she simply didn't know.

Kagami, on the other hand... Well, Kagami was behaving like a complete stranger. He still went about his life as if nothing had happened, sleeping in the same bed as Satsuki, eating most of his meals with them, _living_ with them. But... But now he only addressed her and Kuroko when it was strictly necessary and, if he did, it was always in that succinct rough way of his that he used with people he didn't actually trust. All familiarity was gone and Momoi didn't have the faintest idea of how to approach him.

"Stop being an ass, Bakagami. What is wrong with you?"

Not even Aomine's insults and taunts were able to get a rise out of him anymore. Instead, Kagami kept doing whatever he had been doing at the time, exuding that heavy intimidating aura that he had projected back in his Seijin days and that in recent years had only really shone through during games.

It got to a point where even his teammates could tell something odd was going on with the redhead and, after some unsuccessful attempts at approaching him, resulted in them giving him a wide berth. This worried Satsuki because she could clearly see how the whole incident was slowly starting to spill into others aspects of his life...

But the worst was yet to come.

And when it did, it actually happened at the worst possible moment: during an official basketball game. Thankfully it was only a friendly match with another university or Kagami's career could have been at stake, but that he had actually lost control enough to merit an ejection... She didn't know what to do. Momoi could remember it clearly: she had been watching the game from the stands with Kuroko (a weak attempt at trying to regain some kind of normalcy in their lives), so she had witnessed everything without being able to do anything to prevent it.

Seeing Kagami had been in a fume all week, his captain had thought it would be good to let the power forward blow off some steam in a friendly game even though he would have normally reserved the fierce redhead for more competitive events. In theory it hadn't been a bad plan. However, the problems started when the ace of the other team (a younger too rash star wannabe) thought it would be a good idea to challenge someone like Kagami Taiga, who was starting to become a well known name amongst those who mattered. The ace of the opposing team had the aggressive kind of play that normally served to fuel Kagami's own battle spirit but, with his current state of mind, instead of pushing Kagami to be better himself, the other player's forcefulness and somewhat dirty tactics were simply making him angrier and angrier. Realizing this (and after one too many personal fouls from both aces), the captain of Kagami's team had actually even threatened to send him back to the bench but apparently thought better of it and allowed Kagami to continue playing, trusting the redhead to be able to control his temper.

Wrong call. It all came to a halting crash when the cheater decided it would be a good idea to trip his opponent when the referee wasn't looking. And the elbow Kagami bashed in his face in response actually broke his nose. Grunting in pain and swearing colorfully at his attacker, the boy fell to the floor clutching the bleeding appendage and the referee's whistle was followed by an expulsion.

Satsuki remembered the look on Kagami's face. Remembered how his furious frown had morphed into surprise and worry the moment he realized what he had done. But not an instant later, the injured player began cursing the redhead, his mother and all of his family in quite a crude way and, despite his initial regret, the insults made something break in Kagami. Rage took over and in a blink Kagami was on the other man, ready to beat him within an inch of his life.

_No!_ Thought Satsuki, terrified of what was about to happen.

But seemingly out of nowhere, Aomine's arm suddenly locked on Kagami's neck and he physically dragged the raging redhead out of the court, stopping the whole thing from escalating even further. And, outstanding speed and agility aside, Momoi was still astonished that Dai-chan had actually been able to move so quickly all the way from the bench to stop a raging Kagami before all hell could break lose. However, Satsuki couldn't thank enough gods for allowing the prompt intervention because even though an elbow to the nose could be justified by a careless play, broken ribs... Well, that would have had very serious repercussions for her boyfriend's starting career.

At the time, Satsuki and Kuroko had watched in horror as Kagami was herded by his fuming coach away from the game. And, looking at each other fully on the eyes for the first time in days, Momoi and Kuroko nodded at each other and rushed out of the stands in search for their friend.

When they reached the coach's office, Aomine and his captain were already there, waiting outside by the door. Even though the door was firmly closed, the shouts from the furious manager could be heard all the way down the hallway.

"What was he thinking?" wondered the captain, worry clear in his eyes.

"Tt. He _wasn't_," replied Aomine, crossing his arms over his chest.

The captain sighed and looked at Kuroko and Momoi when they approached them.

"You are his girlfriend, aren't you?" he asked Momoi as soon as she stopped next to Aomine. "You need to talk some sense into him. He cannot pull things like this, you hear me? Not if he wants a career in professional sports."

"Sorry," she said quickly, "he hasn't been feeling very well recently..."

The couch's angry shouting intensified, making all four of them wince.

"Well, whatever is wrong with him, he needs to get over it soon," continued the captain. "The coach will throw him out of the team if he tries something like this again, no matter how good he is."

This he aimed at Aomine, who only sighed tiredly before turning to address Kuroko and Satsuki.

"Go home," he told them.

"What?! No!" retaliated Satsuki, "I want to be here for him when..."

But Kuroko placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"Let's leave, Momoi-san," he said. "Kagami-kun will be angry when he comes out and I don't think he will want to deal with either you or me then."

Momoi looked at the hand he had placed on her arm and once again found herself at a loss.

"Go home, Satsuki," repeated Dai-chan. "I will make sure the idiot makes it back..."

Momoi was about to complain when Aomine's stance suddenly became tense, eyes narrowing to look past her towards the entrance of the hall. Momoi turned and felt her blood turn to ice when she saw the injured player who had provoked Kagami being escorted by two of his teammates to the infirmary. He was holding a bloody towel against whatever remained of his nose, which muffled the stream of curses that sprouted from his mouth.

However, as soon as the opposing team noticed Satsuki's group and saw their uniforms, they stopped in their tracks. The biggest and tallest of the two left his bloody comrade and made a beeline towards them as soon as he noticed the bandana that Kagami's captain was wearing around his arm. He wore a similar item, a mark which set them both as captains of their respective teams.

"Since when do you allow psychos in your team?!" He demanded angrily.

"My teammate didn't start it," tried to reason the captain.

"Bullshit!" replied the other man, obviously furious that they had temporarily lost his ace for all upcoming games. "Utter bullshit. And, believe me, if that nutcase is not disqualified from playing after the crap he just pulled, I will make sure he's isn't able to even crawl into the..."

A forearm crushing his windpipe against the wall left the man chocking for air. Aomine's captain was so shocked that he found himself unable to move a finger to stop his teammate. Kuroko, on the other hand, quickly stepped back, looking towards the main entrance to make sure nobody else saw the exchange. And Satsuki, aghast, could only watch in horror as Aomine leaned into his victim's personal space to threaten him.

"That coward went for his leg so leave this as it is,_ captain_," he hissed in a low dangerous voice, his accent thick but his words perfectly clear. "Or _you_ won't be able to crawl anywhere."

He let go and moved back, acting as if he hadn't just threatened to break another person's legs. His own captain could only gape in horror as another of his star players resorted to violence on the same day, before turning to apologize profusely at the threatened captain. However, the man swatted him away and, sending Aomine a wary glance, made his way back to his teammates.

"Forget it," he said in a raspy voice as he rubbed his bruising neck. "It's not even worth it to deal with you psychos."

And they left. For a few seconds after, nobody said a word.

"Okay, Momoi-san, let's just go home," said Kuroko, who was always able to snap out of shock quicker than Momoi ever had. "And you, Aomine-kun, _don't_ get into any more trouble today."

"Right, right, Tetsu."

"I mean it."

"I know!" and then, "Sheesh, just go."

Nodding, Kuroko turned and, at a loss, Momoi followed him.

The walk back home was tense. They waked in silence, as they usually did, but this time the silence was so thick that it made her stomach clench in knots all over again.

"Dai-chan can't keep acting like a delinquent. He needs to learn to control himself," she said, trying to break the ice.

But the look Kuroko sent her way told her that that hadn't been the wisest thing she could have said.

"Tetsu-kun, I..."

"Why did you do it, Momoi-san?"

She stumbled. He was talking about the kiss. He had to be talking about the kiss. Momoi wished the earth would swallow her and spare her the embarrassment. No such luck, though, and the pair continued walking.

"You... You know why, Tetsu-kun," she mumbled. "Don't make me say it."

"Do you love Kagami-kun?"

Of course she did! How could he even ask her something like that?! She loved Kagami, she was in love with him! But if she was so certain... Then why weren't the words able to leave her mouth? Frowning at her lack of response, Kuroko went on.

"I don't think you realize the full implications of what has happened," he told her softly, as if coming to realize this about her himself. "Kagami-kun, he truly loves you very much." She felt her throat constrict because she knew that Kagami did love her. "And seeing that kiss... I don't know much about his family life, Momoi-san, but from the little I have seen I don't think he has had a lot of people who actually loved him in his life."

"What are you trying to say?" she managed to ask.

"What I am trying to say is that he trusted us and we have hurt him. Be with him or be without him, that's your choice, but don't lead him on. We cannot move forward, any of us, if you don't think about what you want and make a decision."

What was he saying? Was he actually insinuating that he would consider a relationship with her if she were to break-up with Kagami? No, that couldn't be right... However, his words made her heart flutter in her chest like a caged bird.

"Tetsu-kun, I don't know what to do..."

"Either you love him or you don't."

She eyed him from the corner of her eye.

"It's not always that easy..."

And this time he grunted in acknowledgment.

When the door screeched open later that night, Satsuki prepared herself for the worst. However, both Kagami and Aomine entered the house in relatively calm spirits.

Aomine dropped his jacket on the floor by the door and carelessly let go of his sports bag, making his way to the couch to slump next to Kuroko.

"Yo," he greeted tiredly. And Satsuki saw Kuroko put down the book he had been reading and reach for his hand.

She shifted uncomfortably and grabbed the plate of sandwiches she had been preparing.

"Come on, boys," she said as cheerfully as she could, setting the food in front of Tetsu-kun and Dai-chan.

Each reached for a sandwich and she sat down on the floor next to them, picking anxiously at her own food. However, someone was still missing and she didn't even dare to look at him...

"Aren't you hungry, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko (always braver than her) called out to the redhead, who was putting his own stuff and Aomine's mess in the coat stand by the door.

"No, thank you," he said as he removed his shoes and made his way to the stairs. "Good night."

His departure left the living room deadly quiet and the silence stretched till they heard the shower upstairs start running. Then, Aomine looked at the two of them and asked the question that had been on his mind since day one:

"What the fuck is going on?"

And predictably, only more silence met his query.

Momoi looked at her feet, unable to meet his eyes. To be honest, the only saving grace in this whole mess was that Aomine didn't actually know of her actions. And it was important that this remained so because, even if her relationship with Kuroko and Kagami kept going downhill with every passing second, as long as she had Dai-chan she knew she would never be alone. When everything was slowly spinning out of her control, once again that constant was the one thing that could keep her going.

"What is it, Satsuki?" he asked, sensing her distress.

"It's nothing, Dai-chan," she reassured with a smile that she knew must have looked as fake as she felt.

Momoi then felt Kuroko's eyes on her and when she glance at him, she saw disappointment in his eyes. And as if _that_ wasn't bad enough, Kuroko suddenly seemed to make a decision and to her growing horror reached once again for his lover's hand.

"Come on, Aomine-kun," he said in a very soft voice, "we need to talk."

He was going to confess. Since Momoi wasn't going to be honest with Aomine about what had happened, Kuroko was going to tell him himself.

_No..._

Momoi didn't know what possessed her after hearing Kuroko's damning words but not a second after Aomine had stood up, she found herself latched to his arm, clutching it between desperate fingers.

"No, please," she begged, turning to Kuroko in despair. "Please don't tell him."

"Don't tell me what?" She could hear the frustration in his voice, the slowly increasing anger.

And it all came crashing down on Satsuki. In that instant she suddenly realized that if Aomine found out what she had done, if he was told of her betrayal, everything would be over. How could it not be, when she had selfishly put her own desires above her best friend's happiness. And even though the prospect of losing Kuroko and Kagami hurt like hell, she knew it wouldn't compare to the void Daiki would leave if he suddenly disappeared from her life.

"Satsuki, why are you...?" Aomine's strained voice made her look at him.

And seeing the wheels start to turn in his head, piecing together her extreme reaction and Kagami's attitude, she felt a paralyzing fear freeze her to her very core. Because she couldn't remember a time where he hadn't been in her life. Because he was family. And she had thrown all of that away when she chosen to risk all of that to get a brief taste of the forbidden. She had spent her life looking after Dai-chan, worrying about him, _living_ for him. For as long as she could remember, he had been the one constant thing in her life: the one who teased and annoyed her but also the one who protected her, who made her laugh, who had always been there. And all of that would be gone the instant he realized that she had tried to steal from him the one person that made him happy.

"Please don't..." Her sobs became uncontrollable as she struggled to remember how to breath. She was chocking. Sinking. Drowning in her own guilt. She couldn't even see or hear Kuroko anymore, because all she could feel was Aomine slipping through her fingers. "No, please!"

Satsuki was desperate. He couldn't find out what she had done! She couldn't lose him too! She couldn't!

And Satsuki cried and cried in desperation till everything went blank.

When she woke up later, her mind was still in distress but for some reason her body felt comfortably warm. Despite the darkness, her surroundings little by little started to take shape as she slowly regained consciousness. Momoi realized that she was back in the safety of her own room, laying on the bed she had shared with Kagami for nearly a year, and she could feel the warmth of a body wrapped around her smaller frame: a strong chest pressed against her trembling back, almost like a barrier guarding her form the world. Barely able to repress a sob, Satsuki clutched at the arms that surrounded her and moved as close as she could to the body molded to hers. Because even though it had been years since they had embraced like this, there was no doubt in her mind that the person holding her was Aomine.

Realizing she had woken up, he poked the back of her head softly with his nose. "Hey..."

And Satsuki didn't need to look at him to realize that he _knew_. Kuroko had told him. She could hear it in his voice. That one single syllable was enough.

"..rry, I am sorry," she mumbled, unable to decide between trying to remove herself from his arms and hiding in his embrace for a bit longer. "I am so, so sorry, Daiki. Please don't go..."

He clutched her tightly against his chest.

"Stop it, Satsuki. You are going to give yourself another anxiety attack if you keep this up."

His voice was unexpectedly gentle but she couldn't stop. Not when fear still made her stomach clench in knots.

"Forgive me," she rattled on and on. "Please don't hate me. Please don't."

He shifted then, making her turn around in his arms to hold her even closer.

"Don't be stupid, Satsuki. I can't hate you," he whispered roughly against her temple. "Besides, you loved him first."

And she sobbed quietly against his neck as he continued hushing her. However, as she slowly started to realize that he wasn't pushing her away (as his reassuring words started to reach her), relief washed over her and the tremendous weight that had been chocking her since that fateful afternoon in which she had brushed her lips against Kuroko's lifted ever so slightly. Because Daiki didn't hate her. Because he wouldn't disappear and leave her behind. The whole mess between all four of them was far from over but if Dai-chan knew what she had done and was willing to forgive her then maybe, _maybe_, there was hope that they could patch things up with the others...

"What are we going to do?" she murmured at last, breathless, tired and still so so worried.

Aomine's only response was to cradle her closer.

Satsuki woke up again later that night. Her head ached from all the crying she had done and she felt weak and cold. However, she could still feel a warmth presence by her side. Carefully turning around, she saw that Aomine had shifted in his sleep, releasing her form his embrace to lay on his stomach. She could see his back rise and fall as he breathed and once again she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. _Maybe it isn't too late to fix things,_ she thought as she reached out and ran a gentle hand through his hair. Afterwards, she left his side and quietly paddled her way out of the room.

She passed by Kuroko's closed door and hesitated before deciding against knocking. _I wouldn't even know where to start..._ However, a deep sigh from downstairs startled her and, making up her mind, she went there instead.

There was a single light on in the living room and its gentle glow highlighted Kagami's frame on the sofa. The redhead was sitting on the couch leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. His tired eyes shifted to the stairs as Satsuki made her way down and, finding herself under his scrutiny, the girl felt her resolve shake.

"Kagami-kun..." she started softly. A mere whisper. A chocked word. What could she possibly say?

"Why?" he asked at last. His own voice rough.

Satsuki averted her eyes and sat down next to him on the couch. Her hands scratched the material of her jeans as she searched for something to say. She tried to arrange her thoughts into a semblance of order, even went through her previous conversation with Kuroko to try to find a starting point. But despite her efforts she still came out empty handed.

"You don't need to be with me, Satsuki," Kagami said suddenly in a hesitant tone of voice, as if he were thinking each word carefully. "If it's Kuroko that you want, you shouldn't be with me."

"But Kagamin..."

"No," he cut in. "No, listen, I know how this things always end up. And I would rather be hurt once than live a lie."

She dared to glance at him but he still wasn't looking at her. Satsuki could tell that he was being dead serious and something warned her there was more to his words than what was apparently being discussed. They were tainted with more than anger at her kiss with Kuroko, something in his tone hinted at a deeper kind of pain rooted in things that she couldn't even begin to grasp. Kagami had been her boyfriend for years now, yes, but Satsuki was starting to realize that there was much about him and his life that she didn´t actually know.

"Kagamin..." But, once again, she didn't know what to say.

After the silence stretched, he sighed tiredly and leaned back, resting his head on the back of the couch and looking up at the ceiling.

"I guess this is it, then," he murmured, more to himself than to her.

And Satsuki felt panic rise in her chest.

"It's just that... That I have loved Kuroko my whole life," Satsuki said hesitantly. "But I want to be with you, Kagamin!"

She could feel his eyes shift to her and she grasped the chance, turning her body to fully face him.

"I mean it," she said. "What we have, it's not a lie. I really do want to be with you."

He remained worryingly expressionless and she continued to struggle to explain herself. Because she couldn't deny her feelings for Kuroko but she honestly wanted to be with Kagami. She liked him, she liked being his girlfriend. She felt loved and protected and thinking about losing him forever made her heart ache.

"Kagamin..."

"What do you want me to say, Satsuki?"

"That you are going to give me another chance! Please, Kagamin, don't end this!"

The desperation in her voice sounded pathetic even to her own ears but she was too afraid of losing him to care. She saw him frown and before he could stand up and leave her side, she kissed him. She poured herself into it, trying to communicate without words that she didn't want to lose him, to lose their life together, to lose what the four of them had.

And despite his initial shock he slowly started to respond. The brush of his chapped lips felt rough against hers but at the same time familiar and comforting. However, when she tried to raise a hand to his neck to bring him closer and deepen the kiss, his fingers grabbed her wrist and prevented the contact. Soon after, he pulled back.

"I would do anything for you, Satsuki," he told her. "But I will not live a lie. I cannot be with someone I cannot trust."

The rejection made her stomach sink and his words made her heart clench. Suddenly, she felt unexpected anger boil deep inside her and before she even knew what she was doing, Satsuki was up and screaming at him.

"Funny you would say that when you have lied to me and betrayed me too!" That made him pause. "Don´t play dumb. I came all the way here from across the world to be with you! I left my family, my friends, my life, for you to chase a stupid dream! We are all here because of you!"

"I didn't force you to do anything, Satsuki," he defended himself as he too rose to his full height. And even though he all but towered above her, Satsuki didn't back down.

"How was I supposed to say no?!" she raged on, "Or Tetsu-kun for that matter? You were dead set on leaving and you would have taken Daiki with you! What was I supposed to do?! You decided things on your own, chose to do whatever you wanted and never stopped to think about me or Tetsu-kun. You say now that you would do anything for me but you almost _took_ everything!"

Her outburst left her panting and him gaping in shock.

Surprisingly, it was a third voice that broke the silence.

"I think this has gone on for long enough." Kuroko's tone was as calm and monotonous as always, that strange mix of softness and firmness that so characterized him. "You two need to stop."

Kagami and Satsuki turned to see Kuroko reach the bottom of the stairs followed closely by a frowning Aomine.

"You guys are starting to seriously piss me off," added the taller man as he approached them. And the veiled taunt made Kagami growl.

"What do you expect me to do?!" he shouted. "She's in love with Kuroko. Simple as that. This is over."

Satsuki felt tears well up in her eyes again and an instant later Aomine stood between them, aggressively moving towards the redhead.

"Woah,woah,woah, time out. Don't you go throwing her away just like that, Bakagami!"

"Aren't you bothered by any of this?!" Retaliated Kagami. "It's your freaking _boyfriend_ that she was..."

"Enough!" cut in Kuroko again. And it was such a rare thing to hear him raise his voice that everyone fell silent immediately.

Aomine and Kagami released each other and Satsuki looked down in shame. Kuroko sighed.

"I... I don't know what to do," the pale boy said, looking from one friend to another until his eyes set on the redhead. "Kagami-kun, none of us meant to hurt you. We all care deeply about you."

Kagami's jaw clenched and so did his fists.

"You have an awesome way of showing it then," he barked out.

Aomine growled beside him but a warning glare from Kuroko made him shut up. The smaller man's attention was on Kagami, though, and his brow furrowed as he considered the redhead. After some time, he seemed to reach a decision.

"Kagami-kun," started Kuroko again. "Come here, please."

Kagami's intense eyes narrowed in distrust but nonetheless he approached his former teammate.

"What?" he grumbled.

And after searching the redhead's face for a couple of tense seconds, Kuroko did the unexpected. Rising on his tiptoes to grab the back of Kagami's head, he forced the taller man to lean down and their lips met. Kagami's wide shoulders tensed and he gasped in surprise and as soon as his mouth fell open Kuroko deepened the kiss.

After one last brush of lips, Kuroko released his captive and leaned back. Leaving an extremely confused Kagami blinking at him.

"There," Tetsu said. "Now you are even."

Aomine actually released a bark of laughter. But Satsuki... Satsuki hadn't been more confused in her whole life.

"Kuroko..." murmured Kagami, unconsciously raising a hand to his lips.

Kuroko's cheeks turned slightly pink but, trying to act nonchalant, he cleared his throat and straightened.

"Now we have two options," he said, glancing briefly towards Aomine as if to check if he still had his partner's approval. When the taller man simply shrugged a shoulder, Kuroko continued. "One. We go back to the way we were and forget this whole week ever happened. Or two... We give this a try. All four of us."

"What?!" Satsuki croaked in bewilderment.

Aomine slung an arm around her shoulders.

"You heard the man, Satsuki. All or nothing," he said, his demeanor lazy and somewhat amused, as if they were discussing what movie to watch instead of proposing an outrageously unorthodox life changing decision. Yawning, he turned to address the still petrified Kagami. "No lies or secret affairs or any of that crazy shit that has your panties in a twist, Bakagami. Now, I don't know about you idiots but I am going to try to get a few hours of sleep before training. So do NOT wake me up again."

He actually had the nerve to pat Satsuki on the top of her head on his way to the stairs and his shoulder brushed against Kagami's as he passed next to the stunned redhead. The resulting flinch made Aomine smirk to himself.

Sighing fondly at his antics, Kuroko looked at the other two once again.

"Give it some thought," he said. "We will be waiting."

And his lips formed a quirky little smile before heading after Aomine.

Once both were gone, Satsuki and Kagami glanced at each other. Neither knew what to say.

tbc.

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	8. In for a Penny

**A/N: Thank you so much to those who left a review! I am so happy you guys haven't given up on the story. I plan to update regularly, so please keep tuned. :D Oh, as a side note, I renamed the chapters because I was confusing even myself with things like "part 1" and "part 2"... O.O**

Chapter 8: In For a Penny...

It had been one of the strangest days of her life. Momoi had gone to class like every other day and nothing of real relevance had happened. She had even gone out with some friends to try to distract herself from everything that was going on in her life! But no matter what she did or how she tried to occupy herself, Momoi had simply been unable to concentrate on anything besides the memory of what had happened the night before.

'We go back to the way we were or we give this a try. All four of us.' Kuroko's words kept ringing in her head.

And similarly the whole scene just kept playing over and over again in her mind. She knew that it had actually lasted just a few seconds but she was remembering it as if it had happened in slow motion, each little action meaningful and deliberate. She kept seeing Tetsu-kun's delicate hand rise to Kagami's neck, envisioning the graze of thin pale fingers against corded muscle. Her mind could perfectly conjure the strong line of her boyfriend's back as he tensed up in surprise, the sound of his gasp, and the determination in Kuroko's baby blues. But, more than anything, she couldn't get out of her head the soft brush of lips.

She... She just didn't know what to think.

Momoi had always known that Kuroko and Kagami had a special bond. They cared deeply for each other, she had no doubt about it (they had fought for so long together, played together, supported each other through thick and thin, that it would have been ridiculous to think otherwise), but to see them kiss...

It had been just so... Unexpected.

She was also very surprised by her boyfriend's reaction or more like lack thereof. Of course, it could be attributed to his shock at Kuroko's boldness but maybe... Maybe, it could mean that Kagamin wasn't as opposed to the idea as she would have expected.

Satsuki herself had never even considered the idea of sharing a loved one with somebody else (what a crazy idea!) but she had loved Tetsu-kun for nearly a decade and honestly didn't want to give up what she had with Kagamin, so even though the mere suggestion was insane... In a way it also held a certain kind of allure.

'All four of us.' Kuroko's voice resonated again through her mind. Which brought up that last unexpected variable to the equation.

Dai-chan.

And Momoi... She just didn't know what to make of it. Because she had loved the jerk since they were both in diapers, but it was a different kind of love and she couldn't see herself crossing that line with him.

"It would be so weird..." she found herself muttering.

However, surely Kuroko hadn't really been talking about all four of them sleeping together (and she blushed at the mere idea!). Maybe the offered deal had only referred to the four of them consenting to being... Flexible with their affections.

Sigh, sometimes Tetsu-kun was simply so hard to read.

She would have liked to know what Kagamin thought of the whole thing but, alas, he had yet to give up his silent treatment and, in all truth, Momoi hadn't dared to approach him.

A sound suddenly distracted her, interrupting her musings. She had been siting in the kitchen, a cup of tea that had gone cold in front of her, when the sound of a ball hitting the metal basket in their yard alerted her. Looking up she noticed the window was open and if she concentrated she could clearly hear the sounds of a basketball game outside. Momoi didn't need to peek to know it was Aomine and Kagami.

"Come on, you can't really be okay with any of this." Kagami's voice was rough, more a growl than proper language. "Say what you really think."

She heard the ball start dribbling, followed by a short scuffle and the sound of the ball passing through the net and bouncing on the ground.

"Shit! Hey, I asked you a question?" Apparently, Kagami was dead set on having a conversation and, as expected, Dai-chan wasn't. Good luck for Kagamin then.

"Do we really have to talk about this?" Dai-chan couldn't have sounded more bored if he had tried.

"Well, yeah. I'd think we need to."

"Sigh. You are such a girl, Kagami."

And the ball started dribbling again.

"Are you stupid?! Aren't you the least bit weirded out by what Kuroko said?!"

"Nah, Tetsu is better than me at figuring out this kind of shit." Bounce, bounce, shoot. Swish. Another point for Aomine.

She heard Kagami's steps on the asphalt then (always slightly more grounded than Aomine's) and the sound of the ball being picked up. It bounced a couple of times and that was it. Silence.

"Are you playing or what?" She heard her childhood friend demand.

Since instead of further dribbling she heard Dai-chan swear to himself, she guessed not. They were not going to play until they had had this conversation. What was the phrase? Irresistible force against immovable object...

"I am not gay, Aomine. This can't possibly work out."

"Big deal, I thought I didn't like blokes either and look at me."

"Yeah, right. You have always been a pervert who likes everything."

"At least I am not a romantic fool. Can we play now? Give me the ball."

She heard him step forward and Kagami take a step back.

"No."

"Sigh. Bakagami, you can't tell me that you haven't at least wondered what it would be like since Testu and I, well, you know."

A pause. Then:

"... I haven't."

"Nah, you are doing that thing with your ugly eyebrows."

"I am doing what?!"

"It means you are lying. It's your lying face. So see? You can't be all straight if you have wondered about it."

Satsuki had occasionally talked about the other two's bedroom activities with him. Occasionally. But had Kagami been thinking about their friends together more than he let on? If so, why hadn't he ever brought it up with her? These were the kind of things you were supposed to tell your girlfriend! And what did Dai-chan mean when he said Kagamin had a lying face? She had never noticed such a thing...

"That's stupid!" replied Kagami, "Besides, the whole idea is just insane. I just can't see myself making love to... Well, you!" He said so in a funny tone that Satsuki couldn't quite place. Aomine must have found it funny too, since he barked with laughter.

"First of, if you and I were getting down and dirty, we wouldn't make love, we would fuck. And second, we don't need to do anything, Bakagami. This isn't about you or me."

"What is it about then?"

"Satsuki," Aomine said with conviction. "And making her happy. You and I are just along for the ride."

Kagami must have let him steal the ball at that point, though, because soon after she heard it dribbling on the pavement.

"Besides," Aomine continued much more quietly as he made the ball bounce, almost as an afterthought. "Tetsu might not be everything that Satsuki thinks he is. She's making a real fuss about someone that doesn't really exist. And if she's so obsessed with him it might be better for everyone that they give it a try. You never know, she might get over it and we can all get back to normal."

Now that was mean! Mean to both her and Kuroko. What on earth was he saying? Wasn't he in love with Tetsu-kun?! How could he be so selfish! He didn't deserve anything that he had...

"Hey, hold it! You didn't just say that..." Kagami echoed her thoughts exactly.

"Weren't you angry with Tetsu anyway?" shot back Aomine, "Why are you defending him now?!"

"Why are you attacking him?!"

"I am not, I like him just fine the way he is." A pause. "All I am saying is that Satsuki may not."

Silence followed his words. Then the dribbling started again.

"Come one, Bakagami. Stop me."

She heard the ball hit the pavement and the two of them sidestepping each other as they fought for the sphere. More dibbling, a jump, a hand slapping rubber and the ball hitting metal. It bounced the floor next and rolled through the ground. So Kagami had indeed stopped him.

Seconds later Momoi heard them pick up the ball and start again.

"Aren't you the least bit worried then?" asked the redhead as he moved, so quietly that Satsuki had to concentrate to hear what he was saying. "Lets say we give this crazy plan a chance. What if they suddenly develop feelings for each other? What if they fall in love, move on and leave us behind? How would you like that?"

The ball stopped.

"Satsuki would never leave me behind."

She didn't know what to think after hearing Aomine say that. How arrogant could the jerk be? Was he serious? On a deeper level, though, she felt a small ping of pride swell in her chest. It was nice to know that at least someone still believed in her. Even if that someone was a selfish bastard.

"And you say I am the romantic fool, Ahomine."

"Shut up and play."

And when she heard the game start again, she knew the conversation was over.

Mind made up, Momoi ran to Kuroko's room before she lost her nerve. She didn't even knock, just strode into the room and placed a hand on his shoulder. He had been sitting by his desk, reading through some assignments, and looked up in surprised at her when she touched him.

"Momoi-san...?"

She didn't let him finish. Instead, she leaned in and kissed him.

This time her lips brushed his slowly, determined to savour the moment as she caressed them, unconsciously comparing their softness against Kagami's chapped lips. And although at first he didn't respond, after a couple of seconds he started to reciprocate. Satsuki's heart skipped a beat. Her hands moved to his face, to cup his cheek and feel his skin, smoother than Kagami's, not a hint of stubble to mar it. And soon after his own fingers moved to her head, gently running through her locks, touching her softly and making her sigh in delight.

The kiss ended far too soon. Satsuki tried to chase his lips as he pulled back, but Kuroko's fingers on her chest stopped her.

"Wait, Momoi-san..." Satsuki didn't want to wait, she wanted to kiss him again. She leaned forward but he shook his head. "Have you spoken with Kagami-kun yet?"

Satsuki looked away guiltily.

He sighed. But afterwards his hand caressed her cheek again.

"You need to speak with him, Momoi-san. This is his choice too. Don't take it away from him."

Why on Earth did those two have to be so protective of each other?! But deep down Momoi knew that Kuroko did have a point. Reticent as she was about it, deep down she knew that she needed to speak and sort things out with Kagamin first.

"Okay..." she whispered.

Kuroko nodded. And, suddenly, he leaned up to brush his lips softly against hers once.

Surprised, she looked at him with her eyes wide open.

"Cheer up, Momoi-san."

And Satsuki felt a small smile tug at her lips.

The door creaking downstairs interrupted them, though, and steeling herself, she left the room.

She decided to confront Kagami as soon as he was out of the shower, so she waited for him in their room, sitting quietly on top of their bed. He was wearing just a towel around his waist when he entered the room and didn't notice her at first. When he did, he hesitated for a second before ignoring her and going to their closet to grab some clothes.

"Kagamin..." He didn't even look at her. Sigh, this wasn't going to be easy.

He shifted uncomfortably for a second before dropping the towel and putting some boxers on. Afterwards he sat on the bed with his back to her and started to scrub his hair dry. She watched him in silence. She saw a random drop of water run down his back, down his wide shoulder blades towards his spine and before she knew what she was doing, her fingers stopped that single drop. She felt the muscles under her fingertips tense up at the contact. But instead of retreating, she leaned forward, resting her cheek on his back.

To her surprise, Kagami didn't push her away and, encouraged by this, she slid her hands around his torso to let them rest against his abs. They stayed like that for many minutes, in silence. She felt the hard planes of his stomach rise and fall with every breath he took. It wasn't quite a hug because he wasn't reciprocating, but little by little she felt his heart rate slow down. And when she was sure he was as calm as he was going to get, she spoke.

"I am sorry," she started, her cheek against the warm skin of his naked back. "I am just... I am just so confused, Kagamin. I guess, I guess it's because I have loved Tetsu-kun my whole life. I never really stopped loving him and, then, when I developed feelings for you too, I just thought nothing of it, because living with Tetsu-kun in the back of my mind is so natural for me as breathing. But..." She hesitated. "But this doesn't mean that what I feel for you is less real. I want to be with you, Kagamin. I really do."

She felt him sigh and lower his head. When he spoke, she felt his back vibrate under her cheek with the rumble of his deep voice.

"But you kissed him. Behind my back, Satsuki."

"It was just a kiss..." But it wasn't. It really wasn't.

"No," he said as if he was able to read her thoughts. "If you are in love with him, then it's not just a kiss."

This was going nowhere. But if she wanted to save what she had with him and be able to move on to something even better, she had to keep trying. Even though Momoi had to force herself to separate from his warmth in order to move around him and sit on his lap, her hands never left his skin. When his fierce gaze finally found hers, Satsuki made sure to keep hold of it.

"Why don't we give a try to what Tetsu-kun has proposed?" she asked.

"Satsuki..."

She shook her head and gathered her courage. In for a penny...

"We don't need to break up, Kagamin. And it's not cheating if we both consent."

Her hands gripped his shoulders and she felt the muscles shift as he moved his own larger hands to rest on the small of her back. She always felt so small in his arms...

"How could it work out, Satsuki?" he whispered in that low growl of his. "I am not good at sharing. I can't see how this can possibly work out."

"Can't we at least give it a try?"

He looked away again but at least it seemed that he was thinking things through.

"So you want all of us to have sex together?"

She blushed. And, ironically, for once he didn't.

"Well..." She hesitated.

"That was the deal, Satsuki," Kagami reminded her. "All or nothing."

"Dai-chan is not attracted to me." Because that would have been so weird...

"This cannot possibly work out," he said.

"But we will never know if we don't even try, Kagamin!"

She saw him frown but it was a thoughtful expression and not an angry one, so it gave her hope. She felt his fingers move against her skin, making her shiver ever so slightly. It was pure muscle memory, the feeling of a dribbling a basket ball between his hands, and Satsuki wondered if he was maybe recalling his earlier conversation with Aomine. Would she lose interest in Tetsu-kun once all her fantasies became reality? Momoi very much doubted it but if it was what Kagami needed to believe in order to move forwards...

"If we don't like it we can always go back, Kagamin," she whispered. "Please..."

And he sighed. Letting go of her waist he leaned back, resting his back against the mattress and spreading his arms wide in defeat.

"This is going to be so weird," he grumbled.

And the resignation in his voice made Satsuki's heart leap in her chest. He hadn't said no! Kagamin hadn't said no. Satsuki was so overjoyed that she threw herself at his neck and kissed him as hard as she could.

"You are amazing, Kagamin!"

"What I am is crazy..." he replied before sighing again and signalling her to get off him. "Come on, Satsuki. Let's go look for Kuroko and the asshole."


	9. The Arrangement

A/N: So. This chapter is shameless porn. Full stop. I did rate this as "explicit", so I hope nobody is horrified! If you wanna skip the porn, just go to the author notes at the bottom. In any case, as always, I look forward to your comments, even if reviewing unrepentant pwp is kinda hard. Oh well...

Chapter 9: The Arrangement

When people heard the word foursome the first thing that probably came to mind was an outrageous orgy that lasted until the break of dawn. Satsuki's classmates sometimes joked about things like that, telling dirty jokes and occasionally confessing to a random chronicle of one crazy night where significant amounts of booze had been consumed. However, she had always blushed at these stories, hiding her face in her hands as her friends laughed good heartedly at her prudishness.

"You are such a good girl, Satsuki. You need to let lose!" Some would tease her.

"What are you talking about?" Others argued back, though. "Haven't you seen her boyfriend? This blushing virgin thing she does is all an act!"

If only they knew... However, even though Satsuki and her boys had agreed to give Kuroko's crazy proposal a chance, they didn't jump straight into bed. Instead, things progressed at a very slow pace. The change was extremely subtle but it was there nonetheless: she felt it in the way Kagami clutched her tightly when he thought she was asleep (as if afraid she would be gone come morning), in the way Kuroko stared at her when he thought she wasn't looking (as if even the movement of her lips while she talked was able to distract him), and in the way Aomine began teasing her more than usual (as if to prove that he wasn't bothered by any of it and that nothing needed to change). Nobody else would have noticed these little things but for Momoi they made all the difference. However, soon days turned into weeks and things never really went beyond that. None of them dared to take that first step and it got to a point were Satsuki actually started to think that things would never really move beyond that.

Of course, as soon as she had resigned herself to such fate... It happened.

They had been watching a film that night and somehow, unexpected and unplanned, things escalated. She had been sitting in the middle of the couch, with Kagami on one side and Kuroko on the other, while Dai-chan had been lounging by himself in the armchair to their right. It had been his turn to choose the movie and predictably he had selected a crappy action film with lots of explosions and girls flashing their boobs. It was horribly boring but Satsuki had forced them to watch a chick-flick the weekend before, so she could hardly complain.

Besides, at least Kagamin seemed to be enjoying it too. One of the characters in the screen delivered some very lame joke that wasn't really funny and Satsuki heard the redhead chuckle in response. She turned to look at him, carefully observing his profile in the darkness of the room, noticing how the lights from the tv danced across his cheekbones and the curve of his jaw. When she had first met him, Momoi had thought that Kagami-kun looked a bit scary with his furrowed brow and fierce eyes. However, as soon as she had started spending more time with him she had noticed that his face changed a little when he smiled. The aggression was gone in those instances and, when it did, Kagami always looked unexpectedly handsome.

'Haven't you seen her boyfriend? This blushing virgin thing she does is all an act!' She recalled her friend's comment from earlier that day.

That hadn't been the first time that one of Satsuki's friends had complemented her boyfriend's looks either. And Satsuki knew that he was handsome, it was just that he looked so different to Tetsu-kun that sometimes Satsuki just couldn't help comparing the two. And since Kuroko had embodied for so long everything that she found attractive in a man...

Noticing her eyes on him, Kagami turned to look at her and, probably forgetting that he was still a bit angry with Satsuki, he smiled. Open and unguarded. A side of him that very few ever got to see. And Momoi felt her heart flutter in her chest because she was suddenly realizing how very close she had come to losing him.

Before she knew what she was doing, she had reached out for Kagami and brushed her lips against his. In a matter of seconds, their mouths were engaged in a proper kiss. God but she had missed him! And maybe this wasn't the right place or moment to start this, after all, she was perfectly aware that they were not alone in the room and that the polite thing would have been to either stop or move things to the privacy of their bedroom. However, all four of them had agreed to share this (to share her) so Momoi didn't let her shyness get the best of her.

'It's okay, though,' Thought Satsuki. After all, she was just being brave enough to start the game but now the ball was in their side of the court...

She concentrated on kissing Kagami, on the feel of his rough lips against hers, on the warmth from his body, and as seconds went by she got so lost into it that she nearly missed the slight shifting next to her. Kuroko. In a spur of the moment she turned and kissed him as well.

It was a soft brush of lips, shy and sweet were Kagami's kisses were passionate, but the contrast felt amazing. It was worth it, all the heartache from the last couple of weeks had definitely been worth it when the reward was the feel of Kuroko's gentle lips against hers. And even though they now had all the time in the world to explore each other, for some reason Satsuki felt like she would never be able to get enough of him. When they parted to breathe, she saw Tetsu-kun take a deep breath and glance up and beyond her shoulder to exchange a silent look with Kagami. She felt dread for a second, afraid of her boyfriend's reaction, but even though she couldn't see Kagami's face the two former teammates must have reached some kind of agreement because soon after Kuroko was kissing her again while Kagami's lips moved to her neck. Momoi's heart fluttered in her chest and she felt a shiver run down her spine. Because this, being with the two of them like this, felt actually better than anything she could have ever imagined. Amongst the heady pleasure, though, she thought she heard some shuffling in the background, but she would have ignored it if Kagami's lips had not suddenly left her skin.

"Where do you think you are going, Aomine?" His voice brought her back to earth. There it was again, that strange tone of voice that Satsuki couldn't quite place. But she didn't have much time to wonder about it since her attention quickly shifted to Dai-chan and the foot he already had outside the room.

"Is this a joke?" Aomine said with a real hint of anger as he realized three pairs on eyes were on him. "Surely you guys don't expect me to just sit here while the three of you start necking."

"Aomine-kun..." started Kuroko, only to be interrupted by Kagami.

"Don't chicken out! When we agreed to this we agreed to a package deal. So get your ass on the couch."

Momoi was so surprised by Kagami's reaction that for a moment she didn't know how to respond. Aomine and Kuroko must have been on a similar predicament because neither moved or said anything.

Kagami grunted under the scrutiny but didn't back down.

"If we are gonna do this we have to do it right," he said, trying to explain himself. "Nobody feels left out. And that includes you too, dumb-head."

Aomine shook his head in disbelief and chuckled as he went to the couch to fit himself behind Kuroko. The smaller man had immediately moved to make room for his old light and, apparently ashamed that he had forgotten about his own boyfriend, latched himself to Aomine's neck, seeking his lips in apology.

Surreal as the whole thing was, Satsuki felt a strange sensation deep in her belly as she watched them. In all these years she had hardly seen them share a moment of intimacy and she found herself irrationally curious and strangely aroused by the scene. However, she was surprised by their behaviour because they were acting the opposite of what she had always expected them to be: while Kuroko had moved his arms to curl around his lover's neck, Aomine's own hands remained obediently by his sides, not a finger lifting to touch the smaller man.

Unable to understand why Dai-chan would choose to restrain himself, she reached out with a hand herself and as soon as her fingertips touched the back of Kuroko's neck she felt a shiver run down his spine. 'He is so sensitive', she marvelled. But before she could move her hands any further, Kuroko turned in Aomine's lap and, after a slight moment of hesitance, went back to kissing her instead.

Momoi felt Kagami's huge hands on her sides and she let them guide her to lean against his chest as Kuroko followed and continued to kiss her. Aomine remained behind the smaller man, holding Kuroko's waist to keep him steady while Satsuki started rocking against him. At some point she felt a strong callused hand caress the leg she had half wrapped around the slighter man. She knew immediately that it belonged to her childhood friend and even though it should have unnerved her, the touch was gentle and un-intrusive, so Momoi found herself actually enjoying it.

However, most of her attention was still on Kuroko, the brush of his mouth against hers, the feel of his shoulders underneath her hands and the scent of his skin so close to hers. Momoi couldn't get enough of him and soon his gentle kisses and careful hands turned into too much of a tease. She needed more of him, she couldn't get enough, so she tried to bring him closer and deepen the kiss. Kuroko's breath quickened in response. She felt his heart rate speed up underneath her fingertips and his mouth actually stumbled, lips turning clumsy against hers. She should have taken notice of all these things but Momoi had been so aroused that she hardly cared about any of it. Which was the reason why she felt so dizzy when Kuroko suddenly got away form her arms.

"Hey, easy there, Tetsu," she heard Aomine say in a surprisingly tender tone. His voice guided her eyes to the pair and she froze. Momoi had not been expecting the spooked look on Kuroko's face. Noticing her confusion, Aomine smiled reassuringly at her. "It's okay, Satsuki," he promised, then, leaning close to Kuroko's ear he whispered: "No need to rush anything..."

"Tetsuya..." she murmured as well. But Kuroko actually leaned away when she tried to reach out for him, a mixture of fright and shame crystal clear in his face. Confused by his reaction, she tried to sit up and reach for him again, but this only made Kuroko's breath quicken. "Tetsu-kun?"

The sofa shifted then as Aomine suddenly moved around his boyfriend, exchanging places with him to sit closer to Satsuki and obscure Kuroko's smaller frame from view. The tanned man keeled between her legs and put a warm hand on her knee, subtly asking her to spread them wider. And Satsuki was so shocked by everything that was happening that she found herself complying. She then watched Aomine also hesitate for a second and, like Kuroko had done earlier, saw his eyes momentarily glance above Satsuki's head towards Kagami. 'Kagami!' She remembered suddenly. And wished that she could see his face at that moment. But after a charged pause she felt her boyfriend nod behind her and his arms cradled her closer, making her feel safe and protected despite the weirdness of the situation.

Aomine's lips gave a slight smirk and his eyes returned back to Satsuki's.

"You trust me, right?" he asked her.

Momoi wanted to answer him but Kuroko moved behind Dai-chan just then and Satsuki's gaze was inevitably drawn back to him. If she straightened in Kagami's lap, she could clearly see Kuroko's big eyes behind Aomine's shoulder and she wondered what on earth had happened. Why had he moved away? Why had he looked so scared? Why had he reciprocated at first just to pull back at the worst possible moment? Kuroko still looked a bit out of it but there was no mistaking that he seemed much more comfortable now that he wasn't in the spotlight. 'Why?' she kept repeating the question over and over in her mind but found herself unable to voice her fears out loud. Her body started trembling with anxiety. Had she done something wrong? The mere possibility terrified her.

Suddenly, she felt the warm hand on her knee give it a squeeze.

"Satsuki." It was Dai-chan again, trying to get her attention and once distract her from Kuroko. As soon as she looked at him, he repeated his question: "Do you trust me?"

Despite her nervousness, this time she nodded. Of course she trusted him.

She saw his lips curve again in self-assurance before his head ducked lower between her legs. Aomine had given her plenty of warning, he really had, but still Satsuki was unable to withhold the whimper that escaped her lips when she felt the warmth of his tongue between her legs. He started slowly, teasing her, allowing her to get used to the sensation, distracting Momoi from everything that had just happened. And little by little his actions became bolder. Satsuki lost track of time then and all sense of reality left her. She became so overwhelmed by the whole turn of events that she didn't even realize that at some point he had managed to pull down her lingerie but, as soon as she felt his tongue stimulate her clit, whatever common sense she had still retained completely abandoned her. She could feel him licking and mouthing at her folds while his hands massaged her tights. Soon the pleasure was so intense that a moan escaped her lips and, embarrassed, Momoi had had to turn and muffle the desperate little sounds against Kagami's chest. However, with every ticking second the torturous sensation intensified. She couldn't help squirming and arching in bed as he kissed and licked her there where she had never felt a mouth. And Momoi was so close to orgasm that she all but cried out in frustration when he suddenly moved away.

"Aomine-kun!" she whined because this simply couldn't keep happening to her! "What are you...?"

But he shook his head, signalling her to remain quiet. Panting, Momoi saw him lick his lips in an absentminded manner that would have made her blush to the roots of her hair if she hadn't been so aroused.

"Dai-chan..." she called again.

And in response he smirked at her roguishly (like those times when they were kids and about to do something that would inevitably get them grounded). The look was so familiar that having her own lips twitch in response was pure instinct. What was he up to? Leaning languidly against her knees, Aomine looked up and addressed her boyfriend.

"Don't you want to give it a try, Kagami?" he taunted the redhead with a deep husky voice. And Satsuki felt each and every one of Kagami's muscles tense at the veiled challenge. "She won't bite, I promise."

Kagami's response was immediate. He placed his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing Momoi forward so that he could slip from behind her, and he knelt on the floor between Aomine and herself. The tanned man moved backwards to make room for his old rival and Kagami grabbed her tights, shifting Satsuki's body till her legs rested over his shoulders.

"Kagamin..."

With his brow settling into a determined line, Kagami leaned in and continued where Aomine had left off with even more enthusiasm than the other man. And that's how Momoi came not a minute later, with his tongue massaging her clit and his fingers breaching her core. Her orgasm was so intense that when she finally came down from her high Satsuki could hardly move. However, when Kagami leaned up and kissed her forehead, she found the strength to run an affectionate hand through his locks.

"That was... Incredible," she managed to murmur. And made that extra effort to reach out and grab his cock, which she could feel (thick and so so hard) twitching against her leg. He didn't last long. Kagami was so worked up that all it took where a couple of strokes for him to come all over her.

Satsuki kissed his sweaty forehead then and he shifted to lay his head on her tights. She felt him exhale and his warmth breath against her skin made her shiver. She watched the top of his head for a moment and then her eyes shifted to her childhood friend, who was watching the two of them from the other side of the couch like the cat who got the cream.

"And when did you learn to do that?" she asked him in disbelief when she finally found her voice.

Dai-chan smirked.

"I told you I knew my way with a woman, Satsuki."

"You can't possibly have learnt that through porn," she insisted.

And he chuckled before leaning back and sighing contently.

That's when Satsuki noticed the pale hand wrapped around his cock, steadily jerking him off. 'Kuroko' she realized. And it hit her like a bag of bricks: Momoi had actually forgotten about Kuroko. In the midst of pleasure, unbelievable as it was, she had somehow lost sight of the love of her life.

However, in that instant Aomine moved and, despite the confusion, Momoi's gaze was inevitably drawn back to him. Because watching him close his eyes and lean his head back in pleasure, baring the long line of his throat and parting his lips in a silent groan, she couldn't help thinking: 'He looks beautiful like that...'

And although she would have normally chastised herself for even thinking such a thing (it was Dai-chan, for god's sake!), at that point she was so spent and her brain so sluggish that she didn't even bother doing so.

Not a second later she felt Kagami's head turn in her lap to look at the pair. And even though she couldn't actually see his face, Momoi felt how his eyes remained locked on the scene in front of them till Aomine reached his climax.

O.O

I am soooo embarrassed now. Anyway, explanations of the character's behaviours will happen on the next chapter. And more drama!


	10. Kuroko's Confession

A/N: This is a freakishly long chapter, so apologies for that. But if I had split it in two it would have delayed Momoi and Kuroko's eventual confrontation another week, and I thought it wasn't fair to keep dragging this any longer. So here it is at last. This is hardly the end of the story but it's an important turning point for our lovely heroes. I am actually pretty nervous about posting this chapter. It touches sensitive subjects and I am afraid many of you will be put off and decide you have had enough of this fic and move on to greener pastures. BUT for those of you who aren't sacred away the good news is that I finally have this monster written down from beginning to end (in need of polishing, yes, but all is typed now), so there will be regular updates every week! In any case, I hope this doesn't disappoint.

SPOILER ALERT: There are mentions in this chapter to certain events of the miragen's past.

Chapter 10: Kuroko's Confession

Momoi woke up feeling somewhat groggy and foggy-headed. It was too warm around her and, uncomfortable, she tried to shift away from the heat. However, she stopped as soon as she recognized her boyfriend's strong body pressed against hers. It had to be him: Kagami had always been like a walking furnace. She tried to stretch in the cramped space of his arms and her feet collided with another body. That's when the events of the night before suddenly came crashing through her head.

And the memory shook of her morning grogginess in an instant.

Looking around herself in surprise, Momoi realized that she had fallen asleep on the couch where everything had taken place and that at least two of her boys were still with her. A glance confirmed what she had feared, though, that it was indeed Kuroko who was missing. Carefully removing Kagami's arm from around her, she slid away from his embrace and off the couch, pausing to watch the two sleeping men with a strange feeling in her chest.

Kagami had shifted as soon as she had moved away from him, trying to keep hold of her even whilst asleep. But Aomine had immediately taken over the empty space, stretching his legs to take up as much room in the sofa as possible. Despite her growing anxiety, Momoi found herself smiling at their antics.

Boys were so silly.

A loud sound from the tv suddenly startled her and she quickly moved to turn off the screen, where the menu of the film they had tried to watch the night before kept playing in an eternal loop. For a second, she had feared the noise would wake up the other two but thankfully they remained undisturbed. Good. She didn't think she would have had the courage to face either of them so soon.

However, in the silence of the room, she slowly became aware of the sound of a kettle somewhere in the background. And, with a lump in her throat, Momoi made her way to the kitchen.

Kuroko looked almost like a mirage in the soft morning light, his movements gentler than ever as he moved about quietly in the kitchen. And seeing him doing something so menial as preparing tea felt almost surreal, because deep inside Momoi kept fearing that he would once again disappear if she so much as blinked.

"Tetsu-kun..." she called out before she even knew what she wanted to say.

And as soon as Kuroko's gentle eyes met hers, she felt as if the world had stopped spinning.

They stared at each other for a small eternity, unsure of who would make the first step. What could they possibly say? Where to even start? Wishing she could reach out and touch him just to make sure he wasn't imaginary, Momoi felt her own fingers twitch, but she didn't dare and in the end it was him who approached her.

He hugged her.

And Satsuki felt weak in the knees.

However, confused out of her mind or not, wrapping her arms around him was almost an instinctual reaction for Momoi: there was no way she wouldn't reciprocate when he was showing her physical affection.

But why was he doing this now if he had he pulled away the night before? Why had he pushed her away? Why had he offered her everything just to leave her yearning?

"Momoi-san..." she heard him mutter against her temple, his voice quiet and calm but with an unmistakable a hint of restrained emotion. "Please be patient with me. I just... I thought I was ready for yesterday, but... I obviously wasn't. I am sorry for the way things turned out."

The events of the night before fast-forwarded through her mind at his words, almost too quickly for her to keep track of it all, but she suddenly experienced a moment of clarity: Misdirection. Kuroko had actually used misdirection with her the night before. As if he were in a freaking basketball game the phantom man of the generation of miracles had once again hidden behind his light to make himself blend into the shadows.

And Momoi would have gotten furious with him except... Except for the fact that at the time his kisses had felt real to her. Kuroko had wanted to kiss her. Right at the start she had been able to feel how much he wanted to be with her in that moment, but somehow at some point everything had just gone downhill.

But why? What was Kuroko thinking?

'No need to rush anything...' That was what Dai-chan had whispered in Tetsu-kun's ear immediately after the freak-out. And if Aomine's words had hinted at it, Kuroko was now basically confirming the same: that he had thought that he had wanted it only to discover in the middle of it all that he couldn't follow through.

"I am sorry, Momoi-san," he repeated quietly.

And even though she couldn't quite understand what he was implying, she found herself nodding anyway. Satsuki needed more time to think about what had happened and what was being said, and in the meantime the only thing she knew for certain was that she just wanted to get rid of the sadness tainting his voice.

"It's okay, Tetsu-kun," she told him just as softly, "The four of us are still figuring out what we want."

She felt him tighten his hold on her and, an instant later (an instant too soon), he let go.

"Thank you," he said.

And even though she felt like there was much more to everything than what he was letting on, they now had all the time in the world. If she had waited a decade to be with him, a couple more days wouldn't hurt anybody. They would get their chance to talk things properly soon enough.

And the conversation couldn't have ended on a more appropriate moment since, immediately after, a sleepy Kagami joined them in the kitchen.

She noticed that despite their night of passion Kagami was still behaving somewhat distant towards her. It was nothing glaringly obvious but those little things that had come so easily before to them (giving her a morning peck on the cheek, grabbing her hand in greeting), still weren't coming as freely as they once had.

'How long is it going to be till you forgive me?' Wondered Momoi as she watched her boyfriend. 'And they say I send mixed signals...' She thought next, remembering his protective arms and passionate mouth.

Momoi sighed and made her way to the coffee pot, preparing two mugs: one for herself and one for him.

The way he had held on to her as he slept, even the way he had pleasured her the night before, proved that he was still head over hills about her but obviously that didn't mean that he had forgiven her or that he would any time soon. Who knew how long the redhead would deem necessary before he could build up his trust in her again but Momoi knew that Kagami-kun could be terribly stubborn.

She added some extra sugar to his coffee and handed it over to him in an attempt to make peace.

"Here," she said softly, "Good morning, Kagamin."

Kagami seemed genuinely surprised by her gesture but he grunted a rough thank you and took the mug.

That's when Aomine entered the kitchen. And a strange tension suddenly filled the room.

"What's for breakfast?" he grumbled snottily as he passed by Kuroko and ruffled the top of his head, making the shorter man's bed hair even messier.

"Please don't do that, Aomine-kun," replied Kuroko as he attempted to comb his hair back into some semblance of order.

Aomine gave a loud yawn and dropped himself lazily onto the stool next to Kagami. Momoi saw the edge of his shirt ride up when he scratched his stomach, and that flash of tanned skin and sculpted abs had her blushing in an instant. It hit her then, as harshly as a punch in the gut, that she had slept with him as well.

"Oi, Satsuki, why don't I get one of these too?" he demanded, gesturing towards Kagami's coffee.

The redhead clutched his mug protectively.

Satsuki hesitated for a moment. Because as annoyed as she always got when Aomine behaved like a spoiled brat, she could feel a small weight lift off her shoulders at his nonchalance. She had been terrified of how their relationship would change after having crossed that invisible line but it didn't seem like Dai-chan was actually going to let it change at all.

"Come on, Satsuki," he said. "Make me some coffee too."

"Just go and make your own, Ahomine," cut in Kagami somewhat testily.

And Satsuki saw Dai-chan's slanted eyes shift to him after the outburst. She saw him watch the redhead appraisingly, almost like a cat would a mouse. 'Uh oh', she thought, 'Kagamin just made himself a target.'

"Nah," drawled Dai-chan as he stretched lazily, "I want Satsuki to make it for me. Or you can give me yours."

He even reached out to take it. And the whole thing exploded into an argument.

They behaved like children. The two of them.

"They will get over it," murmured Kuroko as he joined her, making her jump since she hadn't heard him move. "Come on, Momoi-san. Let's go get ready for class."

And even though Kuroko was usually right about these kinds of things, rather than improve, the tension between Aomine and Kagami only got worse as days went by.

Life went on, as it always did. The four of them didn't try to sleep together again for the next couple of days because things still felt too raw and after Kuroko's reaction it almost felt like the deal had been called off. But, for some reason, that strange tension that had developed between the two athletes began to become a problem. Satsuki didn't know what to think. Even their one-on-one's were getting tainted by it and they turned more and more aggressive with every stolen ball and each basket scored. For some reason, Dai-chan's behavior around Kagami began to revert back to what it had been when they had first met: mocking him unnecessarily and taunting him every chance he got. And the angrier Kagami got, the more Aomine pushed his luck.

'But that's just Dai-chan being an ass', thought Satsuki every time she saw them get into each others faces. Being a jerk was how her infuriating childhood friend had always dealt with difficult situations, all three of them should have been used to it by now. So why was Kagamin letting it get to him?

Her boyfriend had always been quick-tempered, yes, but it was also true that he was usually a very composed individual. However, recently it almost seemed as if Kagamin was simply unable to NOT take the bait. And he fell for it. Every. Single. Time. It would have been funny if she hadn't feared that they might come to blows.

It made Momoi wonder what could possibly be prompting such a strong reaction from her boyfriend. Because Aomine sometimes did things like this when he was bored, there was no mystery there, but Kagami... Could it be that her boyfriend was... Jealous?

'I am not good at sharing,' he had warned her when Satsuki had discussed with him Kuroko's proposal. But if she looked at facts, he had been more than happy to share her with Aomine when the two of them had... Momoi wasn't going to think about it! Not if she wanted to get through the day. Sheesh.

In any case, jealousy would somewhat explain why the redhead got particularly agitated whenever Aomine approached Satsuki while he didn't react nearly as badly when Kuroko was involved. It must have been because there was never anything overtly sexual in Kuroko's advances, while Aomine's... Well, she was starting to realize that he projected sexuality, often even unintentionally.

'Stupid, Dai-chan,' she thought.

However, maybe it was even simpler than any of that and the reason lay in the biggest obsession in their lives: basketball. Since Kagami had never had to compete with Kuroko (they had always been on the same team) while at one point Aomine had been his adversary, it could be that a part of Kagami's lizard brain was recognizing the competition and that was what had him on edge. It was a bit silly, almost like two street mutts fighting to be the alpha male in the pack, but it also kind of made sense.

'Men are so dumb,' she though every time she saw them get into each other's personal space to shout, threaten and shove at the other for the millionth time. Didn't they realize that it was Kuroko who held everyone's leashes in this relationship? And they said she was the ditsy one.

Thinking about Tetsu-kun, though, made a strange feeling twist in her belly.

Momoi had been dying to continue her conversation with him since that first night together, but there simply hadn't been a chance in the past few days. Nevertheless, no matter how many days went by, she simply couldn't get what had happened out of her mind. Momoi kept thinking about Tetsu-kun's reaction during sex, his initial enthusiasm and later reticence. His need to use freaking misdirection on her. And even though it worried her, he had been extremely polite and caring with her since that night. This special treatment would have normally had her walking on clouds, except that she couldn't get out of her head how he had pushed her away after their kiss.

And the more she thought about it, the more anxious she became till it got to the point that she decided that, if he wasn't going to bring it up, she had to confront him herself.

A week exactly after the whole fiasco, she sought him out. It was a bit silly that she had had to spend nearly five minutes looking for him in their small house even though she knew he had to be home. It was at times like this that she hated this absolute lack of presence. Momoi could heard the tv downstairs playing a basketball game, so she knew it was just Kagamin down there. However, just as she was about to leave for the bedroom, she noticed a pale shadow at the bottom of the stairs.

'There he is!' she thought excitedly.

Kuroko was holding his laptop in one hand and he seemed to be hesitating by the entrance to the living room. She was about to call out to him when he suddenly steeled himself and made his way to Kagamin.

"Hey," greeted the redhead, just to gasp in surprise when Tetsu-kun suddenly sat himself on his lap. "Kuroko?"

The smaller man simply leaned back against Kagami's chest and made himself comfortable, opening his computer to start typing.

"There is this competition," he started, acting oblivious to the other's shock at his actions. "A writing competition. The winner gets some money and a publishing deal. It can be historical or science fiction but you need to submit a short novel set in a war or some kind of battlefield. I... I am thinking about entering it."

Kagami seemed to snap out of his stupor. But, to Satsuki's surprise, rather than push the other man off him he simply watched him with a wary eye.

"I guess it makes sense," her boyfriend said at last, his voice as gruff as ever but his demeanor surprisingly at ease. "You have always been good at history. Is there anything in particular you want to write about?"

"I actually already have something written that meets that criteria. It's not finished but I could get it done in time for the deadline. Although I must confess that I got most of my inspiration from our days at Seirin," replied Kuroko almost shyly. "In hindsight, some of those games actually felt like battles..."

Satsuki saw the redhead's hands shift a couple of times, as if Kagami wasn't sure what to do with them or where to place them, until they finally came to rest on Kuroko's waist.

"They sure did," He grunted in acknowledgment, and Satsuki saw the muscles of his arms shift as if reacting to the memory of those competitive games. "Well, I am certain that whatever you have written will be good, Kuroko, so you should definitely enter that competition." Tetsu-kun's eyes shifted to glance at him from the corner of his eye and Kagami gave one of those open-mouth smiles that came so rarely to him. "Besides, I have never seen you lose at anything you were dead-set on winning. Not for long anyway."

Kuroko hummed in consideration. Afterwards, he settled back against the redhead's chest and resumed his typing.

"I might give it a try then," he said with conviction. "After all, Kagami-kun has good instincts."

Some loud cheering on the tv made the redhead's attention return to the game and Satsuki saw how slowly, probably subconsciously, his large hands started to... Well, she couldn't think of a better word than "pet" Kuroko's hips. Treating the other as if he were an overgrown kitten. Even stranger though was that Kuroko actually let him. Satsuki remembered Tetsu-kun's skittishness during sex and wondered what was about Kagami's touch that had him so at ease...

"I really like this, you know," Kuroko told the redhead suddenly, his tone resolute, "being with Kagami-kun like this. I am really happy you gave this a try."

Kagami groaned and hid his face in Kuroko's hair.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Kuroko? Don't say things like that so easily!"

Tetsu-kun chuckled quietly to himself.

"But you are happy too, aren't you, Kagami-kun?" he added softly. "You are not regretting any of this, are you?"

"I... I think I am kind of liking it," replied the redhead with some uncertainty. "Not sure where we all stand, though. Not yet."

"We will get there," said Kuroko. "Just go with whatever you are confortable with." A pause. Then, so quietly that she could barely hear them. "That first time. When you saw us. You know it wasn't me who kissed her, right?"

Satsuki froze.

She saw Kagami's hands tighten their hold on the other's waist. And how his thumbs didn't stop their gentle circling.

"Yeah," he said. "I do know that, Kuroko."

And they left it at that.

Very few times in her life had Satsuki actually felt annoyed at Kuroko. However, it had shaken her to the core that he had actually gone and rattled her out to Kagamin after everything that had happened. What had he been trying to achieve? Did he want her and Kagami to fight? Didn't he want them to make up? She understood that Kagami was his best friend and that the redhead had spent weeks without talking to him after the whole fiasco but at this point saying things like these could only stir up deep waters. It was true that she had initiated the kiss, yes, but it wasn't fair that after all of them had made up he would still feel the need to set such a thing straight. Besides, two don't kiss if one didn't want to.

And she was so angry with him (specially after watching Kuroko take such liberties with HER boyfriend after having rejected HER) that she very nearly lost her nerve. However, there was one thing that had kept her from lashing out and that was that, intimate as their interaction had been, nothing had come out of it. Not really. Momoi was perfectly aware that the scenario had presented itself for a kiss and she was even starting to suspect that Kagami wouldn't have pushed his old teammate away if Kuroko had tried to kiss him. But that was the thing: Kuroko hadn't.

And that just made her more and more confused.

Feeling as if she was slowly going insane, Momoi went to Dai-chan's room and threw herself onto his bed. She had gone to him on instinct, without giving it too much thought, but as soon as her body touched the mattress she felt a strange nervousness grip her. The two of them hadn't really had the chance to be alone together either since that first night, and at some level Momoi was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. For him to change around her. However, she needn't have worried: Aomine barely glanced up from this desk as she entered, too busy grunting to himself about the "fucking assignment" in front of him and the "bloody English" he was obviously struggling with.

"They can't even get their numbers right! Why call the freaking thing ´thirty-three' when it's a simple three-ten-three. Satsuki, no wonder these Americans are all nuts."

She had to hide a smile as she heard him mess up his R's...

"Come on, Dai-chan. You can't seriously be sulking about what they call their numbers..."

"I am not joking, Satsuki, what the fuck do they mean 'thir-teen´? Why are they screwing around with the order of the place values? It's triple the work to get anything done!"

Curious, she crawled over the bed to kneel close to him and peer at his page.

"Nah, nothing wrong with their system, you are just lazy, Dai-chan," she teased.

He sighed, running a hand through his short hair.

"I am okay when its just numbers but as soon as people start spouting garbage..." Swearing, he shut the book resolutely, "Who cares anyway. As long as I keep winning them games nobody is gonna give a shit." Satsuki kicked the back of his chair. "Oi!"

"There you go again," she chastised him. "It's not you who wins the games, Dai-chan, it's your team."

He sighed and stood up to flop down on the bed next to her.

"I know, I know, Satsuki. Cut a guy some slack, will ya?"

She saw him bite his lower lip in frustration and she froze. That small innocent gesture had made her thoughts immediately go to...! How could they not when she could still feel his lips on... Blushing to the roots of her hair, she laid down side by side next to him and stared resolutely at the ceiling.

"Hey, did you know that Tetsu-kun has written a story?" she said in hopes of distracting herself.

"A story?"

"Yes. Something about a battlefield. The fight between two armies, I think."

"Tetsu writes about wars? He's never even been in a fight..."

"That's because he is not a delinquent," she chastised him again, "but I think he believes he can draw experience from his Seirin years."

Aomine laughed.

"Sheesh, Satsuki. You make him sound like such an old man!"

Momoi reached out to poke him and he let her.

"Well, I think it will be super interesting. And you know what, if there is a bad guy in his story, I am sure he will be based on you!"

"Yeah, right. And who would you be then? My evil minion?"

Aomine rolled away before she could hit him, sitting at the edge of the bed he yawned loudly. Satsuki felt a vein pop in her forehead.

"Aomine-kun! I would obviously be the damsel in distress!" she shouted at him, kneeling to jab him in the back with her finger. "And Tetsu-kun and Kagamin can be my knights in shining armours!"

"Nah, you definitely make a better minion. And Kuroko is too short to be the hero. Maybe a ghost then. But Bakagami is definitely the ogre in the dungeon. That or the court's jester, either would fit him fine."

"Who are you calling a buffoon, Ahomine?!" raged Kagami's deep voice from somewhere down the hallway (almost like an ogre in its dungeon!).

"Will you please stop destroying my story, Aomine-kun?" Pleaded Kuroko's immediately afterwards, his voice coming closer until he peeked his head into the room "The motivation to finish it is slowly leaving me."

"Don't be a sore loser, Tetsu," drawled Aomine as he laid back down. "It's a great story."

Kuroko actually placed a hand on his chin appraisingly. "Hmm, well... In my story Momoi-san can definitely be a princess," (And Satsuki would have found it adorable if he hadn't been such a dirty snitch earlier), "but if there was going to be a damsel in distress, then that would definitely have to be Aomine-kun."

"Eh?!"

"Kuroko is right," cut in Kagami as he joined his old teammate at the door, a shit-eating grin in his face as he prepared to enact a small act of revenge for all the abuse he had had to put up with. "All alone in his tower of jerkassery, crying like a baby because nobody could beat him. Poor poor dear Dai-chan!"

Aomine grabbed a pillow and threw it at their heads.

"Shut up already!"

And despite herself Satsuki laughed.

Kuroko did finish writing his story. But he made it a tale about chasing dreams, about failing and standing up to fight for them again. He spoke about friendship, loss and hope. About all those things he had felt during the winter cup and had never been able to express. And somehow, somewhere, someone must have found it compelling. Because he actually won the competition.

"Will you come with me, Momoi-san?"

And to her utter surprise, he asked her to accompany him to pick up the prize. Only her. Despite her better judgement, she didn't say no. She was surprised by his invitation because for days Satsuki had been giving him the cold shoulder. And even though he was perfectly aware that he was the source of her anger, he still made no move to have that private conversation which he owed her. Unfortunately, the more this was delayed, the more the pain festered inside Momoi. Because every day that went by, was another day in which she obsessed and over-analysed Kuroko's conversation with Kagami.

'You know it wasn't me who kissed her, right?' she kept hearing him say that in the back of her mind and the more she heard it, the tighter her stomach clenched in knots.

If he hadn't wanted the kiss, why on Earth had he led her on?! It was Kuroko who suggested the crazy foursome idea, for fuck's sake. What on Earth had he been thinking?! And when her thought inevitably went to that surreal night in which the four of them had slept together, she felt her heart clench in her chest: that he had pulled away from her during sex wasn't helping matters either.

But she still said yes when he invited her to pick up his prize, and they attended the awards ceremony together.

Momoi watched him struggle under the spotlight. Even though everyone there only had kind and admiring words for him, Kuroko wasn't used to the attention and wasn't sure how to even react to it. When people tried to engage him in conversation, he tried to keep it short. When someone approached him, he always found an excuse to move away. And Satsuki watched all of this with raising anger in her chest. What on earth did he think was he doing?! Didn't he realize that this was a chance in a million to network and try to make some friends in the publishing industry? Didn't he want to be writer? And it was like watching Dai-chan turn down all those recruiters back in middle school all over again.

But that's when she realized that Kuroko wasn't doing it on purpose. No, Kuroko wasn't purposely sabotaging his chances. As she saw him try to stand his ground as three men drilled him with words, she realized that it wasn't that Tetsu-kun didn't want to make the connections but that he didn't know how to.

And realizing this, Satsuki felt most of her anger for him disperse. He had poured so much of himself into his writing... It would have been such a shame if he failed to get published because he sucked at chit chatting with strangers. And therefore, she took over for him. That night she behaved like the perfect lady (like a perfect girlfriend): showing her support, helping him keep the conversation going with potential publishers and showing her strength there where he was weak. By the time the event was over, they left the building with handful of business cards in hand.

"Momoi-san was amazing tonight,' he told her when they were back in their hotel room. "You should think about becoming a literary agent."

And, unexpectedly, it was that praise uttered when he sat over the hotel's pristine bed sheets that made Satsuki lose her nerve.

She shouted at him, too angry to properly filter what came out of her mouth. And Kuroko let her scream and scream at him until she ran out of steam. Only then did he approach her.

Standing in front of her, he asked her to please look at him. And once he was sure she was paying attention, he steeled himself and spoke up:

"It's not you, Momoi-san," he said very very slowly, as if he was having to think his words through one at a time. "Unfortunately, I am pretty sure that I am what people call... Asexual. If I had any doubts, that night we spent together pretty much proved it."

"I... I don't understand," she said. Because he was not asexual. Because she had seen him behave sexually before.

That made him chuckle to himself. And she would have slapped him if it hadn't been such a nasty self-depreciating sound.

"I can't blame you," he continued, talking more to himself than with Satsuki. "Sex has never been something that interests me. I realized pretty early on that I was different but it wasn't easy to come to terms with any of this... I guess at some point I just accepted it. Now that I think about it, it was a bit like my basketball: at first I didn't want to be different but eventually I came to accept who I was and was able to move forwards."

"But... I don't understand," she said again. "How can you be...? You have kissed me, Kuroko. And Dai-chan. Even Kagamin! And... I felt it that night in the way you held me and in the way you kissed me, I know you wanted it. You can't be asexual if you felt desire for me."

Kuroko sighed. And he turned to look towards the window, letting his eyes lose themselves in the streets below and the city lights rather than keep facing hers.

"I wish it was that straightforward," he said quietly, as if he was struggling to find the words to express himself. "I know it's confusing and that it cannot be easy to understand, but with me it's not as simple as all or nothing. This is really hard to explain." He sighed again and tried to start over: "Until a couple of weeks ago, I had thought that I had come to terms with my own sexuality but then... Then you kissed me, Momoi-san, and I felt something that I..." His hand clutched his chest and he turned away from the window to finally face her. "You kissed me. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to be close to you, to hold you and to kiss you back. Because all of it had felt nice and special and... It made me think that things could be different. Which is why I proposed this whole thing in the first place!" He took a deep breath after the subtle outburst, making an effort to calm himself. "But... I was mistaken. I just don't think I will ever be able to go beyond that."

He had said that very very carefully, as if preparing himself for rejection, as if he thought there was something 'broken' in him that made him... Defective.

"I am very sorry, Momoi-san. But this is who I am."

Momoi tried to make sense of his words. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that he was telling the truth. In hindsight, she was starting to realize that the clues had been there all along: all those times when he had pulled away since middle school, it had never been about her not being attractive enough. No. There had been hints before and now he had all but told her himself.

However, something else hit her then.

"But... You and Dai-chan... You two have been together for years, Tetsu-kun!" And she had experienced first hand Aomine's enjoyment of sex. If Kuroko really felt no interest whatsoever on it how had they possibly made this work for over half a decade?!

"I think Aomine-kun loves me very much," he said in a very soft voice, as if he was opening up his heart to her. "Even though he often acts like a jerk, when he believes in something or someone, when he really believes, Aomine-kun is the kind of person that gives 100% of himself to what he does or who he is with. Like with basketball back in Teiko before things got messy. He cared about nothing as long as he was able to play the game that he loved from the bottom of his heart. He befriended me, the worst of the third stringers, because I stayed longer than anybody else to practise and he admired and respected that..." Kuroko took a deep breath. "Nobody who loves basketball can be a bad guy... That's what he told me. He saw then something in me that few ever have. And once we became friends, when the coach told him I was going to be thrown out because I wasn't good enough, he put his happiness on the line for me, promising to quit the team himself if they gave me a second chance and I didn't step up my game."

"What are you talking about, Tetsu-kun?" Satsuki had no idea any of this had happened. Dai-chan had been her best friend back then... She had noticed how he grew increasingly more and more depressed when basketball became more like a chore than a challenge. But apparently she hadn't been aware of half the things that had happened. No wonder she had been unable to help! Why hadn't Dai-chan shared his burden? And why hadn't Kuroko told her any of this? But more importantly...

"What are you trying to say?" she asked.

"Back then Aomine-kun didn't hesitate about giving up something he loved for me and this time has been no different." A pause followed his words, giving them a chance to sink in. "Which is why after the winter cup, when we started to spend time together again, when things slowly evolved between us... I honestly tried to give it a go. Sex with him, I mean. Because I love the intimacy and the closeness and I felt so happy sharing all of that with him. But going beyond that... I just didn't... It didn't... We have gone all the way just a couple of times in all these years, Momoi-san. But Aomine-kun has always promised that he doesn't care," and he released another of those self-depreciating laughs. "Just like back in Teiko he had been willing to quit the basketball team for me, afterwards he gave up on sex to stay with me. I think he had missed me so much that he didn't want to let go, no matter what. To be honest, I think he associates me with his love for basketball: in his head we are one and the same."

She was having such a hard time accepting any of this. It just didn't make sense! Was Kuroko lying to her? And, if so, why would he?

"But..." she started. "But when the four of us got in bed together... Well, Aomine-kun didn't behave like someone that... What I mean is... He was awfully confident, Tetsu-kun. He knew what he was doing! And I know that you guys have at least... You have touched each other sexually many times before." She was blushing. She had to be blushing. And even tough she would die before admitting that she had spied on them and watched Kuroko masturbate his partner even before that first night together, it had to be pretty clear that she had.

Kuroko shrugged his shoulders.

"At some point, back when we still were in Japan, we tried making our relationship more... Open. I can't give him everything he wants and he has proven again and again that he wants to be with me, so I told him that it was okay to look for sex elsewhere. We gave it a try for a while but I don't think he felt truly happy doing that. Or maybe he thought it was too much of a hassle. Sometimes it's hard to tell with him. In any case, at some point he simply stopped looking elsewhere."

Dai-chan had been sleeping around and she had not known about it?! That couldn't be right. She was supposed to know everything about her childhood friend. When had all of this happened? And why hadn't she noticed any of it? Kuroko wasn't lying to her, she could see that he was being brutally honest, but she felt like he was talking about a pair of strangers instead of themselves.

"But I have seen you guys together, Tetsu-kun," she found herself confessing, too confused to filter what came out of her mouth anymore. "Not only that night with the four of us. Before even that I have seen you... I have seen you make him come."

Kuroko sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's... It isn't something I do often nor something I take pleasure in but those nights... I guess I felt like I owed him." Immediately after he shook his head. "No, that came out all wrong. I didn't mean it like that. It's just... Sometimes, I'm okay with these kinds of things because jerking someone off doesn't require me to be sexual," he told her. And never before had she been so taken aback by his bluntness. "Sometimes it's okay because I don't really have to get involved, not really. Because it's not about me, it's all about the other person. And with Aomine-kun it's the least I can do when I don't... I want him to be happy, Momoi-san. And, I don't know how to explain this but... There are things that I am comfortable with and things with which I am not. He knows were those limits are."

She remembered then Dai-chan's clenched fists by his side while Kuroko had kissed him during that first night with the four of them together. Although it had baffled her at the time, it was slowly starting to make sense. But then her mind envisioned a different pair of hands, just as big and callused, running gentle circles over Kuroko's hips.

"Well, you seem awfully comfortable around Kagamin, Kuroko," she told him somewhat accusingly.

Kuroko scratched his nose.

"With Kagami-kun it's different..." What did he mean different? Different how?! "It doesn't mean that I want us to sleep together but I really like being close to him. I enjoy the intimacy and the peace that I feel when I am with him. Because Kagami-kun is safe. Because he is in life like he is in the basketball court." And her confusion must have been obvious, because Kuroko soon explained: "He moves forward even when everything is against him, pushing and pushing until he succeeds. But he doesn't do it for himself... No, Kagami-kun does it for the team. Not only is he able to achieve the impossible, what's even more amazing is that he is able and willing to carry the rest of the team with him." He smiled. "In all this years he's never let me down, Momoi-san. Not even once. I trust Kagami-kun completely."

Satsuki felt unexpected anger at his words.

"How can you say that?" she asked. "Tetsu-kun, all this mess started when he decided on his own accord to move here. He was willing to ditch us and he would have taken Aomine-kun with him."

Kuroko had the nerve to smile at her words.

"Kagami-kun has always been a little bit in awe of Aomine-kun's basketball, even though he's just as good." He said so as if he found the whole thing charming! "In any case, think about it, Momoi-san. Kagami-kun did not, as you say, ditch us. He had a dream he wanted to pursue and before he told us anything, he went through the trouble of making sure that each one of us had a place here if we decided to join him. He didn't just leave us behind, Momoi-san. I doubt he would have stayed in Japan had we said no, because that's not the type of man he is, but he made sure that all three of us could chase dreams of our own if we were to accompany him."

Satsuki felt her anger slowly evaporate, leaving behind a glaring hole.

"What... What about me then, Tetsu-kun?" she muttered in a small voice, too afraid of his answer to speak any louder. "Do you even want to be with me?"

A hand suddenly caressed her cheek. Surprised she looked up and into his gentle eyes.

"Momoi-san is special too," he told her in a soft whisper. "None of us would be here if it wasn't for her. I have never been as happy as when you and Kagami-kun got together, because it meant that the four of us wouldn't have to part ways."

Sadness gripped her heart.

"You still haven't answered my question, Tetsu-kun," she said. "Do you even want to be with me?"

Kuroko hesitated.

"When... When you kissed me," he started in a quiet voice as if afraid of what he was about to admit to, "I felt something I had never felt before. When Aomine and I got together I wanted to be close to him but I had known from the start that I would never be able to have proper sex with him. But when Momoi-san kissed me..." He looked her in the eye then. "I felt... I don't know, but I thought that I would have liked to kiss again."

"Is that why you proposed the whole foursome thing?" she asked, trying to comprehend. "Because you thought you would be able to have sex with me?"

Kuroko sat down on the bed.

"That first time with the four of us together, I really thought I would manage to go all the way with you but... Well, you know what happened." She could tell that it was very hard for him to keep her gaze as he admitted to that, and his eyes shifted to his feet. "Before, I had thought that I knew myself but after that kiss I started questioning everything all over again. I guess I was just too naive," he sighed and then looked at her from the corner of his eye. "In any case, I am deeply sorry Momoi-san. Now that you know the full story, I will understand if you wish to call this whole thing off."

'Tetsu might not be everything that Satsuki thinks he is', Dai-chan's words suddenly echoed through her mind. 'I like him just fine. All I am saying is that Satsuki may not.'

But had her perception of Kuroko changed after everything she had just learnt? Was sex really so important that all the love she had professed for over a decade could suddenly amount to nothing?

Satsuki sat down next to Kuroko. Carefully, she reached out and grabbed his hand. She held it in her own, comparing its shape to her own, entwining her fingers with Kuroko's.

"We... We don't need to go all the way, Tetsu-kun," she told him softly. "We don't even need to do anything. I just... All I have ever wanted is to be close to you. In whatever shape or form."

She felt tears well up in her eyes but she stayed strong for his sake. Kuroko's soulful eyes found hers and she clasped his hand even tighter.

"Momoi-san..."

She shifted in place, moving to kneel next to him and face him.

"We don't need to have sex but..." she said shyly. "But we can still find out what each other likes, don't we?"

She placed his hand against her chest, just above her heart. They remained like that for a couple of seconds, with her heart beating underneath his palm.

"Do you feel that, Tetsu-kun?" she continued. "It always beats a little bit faster when you are around..."

The subtlest hint of a smile graced his lips and his thumb ran gentle circles against her clavicles.

"Momoi-san is truly something else."

She smiled in return and, slowly (so very slowly), she approached him. She gave him every chance to pull back or push her away but he didn't, so her lips found his in a tender kiss. Whilst she was used to succumbing to passion when she kissed with Kagamin, she forced herself to slow down and ignore the first signs of arousal in her own body and instead concentrated on the warmth of his skin and the feel of his lips caressing her own.

Little by little, they ended lying down on the bed facing each other. He felt his hands brush her skin ever so slightly: down the curve of her neck, the line of her arm, the angle of her waist. In return, she raised a hand to his face and held his cheek between loving fingers. Kuroko turned and he kissed her palm.

"Thank you," he whispered.

And Momoi kissed him again. At some point she lost track of time. For all she knew, they had spent hours just kissing and caressing each other. And when the moon was high and the sky was black, they cuddled around each other with her head in the crook of his neck and his arms wrapped around her.

"I have never done this, you know," he told her before drowsiness settled. Something akin to awe in his tone. "Aomine-kun has never had the patience for something like this. It would have driven him insane to be so close and not... Well, you know him."

"Poor, Dai-chan," chuckled Satsuki. Although she felt her chest fill with warmth at Kuroko's confession. "I am glad we went on this trip, Tetsu-kun. I really really am."

Kuroko kissed the top of her head and she felt his lips curve into a smile.

"Me too, Momoi-san. Let's just hope two the other two haven't managed to kill each other in our absence..." he said as sleep slowly gripped him.

"Don't worry," she said as she too succumbed to sweet dreams, "it will all be fine now."

As if. Momoi should have known better than leaving the two former rivals alone after everything that had happened.

Tbc

What a bloody difficult chapter to write! But the cat is finally out of the bag and Kuroko has had his chance to explain himself. Many of you commented on him being asexual from the very start, but showed surprise at the sexual nature of some of his actions. And I understand where you are coming from. I probably made you all as confused as poor Satsuki is on the story! And even though I am pretty sure this chapter will get some very negative reactions, I would love to get your honest opinions on the matter and hear about your own interpretation. I would also like a chance to explain myself.

In my opinion, asexuality is always a difficult topic to breach, maybe because the world itself is so sexualized. But I have always believed that just like every heterosexual person is different, every asexual person is so as well. There are 100% heterosexual and homosexual people, sure, but then you also have bisexuals and even bi-curious people. Even though the extremes are clear enough, the human being is a complex being and in between there is this wide range of sexual preferences which are full of particularities that relate more to the person that to the restrictions of a category. And for me, asexuality is no different to any of the above, instead, it just a different set of preferences: there surely are people with zero interest in sex, but there are those who even though the don't want sex with others they still retain their libidos, and then there are those who don't care for or want the actual sex but long for the intimacy of a romantic relationship.

So yeah, you may agree or disagree with everything that I said above but I really hope this chapter hasn't managed to put you off the story, we are half way there after all! And I promise there will be more "explicit" chapters very soon if you stay tuned! In any case, I would love to hear your thoughts.


	11. Ruffled Feathers

Chapter 11: Ruffled Feathers

Things were not fine. Despite her own reassurances as soon as they returned Momoi knew with absolute certainty that something had gone wrong between Aomine and Kagami. The strange tension that had been escalating between the two idiots for the past few weeks remained, but during their absence it had somehow... Changed. There was no other word for it.

Momoi and Kuroko had come home to Nigou's happy barking, unfortunately it seemed like the dog was the only cheerful being in the household. The husky had been outside with Aomine, who they found dribbling a ball by the hoop in their front yard. There was nothing odd or unexpected about finding him shooting baskets, what was surprising was the fact that he was doing it alone.

As if Kagami's absence wasn't suspicious enough, there was something sluggish about Aomine's movements, which alerted Momoi that something was definitely off. It reminded her of a time when he had lost his reason for playing and everything had suddenly seemed colourless and flavourless and just plain.

When Aomine saw them in the driveway he approached lazily and ruffled Kuroko's hair in greeting before tilting Momoi's chin up to leave a gentle peck on her lips, more in the corner of her mouth than fully on the lips. It was still strange to share this kind of intimacy with him but, before she could give the matter any further thought (or even reciprocate), he went back to his dribbling. Weird.

Kuroko watched his back in silence, expression thoughtful. However, rather than saying anything he simply picked up his luggage and went inside in search for Kagami. A bit concerned herself, Momoi approached her best friend.

"Dai-chan, is everything alright?"

Without missing a beat, Aomine threw the ball and, as expected, it went straight through the basket without even brushing the rim. Not bothering to turn his body around to face Momoi, he peered at her from over his shoulder, looking her up and down.

"Oi, Satsuki, how did you enjoy your honeymoon with Tetsu?" he said in a bored tone. "You forgot to take your feisty panties. Not that you would need them, of course."

"... Feisty?!" Momoi turned so red that her face probably began clashing with her hair.

That had clearly been a sexual allusion when he knew better than anyone... Was he trying to ridicule her?! Why was he being such a jerk?! If he was upset because she had gone on her own with Kuroko this one time Satsuki couldn't care less. His mocking was mean and completely uncalled for.

"You are such an asshole!" she shouted at him.

"Tt, mind the neighbours," he drawled, leaning down to pick up the ball. As if the bastard had ever cared about the neighbours!

Even more embarrassed than before, she threw her luggage at him and Aomine actually flinched as the heavy suitcase hit him in the ass. Oh, for God's sake, she hadn't even thrown it that hard! What was he, a baby?! Sheesh. Refusing to feel guilty for her equally immature behaviour, Satsuki went inside in a huff, followed by a resigned looking Aomine carrying her luggage.

"You are unbelievable," she told him when left her pink suitcase next to Kuroko's in the living room.

He rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I am an ass. Anyway, Satsuki..." And the way he suddenly averted his eyes made alarm bells start ringing in her mind despite her anger. He only did that when what he wanted to discuss was important. "Everything went alright, didn't it? You your trip with Kuroko, I mean. You are okay. Right?"

Satsuki felt her heart soften.

"I am fine, Dai-chan. We talked things through and everything is okay," she reassured.

"Good," he said, and his eyes met hers again.

Then, as the big basketball geek that he was, Aomine went back outside to keep playing on his own, although he did make a big show of wincing as he rubbed (the pervert!) his supposedly aching backside.

Despite herself, however, Satsuki was amused. Because of this (and even though she should have known better), she let herself fall into a false sense of security and therefore she didn't give a second thought to that strange gut feeling that had taken hold of her as soon as she had reached the front yard. Unfortunately, it returned full force forty-five minutes later when a sweaty Kagami entered the house. He looked like he had been running. Running for quite some time, if the amount of sweat drenching his body was any indication. And he paused at the threshold as soon as he saw Kuroko and her, grunting his greeting as he took off his sneakers.

"You guys are back early," he said. And Satsuki felt his fierce stare study them both carefully.

"There was hardly any traffic," replied Kuroko with a slight frown.

"Hm." That was very succinct, even coming from a man of few words like Kagami.

The redhead moved past them towards the kitchen without a second glance.

She exchanged a quick look with Kuroko, but he seemed just as perplexed as she felt.

'What's going on? Did something happen between those two?' She wondered worriedly, listening to the steady bounce of the ball outside and the rummaging of pans in the kitchen. However, Aomine suddenly opened the door and began complaining about something stupid and completely irrelevant ("Satsuki! I need another pair of basketball shoes, these ones are shit!" "Another, Dai-chan?! You own more shoes than I do!"), making her forget her concerns for the time being.

The idiots hadn't killed each other in their absence, so what if they had ruffled each other feathers a little bit? Now that the four of them were back together, she was sure all would be fine again in no time. After all, Tetsu-kun and herself were back to mediate between the two stubborn idiots. She had been giving it some thought during the trip back home and, to her surprise, she found out that she wasn't really disappointed with the recent turn of events. It would be okay, she had thought, because even though Kuroko's confession had basically killed her lifelong dream of being with him in mind, soul and body, she could still share with him two of those three conditions and, well, the other two could definitely fit the third.

Momoi would have died of mortification before admitting such a thing out loud (and a small part of her was still astonished that she was so eager to be part of such an unconventional... Arrangement) but at the same time she found herself looking forwards to spending time with the other two idiots and exploring this new side of their relationship with them. Kagamin had always been an awesome lover, she had no complains, but adding Aomine to the mix had been unexpectedly... Fun? It had definitely spiced things up. And therefore, weird and unconventional as the whole thing was turning out to be, Momoi could see it working out.

That was why after dinner, when the strange tension in the household had decreased somewhat under the guise of normalcy, the first thing she did was ask Kagamin to help her take out the fold-up bed and set it up next to their own to create a bigger mattress in their bedroom.

"I am not sure about this, Satsuki," he had told her grumpily.

"Trust me, Kagamin, cuddling at night strengthens bonds," she reassured. "All four of us can fit in this way."

But he didn't look very convinced.

"Satsuki..."

"It's okay, I will just ask Dai-chan to move it for me, then."

That did the trick. Poor Kagamin was so predictable.

However, unexpectedly, the four of them didn't do anything together that night either.

Aomine had behaved uncharacteristically clingy around Kuroko during the whole evening and Kagami kept glancing wearily her way, doing a pretty accurate impression of a gigantic lost duckling. Could it be that the silly boys had actually been worried that Kuroko and Momoi wouldn't come back? If so, it was completely adorable and very sweet, which is why Momoi had sought her boyfriend out while the other two washed the dishes downstairs.

Her plan had been to make love to him to reassure Kagami that he didn't need to be concerned because nothing needed to change between the two of them. However, for some reason, the whole exchange was not what she had come to expect. There was definitely something off about him... Momoi couldn't quite explain what it was as he wasn't doing anything outwardly different, but for some reason she didn't feel like his heart was into it. He had kept his distance and hadn't even bothered to shed his clothes, behaving unexpectedly "prudish" around her whilst before he would have had no trouble walking around in his admittedly impressive birthday suit in front of her...

Which was why she asked him if he was okay as soon as they were both done.

"You seem different, Kagamin," she had told him softly, touching him just as gently because Kagami had always responded better to actions than words.

He sat up leaning against the bed frame and looked down at her.

"Are you happy, Satsuki?" It was weird for him to try to change topics so suddenly but she knew that she needed to be honest with him.

"Yes, Kagamin," she told him as she wrapped her hands around his waist and rested her head on his chest. His warmth was comforting, even through the layer of clothes between them. "I am very happy."

And Kagami had nodded to himself and settled down next to her. Soon after Kuroko entered the room dragging a reticent Aomine by the hand.

"You stole all our pillows, Momoi-san," reprimanded Tetsu-kun as they approached the bed. But his lips curved into a smile. "Is it okay if we join you?"

Momoi opened her arms wide for him and he went to her without hesitance. Her heart burst with happiness. Which is why she wasn't too concerned when she realized Kagami had pretended to be asleep during the whole exchange while Aomine had basically laid down with his back to all of them and proceeded to ignore them. It was sad to see them behave in such a way but she didn't let it ruin her good mood because, tension aside, Momoi was certain that now that the four of them were back together all would be better in the morning.

The sun was up and that strange tension between the two athletes only became more apparent. However, rather than fight with or shout at each other, as they usually did when they had a disagreement, Aomine and Kagami had begun giving each other a great berth, purposely avoiding one another.

On the second night since their return, Momoi attempted to approach Dai-chan about it and somehow the conversation had ended with the two of them sleeping together as well. Satsuki was still astonished that it had escalated so quickly because she still couldn't wrap her head around the change in their relationship, but she couldn't deny that it had been surprisingly easy to let arousal take over her body. Since they were still uncertain about what made the other comfortable, they had left the lights off and it had been a bit rushed, but they had gone all the way and she had enjoyed every second of it. It made her chuckle to think that, while Aomine obviously liked men, it was painfully obvious that he also loved women and that he had been missing breasts dearly. He was rougher than Kagami, though, (more selfish, her mind supplied) and some of that confidence he had shown on that first night together felt mitigated somehow. But it had still been enjoyable for both of them, which was all that really mattered. Things could definitely work out.

Afterwards, he had stretched next to her in the middle of the bed. And even though he didn't let her cuddle, he still stayed close enough for them to feel each other's warmth. Within minutes they had both fallen asleep.

Momoi woke up sometime later as she felt the bed dip under another weight. Shifting, she noticed that Testu-kun was already asleep on her other side (he always sneaked in and out of bed as quietly as a mouse!), so the one who had woken her up had to be Kagami. The tall redhead prepared for bed as quietly as he could and tried to slide in behind Kuroko. However, even in the darkness, Satsuki felt that there was something weird on each of his carefully measured movements. There was something odd in his eyes too, something sad, as he watched not her or Kuroko but Aomine.

Satsuki wanted to ask (she needed to know what could possibly be putting such a miserable look on his face) but Dai-chan made a strange sound in his sleep just then, something that if uttered by anyone else's lips Momoi would have defined as a whimper, and instinctively she found herself shushing her childhood friend, caressing his hair until the frown on his brow softened and he went back to his soft snoring.

Remembering Kagami, Satsuki turning to look at her boyfriend but all she saw was his broad back underneath a plain white t-shirt. Blank. Silent. Unapproachable. Satsuki recognized the ratty old thing too. 'Yonsen', were the letters printed on its back. The ancient sports t-shit used to belong to Kagami's so called brother, Tatsuya Himuro, and the redhead only ever used it when he was stressing over something. Something had definitely happened, then. She could only wonder what. Sighing tiredly, Satsuki buried her head in Dai-chan's neck and breathed in deeply, letting the familiar scent of him lull and calm her and so, like that, little by little, she finally managed to go back to sleep.

On the third day, things began to go back to normal as Aomine and Kagami slowly began to grunt at each other again. It drove her nuts to see them behave like Nearthentals rather than rational human beings, but Tetsu-kun had actually smiled that tiny private smile of his during breakfast when Aomine had hummed his thanks to Kagami after the other passed him the butter, so she decided not to make a fuss for the time being. Let idiotic hotheads deal with their silly issues in their own idiotic ways. Kagamin was reasonable enough when the situation called for it and she could always knock some sense into Dai-chan if push came to shove.

And so, when things finally came out into the open, it took her completely by surprise.

Due to their schedules and busy lifestyle, it was rare for all of them to be in the house at the same time, but that Sunday evening found the four of them together at home. Kagamin was in the kitchenette, rummaging and mixing and cutting until the wondrous scent of spices filled the whole house and made Satsuki's mouth water in anticipation. She was sitting by the counter, pretending to look through a sports magazine but actually watching her three companions attentively. A few meters from them, Kuroko read placidly on the couch while Aomine lazed like a big cat beside him, stretched along the length of the couch with his head on Testu-kun's lap and Nigou lounging over his own stomach and legs. Kuroko was absentmindedly running his fingers through his partner's short hair, massaging his scalp softly, and the larger man seemed to have dozed off under the ministrations (not too different from the dog snoring on his belly). The three of them looked quite adorable...

"The weather is so nice tonight that it makes me feel like playing basketball after dinner," said Testu-kun suddenly, his words innocent enough but his usually quiet voice so loud and clear that it became obvious that he was up to something. "Now that I think about it, Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun haven't had a one-on-one in days."

Clank!

"Shit!"

Satsuki actually jumped out of her seat as she turned quickly towards Kagami, who had spilt half the contents of a bowl all over himself. Swearing, the redhead reached to clean the counter with a dish towel and then tried to clean himself without much success.

"Kagamin, are you alright?" asked Satsuki as she reached to help him, concerned because the redhead might be occasionally clumsy but never in the kitchen.

Throwing the rag in frustration towards the faucet, Kagami growled something about a change of clothes and hurried out of the room, crossing the living room in just a couple of long strides.

Satsuki watched him go, worry etched all over her face. At a loss, she turned to her companions on the couch. Even though his posture hadn't changed, Aomine had followed the redhead with his eyes and still stared intently in the direction of the stairs. And despite her confusion, she wasn't fooled by the casualness of his sprawl as there was tension in his limbs. Frowning, she turned to Kuroko and... And the slighter man was looking at his old light instead, that thoughtful expression from before back in his features. Sensing her gaze on him, Tetsu-kun looked up and met Momoi's stare. Gesturing with his head subtly in the direction of the second floor, he resumed his petting of Aomine's hair.

Nodding in understanding, Satsuki went after their missing partner.

Since Satsuki was so worried about Kagami she didn't even think of knocking before she opened their bedroom door.

"Kagamin..." her words died in her throat.

Momoi could only stare in disbelief at his naked back. At first, she didn't know exactly what she was looking at... However, from shoulder blades to lower back he was covered in marks, which were only accentuated by the paleness of his skin. Blotches of green and purple, she realized, surrounded by thin long lines along the wide expanse of his muscular back, carved in and still red. There were further marks along his clavicles and shoulders, a couple of them so deep that the skin had to have been pierced. Momoi gasped in surprise and her soft exclamation made him turn around. That's when she got a clear view of the bruises marking his front too, visibly shaped as fingertips, marring his hips, over his ribs, his arms, everywhere.

It looked bad enough to suspect an actual physical fight. But Satsuki wasn't naive enough anymore to not recognize them for what they truly were... Sex. Those marks were the left over signs from quite some brutal sex.

And looking at him, at the surprise and embarrassment on his face, everything suddenly clicked: the awkwardness, the tip-toeing, Aomine's careless attitude and Kagami's withdrawn behaviour. Satsuki's heart stopped beating for an instant, blinking as the gears in her head began to turn. What had Aomine done? She knew better than anyone that her childhood friend could be arrogant, selfish and a brat, and that sometimes he couldn't take no for an answer, but never in a thousand years could she have expected something like this from him. No, not from Daiki. Unexpected and uncontrollable, tears stained her cheeks, making Kagami go pale and begin to stutter. Uncertain, he reached out towards her, but right that moment Satsuki was beyond reason. Furious as she had never been in her life, she strode back to the living room.

"Testu-kun, get out of the way!" she ordered as soon as she got a glimpse of the pair in the couch. "Please move!"

Testu blinked in confusion, closing his book as she stormed towards them, but other than that he didn't move. Furious, she stole the book from his hands and threw it at Aomine with as much force as she could muster.

Her childhood friend caught it in the nick of time and sat up in one fast move, wincing noticeably as he did so.

Startled, Nigou jumped off the couch and ran to hide beneath the kitchen counter, whining at the noise and suddenly charged atmosphere.

"What the hell, Satsuki?!" demanded the asshole.

"You are the most insensitive, cruel, egotistical..." Momoi was crying so badly that it was impossible to speak without chocking.

"What did I do?!" he asked as he tried to move away from her fists.

"Things always have to be your way!" she shouted. "Why do you have to ruin everything good that happens to you?! To us?!"

And suddenly, a pair of impossibly strong hands wrapped around her wrists, forcing her to stand still.

Kagami moved to stand in front of Momoi then, placing himself between her and Aomine. He had covered himself again, hiding behind another plain t-shirt, and the pathetic attempt at deception made her despair even more.

"Let me go," she begged.

But he did not budge an inch.

"I don't know what you think happened but everything is my fault," he told her.

"Oh, shut up, Kagami," cut in Aomine.

Ignoring him, the redhead went on. He spoke to Momoi looking her in the eyes, his whole demeanour calm and steady like it hadn't been during this whole strange week. It was the most honest he had been with her in months, actually, and she recognized in him the face of a man admitting to sin.

"He didn't hurt me, Satsuki," he said. "I hurt him. Do you understand? I hurt him so bad that I made him bleed."

The remorse in Kagami's face spoke clearer and more honestly than any words possibly could have, making the pieces of the puzzle in Momoi's mind reshuffle and come together to paint a completely different picture. Her eyes roamed like a hawk over Aomine's frame, her analytic mind looking for any hint that would give validation to Kagami's words, and that's when she took notice of his awkward pose, of the bruises peeking out from the hem of his shirt, of the bite marks previously hidden by the collar of his shirt. Underneath his clothes, Aomine couldn't look much better than Kagami.

Horrified, Momoi began to understand the other possible interpretation of the facts that she'd had days to analyse, the possibilities she should have considered before jumping to conclusions: Kagami's embarrassment, that could be translated as shame but also as guilt, Aomine's aloofness, which (she knew) was how her infuriating best friend always dealt with situations he'd rather ignore. But there was more, like the way Dai-chan had flinched in actual physical discomfort or the careful way he moved when he played basketball. Most telling, however, should have been how they both had gone out of their way to avoid being in the same room when sex was initiated, how they had kept their distance even when sex wasn't even part of the equation.

Two animals licking their wounds —that's what they were. However, she had interpreted the facts completely wrong. She should have realized what had happened sooner, and instead she had... She had...

A terrible numbness began to get hold of her.

"What are you on about, Bakagami?!" demanded Aomine suddenly, standing with uncharacteristic clumsiness off the couch and forcing his way between Satsuki and the redhead.

Grabbing Kagami's shirt in his fist, he brought the other's face close to his own.

"Aomine..."

"Are you stupid?! Stop the guilt trip already. I asked for it, you idiot," he hissed between clenched teeth.

Kagami frowned and tried to pull away.

"No, you didn't, you pissed me off and I..."

"I was asking for it, you dumbass!" said Aomine, his blush noticeable despite his dark complexion.

"Then why the fuck didn't you...?!"

"Enough!"

The two males jumped when Kuroko's suddenly appeared between them, a small but immoveable force, unrelenting and unforgiving, eyes so serious they scorched.

"What the fuck, Tetsu?!"

"Shit, Kuroko! You want to give me a heart attack?!"

"You two are morons," said the shorter man in a matter-of-fact tone. Sighing, he turned to address the redhead, talking as one would to a particularly slow two year old. "Kagami-kun should know by now that Aomine-kun loves pushing buttons. He acts like a jerk but that's because he has a kink for being put in his place. He pushes you because you don't take his crap and always put up a fight."

Kagami rubbed the back of his neck, glancing sceptically at Aomine, who began gaping like a floundering fish. Relentless, Kuroko next turned his serious eyes to his next target.

"Aomine-kun..."

"Now, Tetsu, wait a...!"

"... Aomine-kun. Stop expecting people to understand what you are thinking. Normal human beings don't get what goes on in that crazy brain of yours. If you want something, ASK for it. But literally. You are giving all of us headaches." And stepping aside, he took a deep breath and went for the killing blow: "Now, apologize to Kagami-kun for giving him grief because you can't talk like a normal person about your repressed masochistic tendencies. Oh, and I am getting pretty bored of giving reconciliation speeches. So grow up, both of you."

The expressions on both Kagami and Aomine's faces were so flabbergasted that Satsuki nearly laughed. The fact that the two idiots had slept together while Kuroko and herself were gone hadn't yet sank in because in that instant she just felt incredible relief that the glimmers of violence that still tainted their bodies had just been one big misunderstanding. And even thought it was still concerning that they would hurt each other so badly in an attempt at having sex, at least nobody's innocence had been compromised.

"It's nice, though," added Kuroko a bit gentler, almost as if speaking to himself instead of addressing those in the room. "Even thought it got out of hand because they are both brain dead, I am happy that Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun decided to try to make love to each other."

"Do not say things like that, Kuroko!" shouted Kagami.

"As if I would make love to this moron!" threw back Aomine.

"Hey! Who are you calling a moron, dickhead!"

"I will call you whatever the fuck I want!"

And they launched into a familiar argument. Stepping comfortably back into their old routine.

Satsuki sighed in relief.

However, soon something strange began twisting in her stomach. A second ago she had just been glad that things were not as serious as she had feared but now that that worry was out of the way, a different kind of apprehension was starting to creep inside her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was certain that it had something to do with the two of them having had sex together. On their own. When she had been away. It baffled her a little because hadn't this whole agreement been about sharing her?

Nevertheless, Momoi sighed at decided to let it go. So what if the two oafs relieved some sexual tension with each other. After all, it was only fair that if Dai-chan was willing to share Tetsu-kun's affections with her, in exchange she should be willing to share with him Kagamin's... Well, just Kagamin in general. It was just weird to think about the two of them together, that was all.

Noticing her silence, Kuroko moved to stand next to her and bumped her shoulder with his own. He smiled at her and shook his head at the childish antics of the other two, and Satsuki felt her heart swell with love for him. She was so glad he had decided to intervene and smooth things out between the two idiots. After all, that was why she had fallen in love with him in the first place: because Kuroko Tetsuya didn't take anyone's bullshit and always managed to make things right.

Sighing contently to herself, she grasped his hand and allowed herself to enjoy the moment. And if in the back of her mind she kept wondering about the other two... Well, at the time she didn't worry too much about it.

Tbc.

Notes: And the drama keeps building and building! First of all thank to to everyone who left a review. I really appreciate your support. :D Now, I need to warn you that the next 2 or 3 chapters are going to be very sex oriented and explicit. This is so because obviously I am a pervert but also because this is the story of a "foursome" and therefore where our lovely heroes stand sexually in regards to each other plays a key role. Let's just say it will be blatant porn WITH plot. But as, always, remember the ride won't be smooth.


	12. Revelation

Chapter 12: Revelation

For some reason Momoi couldn't get it out of her head. Once the misunderstanding had been cleared the idea of the two of them having sex together refused to leave her mind. Aomine and Kagami. It was just so surreal that she was having a hard time coping with it. She had not been expecting it. At all. So much for Kagami's straightness. Although, in hindsight, she was now beginning to understand that strange tension that had been brewing between the two athletes since that first night which Momoi and her boys had spent together.

However, it just didn't make any sense.

After the trip, the four of them had picked up things were they had been left off, and now that all cards were on the table, things evolved much more naturally. The concept of sharing her bed with two men was still a bit weird and the situation often turned even more surreal since Kuroko sometimes joined to watch the three of them in action. It should have unnerved her because, honestly, who wanted a quiet spectator in the room staring at you when he wouldn't get aroused (or that even if he did, wouldn't join in)? However, in those instances it almost felt like the sweet gentle man was looking out for her and he always cuddled with Momoi afterwards, making her feel as if he had made love to her as well. So it was nice.

Momoi had liked how things were turning out.

However, finding out that the other two were also sleeping together when she wasn't around was puzzling because in her presence both men never even touched. When they were in bed with Momoi, they always double-teamed on her, taking turns, sharing her and generally driving her to madness due to the sheer intensity of having those two highly competitive men focusing on her. And after she had climaxed, she always saw them watch each other appraisingly but they had never done anything more than brush against each other when they passed her between them. Nevertheless...

Sometimes she noticed marks on their bodies that Momoi knew she had definitely not put there and that couldn't be the result of training, so obviously that first time hadn't been a one off thing. No, the two of them had to have kept sleeping together when she wasn't around.

And it was so disconcerting because deep down, when she agreed to this arrangement, Momoi had done so under the assumption that she would be the pivotal point for them all. Despite her newfound bond with Kuroko, she hadn't been expecting Kagamin and Dai-chan to actually... She had not been expecting that they two would ever be interested in having sex with each other. When had this attraction between them started? Had it always been there and none of them had ever noticed? Momoi had to admit that the two power forwards had always been weirdly focussed on each other, but she had assumed it was the basketball thing. Was the sexual attraction just a side effect of that mutual admiration? Had their competitive streak somehow morphed into sexual tension?

In any case, even if she were to find the root of the attraction, Momoi hadn't actually thought the two of them would be able to get along long enough for them to pursue anything on their own. One only had to remember what had happened when Kuroko and herself had been gone for all of two days: the hot-headed idiots had nearly landed each other in the hospital. Which was why Momoi just couldn't see it work. Aomine and Kagami had too much in common and at the same time too little.

Or at least that's what she had believed until she saw them fuck.

Momoi wasn't a person who used crude words lightly but she couldn't find a gentler word to describe it. And, to be honest, it would have been better for everyone if she had never had been witness to it.

She would have lived a happier life in ignorance.

The afternoon in which the blindfold had been ripped off her eyes she had been expecting anything but. Momoi had arrived home after an evening class at College to a seemingly empty household. It had surprised her because she knew her boys' schedules: Kuroko didn't have work that day and the other two had to have wrapped training early since they had a game the following day, so they all had to be home. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she suddenly bumped into Kuroko standing so still that he was all but invisible under the soft evening light in the hallway. He had taken hold of her arm to steady her and raised a single digit to his lips in the universal sign for silence.

Momoi's eyebrows went up in question but something in Kuroko's big unreadable eyes made her hold her tongue. The pale boy shifted his glance then, towards the open door that led to the bathroom. And that's when Momoi realized a couple of things at once: the water was running and, muffled by the rhythmic drizzle, she could distinctly hear two masculine voices grunting quietly. Stepping close to Kuroko, they suddenly came into view: two bodies writhing together behind the steam.

Momoi blushed so badly she could feel the warmth radiating from her cheeks. Of course she had seen them both naked before, more times that she could count and already in more positions that she ever would admit to, but this was the first time she saw them together like this: just the two of them, without herself to double-team on. A strange anxiousness that she couldn't explain gripped her insides, which (alongside an undeniable dose of curiosity) helped her to overcome her embarrassment and pushed her to look at them.

The water raining over both young men highlighted every single line in their bodies: she saw the spray hit Kagami's broad shoulders, the muscles so defined they looked carved out of stone, and she watched how drops slid down the "V" shaped lines between Aomine's abdominal muscles and hips, the trail enticing like a caress. Their skin tones contrasted beautifully but everywhere else both men were evenly matched, almost as if their builds had been carved from the same mould. One was just a tiny bit more muscular, the other just slightly leaner, their bodies a reflection of their respective basketball styles, but that was the end of their physical differences: every other inch of their bodies was equally masculine and sharply defined.

They moved in sync, undulating their hips in an unforgiving rhythm that was so violent that if Momoi had been on its receiving end, afterwards she wouldn't have been able to walk. She blushed when she realized that Aomine was languidly stroking his rather large cock, his every move shameless and self-assured, and she saw his lips curve smugly when Kagami began regaling the back of his neck with licks and little bites that made her shiver. Immediately after, the smirking lips uttered a taunt, a mock of some sort that had Kagami flashing growling teeth and pressing his body so close that his chest moulded against Aomine's back. That's when Momoi took notice of their actual positions and something, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, suddenly cracked inside her.

Blushing furiously, she could only stare in disbelief as Kagami's engorged member slid in and out of the body of a man that Momoi had believed incapable of bending his head for anyone. Kagami was fucking Aomine. Fucking him hard. While the former ace of the Generation of Miracles pushed back into Kagami's cock with his hips.

"Is this the best you can do?" taunted Aomine's deep husky voice. "I'm disappointed, Kagami. Do you even know what the prostate is? I'll give you a hint: hit it."

"If you would just shut up for a second," growled back Kagami, his own tone more animal than human.

And, astonished, she cringed as Kagami pushed forward, shoving the darker male against tile-able wall with every harsh thrust. The hand Aomine kept against the wet wall nearly slipped and he twisted his body around to get a fistful of Kagami's hair. He pulled harshly, demanding the other lean to meet his lips over his shoulder and Kagami complied despite the angle, groaning in discomfort against his lover's mouth. Aomine chuckled mockingly at the soft sound and, provoked yet again, the redhead suddenly cursed and pulled out of him.

"Kagami! What the fuck are you...?!" Hissed Aomine as he turned.

Shutting him up with another heated kiss, the redhead used his large hands to grab Aomine's hips and guide them out of the shower and towards the countertop.

"Didn't you want me to fuck your prostate?" he rasped. "Get up already."

"You better make it good..." the other warned.

However, he raised himself onto the marble surface, facing the redhead and demandingly spreading his legs. Not a second later Kagami was once again between them. And as Aomine's strong calves latched around his waist, bringing him close, the redhead bucked forward till his partner's shoulder blades hit the stained mirror behind them. Then, as violently as Kagami had pushed out, he pushed back in.

"Shit!" cried Aomine as he was breached open.

Kagami groaned but recovered quicker than his partner. Shifting his feet wider apart to get a steadier stance, the redhead was able to put more force behind his trusts and soon, to Satsuki's utter bewilderment, Aomine moaned. Momoi's hand rose to her lips as a lump formed in her throat because during sex she had heard Daiki grunt, growl, sigh and even laugh, but never had she heard him make such a desperate sound. And suddenly that painful and nasty 'something' that had gotten a hold of her heart increased...

"Found it!" Kagami boasted proudly between pants.

And she watched in a trance as Aomine tried to muffle his moans by biting the redhead's bruised collarbones. Kagami clenched his own teeth in response but thrust harder to force more of those sensual sounds from his partner's lips. They were nearly whimpers of pleasure, a rumbling sound from deep within his chest but softer and higher in pitch than anything she had heard leave Aomine's lips before. His voice stroked Satsuki's very core, making her shiver, and she could only watch in disbelief as Kagami lowered both hands to clench his lover's ass. The redhead's strong fingers kneaded the tight globes as he helped his former rival keep up the unforgiving rhythm, supporting and guiding him through it.

"Are you bragging?" hissed Aomine heatedly, his breath mingling with his lover's. "Please... I have had more fun with just my fingers in there."

"If you have so much fun on your own maybe I should leave you to it," shot back Kagami even while his thrusts became more ruthless.

"Don't you dare."

And Aomine wrapped his arms around the redhead's neck, fingers pulling at the hair to yank the other's head down again. Although Kagami's jaw clenched in pain at the rough treatment, rather than try to stop his teammate, he leaned in, meeting Aomine's lips with a hungry kiss of his own.

She saw their tongues battle for dominance and their teeth punish each other's lips. It was wet and nasty, Satsuki couldn't think of any other words to describe it, like two animals trying to beat each other into submission. However, after a while she saw it shift before her very eyes as, little by little, Aomine regained control of their pace: turning his partner's head whichever way he pleased, he licked and bit and teased his lips, eventually dictating the very pattern of Kagami's breathing while the redhead became completely entranced by his lover's every move. She could see it clearly: Kagami's fierce passion tamed by Aomine's raw sensuality.

Apparently amused by the easy compliance, Aomine slid one of his hands teasingly down his teammate's neck and chest, rubbing the ripped muscles, brushing lightly over the redhead's peaked nipples.

Kagami's breath hitched.

"Do you like that?" teased the darker male.

And the redhead gripped his ass, bringing their bodies even closer to encourage the touch. However, rather than comply, Aomine smirked and rubbed his own pecs instead, pinching a nipple so hard that Satsuki felt her own nubs throb in response.

"Ah!" he moaned shamelessly.

"Bastard," growled Kagami quietly as the tanned man chuckled darkly in his ear.

"I can't help myself, idiot. If you didn't fuck like an old man..." he taunted again, his hand teasing down his own body to cup his balls, which had been hanging hard and plump between his thighs. "What a waste, having such a big cock and not a clue on how to use it..."

"Will you stop running your fucking mouth?! You are seriously pissing me off, Aomine."

Kagami sounded dangerously on edge but the other man had the nerve to laugh.

"Do you want me to shut up, Kagami? Then make me shut up."

The redhead's eyes narrowed. Engaging Aomine's lips with his own, Kagami squeezed the firm buttocks and dislodged one of the tanned legs around his waist to force it higher. Aomine grunted at the stretch and Kagami slammed his hips forwards, fucking his lover's hole deep and hard.

"Hmm..."

"Old man?! I will give you old man..." growled Kagami and soon both men were panting into each other's mouths.

Momoi could see the muscles of Kagami's back and ass shift with every thrust of his hips, saw him wild and unrestrained as he never was with her. And, for some reason, her fingers itched to touch him. As if reading her thoughts, one of Aomine's callused hands clasped those strong shoulder blades, fingers digging brutally as his lover arched into the pain. However, even that harsher pace didn't seem to satisfy Aomine. Growling in frustration, the tanned man suddenly brought his raised leg back to Kagami's waist and, with both heels digging onto his lover's back, released his own cock and shifted on the counter to grip the edge of the marvel surface instead. Then, trusting Kagami to keep them both upright, Aomine used his weight and momentum to impale himself on his lover's long length.

"There!" he cried out as that big cock buried fully into his body, pounding into him, stretching his rim and drilling his hole. "Fuck me hard, Kagami."

And the redhead moaned as he once again lowered his stance, widening the distance between his powerful legs for better balance. As Aomine's shoulders hit the mirror, Kagami proceeded to fuck him with the kind of enthusiasm he saved for dunking. The tanned man's eyes slid shut and his toes curled as that thick cock crammed into his asshole. He threw his head back to moan in pleasure and Kagami's mouth latched to his throat, sucking and biting till that dark skin bruised.

'They look gorgeous' she realized, 'they look gorgeous together.' Violent and ruthless, yes, but beautiful. And watching them, Momoi came to a sudden realization...

Even though people's first impression of Kagami was always tainted by a fair dose of fear, after prolonged exposure to him, after witnessing how honest and caring his heart truly was, one tended to forget that intensity that initially made people cower. Once you earned his trust, it was easy to forget that Kagami Taiga could be a beast, that he had the strength to stand one on one against monsters like those in the Generation of Miracles and the determination to actually beat each and every single one of them. Now, seeing him hold and thrust and dominate, Momoi felt stupid for having allowed herself to believe that a tiger could ever be a kitten. And Aomine...

From an objective point of view, from an analyst's impartial perspective, Momoi had always known that Dai-chan's body was perfect. Naturally lean and fit, toned after a lifetime dedicated to sport and unquestioningly designed for agility and speed. Nevertheless, one's perception of a person tended to become somewhat compromised after having grown up together. In that instant, however, she felt reality crashing down on her and it threatened to knock her off her feet. Momoi felt as if a veil was being ripped from her eyes because seeing him bow his back in pleasure, hearing him moan in abandon... He looked gorgeous beyond belief. And she felt stupid for having overlooked something like that for such a long time.

Kagami obviously hadn't. He all but worshipped his rival's body, responding almost instinctually to his every whim. Aomine tilted his chin up and Kagami dutifully sucked and bit and licked at the bared throat. A brush of fingers against a forearm, and Kagami's would immediately latch to his lover's nipples, twisting the sensitive little nubs as harshly as the other wanted. A subtle cant of hips and the redhead would quicken his pace just so. One demanded and the other delivered. It was as simple as that. And the way she could see them read each other, the way their bodies responded to one another, reminded Satsuki of when both of them went somewhere beyond the court during games, that place behind iron gates that only a few chosen ones could reach and where she would never be allowed.

Aomine licked his lips and pressed their foreheads together, and Kagami changed the angle of his thrusts till Daiki's eyes clouded with pleasure and his whole body shuddered.

"Ahh... Right there, Kagami," he moaned, his voice deep and suave like a caress, "Keep going... This is just right. You are great. I love your fucking cock..."

Overwhelmed by desire, Kagami had to close his own eyes as that sultry mouth continued talking dirty in his ear. However, the instant the redhead's fierce gaze slid shut, Momoi saw Aomine's smirk soften.

"You are so good to me. Your dick is the best I've ever had..." he breathed against Kagami's mouth, his voice turning deeper and huskier with every thrust. "Did you hear that, Kagami? Just you and this big cock of yours... It feels perfect. Nobody's ever fucked me so good..."

And Kagami moaned in response. Clasping his lover's hips, he angled each and every one of his thrusts to pound into his rival's body, fucking him deep and hard, stretching his rim, milking his prostrate. She heard Aomine cry out, wanton and unguarded, and saw how his whole frame visibly shuddered and tensed all over. And suddenly, his asshole clenched around Kagami's cock, his back arched in pleasure and climax hit him like a tidal wave. Kagami moaned at the sensation of the other constricting around him but kept his dick pushing in and out, in and out, as he rode out his lover's orgasm and finally reached his own.

Later, Kagami still held him close, running comforting hands up and down Aomine's sides, trying to sooth the nearly imperceptible shudders raking through his partner's strong frame. For nearly a minute both lovers continued to breath heavily, simply leaning against each other and slowly regaining their bearings. Then, without even bothering to pull out or shift their positions, Kagami cradled Aomine's face and kissed him gently, lovingly, kissed him like he hadn't kissed Kuroko yet. Like once upon a time he had kissed Momoi. Kagami was no good with words but he had always been able to speak with his body, and she recognized the gesture for what it was.

And although Aomine was slow to respond, to Momoi's astonishment eventually he did, running his own hands down his lover's chest. Kagami sighed contently against his lips.

After some time, the redhead carefully pulled out of his partner's body, shushing the other gently as Aomine grimaced in obvious discomfort. And even if they mocked each other quietly, she saw Kagami nuzzle the side of his rival's throat while he massaged the legs wrapped around his waist and helped them down.

"Kagami..." An indication to wait. It was a soft rasp, followed by a subtle almost instinctual cant of hips.

Momoi heard Kagami´s equally soft grunt in response, reassuring despite his roughness, and saw those broad palms move across the leg still wrapped around him and towards Aomine's ass. She saw them brush his balls and cup the bruised backside but then move lower still, stopping to gather the come dripping from the stretched hole. Carefully, his fingers slid back in.

"Ahh..."

"Shh, I got you."

"Idiot..."

But Kagami didn't stop. Instead he began playing with the sensitive crack, teasing it, fingering in and out, seeking Aomine's sweet spot again while he used his other hand to stroke his hipbone, holding his lover in place. She saw Aomine's dick harden and start to leak against Kagami's toned stomach, rubbing obscenely against it.

"Use your teeth," the demand came accompanied by a harsh grip on the redhead's neck, forcing Kagami's head towards his bared throat. And lips immediately latched onto the sweaty skin there, sucking the flesh softly. "Teeth, Kagami!"

Kagami growled but did as told, biting harshly as he continued to fuck Aomine with his fingers, playing with the stretched asshole, finger fucking his lover with a steady rhythm that soon had the other man gasping with desire. Aomine's quiet moans grew in tandem with the scissoring and within minutes he reached his climax for the second time.

"... Fuck."

Kagami held him close till the slight trembles shaking his body subsided.

Afterwards, when Aomine's grip on his neck went lax, the redhead let his lips brush the stretched forearm, kissing it softly.

Aomine let out a breathless laugh.

"Man, and you said you didn't like blokes," he said with a smirk, a hint of amusement and amazement clear in his voice.

Kagami frowned.

"Oh, shut up. It's your fault anyway." Although both his tone and words were gruff, he remained close to his partner as the later got off the counter.

"Crap," groaned Aomine, wincing in pain.

And Kagami reached out and placed a steady hand on the small of his back in an instinctive gesture to help the tanned man maintain his balance. However, a thought suddenly seemed to strike Kagami:

"Ehh, Ahomine? You do realize that you are going to be shit at basketball tomorrow, right?" he said with a slightly horrified expression.

And his teammate glared at him. Although, to be honest, they both looked like they had gone through a meat grinder and they were probably sore as hell. The two aces stared at each other defiantly for a moment until Kagami's lips suddenly twitched and an instant later Aomine burst out laughing.

That became too much for Satsuki. With her heart clenching painfully, she rushed to her bedroom and shut the door. Confused and distressed, she sat on the bed and covered her face with her hands.

The door clicked open softly.

"Momoi-san?" Kuroko.

She glanced up and saw his pale form on the threshold, a faint silhouette under the light of dawn filtering through the blinds. How much had he seen? Once again she had completely forgotten about his presence, too blinded by the light to notice the shadows.

"Did you know that this would happen?" she asked before she had a chance to think it through. "Did you know the two of them would...?" She wasn't even able to finish.

Kuroko closed the door behind him and stepped into the room, quietly sitting down next to her.

"What's wrong, Momoi-san?" There was concern in his voice and for some reason she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"I..." she started. But found herself unable to make sense of her own words. "I don't even know what I am saying."

"Are... Are you jealous?" he asked very softly.

Jealous? Was jealousy the reason she felt her stomach twist in knots?

"You don't need to worry," continued Kuroko when she failed to give a response. "Kagami-kun is head over hills about you."

She nearly screamed at him because she knew that Kagami loved her. That was not what she was worried about! And then it hit her: it really wasn't about Kagami. And with that realization, her whole world turned upside down.

Tbc.

Notes: Bottom!Aomine. Now, this is another tricky one. AoKaga seems to be significantly more popular than KagaAo but I love both with passion (I am such a pervert)! I could launch now into a long winged explanation on why I think Aomine totally has a bossy/pushy/extremely-domineering power bottom vibe going on for him, or try to explain why at least in the context of this fic I think Kagami would be more comfortable with the top position in the beginning, BUT I'd rather you told me your own preference and why! However, I must confess that I love when couples switch since to me it feels more realistic (specially with these two highly competitive men), so you can expect that to eventually happen (although, me being me, I am leaving that for the moment when it will hit your pretty little hearts the hardest! Fufufufu).


	13. Change

Chapter 13: Change

Time went by, weeks turned into months and before she knew it, college had come to an end and this thing between Kagami and Aomine... It only got worse.

She didn't know if it was the sex that had affected their basketball or the basketball which had influenced their sex, but whichever it was it wasn't important, the key thing was that the way they played together became even more terrifying. Momoi saw this come to full fruition at the end of the season: during that last game where it would be decided if they were strong and skilled enough to go professional or not.

Usually, and since in theory both were the best fit for playing the same position, it was either one or the other on the court during games, but in this last match (as Fate would have it) they got to play at the same time. This was a kind of secret weapon for their team (much like Kuroko had been for Teiko during his basketball years), something the captain left for desperate occasions when the rival team was too strong. Because even though neither were the bigger or tallest players on the court anymore, when Kagami and Aomine played together, when they both got into the zone and actually fought with instead of against each other... Well, she could see the amazement in everyone watching them. But it went beyond that. Far beyond.

With the third quarter about to begin and the score too even to expect a miracle, the captain requested the two of them enter the court. From her position in the stands, she saw Kagami brush Aomine' shoulder to get his attention. Momoi was close enough to the bench to see their expressions clearly but not enough to actually hear their words. However, she was able to read Kagami's lips and see the determined set of his brow.

"Go all out," he told Aomine with his fierce gaze seizing their opponents, making the darker man halt in his tracks. "You won't have to hold back. I'll be right behind you. And the team have your back."

She watched how Aomine eyed him skeptically for a moment before a subtle smile grazed his lips. When he stepped into the court, something in his presence was different. Taking a deep breath to calm his excitement, Kagami resumed his position.

Next to Momoi, Kuroko clenched her hand so tightly it almost hurt.

Teamwork. If Aomine managed to pull off teamwork...

And the game began.

For those who weren't experts in basketball, it must have looked like two minutes into the third quarter their entire team had progressively been swapped by NBA veterans, but for those who understood it became painfully obvious what was behind the seemingly miraculous improvement of the whole line-up.

Aomine's basketball had always been messed-up. Few professional players were able to pull the moves that came so naturally to her childhood friend and even fewer could actually keep up due to the sheer erratic nature of his style, which made team-play with him inherently difficult. But Kagami understood how he played. And if you added to Aomine's ability to score from virtually any angle on the court, Kagami's determination to push forwards like a freaking bulldozer on a rampage...

But it wasn't only that.

The redhead had learnt at Seirin how to synchronize with his teammates and he used this knowledge to his advantage with his current team as well. And since these had learnt to base their game around Kagami and Kagami was able to play on instinct with Aomine, the rest of the team suddenly found themselves adjusting to the prodigy's unpredictable rhythm as well. Thus, when the former ace of the Generation of Miracles had suddenly torn down the gates of the zone, Kagami had not only stormed in right after him but also kept the heavy metal doors open for the rest of their teammates. The zone within the zone. And by adjusting his own style to complement and work with Aomine's, Kagami paved the path for the rest of his team to do so as well.

The resulting game had been unbelievable.

Momoi knew it had been impressive. Basket after basket, block after block, they had all but pulverized their opponents and the crowd had gone absolutely insane. As a result it became obvious that it wouldn't be long before professional teams approached them both (because who wouldn't want those two monsters on their ranks, one with unprecedented skill the other with indomitable will). But unlike everyone else in the stadium, Momoi was not blinded by awe because she was aware of the root of such coordination: once again Aomine demanded and Kagami unfailingly delivered. And it would have been amazing to watch if it hadn't reminded her so much of the way they had sex together.

It was therefore ironic that despite her conflicted feelings she became their most solid supporter. The weekend after that game, Kagami was flying on a cloud. Indeed both him and Aomine had been contacted by several key teams in the industry: some to get one or the other but some others to recruit them both. And at some point, Aomine had shoved his cell phone in her face and told her:

"They have freaking weird accents. I can't understand a word they're saying. You handle it."

And just like that, she had negotiated the terms for him. And since the club in question had wanted the two of them, well, she did it for Kagamin too. It was exhausting, but Momoi tried her hardest because this was it: the moment of truth. They were finally going to play at the professional level.

Momoi felt happy for them. She really really was because their dreams were finally coming true after all the hard work. However, deep down she still felt that disconcerting and uncharacteristic dread since, the higher they climbed, the more she feared that they would leave her behind. After all, why would they keep Momoi around if they could find within each other everything they needed?

However, once her head cooled off after those moments of existential panic, she always realized that was being ridiculous, that her fears were unfounded, that her three boys loved her and that she needed to stop being so paranoid. Being honest, Momoi didn't understand why the whole thing had her so upset but she had come to realize that it was always the little things that set her off... Because it was torture: those little moments of normalcy, little moments of bliss in which she could envision what the four of them could have been like together, only to hopelessly watch that ideal vanish like smoke as soon as the two former rivals got lost in each other.

It was always the "little things" that hurt her. And as time went by, these started happening more and more often...

Walking down the hallway, Satsuki could hear the steady tap-tap-tap of Tetsu-kun's typing in his old room. Kuroko had been fortunate too, finding smaller teaching jobs that left him with enough time to pursue his writing and he even had his own column in a couple of sports' magazines! Just like the two big oafs, the gentle man was slowly making his way to the top but unlike the two athletes he did it much more subtly. Satsuki had to smile quietly to herself as he passed by his door when she heard him mumble to himself. It made her happy because even though sometimes Kuroko hid like a hermit in that cluttered messy den, he hardly ever shut the door.

Shuffling her own papers, Momoi went down the stairs and entered the living room arming herself with patience. To be honest, no matter how many months had passed since she had first picked up Aomine's phone and closed a deal for him, Momoi still couldn't get her head around the idea that looking after Dai-chan's interests (which came as naturally to her as breathing) was allowing her to make money! However, as much as she enjoyed her job as Dai-chan and Kagamin's agent, sometimes she felt like a frustrated kinder garden teacher...

"Dai-chan, when do you plan to sign this?" she asked waving the contract by which Aomine committed himself to some promotional agreements that he obviously couldn't care less about despite the extra money they generated. Sigh, if he didn't have Satsuki around...

Dai-chan, sprawled on the couch munching on some of the leftover popcorn from the day before, merely yawned and waved his hand lazily, eyes glued to an old re-run of an NBA game on the laptop on the table.

"You sign it for me, Satsuki."

"Aomine-kun! You know I can't keep doing that. How many times do I have to tell you? Forging a signature is illegal," she reprimanded, dropping the pen and papers on his lap. "And stop eating junk food, those are yesterday's! They have to be stale. Besides, it's nearly dinner time, isn't it, Kagamin?"

Kagami grunted in agreement from the kitchen as he opened the oven to take out some exotic mix of spices, meat and vegetables that, frankly, smelled too good to be true (no wonder she had gained nearly 10 lbs since they began living together! Most of which had gone straight to her boobs, much to her horror and Aomine's delight).

"Stop stuffing your face with shitty food, Ahomine!" said the redhead. "You'll ruin your appetite because you eat like a bird."

"Don't mistake me with Tetsu, Bakagami! And you eat like a pregnant woman."

Despite having been friends for years and regardless of their newfound intimacy, the two idiots still hadn't gotten over the 'calling each other names' phase.

"Please, leave me out of your childish squabbles," pleaded Testu-kun's voice from down the hallway. Momoi chuckled at their antics.

"Just sign those for me, Dai-chan," she said sitting next to him, "then we can all have dinner."

Aomine sighed dramatically (the big baby!) and picked up the pen. But then...

"_Dai-chan, Dai-chan..._" mocked Kagami with a snort as he took off the oven mitts and looked over at Momoi, "when you call him that you make him sound like a princess."

Unable to help herself, Momoi chuckled in amusement again.

"Well," she started, "he is kind of whimsy like a princess, isn't he? And very spoiled."

Kagami guffawed loudly.

"Oh, shut up, Mr housewife! And don't humour him, Satsuki. He'll think he's funny," growled Aomine, tsking in contempt as he lazily browsed through the pages on his lap.

Momoi grinned. She knew that Daiki actually loved her nick-name for him, and no matter how badly anyone else teased him about it, he wouldn't have Satsuki call him by anything different now that she'd gotten over that (according to him) '_Aomine-kun nonsense'_. And secretly she loved that too.

Amused, Kagami smiled at Momoi and went back to his cooking.

Unexplainably happy, Satsuki made herself comfortable on the couch and smiled. She loved this, really, these weekends at home playfully teasing her idiotic boys with Tetsu-kun's calming presence somewhere in the background. It was also nice that Kagami was mostly back to normal around her. Wether it was due to her concerned over-reaction when she had seen the bruises on his body that first time or to the way she had negotiated with professional Basketball teams for him or even because he had simply accepted that the four of them needed to move forwards together, Kagami had put what had happened behind him. And Momoi had felt a weight lift off her chest. It was great to be able to go back to normal.

"_Dai-chan, Dai-chaaan..."_ She heard Kagami chant in a childish jibe, still snickering quietly to himself. He seemed amused as he rummaged through the kitchen cabinets but somehow, maybe even subconsciously, the nickname must have struck some kind of cord in him because suddenly...

"Hey, Daiki," he called absentmindedly, "did you steal the salt? Pass it over."

And Aomine, who had leaned forward to grab the shaker from the low coffee table beside the popcorn, suddenly froze.

"Bakagami..." he started with something akin to awe in his voice. "What did you just call me?"

Daiki.

Kagami had called him by his given name.

Just as surprised as her childhood friend was, Momoi straightened to look at Kagami, whose proud cheekbones were starting to turn an adorable shade of pink.

"It was just a slip of the tongue, asshole. Pass me the salt already."

A slip of the tongue? Just like that one time so very long ago when she had gone to him crying with her heart broken into a million pieces and he had called her pretty.

Grinning like a madman, Aomine picked up the salt, let go of Momoi's papers and jumped over the sofa to stride towards the redhead.

"Does that mean that I should be calling you Taiga?" he asked in a teasing tone, dangling the salt between his fingers in front of his former rival's face.

Snatching it, Kagami turned back to his dish.

"As if you cared for my permission to do anything but of course you can," he grunted quietly, making Aomine freeze again. "It's my given name, idiot. Only people in Japan ever called me by my surname."

Despite the dismissive words, Momoi could tell that the whole thing was really a big deal for him since Kagamin had always had a hard time opening (_really_ opening) to anybody. And despite the emotional atrophy that Dai-chan suffered from more often than not, this time her childhood friend seemed to actually understand, since his expression changed to one of absolute and unadulterated delight.

"Oi, Taiga! Let's fuck," proposed Aomine completely out of the blue, grabbing Kagami's neck to force him into a headlock. "I want to hear you call my name when I'm fucking your brains out."

Shocked at his bluntness, Kagami elbowed the other man harshly in the stomach.

"Don't be a crude asshole, Ahomine!"

"Dai-chan!" complained Momoi at exactly the same time.

But both men didn't even hear her.

"Dai-chan, please..."

Nothing.

It had happened in an instant: suddenly they only had eyes for each other and the rest of world (including their dinner, his contract, herself) ceased to exist.

Instances like that one started happening every other day. The four of them would be doing something together or just hanging out, and suddenly Aomine and Kagami would get into that little world of their own. It wouldn't have been that bad if it more often than not it hadn't invariably led to sex. To be honest, it almost seemed like the two of them were continuously waiting for an excuse to ditch everything and jump into bed together. Well... The bed, the sofa, against a wall, in the shower, over a desk, even the freaking floor seemed to work for them. But not for Satsuki. And this started to make her question her own involvement in the equation, getting to the point where Momoi began to feel like sleeping with her was more of an obligation than anything else.

Every time Aomine tried to kiss her, she could hear him in her mind moaning for Kagami as he had never moaned for her. Every time he caressed her breasts, the gentle loving touch made her angry because why did he even bother when she knew that what he really liked was to be held down and fucked. And Kagami's careful handling of her began feeling like a lie after she had seen him lose control during sex with the other athlete. Because the desire he showed for Satsuki always paled in comparison to the passion that blinded him whenever he was with Aomine. And Momoi couldn't help wanting to get away from his touch, because everything was his fault.

"What's wrong, Momoi-san?" Kuroko had asked her one of those nights where she had been avoiding the other two like the plague.

"Aomine-kun and Kagamin... They are at it again, aren't they?" she said as she folded a t-shirt.

Kuroko, who had laundry duty with her, smiled in amusement at her words while he continued rolling socks.

"They were having a one-on-one earlier but, you know how those usually end up, so..." Noticing the sadness in her face, however, he sobered up. "What is it, Momoi-san? Why are you worried?"

Momoi didn't want to say anything. She didn't because rationally she knew that most of her fears were paranoid and ridiculously sex oriented, and she didn't want to disappoint Kuroko. Could he actually understand her frustration when he didn't care for sex in the first place?

"I guess I sometimes feel... A bit left out, that's all," Momoi confessed shyly. She had been trying to fold a pair of boxers when she realized that she didn't even know if the garment belonged to the redhead or the brunet since she could have sworn she had seen both wear the damn thing at some point. 'You have got to be kidding me!' she thought. Had the two idiots actually began sharing underwear?! It was too much.

Angry, she threw it back into the dryer.

"Don't be silly, Momoi-san," said Kuroko with a hint of a smile, picking up the wrinkled garment and folding it himself. Her heart sank as she realized that of course he would fail to see where she was coming from. "Kagami-kun kisses the ground under your feet and Aomine-kun is obsessed with you boobs."

Kuroko couldn't have just said the word 'boobs'. The situation was getting more and more surreal by the second. How did he know that anyway? Yes, Aomine was quite fixated on her breasts when they had sex and tried to sneak touches during the day at every chance he got, but Momoi had no doubt that if it ever came to choosing between her boobs and Kagami's monster cock... She stopped that train of thought, immediately horrified at herself. When had she turned into such a pervert?!

"It's not that," she whined, struggling to find the right words to express what she was feeling. Sighing in frustration, she tried to concentrate on folding one of her skirts instead (because at least that she knew belonged to her). "It's just... I didn't expect Aomine-kun to... He has quite the sex drive, Tetsu-kun, and... I guess I don't feel like I am... Keeping up with them."

"Momoi-san, don't worry," he told her with a gentle smile, "Aomine-kun couldn't be happier, trust me. And he will be happy with whatever makes you confortable. He is that kind of free spirited pervert."

But could Daiki really be happy with what Satsuki had to offer? To her shame, as soon as she found a moment of privacy she found herself researching on the internet some tips on male physiology and anal sex. And to her great embarrassment, discovered that Dai-chan was seemingly one of the few greatly privileged men who could practically reach orgasm from anal stimulation alone which, if the internet was to be believed, was quite rare and supposedly mind-blowing. Figures. It was just her luck that, unlike Kagami, she was just a cute petite girl instead of a nearly 2m tall slam-dunk powerhouse hung like a freaking horse... God but was this embarrassing. And she nearly had an ictus when Aomine sneaked up on her and found her looking at sex toys online.

"Oh, Satsuki! You should have said something if you wanted a vibrator!" he had said with actual glee. "I think you should get that pink one, it goes with your hair."

Momoi could have killed him. But at least the whole thing gave her the excuse to easily lure him into bed.

Sleeping with Aomine always felt very different to doing it with Kagami. She didn't really know what it was and maybe it was all in her head since physically both athletes were pretty similar. But with Aomine she felt a... Familiarity, that shouldn't had made that much sense since she had been Kagami's girlfriend for years while being Dai-chan's lover was a new development. However, it felt like they had been doing it since forever and, despite that, it never got boring.

"Look at you! What a cute girly blush, like a little tomato..." he teased her mercilessly, manhandling Momoi as if she weighted nothing to sit on his lap.

"Don't be mean, Dai-chan!" But she draped all over him, loving the feel of his strong warm hands on her body.

It may have been the way he teased her, which was so similar to how he treated her in their every day life. Despite her embarrassment, it made her comfortable and self-assured because in those moments Momoi knew she was beautiful in his eyes. She could feel him harden underneath her and a silly ping of pride swelled in her chest. She loved him so so much. She always had, since they had both been brats. Whatever had possessed her to be so reticent about sharing this with him in the beginning was beyond her now. To Momoi, Dai-chan was the must fun to be with for everything else, so why had she thought sex would be any different?

When she felt a hand cup her breast and another rub her clit through her panties, a shiver went up her spine. She ran her fingers through his boyish haircut, making it messier and scrapping his scalp the way he liked, getting him to smile just for her, charming and unguarded. And her heart swelled with love for him. She needed to be closer to him! And the urge to kiss him grew so strong that she nearly head-butted Dai-chan in her eagerness to reach his lips.

Aomine chuckled against her mouth.

"What is it, dummy?" she mumbled between kisses.

He smirked again and squeezed her backside. He was such a perv...

"It's funny," he told her, "I can tell Kagami has been your first and only... You guys kiss the same way. It's like your mouths are suction machines or something."

Momoi felt some of her arousal leave her body at his words. Did he really need to bring up Kagami as they were about to have sex?

"So what?" she shot back, her eyes shifting to his collarbone. "And he is not my one and only anymore..."

Although it was nice to feel his hands tighten on her waist, a strange anxiousness she couldn't explain had started to take over her. In any case, he was far too coherent for her liking.

"You talk too much, Dai-chan," she reprimanded him as she stood up to get rid of her panties and reach for his zipper.

"This too! You are both so feisty!" he teased her again.

But this time, it didn't feel as good. Looking at his lips, she remembered the stream of obscenities that he had rattled off when he had had sex with Kagami and, even though deep down she was dying to have him talk dirty to her as well, Momoi suddenly felt too embarrassed and insecure to ask for it.

Instead, she put her hands on his chest and pushed him to lie down on the bed. And he let her, reaching out to help her lay down on top of him. His skin felt so warm against her own...

However, she didn't have the right mind-set to enjoy it, instead all she could think about was that she needed to make him forget all about Kagami. That was like a mantra in her head: she needed to make him feel so good that all thoughts of the redhead would vanish while he was in bed with her. Which was why, gathering her courage, she tried to remember everything that she had read in her shameful internet search and waited until he was distracted sucking her nipples to touch him... There. The soft brush of fingers in his cleft made him pause. She felt him squirm ever so slightly.

"Stop teasing," he grunted, his lips mumbling around the sensitive nub in his mouth. "Fuck Satsuki, you are making me horny as hell."

And he pushed her on her back and worked her like a freaking instrument until she reached orgasm. Even though he dictated the whole encounter and it had deviated from her original plan, when the deed was over Momoi felt she could breathe a little easier because he had obviously enjoyed himself very much. Kuroko had been on the right track: whether or not ass play had been involved, Satsuki still aroused him.

And it would have been great if a couple of hours later she hadn't seen Aomine shove a surprised Kagami to the couch, demand he take his cock out and jerk it to hardness, to then proceed to fuck himself on it, riding it, moaning shamelessly and in clear delight each time the engorged member slid inside him.

Even though he had come in her mere hours before, he had still sought out Kagami.

Was she simply not good enough? Did Dai-chan prefer him because Kagami had... Well, a dick. Or was it something else?

And she wanted to be angry at Aomine. She really did, but in the end the one she was crossed with was Kagami. Because wasn't he supposed to be her boyfriend? Shouldn't he prefer Momoi? A why did he always have to get in between her and Dai-chan?! She was being completely unreasonable. She knew she was. Kagami wasn't doing anything out of malice but facts were facts. And Momoi felt like he was forcing her to compete with him.

Momoi decided to approach her supposed boyfriend on the night after a big game when she knew Kagami would be worn out with physical exhaustion and therefore more receptive. She found the redhead in the living room's couch dozing in front of the tv with his cell phone in a loose grasp. She had seen him fiddle with it all day, which was odd in and on itself since Kagami had never been a fan of texting. And even though she had noticed how his face had filled with tension earlier as he read through his messages, at the moment she had other more urgent things to worry about. Steeling herself for the uncomfortable conversation ahead, Momoi sat down next to him.

"Don't you get tired of all the sex?" Those were the first words out of her mouth. Crude and way too direct, yes, but she wanted the chase over with. And they said Kuroko was the blunt one...

The unexpected comment made him wake up completely and Kagami looked at her as if she had grown a second head. Not a second later, he reached out and tried to get her temperature.

"Oh, stop it," she said swatting his hand away. "I am not talking about us in general. It's more... You and Aomine-kun. I am just surprised, I guess. To be honest, Kagamin, you have always seemed very straight to me, so I... Sorry but I don't get it."

She saw a pink tint come to his cheeks and, as he tried to hide his fidgeting by pocketing his cell, he grumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that?" she prodded gently.

"I said it's just him," he rumbled hurriedly, groaning in frustration immediately afterwards. "I don't know, Satsuki, okay? I just know he has something... Even the way he moves. He is... Shit. I can't really explain it, but he has this thing about him that I... And he is REALLY good at basketball."

For God's sake...

"I don't get it, Kagamin," she told him getting somewhat angry. "You and I have been together for years. I am your girlfriend. I know you and I know what you like. But the way you two go at it... It's like animals. I know we agreed to a 'package deal', but you don't have to do that if you don't want to. You get that, right?"

He seemed very surprised.

"What makes you think I don't want it?" he asked very carefully.

"Well, it's always him who starts it, isn't it? He goads you into it. But as I said, you don't need to play along if you don't feel like it. I am sure Aomine-kun has noticed this too, but, you know him, he can be very childish and selfish at times. So you need to be more straightforward with him."

She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Why was she doing something like this? What had she been hoping it would achieve? She had obviously been trying to get them to fight but how could she be so petty?! This wasn't like her. It wasn't who she was or who she wanted to be. And when she saw Kagami's brow scrunch into a frown, the guilt she felt multiplied. Whatever had possessed her to say such a nasty thing was completely gone, leaving behind a need to set things right. However, before Momoi could even attempt to open her mouth, he had stood up and left the room in just a couple of long strides.

"Kagamin!" she called after him.

But the redhead was a man on a mission.

"Ahomine!" she heard him bellow as he went up the stairs.

She cursed and ran after him. What would she do if they suddenly went back to avoiding each other because of her? Or worse, what if Dai-chan found out what she had said? Momoi needed to fix things before they got out of hand again. How could she have been so stupid?!

However, by the time she reached the top of the stairs, Kagami was ready to storm into Kuroko's old bedroom, where she could hear Tetsu-kun typing in his computer and Dai-chan snoring softly on their old bed. Kagami had stopped at the door, hesitant.

"Is something the matter, Kagami-kun?" asked Kuroko as he sensed his nervousness.

The redhead gripped the doorframe and shuffled his feet.

"Eh... Kuroko? You might want to leave the room..."warned Kagami in a strange voice. And Momoi wished she could see his face. "You have a deadline, right?"

"Why are you being so noisy, moron?" she heard Dai-chan's muffled complain as he buried his face in the cushions. "And you guys call me an asshole..."

Kagami shuffled his feet again and Satsuki saw Kuroko observe him appraisingly. Eyes widening in apparent understanding, Kuroko closed the top of his laptop and smiled reassuringly, turning his chair around to face the bed and making himself confortable.

"Nonsense, Kagami-kun," he said smiling placidly. "You know I enjoy watching."

What?! And not an instant later, she saw the tall redhead nod and go to the couch. Purposeful, he knelt next to Aomine, who kept lazing on his stomach like a big grumpy cat, frowning at Kagami's strange behavior. However, his brow cleared as soon as the redhead leaned down and began kissing the back of his neck.

"Hey, what's gotten into you?" he mumbled even as he bared his throat to give his partner better access.

Kagami didn't respond, instead Satsuki saw him lean further down, exploring the other's body with mouth and hands, urging him to remove his clothes so that he could massage the sore muscles of Aomine's back and knead the tight globes of his ass. And when the darker male's hips began rocking against the mattress, Kagami moved to kneel between his legs and licked his lover's cleft.

"The fuck!" Aomine's curse was more a moan than an actual word.

Kagami licked around the rim, pressing his tongue into the hole and laving it, tongue sweeping back and forth, making it wet and needy. The tanned man moaned again and Momoi felt that nasty something that had taken over her in the living room peek its head again, because not only had she never been able to make Aomine lose control like that but to make matters even worse Kagami had never done something like this to her.

Yes, she had felt his tongue on her most sensitive parts multiple times by now, but an angry voice inside her kept reminding her that that first night Kagami had just been following Aomine's lead. Now, however, if her best friend's moans were a good indication, Aomine was as surprised as she was. The rimming hadn't been one of Aomine's demands. No. Kagami had chosen to do this of his own accord. And he was obviously loving every second of it, feasting on the gasps from his lover's lips.

It wouldn't have been so bad if Aomine hadn't been that desperate for it too.

"Get on your back, Aomine-kun," Kuroko said suddenly.

And the tanned man turned, his back arching off the bed as Kagami's moved closer and his tongue delved deeper. Sighing in pleasure, Aomine reached down to palm and stroke his own cock.

"Don't," Kuroko again. "You always come harder when you don't."

"Bastard," mumbled Aomine. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you get off on this..."

But he let go and threaded his fingers through Kagami's hair instead, asking him to stop. As Kagami straightened in confusion, Aomine reached out towards his old nightstand and rummaged through a cupboard till he found a small jar. He threw it at Kagami and settled back down against the pillows, obscenely spreading his legs.

Kagami's eyebrows went up in his forehead as he looked from the bottle of lube in his hands to his partner.

Aomine rolled his eyes. Bending his knees further apart, he placed his heels on the bed and canted his hips up to expose himself.

"Do I need to spell it for you?" And his lips curved in challenge.

He didn't. A second later Kagami had made his fingers wet with lube and had draped himself against his lover's side, hooking a tanned leg over an elbow to stretch the puckered hole and shove long digits inside.

"Ahhh... Knew you'd catch on. You are the best, Kagami."

"Fuck, how can you be so tight?"

"One of my many charms. Now get back to work."

Kagami curled his fingers and Aomine's hips rocked in response, tilting to find the right angle. His back arched as a bolt of ecstasy vibrated along his spine and his dark nipples peaked with arousal. Moving a hand to his chest he twisted one of the nubs, adding that extra edge of pain to his pleasure that he always seemed to crave.

"You really like that, don't you?" grumbled Kagami, pushing his lover's hands away so that his mouth could take over and latch itself to one of those sensitive little nubs. "You always clench so tightly when I touch these," he mumbled between bites. "See? And when we play basketball, I see them harden under your shirt. It makes me really wanna suck on them..."

"And why haven't you, dumbhead?" the other gasped between pants, "I am always up for some nipple play and... As of late I practically have to beg Satsuki just to... Ah... Just to even sneak a look at hers." What?! But Aomine's smirk distracted her. His hand took fisted Kagami's hair. "Now bite them."

"So bossy..."

"Bite them and do me hard."

Despite his words, Kagami bit and licked at the offered chest, bruising the hardened nipples, sucking them raw. Moaning, Aomine pushed back to fuck himself on the fingers deep inside him, closing his eyes and leaning his head back in pleasure.

Momoi could see the corded muscles in Kagami´s arms move and clench with every thrust. She watched thick knuckles stretch an eager entrance, widening it, making it hungrier while his own painfully erect cock twitched. Gasps of pleasure left Aomine's lips with every stroke of the long digits, and Satsuki paled because she knew that her own small delicate hands would never be able to reach as deeply or thrust as harshly. By now she had come to realize that Aomine loved Kagami's fingers in there almost as much as he loved his cock. Loved them, needed them. That he would come from this alone, with just Kagami's fingers massaging his prostate while the redhead's thick cock leaked against his back.

"Ah!"

Aomine actually cried out when he came, his orgasm more intense than anything he had ever experienced with Satsuki. He stroked himself till nothing was left and afterwards panted as if he had just finished a game. The silence stretched while he got his breath back.

Patient, Kagami took out his fingers while his tongue lapped at the sweat running down his lover's chest. After a couple of calming breaths, Aomine clasped the redhead's shoulder.

"Come 'ere," he murmured, gesturing for the other to move up so that he could give him a proper kiss. Kagami went to him eagerly but after a couple of seconds Aomine broke the contact. "Your turn..."

Licking his lips, the darker man attempted to kneel, ready to suck his partner off, but Kagami pushed him down and went back to devouring his mouth.

"... And you say I am bossy," riled Aomine, avoiding the hungry mouth.

"Shut up and let me kiss you," replied Kagami as he silenced those smirking lips.

And she saw Aomine spread lube over his own hand to wrap it around the redhead's leaking shaft. Kagami moaned and the pad of a thumb spread the pre-come on the tip before getting a stronger grip, stroking and pumping. Kagami tried to keep kissing the other man but it was clearly becoming harder and harder for him to concentrate on doing so.

She watched Aomine scratch the back of his teammate's neck (a weak spot that Satsuki had thought only she knew about), which predictably made the redhead weak on the knees. Kagami tried to muffle his voice against the crook of Aomine's neck and shoulder but, unable to find restrain, resorted to biting the skin there instead. His partner's reaction was pure instinct: as soon as teeth clenched into his flesh, the fingers that had been resting on Kagami's back suddenly dag into the other man's shoulder blades, raking along his side, making muscles bunch under his touch. Momoi could practically see the bruises forming.

With sweat beading on his forehead, Kagami breathed harshly while his hips continued to rock into the hand stroking him. Taking a deep breath, Kagami forced himself to let go of his lover's flesh and leveraged himself up on his forearms, getting a better view of the man splayed out beneath him.

Catching on, Aomine was quick to play along. With a confident smirk, he settled himself leisurely against the cushions and flaunted his satiated body for the other's feasting eyes. Kagami's gaze roamed over the planes of his rival's body and Aomine reached for his hand and brought it back to his flesh. He guided one of those broad palms down his pecs and abs, encouraging a firm touch, and Kagami's didn't hesitate, mapping out the dips and muscles responsible for those impossible moves during basketball which held him so at awe. Kagami was worshiping the contours of that honed body as if somehow he could distil the secrets of its skill through touch alone.

And in the meantime, Aomine continued stroking him. He ran his free hand down the redhead's side till it reached his partner's buttocks, groping the tight globes. Kagami's breath hitched. She saw his powerful calves twitch in pure muscle memory, as if his body was recalling one of their intense games and longing for it. He was so close.

Aomine took a deep breath and the redhead's eyes immediately shifted from his sharp clavicles to his face. The tanned man's usually cruel lips had parted in a quiet gasp, and Kagami reached out to cup his jaw and run his thumb across those sinful lips, the soft caress almost reverent. Aomine nipped at it playfully and Kagami groaned, dragging his fingers down to trace the outline of his throat, caressing down his lover's chest. And maybe the tanned man wasn't the only one with a nipple fetish because a callused hand immediately went back to one of the little nubs, rubbing it softly with his thumb, then pinching it back to hardness. It made Aomine close his eyes and bite his lower lip in pleasure, his body undulating sinuously against his lover's taut frame, and that did it for Kagami. After just a couple of strokes, the redhead moaned and spilled his release all over the two of them.

Her boyfriend then slumped against the other man's body, breathing heavily as exhaustion finally caught up with him. And Aomine patted his head with one hand while the other went to play with the come on their stomachs.

"Ugh, stop that," complained Kagami as his partner spread the mess.

Aomine chuckled but nonetheless listened, resting his palm against Kagami's bruised back to rub it absentmindedly. Momoi didn't understand how they could possibly find comfort in each other after such violence, but they looked peaceful together and all tension was gone from their strong limbs. Watching them now, Satsuki felt even guiltier for having tried to step between them earlier.

"Oi, Bakagami, what brought this on?" asked Dai-chan, his voice still somewhat husky. He looked exhausted and out of breath but oh so satiated.

Kagamin shrugged his broad shoulders as if he didn't know how to express himself. However, suddenly he must have remembered Satsuki´s "advice" about needing to be clearer with Aomine because he got up on his forearms again to peer down at his partner.

"I love having sex with you," he told him, straight faced and very earnest. "And playing basketball. But sex too. You know that, right?"

He had clearly misunderstood everything Satsuki had told him.

Aomine's tanned complexion wasn't able to hide the blush that suddenly spread all the way to his neck. The ace quickly tried to cover his embarrassment up with a snarl, planting his palm on Kagami's face and pushing him away.

"Why are you being so corny all of a sudden?" he drawled in an attempt to regain his dignity. "Grow some balls, Bakagami!"

"Watch it! Your hand is all sticky! It's disgusting!"

"Ehhh?! You complain about a sticky hand after your tongue has been up my asshole?!"

Kagami swatted his hand away and frowned at him.

"Don't worry, Kagami-kun," said Kuroko suddenly, shocking her. She had completely forgotten he was there! Kagami and Aomine seemed on a similar predicament.

"Shit, Kuroko. You need to stop doing this," mumbled Kagami, while Aomine rolled with it and made himself comfortable against the cushions, yawning tiredly.

The slighter of the three men didn't miss a beat. Happily going back to his laptop, he began unplugging it while he addressed them again.

"As I was saying, Kagami-kun, you don't need to worry. Aomine-kun would most certainly be very sad if you suddenly realized that you didn't love playing basketball and having sex with him. And by very sad, I mean VERY sad."

"Do you want to die, Tetsu?" warned Aomine with an ominous glare. "And don't you have a deadline?"

"If he has that much energy left to whine and threaten, Kagami-kun, he's probably dying for you to actually make love to him."

"What?!" Aomine blushed even harder.

"Are you?" And Kagami looked at him in awe.

Grabbing a cushion Aomine threw it at Kuroko's face, who was already scurrying out of the room with his laptop.

"Definitely desperate for it..." teased the smaller man as soon as he crossed the door.

"Go to hell, Kuroko! And don't you even think about it, Kagami. It's my turn with your ass anyway!"

"But you like it better when I am on top, Dai-chan!"

"That's it, you are dead!"

Kuroko chuckled and closed the door behind himself, leaving the two of them to their barbaric version of foreplay. He chuckled but stopped as soon as he noticed the pale Satsuki on the hallway.

"Momoi-san?" he inquired, noticing the tightness in her expression. "What's wrong? You look upset."

"It's okay," she reassured.

Because she was being stupidly jealous. Because she should be happy that her earlier comment hadn't caused a fight. Seeing Tetsu-kun, she realized that she was probably just blowing things out of proportion.

'It's just sex,' she tried telling herself.

After all, Kuroko was perfectly happy without any and she... She couldn't have kept up with the other two even if she had tried.

Besides, Aomine was just starved for it after so long without and Kagamin was probably just discovering the joys of gay sex and letting his childishly competitive spirit get the best of him. They would get over it (and over each other) soon enough.

It was just physical.

So what if sleeping with Momoi left Dai-chan unsatisfied? It was not like their relationship had ever meant to be sexual in the first place. She was still the most important person in his life where it mattered: she was still his best friend, still the one who he trusted to manage his contracts and negotiate his future, still the one he sought when he wanted to be pampered. Momoi was still important, and that should have been enough.

"Momoi-san, are you sure you are okay?" Tetsu-kun asked again, reaching out to take her hand.

And Momoi tried to smile for him. However, before either could say anything else, both their cell phones notified them of an incoming message within seconds of each other. Surprised, they got them out just to see similar smiley faces and numerous exclamation marks.

"It's Kise-kun," said Satsuki.

And suddenly Kuroko's phone started ringing and his eyes widened in surprise. He showed her the screen and Momoi's own eyes followed his example. Because there on the screen, in big bold letters, a single name flashed:

AKASHI SEIJURO.

And Momoi's stomach twisted into a big knot of dread.

Tbc.

Notes:

More porn today, I should be more embarrassed but nah... Besides, it's only logical with two athletic hyper-competitive males in their twenties: the testosterone levels in that house need to be insane! Kagami in canon is obsessively focussed in basketball and only basketball (no peeking at girls, no porn in his house, ehem) but the problem in this universe is that he has started to associate sex with basketball (good job, Aomine!). In addition, in this fic Kagami has always had a higher sex-drive than Momoi (remember the embarrassing "do you jerk off?" conversation) but he's a very reserved man and he's always put her needs first, which is why Momoi never noticed (that and because she's always hyper aware of Kuroko and Dai-chan but not so much of Kagami, who she often takes for granted).

In any case, I feel for poor Momoi. However, is 100% justified in those moments in which she feels left out? Hmm... I hope the right message came across about what the real issue is here but since the story is told from her POV it's easy to get wrapped completely by her impressions. Even though she has moments of optimism, she is also starting to feel a bit like a third wheel, but how much is actually reality and how much is in her own head, magnified by her own fears? And, more importantly, where is this leading? In any case, things are starting to spin out of control, that's for sure! ;)


	14. Akashi's offer

Thank you to those who reviewed! And let me tell you, after this chapter, there is only 3 others left to go. Wohooo! Again, today I bring you a KagaAo porny beginning which you can skip if you want (it surprised me so much that people who aren't comfortable with man-on-man action are still reading the story! So, for those of you, skip till the first "*"). In any case, the next time our heroes jump into bed together, it will be all of them. But before they reach the make-up sex stage we need to reach boiling point in their conflict. :D

**Chapter 14: Akashi's offer**

Their friends would be arriving in half an hour. And Kagami and Aomine were at it. Again. Right the middle of their kitchen. While an obscene bottle of lube dripped all over the counter. Did they keep a hidden stash in every single room in the house?! Apparently, yes, they did.

Kagami groaned. He was leaning back against the counter, knuckles white from clutching the edge so tight, while Aomine knelt at his feet sucking him off. And if the pleasured sounds coming from Kagami's mouth were to be trusted, he was deep-throating the redhead like a pro.

The one time Satsuki had tried to do that she had chocked due to the sheer size of the thing.

"Shit, Ahomine, I don't even wanna know were you learnt to do this..." Mumbled Kagami as his fingers clutched through short dark strands.

"... I'm just a natural," joked the darker male as he pulled back to catch his breath. His deep voice sounded hoarse and husky, abused, and Momoi saw Kagami shiver in response. (If a similar shiver went down her spine, she paid it no mind.)

"You are so full of full of shit," groaned Kagami.

And she watched in disbelief as those tanned hands reached out and groped Kagami's ass. She saw them cup the tight globes to then rub at the small entrance, brushing teasingly but never quite penetrating.

Kagami's breath hitched and the other chuckled.

"I want to fuck you," hissed Aomine after licking the tip of his partner's dick, his voice a sensual rumble.

"Don't even think about it," warned Kagami, his own tone breathless and aroused. She saw the redhead clutch Aomine's wrist, pulling that treacherous hand away. Then, softer, he said: "Not here. Not now."

After one last lick, Aomine let go of his teammate's cock and smirked up at him. As he straightened, he brushed up the length of Kagami's body, grinding their groins together, their faces so close that their breath mingled.

"Fuck me, then."

And Satsuki actually saw Kagami's knees go weak before he straightened and pulled the other man even closer to himself.

"We can't," he growled even as he reached out for the spilled lube by their side, making his fingers slippery, "we have a game tomorrow. You will be sore."

"Screw the game. Cock, now." And Aomine smirked as he said so.

He was shameless. They were both utterly shameless. They had to know Momoi was in the living room and that their guests would arrive at any moment, but they couldn't have cared less. No, Kagami was too busy shoving his hand down the back of his lover's jeans to thrust slick fingers inside. And Aomine moaned wantonly at the stretch, wrapping his arms around Kagami's neck, scratching his sensitive nape, teasing his mouth.

"Come on, you want it too... See how hard you are? How full these are?" he tempted as he palmed and kneaded Kagami's balls.

"No, this is ok," tried to sooth the redhead just to let loose a strangled groan, "I'll... I'll make you feel good just like this."

And his fingers kept moving, sliding inside and stretching. She watched in despair how Aomine's own fingers tightened in Kagami's hair, how his tongue licked down his neck while his hands pinched the redhead's erect nipples and raked down the hard ridges of his stomach.

"Bastard..." groaned Kagami.

And Aomine simply chuckled while he reached out towards the counter to make his own hand slick with lube. He then grabbed both their cocks in a firm grip and began pumping.

"Hm..." moaned Kagami as grabbed his teammate's ass with his free hand, nails digging in, urging him to get closer while his other hand continued the intimate caress inside his lover's body.

And Aomine rubbed against him, his breath tickling Kagami's neck as his soft panting became more and more heated with every brush of the redhead's fingers. After so many encounters, finding his lover's prostrate came as easily to Kagami as breathing, and he knew exactly how to rub that sensitive ball of nerves to leave the usually aggressive, dominant man in front of him mewling like a kitten. The corded muscles on Kagami's forearms shifted with every thrust and Momoi could have sworn she saw Aomine shiver in response.

"A-ahh..." he cried out, leaning on Kagami for support while his body visibly shuddered from head to toe.

"... Jerk, you okay?" asked the redhead, rubbing a comforting hand up his lover's spine.

Aomine swore.

"I... I really need to get fucked," he confessed suddenly, surprising even himself. He laughed at his own desperation. "Kagami, I really really do."

Grinding his hips against Kagami's he moistened his lips and kissed him deeply. His tongue traced the outline of the redhead's mouth, nibbling his lower lip, sensually sucking on his tongue and luring it into his own mouth. And when Kagami moaned he released the paler man's neck, reaching behind himself to adjust Kagami's rhythm. He was so lewd.

"Hey," growled Kagami in warning. But...

"I want you..."

The deep arousal in Aomine's voice broke Kagami. He pulled his fingers out, making the other man groan at the sudden emptiness, and made quick work of his rival's jeans, lowering them down his tights. Aomine's hand released their cocks and, with a sharp gasp, Kagami flipped them around, pinning his lover against the counter, chest to back. His large hand slid under the other man's shirt, making the edge rise up to reveal the hard planes of his lover's stomach. Too's former ace had such low body fat that the six-pack looked carved onto his skin and Kagami's rough palms roamed over it, clasping the sharp lines of his hips in a possessive grip. Aomine grabbed his hand and pulled it to his own cock, urging Kagami to stroke it.

"Nice..." he purred. "Keep going."

"You drive me insane..." groaned the redhead.

Aomine chuckled and pushed back against Kagami. Reaching behind himself he clasped the collar of his lover's shirt to bring him close, kissing him over his shoulder while Kagami's dick rubbed and leaked against the crease of his ass.

Aomine moaned loudly.

"Put it in, Kagami," he said in a deep raspy rumble. "I will even ride you. I know you like it when I do. Don't you want to watch me fuck myself on your dick? Come on, you won't have to do anything. I just need that big fat cock of yours up my ass..." He begged with his voice and body, his every move deliberate and sinful.

It was testament of Kagami's strength of character that he didn't bulge an inch.

"No."

And all submissiveness left Aomine.

"If I tell you to fuck me, you fuck me!" he threatened, turning around to grab his partner's leaking shaft.

Kagami caught his wrist and pushed him back.

"I said no."

And Aomine actually laughed in delight, encouraging the other to back him up against the counter, raising a leg to Kagami's waist and guiding his lover's fingers back inside.

"Ahh... I get so horny when you are bossy..." He licked Kagami's lips, giving little bites to the redhead's jaw. "Do it again, Bakagami. Show me who's boss."

"Aomine..." panted Kagami.

And the darker male laughed at himself again. "Damn, now I really want you to spank me..."

Kagami was so aroused that the only thing he could do was groan.

Fed up, Satsuki stepped into the kitchen.

"Akashi-kun and Kise-kun will be here in less than 10 minutes," she told them angrily.

But Aomine only moaned louder at her words.

Kagami's eyes shifted to her for an instant and then he shoved his lover backwards as he himself leaned away, revealing the hard planes of both their bodies for Satsuki's gaze. Sweat dampened their shirts, showcasing the whipcord muscle underneath, hard planes and ripped ridges begging to be defiled. Momoi felt her mouth go dry.

Propping himself up on his elbows, Aomine reached out for her.

"Come here, Satsuki," he told her in a sensual drawl. "Join us."

Was he insane?

"Didn't you hear me?! The others will be here any second now."

And at her refusal all of Aomine's attention went back to Kagami.

"Why did you stop?" he demanded with a low growl, canting his hips. "Harder, Kagami!"

And his lover obeyed. The pressure against his prostrate made him close his eyes and throw his head back to gasp in pleasure.

"Kagami..." More of those nearly imperceptible shivers raked his body and the redhead pulled him close.

"I've got you... I've got you," he promised. "As much as you want, as hard as you need..."

And Aomine sighed and rested his forehead against Kagami's shoulder. The redhead's digits kept curling and massaging, pushing deeper, thrusting harder. And Aomine's went back to their erections, tearing a passionate cry from Kagami's throat. His other hand roamed down the redhead's body: clasping his jaw to muffle his mouth, fisting his hair and then lower, feeling the pulse of his neck and rubbing down the knobs of his spine, kneading the globes of his ass.

"Come on," Aomine gasped into his mouth, his head turning to the side like he wanted Kagami to kiss and bite the side of his neck. "Fuck me like you own me. Don't stop, Kagami..."

"Never," murmured the other man as he obliged, scrapping his teeth down the column of his throat. "I've got you. You can let go... Let go, Daiki."

And he did.

Meanwhile, Kagami kissed him as his broad palm took over and gripped Aomine's erection to stroke it till there was nothing left to give.

Kagami brushed his lips against his temple and nudged his forehead. Despite the tenderness, after a couple of deep breaths Aomine smirked and practically skipped off the counter. Zipping his trousers up absentmindedly, he placed a hand on Kagami's chest to push him towards the stairs while his other hand returned the favor and latched to the redhead's leaking manhood. Kagami was so hard it had to hurt.

"Where do you think you are going?!" Momoi demanded in disbelief.

"Didn't you say those two would be here any second now?" Aomine threw back at her. "I wanna eat his ass and I am sure Akashi won't appreciate the view. Although you never know with Kise, he's such a slut."

"Leave my ass alone. And look who's talking," growled back Kagami. Although he didn't make a very strong point by shoving his erection into the hand stroking him. "Weren't you begging for cock less than a minute ago?"

Both their smiles were all teeth.

"Let's see who is whining like a bitch in heat when I'm done with you."

"Bring it on!"

Dear god.

"Kagamin..." She called out. Hoping that at least he would be sensible.

But it was no use. When they got like this, all irrelevant information vanished for them. Including her...

On their way up they nearly ran into Kuroko.

"Sorry," mumbled the redhead as he let himself be pushed up the stairs.

Kuroko chuckled.

"Please try to keep it down," he told them as they went up. "And don't be too long. And please take a shower afterwards!"

"Will do, will do," promised Aomine. "Actually, let's get kinky in the shower, Kagami! That way we won't have to rush."

"Right!" Dear God. And she saw Kagami scrape his teeth against Aomine's jaw before his wild eyes fell on his best friend. "Eh, Kuroko, we left a mess in the kitchen..."

_Now_ he remembered the mess in the kitchen.

"Don't worry, I will take care of it," reassured their old shadow to Satsuki's utter bewilderment, a nearly imperceptible mix of mild disgust and amusement in his face. "You guys enjoy yourselves. But don't be long."

"Thank yo..." Kagami's words of gratitude turned into a moan as Aomine gripped his balls rather harshly.

"Don't ignore me," growled the dark skinned man.

"Never," reassured Kagami after giving him an open-mouthed kiss. "Now, what did you say earlier about wanting me to spank you..."

They were shameless. Absolutely shameless. And for some reason Kuroko found it endearing. Momoi wanted to die.

In the end, Akashi and Kise arrived "fashionably" late, so Momoi hadn't had to go through the embarrassment of trying to lie about why the two hotheaded idiots hadn't been ready on time. Regardless, after their shameless display in the kitchen, Momoi found it difficult to behave like her usual cheerful self.

Thankfully, Kise's enthusiasm was contagious.

He had given her such a big hug as soon as she had opened the door that she felt her heart fill with warmth.

"It's been too long!" exclaimed the blond as he released her to try to hug Kuroko as well, who took a step back, eyes wide as saucers.

"Kise-kun, I'd rather yo..." Too late. He too was nearly strangled to death by Kise's enthusiasm.

Fortunately for the smaller man, Aomine came to his rescue by kicking the blond in the ass.

"Hands off, Kise!"

"So mean, Aomineicchi! Is that the way to greet an old friend?"

Aomine crossed his arms over his chest and quirked a sarcastic eyebrow.

However, Kise just laughed good-naturedly.

"It's good to see you guys," he said. "You too Kagamicchi."

And Kagami returned the greeting with a nod and a smile of his own.

"Good to see you too, Kise," he said grasping the blond's forearm.

"Whoa, have you actually gotten bigger? Man, you are ripped! Aomineicchi, looks like Kagamicchi has surpassed you! Have you been slacking off again?"

Kagami rubbed the back of his head self-consciously and a vein popped out in Aomine's forehead.

"Ehhh?! So what? I am still 2 cm taller than him," boasted Teiko's former Ace childishly.

And Kise's golden eyes widened in pretend awe.

"All of 2 cm? Now, that's impressive..."

Aomine kicked him again.

"Did you come all the way from Japan with him, Akashi? Why would you subject yourself to such torture?" asked Aomine as they made their way into the living room.

Akashi shrugged off his jacket and handed it over to Kuroko with a polite 'thank you' before sitting on the couch. His own greeting had been much more subdued compared to the blond's but there had been warmth in his eyes.

Despite her initial misgivings, this calmed Momoi down. She cared deeply for all of her former "charges" (because she had always though of the whole generation of miracles as such) but after everything that had happened in the past, she couldn't help a certain level of uncertainty around their former captain. Akashi was a good person, she had no doubts about that, but there was also something inside him that made him... Dangerous? That wasn't quite right but Momoi had never been able to find the right word to describe Akashi.

"I am afraid so," Akashi told them with the air of like a long-suffering parent. "Ryota can be quite overwhelming but it was a necessary evil."

However, he had to stop when Nigou suddenly licked his hand and nudged him for a scratch. When they had arrived, the dog had easily been swept away by Kise's enthusiasm, joining in on the "hugging" with the humans and biting at the blond's shoelaces. Nevertheless, as soon as they had settled down Nigou had taken to sniffing around Akashi, apparently very curious about something only it could pick up on the other man's scent. Akashi seemed subtly amused at its antics.

"He looks familiar..." he told them as he gave a condescending pat to Nigou, who surprisingly settled down at his feet to nap.

"Will you look at that?!" chimed in Aomine, laughing.

And Kagami shushed him, afraid the ruckus would wake up 'the Beast'.

"Anyway, what brings you two to the States?" asked her boyfriend as he very cautiously sidestepped the dog to hand over some drinks and snacks to their guests.

"Akashicchi got me some auditions in LA!" told them Kise with a big bright smile. "I'm here to try my luck."

"Auditions? What for?" asked Aomine as he rested a foot on the low coffee table (and both Kuroko and Momoi reached out to swat his leg).

"Movies," said Akashi, his sharp eyes tracking very subtly the display of bad manners. "Just some secondary roles, but that's just the first step."

"Oh, that's right!" cut in Momoi before turning to Kise. "You have become quite popular in Japan after starring in that romantic comedy, haven't you, Kise-kun?"

"He has?" asked Aomine in that unwittingly rude way of his. "So you are an actor now? How come? You have always sucked at impressions..."

Kise face-palmed himself.

"You are so harsh, Aominicchi. But the camera likes me, or so they tell me, and acting is even more fun that just copying sports! It's kind of the same idea but taking it a step further. So I thought I would give it a go."

"Don't be so humble, Ryota," admonished Akashi. "He has got real potential. We wouldn't be here otherwise."

The dog stretched and rubbed his furry face against Akashi's feet, making him halt again. The friends chuckled and Kagami shuddered.

"An actor, huh? Turns out we are now friends with a star!" piped up Aomine, sitting up straighter to rub his hands as his lips quirked into a smile that could only spell trouble. "That means you know actresses, right? You have to introduce me to some of those ladies!"

_Clank!_

"Oi! Bakagami!"

Kagami, who had been passing behind him with the tray still held in one hand, "accidentally" bumped his head quite violently with the platter.

"Cram it!" he said as he slumped down next to his teammate. "And don't you dare, Kise. He'll ruin your reputation cause he's such a creep."

"I ain't a creep," mumbled Aomine as he shifted away from the annoyed redhead, "and there's nothing wrong with looking..."

Kise eyed them funnily for a moment before chuckling at their antics and nodding.

"I hear you, I hear you."

Momoi rubbed her temple and picked up a bag of chips to hand it to her supposed boyfriend in hopes that the food would keep him busy and prevent him from further embarrassing himself. Even if Aomine was exasperating, Kagami should know better than to show jealousy in public...

"And you got the auditions for him, Akashi-kun?" asked Kuroko suddenly, as always saving the situation just in the nick of time. "I thought you worked at your father's law firm..."

Akashi didn't react in any noticeable way at Kuroko's words.

"Working for my father has its advantages and disadvantages," he told them calmly. "But for now, I'd like to start a business of my own. Which brings me to the other reason for our visit..."

He turned to look at the two athletes.

"I have been following your progress. Congratulations on getting recruited, I am sure you both will soon become quite well known in the NBA. However, I believe the team you are currently playing for is not the best fitted for you and will dampen your progress. If you allowed me to get involved, I would like to help you raise your caches."

Kagami blinked in confusion and looked at Kuroko.

"... Are you offering to be their agent?" asked Tetsu-kun after a moment of consideration.

"And yours too, Tetsuya," replied Akashi. "I have read your book. You also have great potential but you won't get anywhere without proper publicity and unfortunately standing out is not a strength of yours."

Kuroko blinked. Evidently the praise/criticism had taken him completely by surprise and he didn't quite know how to react.

"We don't need an agent, Akashi," said Aomine as he leaned against the armrest and rested his cheek in his hand. "We have Satsuki."

"So you are happy being a benchwarmer, Daiki," replied Akashi rather inclemently. "Forgive me if I have trouble believing that. I have seen your games and that coach doesn't know what to do with you, with either of you for that matter. But there are other teams better fit for further developing your skills."

Momoi shifted in her chair. The conversation was starting to make her uncomfortable because it was her who had helped them get recruited. If Akashi was saying that their current team was dampening their progress, did that mean that she had done something wrong?

Feeling her distress, Kuroko reached out and discretely took hold of her sleeve. The show of support gave her courage...

"It's not that easy, Akashi-kun," she said softly. "It's a very competitive industry and we are all foreigners. We need to take it slow."

"That's where I don't agree," replied Akashi, "you only need to take it slow if you want to. As I said, I can help the three of you move up. And if you want to continue being their agent, Momoi-san, I'd gladly take you as my partner. You know the sector and have been in this country for longer, so your advise is very valuable. "

Silence met his words.

"He did get me the auditions," added Kise, who had remained uncharacteristically subdued during the whole exchange. "I would have thought it impossible: a Japanese rookie actor here in Hollywood? Not a chance! I'd have never even dared to try. But Akashicchi got them for me." He sighed and smiled disarmingly. "I am not sure how he did it, or even if I'm going to be good enough, but here I am."

All eyes turned to Akashi.

"It's all about knocking at the right doors," he told them. "And even if I do not work for my father anymore, I still have some connections of my own. So please give some thought to my offer."

Once again the room was rendered quiet.

"Why?" asked Kuroko after the pause. "Sorry, Akashi-kun but this is all so unexpected. I can't help having misgivings..."

Kuroko too was clearly weary of Akashi. On one or two occasions Momoi had talked with him about everything that had happened at Teiko and the Winter cup. It hadn't been easy, recalling how Akashi had betrayed Kuroko's trust or how readily he had used to then discarded his 'broken' teammates. Kuroko had told her about how back in Middle School Akashi had called Dai-chan 'a cracked plate not worth repairing' and Momoi herself had been witness to his cruelty towards Mayuzumi during the Winter cup. Therefore, even though Akashi was supposedly back to his former kinder self after his defeat at Seirin's hands, she couldn't quite find it in herself to fully trust him again, because the potential to revert back was always there.

"Tesuya," continued Akashi, "is it so hard to believe I am doing this because I want to help my friends and in the process help myself."

"You are not our captain anymore, Akashi-kun," said Kuroko rather firmly. "And you might be our friend but what you are suggesting is very personal. If we said yes, you would become a very important player in our lives. So, please, if you want us to think about your offer, you need to be honest."

Akashi considered Kuroko very carefully for a couple of charged seconds. Then his whole posture relaxed and he opened his arms with his palms up as if to show he had nothing to hide.

"Japan is not a big enough territory for me and my father not to clash," he told them in that calm controlled way of his. "I am not going to compete with him, so I need to branch out. I saw a business opportunity to do so with Ryota, and I see an opportunity with the three of you as well. That's all there is to it. Nevertheless, I don't need an answer right away. Please give it some thought and let me know what you decide when you are ready."

And that was the end of the conversation. The rest of the day passed in a bit of a blur. They had had lunch together and laughed at the stories of their days at Teiko, caught up about what the rest of their former teammates where up to and Kise had shared some hilarious gossip about his co-starts on the movie he had been in. Afterwards, the blond and her boys had gone outside for an impromptu basketball game while Momoi caught up with overdue paperwork and Akashi attended some phone calls.

From her position in the kitchen counter she could hear the four playing outside. She could tell that Dai-chan and Kise-kun had paired off in one team and Kagamin and Tetsu-kun in another. They made a lot of noise, shouting threats at each other during the whole duration of the game, although more often than not it was just Aomine and Kise arguing with each other. Sigh. They played for at least an hour until Kuroko's retching and Kise's whining became a bit too extreme.

"You guys are beasts!" She heard the blond complain with a breathless cry. "Hold tight in there, Kurokocchi! Tell you what, let's switch teams. That way these two monsters can kill each other instead!"

And Momoi tried to force herself not to pay attention. However, a cell phone ringing outside distracted her again, and she heard Kagami apologize and jog to his discarded jacket to answer the call.

"Tell them you are busy!" Aomine shouted after him.

"Shut up, jerkface! This is important," replied Kagami. And she heard him move closer to the house, distancing himself form their friends in search for privacy but unknowingly making it easier for Satsuki to eavesdrop. Now that she thought about it, he had been on the phone pretty often as of late...

"Hello... Yes, you are talking to him," he answered in English. Then the silence stretched for far too long. "No, she doesn't not want to see me. What do you...?" Another long pause followed by a soft curse. "Alright, thank you. Please keep me informed about her health..." Another pause during which she heard him take a deep breath. "He did what?!" He sighed, and when he spoke again, he sounded very tired. "Fine, don't worry. I will take care of the expenses, just send me the bank details... Yeah. Right. Okay, thank you. Bye."

She heard him curse to himself.

What was that all about?

Momoi felt at a loss. Was he in any kind of trouble? If so, why hadn't he said anything? And who was that 'she' that kept coming up in the conversation? However, before she could give the issue further thought, the door of the house creaked open. She heard shuffling feet in the living room and a few seconds later Kise entered the kitchen.

"Momoicchi!" he said happily when he spotted her.

Noticing the sweat drenching his body, she shook her head and filled a glass with cool water from the fridge. Kise took it gratefully and slumped on a stool.

"My hero!" he told her charmingly after downing half his glass of water in just a couple of large gulps. Afterwards, he ran the sleeve of his shirt through his sweaty forehead and sighed happily. "Those two basketball freaks are truly something else," he told her conversationally.

Satsuki could only mutter her agreement. If only he knew the full story...

And as he took smaller sips from the glass of water, his face turning pensive.

"It was good to see you guys," he said at last. "It's great to see you are all doing so well. When Kurokocchi isn't puking he is practically 'glowing' and Aomineicchi even reminds me of his younger self! Everyone looks so happy. Well..." And here his voice turned softer. "Everyone except you, Momoicchi. Are you and Kagamicchi... Having a lover's spat or something?"

She bit her lip and tried not to loose her composure.

"Don't be silly, Kise-kun, I am doing great. We are all great."

He was sensitive enough not to push her. However, Kise being Kise, when he latched onto something he was like a dog with a bone but much more sneaky...

"I'm glad to hear that! I guess I worried over nothing then, it's just that Kagamicchi seemed a bit... Off after that phone call," he told her in a friendly tone that didn't quite hide his concern.

"He sometimes gets weird like that," she said. "Pay it no mind."

"If you say so."

And they left it at that.

Once their friends had left after dinner, the conversation that followed was inevitable. It took place while Aomine and Momoi picked up the table and Kagami and Kuroko washed the dishes.

"I don't really know Akashi all that well, so I will just stick with whatever you guys decide," said Kagami as he handed a mug to Kuroko. He had been in a slightly depressed mood since that strange phone call earlier in the day, so it didn't surprise Momoi that he would choose to stay out of it.

"We shouldn't make a rushed decision," replied Kuroko as he dried the mug and put it in a cabinet.

"Well, I think it's a no brainier," said Aomine, piling plates together. "Akashi knows what he's doing and he never loses. Not taking him up on his offer would be stupid, especially now that he's getting into the business. This is a train we don't wanna miss."

Kuroko closed the cupboard and turned to face him. An uncharacteristic tension had taken hold of his slight frame at Aomine's words.

"I deeply respect Akashi-kun," he said. "But I don't approve of his methods."

Aomine stopped his actions as well, turning to look at Kuroko.

"Tetsu, that was a long time ago," he said gesturing dismissively with his arm. "We have all changed since middle school."

"He's more humble, yes, but he's still ruthless. And now that he's tasted defeat, we should be even more weary. I didn't approve of his methods then and I won't approve now."

"Come on! There's no hidden agenda, the guy is just having a daddy-fit. So what if he's got something to prove, the better for us! Besides he won't be our captain, he'll just be dealing with contracts and all that bothersome stuff. What can he possibly do to upset you? It won't be the same."

Shocked, Momoi dropped the napkins she had been gathering. Was he serious? She had been looking after their contracts and 'all that bothersome stuff.' And she had been doing a pretty good damn job despite not having had any connections nor a posh sounding degree.

"Satsuki already does all of that for us," added Kagami as he turned off the water in the faucet, surprising her because she had thought nobody would actually remember her or how hard she worked for them.

Aomine sighed.

"I know and you are doing great, Satsuki, but Akashi has offered to take you in too. Now we are all floundering but Satsuki can learn loads from him. It's a great chance for everyone."

Floundering?

"I don't agree," countered Kuroko, standing his ground as firmly as he had once done in the basketball court against him. "Akashi-kun... Things always change around him. People change too. It's risky to be close to him. And if I am particularly worried, it's because of you, Aomine-kun."

"Me?" Aomine chuckled in disbelief and leaned back against the table. "And why is that? Enlighten me, Tetsu."

"You, Aomine-kun, because you always struggle dealing with change," replied Kuroko sternly. "Kagami-kun has his feet on the ground and Momoi-san is flexible and reasonable, so when things inevitably spin out of control if we give Akashi free reign, they will cope. But not you."

"Ehhh? Now wait a moment, that's..."

"No. I don't doubt Akashi-kun's abilities to take us further than we would have ever got to on our own, but you need discipline and you need limitations. So when things start moving too fast and all those things we are all fighting so hard to achieve begin falling at our feet, you will do what you always do: clam up, get out of control and go back to being an asshole."

An oppressive silence met his statement.

"Um, Kuroko," started Kagami, "don't you think that's a bit harsh? Maybe..."

He didn't get to finish. Aomine pushed himself away from the table, making the whole thing rattle.

"So that's what you really think," he snapped as his whole body language changed in an instant: from hurt to arrogant in the blink of an eye. "So that's how little faith you have in me, Tetsu. Good to know! I am not like Mr and Mrs perfect here," he mocked gesturing to Kagami and Satsuki, "and that means I am a fuck up! You guys are so generous, sharing your life with such a bastard!"

"Aomine-kun, that's not what Tetsu-kun meant. He' just worried because he cares about you," said Satsuki as she tried to grab his arm to calm him down. But, too angry to hold still, he just pulled away.

"I need discipline and limitations, huh? And who is giving that to me? You?!" he actually laughed at Kuroko, a loud and cruel sound which amplified the tension in the room. "You are a joke, Tetsu. A joke. But you know what, you don't need to worry about this asshole anymore cause I am sticking with Akashi on this one. The rest of you do whatever the fuck you want!"

He left. And Kagami actually slapped Kuroko across the back of his head.

"Man, Kuroko, did you have to be so direct? There's no way he wasn't going to explode with everything you just said."

"He can't be coddled," replied Kuroko as he rubbed his head. Frowning in frustration, he moved around Kagami and took over washing the dishes. And even though his voice was firm, Momoi noticed how his fingers trembled as he handled a plate. "Aomine-kun is too used to getting away with everything because he is amazing at what he does. But that's his downfall."

"I know you don't ever do things without a reason but this time I don't get it, Kuroko," said the redhead with just as much conviction. "If you don't have faith in him, why did you even get together in the first place."

And he left after Aomine. Of course.

It was just Momoi and Kuroko in the kitchen then. And except for the sound of the faucet running, the silence was deafening. She watched his tense back for a few seconds. Then...

"Maybe it isn't such a bad idea, Tetsu-kun," she ventured carefully since she didn't want to upset him further. "I mean, Akashi-kun is pretty smart. And Dai-chan has a point: things have changed since Teiko."

"I don't know, Momoi-san," he said softly. "What we have now... I don't want to risk it."

She saw him run gentle fingers over a nick in one of the plates, carefully handing it to scrub down the crack which marred the ceramic surface. And Momoi understood what he was thinking.

"It's okay to be afraid," she told him, taking the plate from him to dry it and put it in its rightful place. "But... But it's our job to think of those we love first, isn't it?"

Kuroko didn't look away from the sink, but she knew he was listening.

To be honest, she was having trouble herself deciding what she wanted to do. However, if Akashi was right and Kagamin and Dai-chan were being held back by her poor choices, then shouldn't she try to do everything in her power to set things right? Even if it hurt her to think that their former captain could do a better job than she had, her boys' future was way more important than any of her silly fears.

"I really enjoy being your agent," she told Kuroko. "I know in my heart that it's my path. But I don't want to be the one holding everyone back. And if Akashi-kun really can help the three of you achieve your goals... Then count me in."

Kuroko didn't respond. And Momoi respected his need for privacy and left him alone.

Momoi went to bed very late that night. She was very tired but at the same time she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep no matter how exhausted she was. As she went up the stairs, flashes of the argument kept playing in her mind over and over like a broken record.

The fights between Aomine and Kuroko had always had that strange effect on her, leaving her feeling worried, unbalanced and... Lost. It had been like that for as long as she could remember. Momoi hated seeing them fight. It was always the same: those few but intense arguments that always broke out seemingly out of nowhere, hinting at a hidden tension which had festered after such a long time being overlooked. And even though the actual moment of confrontation was always a short-lived, the ripples of their clashes resonated for infinitely longer.

She hated seeing them fight.

The two of them had such a complex relationship. They always had, even back in Teiko when things hadn't even been nearly that complicated. It had always surprised everyone that they were so close, because they couldn't have been more different. However, Momoi had seen how deeply they cared for one another and, at the same time, how harshly they hurt each other when they clashed. Only Aomine ever made Kuroko lose sight of his common sense. Only Kuroko had ever been able to reduce Aomine to tears.

And it hurt her too because she loved them both so much.

Once she reached the top floor, Momoi passed by Kuroko's study and found the door closed. That was a small relief since she knew Dai-chan had crashed there for the night. At the very least he had kept his promise to her and hadn't ran away. She was grateful for it, and even though every fiver on her body itched to go to him to comfort him, she knew that it was best to leave him alone until he came out of his own accord.

She went to her room instead. However, she hesitated at the threshold, surprised when she found Kagami standing very still in the dark in the middle of the room. Her eyes were inevitably drawn to him, to the way his strong frame was silhouetted against the moonlight, but she stopped right before calling out his name. Because that was when she had noticed the way in which he had angled his body, leading her eyes to Kuroko.

The smaller man would have been nearly invisible in the shadows of the room, but now that she had realized he was there, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him... Kuroko looked so little sitting by himself in the center of their huge mattress with his knees drawn up against his chest.

She heard Kagami release a deep sigh and saw him approach his best friend. He sat down behind Kuroko and, with no hesitance, wrapped his arms around his former teammate. Kuroko tensed for a moment but soon melted into the embrace.

"I don't know what to do, Kagami-kun..." murmured Kuroko in the quietest of whispers, hiding his face in his knees.

"I know you didn't mean to," whispered Kagami in a surprisingly tender tone, "but you have really hurt him, Kuroko. And he didn't deserve it."

She could see Tetsu-kun's small frame fill with tension. However, he didn't push his best friend away.

"You are not objective, Kagami-kun," he said in a quiet restrained voice. "You never are when it comes to him."

His words were not gentle but there was no accusation in them. Kagami hugged him closer.

"It's not like you are objective when it comes to him either," murmured Kagami softly. "Nobody really is when it's him. But you are always so tough on him, Kuroko... With Satsuki and myself you are always very sweet and caring but hardly ever with him."

"I..." started Kuroko but seemed to struggle. He wanted to talk but he chocked as if his burden was too heavy. "I have lost him once before, Kagami-kun," he confessed at last through the lump in his throat. "Day by day I saw him change in front of my eyes and I was completely useless to stop it from happening. Even Momoi-san couldn't do anything."

A glint ran down his cheek. He was crying. Kuroko was crying.

Kagami hushed him.

"Don't cry, Kuroko. It's okay. I know it was tough for you guys. I know how much everything that happened hurt you. But he learned his lesson. He won't do it again."

"But how can you know that, Kagami-kun?!" responded Kuroko as his fingers clutched the redhead's forearms. "I don't enjoy being so tough with him, but I can't be any other way. There is... There is something Momoi-san once told me... Something she had heard his captain say back when they were in Tōō: Aomine needs to be kept on a long leash."

Momoi blinked in surprise. She remembered Imayoshi telling her that once but couldn't recall ever sharing that piece on information with Kuroko, so it surprised her that it had touched him so deeply.

"Sorry but I don't get it," murmured Kagami.

"Imayoshi-san was very smart," explained the slighter man. "Smarter and more intuitive than Akashi-kun had been when he had been our captain in any case. Because Aomine-kun... Pull too hard and he'll revolt, but set him loose and he'll go out of control, become self-destructive and end up hurting himself and those who love him. That's exactly what happened at Teikō."

Momoi understood and her heart reached out for Kuroko. She knew her best friend better than anybody, she knew that Aomine was at his worst when people let him get away with his crap. She had always known that out of the four of them, Daiki had always been the most "fragile", the one who most easily cracked under pressure. He didn't have her ability to look at the bright side of things, he didn't have Kuroko's hopeful heart nor Kagami's indomitable will. That was why Satsuki had stuck by his side through thick and thin, because Aomine may act as confident as he wanted but deep down he had always been a just a child in need of someone "stronger" than himself to catch him when he fell and hold him up lest he rot at the bottom.

Kagami suddenly released his old shadow and moved to kneel in front of Kuroko on the floor by the bed. His brow settled into a determined line.

"Kuroko, we brought his haughty ass back to earth once before," he said with conviction. "You and I, together."

"Kagami-kun..."

"I trust him," cut in the redhead as he took hold of the small pale hands of the other man. "But if he ever gets out of control again, I swear I will bring that jerk back for you. This is a promise."

And Kagami was nothing if not reliable.

Kuroko watched his light with big round eyes full of awe. He believed in Kagami. It couldn't have been clearer in his face. He believed his former teammate capable of tearing down Hell's gates for him if he so much as asked.

That kind of blind faith hurt her.

And things got worse when Kuroko actually broke down after that promise.

"Thank you," he said in a heartfelt whisper. "Thank you so much, Kagami-kun."

He grasped Kagami's strong hands just as tightly between his and the redhead took that as his cue to get back into the bed. Kagami wrapped his arms around Kuroko and gently draped over his trembling frame, enveloping the slighter man in warmth.

Momoi's heart clenched with so many conflicting feelings at that point that she had to lean against the wall in the hallway for support. She would forever be in debt with Kagami because it had been indeed him who had kicked Daiki off his high horse so many years ago. Kuroko was the force behind him, yes, but it was the redhead who had beat Aomine in his own game (and Satsuki knew that Kuroko wouldn't have been able to get his point across if Kagami hadn't been Kagami: strong and blunt and with a pure heart full of genuine love for basketball and for his team), but at the same time...

Was Kuroko's unconditional faith in his former teammate justified? Momoi wasn't that sure anymore. Because Kagami may not be as hard to read as Kuroko often was, but she had come to realize that he hid things. However, apparently it was only Momoi who had noticed this about him.

The next morning, as if to confirm her suspicions, she found Kagami on the phone again. The redhead paced at the top of the stairs as he spoke. This time he was talking in Japanese and the conversation was more heated than the day before. He kept getting angrier and angrier with whoever was at the other end of the line.

"What do you want me to do?! Yes, I know... You think I don't know that?! Of course she's difficult, it's just..." He sighed and listened. "Okay. Yeah. Bye then."

And he hung up. He turned around and nearly dropped his cell phone as he nearly crashed into Momoi.

"Shit, Satsuki! Are you taking lessons from Kuroko or something?" he tried to sidestep her, but Momoi took hold of his arm.

"What is it?" she asked him. "You have been acting weird all week. What are these phone calls all about? Has something happened?"

"Just family crap," he told her reticently, pocketing his phone again. "It's fine. It has nothing to do with you guys."

Momoi narrowed her eyes. She wanted to ask for more. She wanted to tell him he wasn't being fair because Kagami knew all about her, Dai-chan and Tetsu-kun, but on the other hand he kept such a big part of himself locked away. 'Family crap' he had called it this one time, however, it wasn't the first time something like this came up. During the decade in which she had known him, he had hardly talked about his family, they had never come to visit, and he had never expressed a desire to see them either.

Nevertheless, as soon as she started living together with him, she had realized all contact couldn't have been severed with his relatives. Now and then, he got a phone call or a letter, which always left him in a quiet withdrawn mood for a while, but no matter how many times she had asked about it, Kagami had never given a straight answer.

She had always respected his wishes in the past, hoping he would open up to her of his own accord eventually. But Momoi was starting to suspect that that would never happen...

However, before she could open her mouth to give voice to her concerns, a door creaked open and Aomine came out of the study.

"Dai-chan..." she mumbled as soon as she saw him, looking him up and down to reassure herself that he was okay. Aomine looked like he had had an awful night but most of the anger he had exhibited the day before seemed to have ran out.

Her childhood friend stopped when he saw Momoi and Kagami in the hallway. And taking notice of their forlorn expressions, his own brow furrowed.

"Did someone die?" he asked humorlessly.

Kagami actually choked.

"Don't be stupid, Ahomine," but his expression softened as he approached his teammate.

Momoi felt her heart speed up. He was going to comfort Aomine. She could see this as clear as day. And she had to do something before Kagami had the chance to render her as useless as he had made her when it had come to consoling Kuroko.

"Are you feeling better, Dai-chan?" she asked quickly to try to show her support.

However, her stubborn childhood friend crossed his arms over his chest and clammed up. Crap. She should have known better than to try and get Aomine Daiki to talk about his 'feelings'...

"You keep confusing me with a teenage girl, Satsuki," he told her rather snottily.

Kagami shook his head fondly at his immature antics. Reaching forward, he rubbed the back of his lover's head comfortingly before giving him a proper kiss. Aomine sighed against his lips and leaned into the touch.

"Let's go for a run," Kagami told him as soon as their mouths parted. "I will even let you bring the beast."

Even though Aomine smiled at the mention of the dog, bravado aside, it was obvious that he was still pretty shaken by his fight with Kuroko the night before. However, as soon as he took a good look at Kagami's face, he must have noticed that something was off with his teammate as well. Carefully, he raised a hand to cup Kagami's cheek and ran a surprisingly gentle thumb across the dark bags under the redhead's eyes.

His sharp gaze met Kagami's and one of his eyebrows went up in question, but Kagami responded by covering his hand with his own.

"Come on, let me race you," he requested again.

"Right. Let me put on some sweat pants," said Aomine as he went back into his old bedroom.

Smiling dumbly after his retreating form, Kagami turned back to Momoi and told her:

"Don't take what he said to heart. He thinks talking about his feelings will give him cooties."

And Satsuki felt a pang of annoyance towards him. As if she needed Kagami to understand anything Dai-chan did. That's why, when he tried to reach out for her, she pulled back.

"You are one to talk, Kagami-kun," she said somewhat coldly, gesturing towards the cell phone still clenched in his hand. "All guys are idiots."

And she left for the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

When Aomine and Kagami came back from their run, Kuroko was already in the kitchen. Aomine halted all movement as soon as he saw him but, proud like he was, proceeded to ignore his old shadow.

Kuroko looked at him as Aomine sat down to pick on his breakfast and, sighing tiredly, took out his own cell phone and made a call.

"Good morning, Akashi-kun," he greeted in a voice that sounded crystal clear in the silence of the kitchen. "We have thought about your proposal and we agree that we would like to give it a chance."

Aomine froze. The conversation lasted for a couple more minutes until Kuroko finally hung up but even then Dai-chan remained staring at him uncomprehendingly. Sighing yet again, Tetsu-kun approached him and ran a tender hand through Aomine's hair (a movement so similar to what Kagami had done that morning. A gesture that the tanned man himself had used with all of them in the past when he had wanted to ask for forgiveness).

"I trust you," whispered Kuroko. "But... Akashi-kun is dangerous. We have to be careful. People change around him. Please, Aomine-kun, don't let me down on this..."

And Aomine broke out of his stupor then, placing a gentle hand on Kuroko's waist to bring him closer.

"I won't," he promised.

And Kuroko let out a deep breath before leaning to leave a loving kiss on his lips.

Tbc.

Notes:

First, apparently nearly all the GoM are in the path of being miraculous adults as well, which is completely unrealistic because being an adult actually sucks. But for the sake of this fic I am going to stay away from the more realistic descent into mediocrity...

Now, in regard to this chapter, I have conflicting feelings for how I wrote Momoi because on the one hand when it comes to the big things she's being extremely generous for the sake of her boys but, on the other hand, on the little things she's behaving a bit like an ass to Kagami. She has been an ass for a while, to be fair. And in the next chapter this tension is going to reach its boiling point and the explosion is not going to be pretty.

To be honest, when I think about what I am doing to Momi's character I sometimes think that I'm treading into OOC territory but one of the main reasons for writing this story is to show how jealousy can be a very powerful and dangerous emotion that can pervert even the kindest of hearts. And hopefully I have done a good enough build up to justify the gradual change in Momoi. But anyway, even if you don't think so please feel free to leave me your thoughts below!


	15. Breaking Point

Chapter 15: Breaking Point

Things did start moving a lot quicker after they put themselves in Akashi's capable hands. Aomine and Kagami changed to a team where they had significantly more game time and earned more money, Kuroko signed a contract with a publishing company to write a sequel for his book and Kise got a small role in a big project. As a consequence word spread and soon their list of clients began to slowly but steadily increase. All in all, Momoi had to admit that professionally the situation benefited her as much as to everyone else. It shouldn't have been easy, not with the two of them being foreigners and newcomers in quite an aggressive industry, but Akashi was a very patient man and each piece he moved had a purpose.

"Sometimes you need to lose a battle in order to win the war," he had told her after a meeting with a conceited club owner who had expressed interest in recruiting Kagami for his team. Despite weeks of negotiations, Momoi hadn't been able to reach an agreement with him, which was why Akashi had got involved. "One needs to be careful about who to pick fights with."

Sometimes she felt like she had learned more in the months she had spent working for him than during her whole college degree. He had a way with words, a perfect Oxford English and a composure and presence despite his young age that made even hardened businessmen listen to what he had to say. Therefore, Momoi had tried following his example, emulating as best as she could his polite but direct negotiation style, but she always came up short compared to the former captain of the Generation of Miracles. This last potential business partner had completely dismissed her as readily as he had later submitted to Akashi, and Momoi wasn't sure what she was doing wrong.

After the meeting, while they waited on the elevator ride, she had asked and Akashi explained it to her...

"Some of it is your appearance: they don't take you seriously because you are too attractive," he had said so completely straight faced. It was a statement of fact and not a compliment. "Buy smart clothes that conceal your breast size, don't wear your hair down, change your make up to make yourself look older. Your attitude is also playing against you."

"But... What am I doing wrong?" she asked him self-consciously. "What am I doing different from you?"

"Nothing too obvious but unfortunately that is part of the issue: people's perceptions and reactions vary depending on whether they are dealing with a man or a woman. A confident direct man is often admired, but in many sectors a confident direct woman is perceived as... What was the word? Ah, yes: a 'bitch'. Unfortunately for us, the world of professional sport is particularly chauvinistic. Before any negotiation, analyse your adversary and find out what type of man he is. Do not open your mouth till you have had a chance to adjust your behaviour based on this. First impressions are very important."

The conversation halted as the elevator doors opened to let more people in. Satsuki made use of the hiatus to mull over his words, going over the meeting with that jerk through her mind. He had completely ignored her, sucking Akashi's ass as soon as the other man had thrown around the names of a couple of potential sponsors that obviously interested the club owner.

However, once they were in a taxi on their way back to the office, she asked Akashi quietly:

"What can I possibly do when they just see me like a piece of meat?"

Even though they were speaking in Japanese and thus the driver couldn't understand what she was saying, the conversation still made her self-conscious.

Akashi didn't take his eyes off the window. When he spoke, once again it sounded like what he said was an irrefutable truth.

"Your assumed weakness can be a strength," he told her after a short moment of consideration. "Some men drop their guard in the face of feminine charm, it will be easy for you to manipulate them. However, others won't take you seriously no matter how professional you are, look or act."

"But what can I do then?" she asked him a bit more heatedly. "I can't always rely on you when we run across his type."

"Relying on me every time you hit a wall would definitely be inconvenient," he agreed. "Nonetheless, as I said, you are a very attractive woman which is why the first thing they will assume is that you are sleeping with your clients. In those cases, make use of their perception of yourself as a sexual object. Men like the individual we just chatted with believe that smart women are by default lying and manipulative, they will think you are using sex to keep your clutches on your clients, and it will be impossible to make them change their mind. However, you can use this preconception to make them believe that they won't have a chance to get to your clients if they don't go through you. They will never see you as an equal, but you can be a different kind of threat."

Satsuki froze. That had hit too close to home for comfort. Not only were his words harsh but it made her suspect that Akashi knew more than he let on about Momoi's relationship with the other three. Was this his runabout way of letting her know that he knew about them or was he offering sincere advice?

"I understand," she mumbled in any case. "Thank you, Akashi-kun."

"Just keep this in mind," he told her calmly, "the secret to manipulation is one: find out what makes them weak and exploit it till there is nothing left but compliance."

And with those foreboding words, they parted ways.

Momoi still felt strangely out of sorts when she arrived home later that evening. _Dicks, dicks, dicks. _That awful word was like a mantra in her head. It was like the world revolved around having a freaking dick. Businessmen wouldn't take her seriously because she didn't have one, and Aomine preferred Kagami because Kagami-junior was always quick to stand at attention. Her being in her period wasn't helping one bit either. Satsuki felt in pain and moody, and it made her furious at herself because it was making her feel like she was validating their attitudes! And maybe if she hadn't had such a shitty day, maybe if that businessman hadn't made her feel like a useless piece of meat, maybe if Akashi's words hadn't hit a nerve, that evening she wouldn't have been so paranoid about being dismissed.

As it was, she was so unsettled that she should have just taken a hot bath and gone straight to bed. But when she arrived home only Dai-chan and Tetsu-kun were around, so she decided to hang out with them instead. When it was just the three of them, Kuroko, Aomine and Momoi, she felt like things were back to normal. Because her old Dai-chan was back. Tetsu-kun had always had a calming effect on him, almost as if the slighter man' subtle presence tempered his monstrous libido. Which was logical, if one thought about it, since Kuroko complemented him so beautifully in all other aspects of his life and forced him to control his sex-drive.

Momoi loved seeing them together. Loved spending time with them when it was just the three of them, because in those instances she got glimpses of what life could have been like if Kagami wasn't around...

"Hmm, the property of matter by which it keeps its state so long as it's not acted upon by an external force," read out loud Kuroko in a thoughtful voice. "Seven letters."

He was doing a crossword. The three of them were in the living room. Momoi was browsing for some new clothes online (smart but concealing of her breast size), while Aomine sprawled on the floor playing with and teasing Nigou.

Aomine's head perked up at Kuroko's comment.

"Oh, that one is easy!" he said as he scratched Nigou behind the ears. "Inertia."

He smirked smugly and the dog barked in agreement (Dai-chan had always connected pretty well with the dog because both were attention whores).

"-nertia?" mumbled Kuroko as he counted the letters. "That's right! Thank you, Aomine-kun. See, Momoi-san? I told you there was a reason we kept him around."

Momoi chuckled. Her damp spirits rising a bit thanks to them.

"I am not so sure, Tetsu-kun," she said teasingly. "Occasionally he mixes up his concepts..."

"Ha ha, you two are sooo funny," complained Dai-chan. But his lips twitched in amusement too.

"Let's see..." mumbled Kuroko as he scanned the puzzle. "This one is for Momoi-san: Five letters. Transparent being who wanders amongst the living to haunt them."

"Ghost!" She piped in immediately. "Although I was tempted to say your name, Tetsu-kun."

"My name?" He teased as he wrote the letters down. "Why would you say that?"

Aomine let go of Nigou and leaned back till his shoulder brushed Momoi's leg on the couch. He peered up at her and smiled roguishly.

"You know what I have him as in my phone?" He asked her.

Momoi laughed.

"Casper the friendly ghost?" She ventured a guess.

"Nailed it!"

"You two keep talking about that film even though I haven't seen it..." said Kuroko with a deep sigh. "Though I am not sure I want to watch it anymore..."

"We definitely should!" said Momoi excitedly, "wait a second, I can probably find it online..."

But as soon as her cursor touched the browser, the keys sounded at the door.

Kagami entered the house with a huff and Momoi felt her mood dampen.

"Hey," he greeted them.

He looked a bit sweaty, as if he had done some exercise in the sun.

"What took you so long, Bakagami? Did you get lost?"

Kagami took off his jacket and put it on the rack by the door.

"Nah, I ran into that old lady again on my way out of the bank. She had me carry her bags all the way home! Why does she always buy so much stuff when she knows she can't bring it back on her own?"

Aomine laughed and Kuroko chuckled.

"You are such a pushover," told him Dai-chan.

"I am starting to suspect our charming neighbor times her visits to the supermarket to fit with Kagami-kun's schedule," teased Kuroko. "It's the second time this month..."

Kagami shrugged his broad shoulders as he approached them.

His brow scrunched, though, making him look somewhat horrified.

"... She pinched my butt," he told them with a shudder.

And Aomine guffawed with laughter.

"Come here," he asked the redhead, taking hold of his shirt to have him lean down.

Satsuki actually saw some tongue action in what should have been a chaste kiss. And that nasty something that always made her heart clench reared its head again. If this somehow evolved into...

"One-on-one?" asked Kagami hopefully as soon as Aomine released him.

"Sure," responded Dai-chan as he got to his feet, stretching to shake off the laziness from his limbs.

Momoi gaped at them. Was Aomine seriously ditching them again for Kagami?

"Dai-chan, we were going to watch a film," she told him pointedly.

Unable to restrain it, she felt rage start to build up inside of her. Kagami hoarded Daiki all the time, was is it such a big sacrifice to let her have him for an hour or two? Was it really? This was one small instance when she needed him to be there for her. She had had a terrible day where she had felt useless and insignificant and Momoi just needed her best friend to be there for her. Just this once. Was she asking for too much?

"Oh..." Aomine started hesitantly, however, as soon as his eyes met Kagami's... "But it's a boring film, Satsuki. And I have seen it before. Tetsu will like it, though. You guys can watch it together."

Satsuki snapped.

"You have seen it before?! Well, you play ball with him every single day and I don't hear you complain!"

"What's gotten into you?!" shot back Aomine, clearly annoyed by her pushiness.

"Hey," cut in Kagami, "it's okay, we can play later. Let's watch the film. I probably haven't seen it either. But give me a second, I will make popcorn."

Aomine groaned, resigning himself to his fate. And Momoi's anger reached its boiling point, because of course he wouldn't listen to her just to roll over like a dog at his master's command as soon as Kagami had changed his mind!

However, instead of telling Aomine off, Momoi's rage zeroed in on Kagami.

"See what you just did?!" she shouted at him, making him stop in his tracks. "How can you be so selfish?! You just stroll in and make your own plans without ever considering anyone else's feeling. Everything always has to revolve around you! How can you be so selfish?!"

Kagami's back stiffened.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Satsuki," he defended himself, his tense demeanor oscillating between anger and confusion. "If you want to watch a movie, we can watch the dumb thing. Why are you so upset?"

This wasn't about a stupid movie, didn't he realize that? It was about how he monopolized Aomine's attention, about how he had Kuroko's blind trust so effortlessly, about how the world turned around him while she was being left behind. How could he be so swallow and still hurt her so deeply?!

And anger like she had never experienced took hold of her. She wanted payback. She needed him to hurt as much as he was hurting her. And before she even knew what she was saying, she latched onto the one thing she knew would hurt him the most...

"You know what? There is something I have always wondered but that it's starting to make sense..." she told him, subconsciously emulating the calm calculating tone that she had heard Akashi use on the club owner that same morning. "We have been in this country for years and I am starting to realize, why haven't we met your family yet?"

Kagami flinched. And that should have been her cue to stop. She really should have. But Akashi's words kept ringing in her head: _'the secret to manipulation is just one: find out what makes them weak and exploit it till there is nothing left...'_

She hadn't thought herself capable of such a thing. But seeing Kagami recoil, Satsuki realized the kind of power she could hold over him. And if she had power over him, she could control him. All these months of jealousy and dismissal... For the first time she realized that she could put a stop to everything in an instant.

Akashi was right.

"You have met my parents and you know Tetsu-kun and Dai-chan's families. We have shared everything important for us with you, but you... You have shared _nothing_. Why is that, Kagami-kun?" she pushed on darkly, unconcerned when he turned pale as a corpse. "Do they hate you too? Is that it? They must do, because who could love such a selfish..."

Momoi didn't get to finish, her rage was immediately subjugated under the force of Aomine's crushing presence. Pulling himself to his full intimidating height he peered down his nose at Satsuki with his shoulders tense, brow furrowed and eyes dark. Feeling the full burnt of his wrath directed at her, Momoi suddenly understood what all those other boys who had lusted after her during high school must have felt when he had scared them away. Aomine in protective mode was truly a frightening sight. And he had never, NEVER, behaved in such a way with her before.

"Say one more word..." he told her warningly in a very quiet tone. "One. More. And I am going to lose my shit with you." But seeing the fear and shock that must have been crystal clear in her face, his shoulders slumped and his rage diminished. "Damn it, Satsuki, this is not like you. What's wrong with you lately? If you are in your fucking period don't take it out on him."

And that was the last nail in the coffin.

She started shouting at him. Momoi couldn't even remember half the horrible things she said to him, nor what he threw back at her either. But it couldn't have been pretty. They had never fought like this before. And somewhere in the background a constant ringing kept interrupting them.

"Will someone pick up that damn phone?!" shouted Aomine in anger.

Silence followed his words, making the ringing all that more obvious.

Kuroko, who had been so shocked by the whole turn of events that had been unable to intervene, finally snapped out of his stupor and hurried to Kagami's jacket by the door. He took out the cell phone and made his way towards the shaken redhead, who turned even paler when he saw the number on the screen.

Kagami answered the call and something in his posture changed as he listened, making Satsuki feel faint. Because on a visceral level she understood immediately that this was payback from whichever cruel gods had been watching her from above... She shouldn't have tempted fate. She should have known better...

"You said you wanted to meet my family," Kagami said to her in an emotionless voice once he had hung up. "You said you wanted me to share my crap. Fine. In that case, you better get ready because we have a funeral on Sunday."

"W-what?" she stuttered. "A... Funeral?"

"My mother's," he said.

And watching his expressionless face, Momoi felt her stomach clench in knots.

Fate was such a bitch.

And Momoi's heart sank in her chest.

Tbc.

Notes: O.O  
What a horrible chapter. So much drama.  
I really hope there has been enough foreshadowing to avoid making this last phone call seem like a Deus ex Machina, but oh well...  
Comments, please?


	16. Forgiveness

First of all, I feel as if I should apologize cause I think the previous chapter upset a lot of people. BUT hopefully this one will make up for it...

Chapter 16: Forgiveness

Even though during the whole trip Kagami had seemed perfectly composed, almost immune to what lay ahead of them, the moment his eyes fell on the casket, Momoi saw how his whole world came crashing at his feet.

Losing a loved one... She couldn't even begin to grasp what he must have been feeling right that second. However, it only got worse.

No sooner had they stepped into the room that a group of people approached Kagami, quickly offering their condolences to then launch into what really interested them:

"Taiga, what have you been doing all these years?"

"Where you even in touch with your mother?"

"All those special centers, they never really helped, did they?"

"I have heard you now play in the NBA."

"Your father musn't be very happy about that."

"Have you spoken with him at all?"

"Is he going to show up?"

"They never really got along, did they?"

It was completely unexpected. So many people and not a single one of them appeared to be a proper friend of the deceased. No. Instead, they seemed to be there only for the last bit of gossip.

And Satsuki saw Kagami persevere through it all. Answering in monosyllables. Strong and composed despite the dull look in his eyes.

When they saw the body of the woman who was his mother, Satsuki could only stare in shock. With her stomach twisting in knots, she thought about her own parents all the way back in Japan, so far away from her, getting older and older by the day. However, what she could see in front of her now was different. This woman... She wasn't old at all but even in death she looked like she had led a harsh life.

Satsuki could clearly see the resemblance to her son and she could tell that she must have been beautiful at one point. However, in death she looked haggard, extremely thin and much older that she must have been. Sick and consumed. Broken. She must have had some Japanese blood in her but it was too diluted, making her specific ethnicity tough to decipher. Beneath the makeup, contrasting against the paleness of her sunken cheeks, there was a mix of freckles, pox marks and scabs, and the roots of her bleached hair revealed that she had been a proper redhead. In her youth she must have been very beautiful but in death she just looked like a broken empty shell.

Momoi took a step back from the glass window that displayed her and she bumped into Kagami.

Her boyfriend steadied her in a subconscious manner and stepped around her.

As soon as Kagami had sat down in the coach in front of the coffin, however, he was approached by a thin man with slick hair, a black suit and a nametag.

"Excuse me, sir. Is there any specific arrangement you would like for the flowers?" he asked. And noticing his nametag, she realized he must have worked there.

It took Kagami a couple of seconds to process what was being asked.

"Just put them by the casket," he answered plainly, his eyes moving past the man to the body of his mother.

"We have a huge selection of bouquets and crowns of all sizes," the man continued unperturbed as he offered a leaflet. "What would be your preference?"

Kagami just looked at him with an obvious lack of comprehension. And Satsuki once again felt her heart clench. Here they were in a room full of people which were supposed to be either friends or family, and not a single one of them could take care of this? She could see most of them gazing with interest in their direction but nobody lifted a finger to help. Did this really have to fall on the grieving son's shoulders?

"Just do what you usually do," said Kagami. "Money is not an issue."

"Is there anything specific you would like written on the bands in the crowns?" insisted the other man, "We have a wide range of..."

"For the love of...!" interrupted Aomine before getting a hold of himself and turning first to Satsuki just to change his mind and look at Kuroko instead. "Testu, you guys should go outside for a while. Go get some fresh air."

Satsuki flinched at the dismissal (he didn't trust her anymore, he didn't trust her...) but Kuroko didn't need to be told twice. Nodding, he gently took hold of Kagami's arm.

"Let's go, Kagami-kun," he said very softly, and the redhead allowed himself to be led outside while Aomine turned to the man in the suit.

Despite her own pain, for a moment Satsuki feared he would make a scene, but Aomine simply addressed the other man and proceeded to discuss freaking flower arrangement with him in a proper English that would have made his foreign language teacher back in Japan cry tears of joy. Even his usually thick accent was much less noticeable.

And she was so astonished by the display (and still so in shock about his show of mistrust) that she didn't even notice when he turned to her again.

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked when she noticed his frustration.

"His mother was a Christian, wasn't she?" asked her Dai-chan a bit anxiously.

Was she? Why was he asking her that? _'Because you are Kagami's girlfriend'_ a nasty little voice whispered in her head. _'You are his girlfriend yet you don't know.'_

"If you need us to arrange the transportation or cremation of the body," interrupted the sleazy man in the black suit with a hint of impatience, "you need to make your booking now."

"Cremation will be alright," cut in a calm voice suddenly.

And Himuro Tatsuya entered the room.

Momoi felt a wave of relief wash over her and she saw how the straight line of Aomine's back immediately relaxed.

"Himuro-san," she greeted.

He nodded politely at them and took over the conversation with the funeral service worker.

After the sleazy man had left, Himuro turned to Momoi and Aomine.

"I can take it from here," he reassured them. "The two of you should go to Taiga."

But Aomine shook his head, surprising Satsuki yet again.

"Nah, he'll be happy to see you and I can hold the fort. You go and greet him." And looking at her with something a bit weary in his eyes, he asked: "Satsuki, can you help him find them?"

Momoi nodded, feeling useless and somewhat ashamed because deep down she _knew _that she deserved every bit of his mistrust.

"Don't worry, Dai-chan," she promised in a small voice. "Please come with me, Himuro-san."

Aomine sighed in relief and she saw the gratefulness in Himuro's visible eye: subtle (he was always so guarded) but genuine.

"Don't hesitate to contact me if anything comes up," he told Aomine as he gave him his phone number.

"Will do. Now go take care of the idiot. This place is full of scum."

Momoi and Himuro left Aomine in the mortuary and crossed the building till they reached a beautiful back yard. Every little thing in that green space had been thought through to the very last detail: the arrangement of the flower beds, the carefully trimmed trees, the Victorian looking benches. It was meant to look peaceful but to Momoi it just seemed manmade and artificial. The tombstones displayed would have made the garden look like a cemetery, if not for the price tags on the blocks of stone.

Momoi led the way towards the most secluded area of the back yard, where logic told her Kuroko would have taken Kagami. However, Himuro's presence by her side made her somewhat uncomfortable. She didn't know much about him but she was perfectly aware that he was a very important person in her boyfriend's life and that they kept in touch even if they didn't see each other all that often.

"Did you know her?" she asked him quietly, hoping it would help to break the ice.

"She was a good person, I suppose," responded Himuro just as silently. "But she wasn't a good mother."

That made her pause.

"... Why?" she asked.

Himuro stopped walking and looked at her. Momoi felt as if he was judging her character so she met his stare straight on. After watching her closely for a couple of seconds, he seemed to make a decision: sending a quick glance around to make sure they were alone, Himuro turned and moved to one of those intricate wooden benches, sitting down and patting the spot next to him.

Nervous, Momoi complied. This guy was even harder to read than Kuroko.

They remained in silence for some time. It couldn't have been more than a minute in which he gathered his thoughts but to Momoi it felt like an eternity.

Looking straight ahead rather than at her, he started.

"If Taiga hasn't shared this with you I should respect his wishes, but he's made me aware of your... Arrangement." She froze. And that inscrutable eye of his glanced at her, once again gauging her reaction. Momoi stood her ground. "So I think you should know, if only to make sure you are more mindful in the future."

Wait. More mindful? How much did he how? How much had Kagami told him?

Himuro leaned forward then, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin behind his hands.

"I have only actually met his father a couple of times. His work required he travel a lot so Taiga lived with his mother." He smiled to himself then. However, it held a hint of melancholy. "The woman had quite a temper, it's easy to see who Taiga got his from, but her husband was her weak spot... And she let this destroy her life."

That last statement had come out in a quieter tone, as if he was revealing a secret that he would have rather remained locked. He paused then, making Momoi shift uncomfortably.

"What happened?" She prodded gently.

"With him she could have led a comfortable life: he provided for them, he gave them a good home and paid for their expenses. Financially he did what he had to do but... Even though she was in love with him, I can only presume he didn't love her back. They were married but he was never home and when he was he never bothered to make a secret of his... Affairs."

"... He cheated on her?" she asked around the lump in her throat.

"It's not my place to get into detail and, to be honest, I probably don't know half the things that happened but the main thing you need to know is that she couldn't deal with this, that she started abusing substances and that Taiga had to deal with the consequences. He was just a child when she started but he spent more time cleaning up her messes and looking after her than she ever did for him." He took a deep breath. "Her husband didn't love her and cheated on her, and in return she chose to neglect everything else in her life."

He took another deep breath and stood up to peer down at her.

"I am telling you this because even though I warned him from the start that this foursome of yours was a terrible idea, he still decided to go along with it in order to stay with you," he told her very seriously. "And I know he's happy with the life he leads now and, to my surprise, he seems to be in better hands than I expected," he said gesturing towards the mortuary. "But I got to talk to Taiga when he found out that you had gone behind his back with his best friend..."

"Himuro-san..." She didn't even know what she wanted to say, just that he needed him to stop.

The shame she felt in that moment hurt like a stab wound, but he didn't even give her the chance to try to justify herself.

"My brother is tough as nails but he is not made of stone," he told her with such passion in his voice that she had to listen to what he had to say. "If he has forgiven you, that's his choice and I'll respect it. But if you hurt him again, I will do everything in my power to make sure he leaves you and you won't see him again."

Momoi lowered her head in shame. Beyond Himuro's obviously serious threat, she kept going over and over the things he had just revealed to her. If she had known any of this before...

"That said," startled her Himuro in a gentler much more conciliatory tone. "I also know that it's in your power to make him very happy. So all of you have my support."

He stood up and shook invisible dirt from his trousers. Then he straightened and offered his hand to the shocked Momoi.

"Let's go to find Taiga."

The rest of the evening went by in a blur. Kagami hadn't said a word as they closed the coffin and took it away. Kuroko had stuck like glue at his side as the funeral rites were carried out, offering his quiet support and acting like a human crutch. And even though Aomine always stayed a few of steps behind them, it had been him who had taken custody of the urn with the ashes when the funeral worker had come back and handed it over. Momoi... Momoi hadn't known how to behave. She was supposed to be Kagami's official girlfriend but after everything that had happened between the two of them, she didn't feel entitled to it. Therefore, she followed Himuro's example and acted as a barrier between Kagami and the rest of the guests, holding conversations in his stead, making sure he wasn't bothered so that he could grieve in peace.

However, even between Himuro and Momoi's combined efforts, there were just too many people in the room to keep track of every single one of them, and Satsuki saw Kagami flinch and drop his eyes in shame when the muttering of two old hags reached his ears.

"He didn't even visit her," one said carelessly.

"What a bad son..." agreed the other.

And Momoi clenched her fists. How dared they?! Satsuki didn't know why Kagami hadn't been in contact with his mother, true, but what she did know with absolute certainty was that for those he cared about he had a heart so big and kind that it hardly fit in his chest. If he had decided to put some distance between his mother and himself, he must have done it for all the right reasons.

"It's so easy to judge, isn't it?" she said pointedly in their direction, making the two old women startle. "It must be soothing, letting him shoulder all the blame."

And as she said those words, she suddenly felt as if some of her own accusations could also be directed at herself.

However, Kagami actually reached for her hand then. It was sweaty and warm as if he was burning with fever, but Momoi clenched it back tightly and held on for hours till they left that horrible place.

Later that night the short trip to their hotel was quiet. They had to catch a plane early in the morning, but Momoi had no doubt they would all have trouble sleeping. As soon as they arrived to their room and the door was locked behind them, Momoi felt how a tidal wave of exhaustion nearly knocked her off her feet. And looking at her companions, she could see that they felt the exact same way. They all prepared for bed silently.

She saw Kagami shrug off his jacket, for once not caring about how it fell crumpled to the floor, and watched him sit tiredly on one of the two large beds in the room, struggling to get off his tie. He swore at his clumsiness and, acting on an impulse, Momoi reached out and undid it for him. Kagami's eyes met hers and suddenly his hands brushed her waist and he leaned up to kiss her.

Unsure about how to console him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to guide her to sit on his lap while she kissed him back with everything she had. Was this reconciliation? It could be but in the desperate brush of lips she realized that he was not okay. His kiss was testament of the tension and pain he was feeling.

"... Aomine," he called out as soon as they broke apart to breath.

And Aomine, with his shirt unbuttoned and a tired look in his face, climbed on the bed and draped against Kagami's back, littering the back of his neck with comforting little kisses. She saw those skilled hands move around Kagami's body to his shirt, releasing the buttons one by one and when he reached the last one, Momoi helped to take the shirt off the redhead.

The whole thing felt surreal. They were going to have sex. There was no doubt in her mind that that's were things were heading, but it had been months since the three of them had been in bed together like this, so Satsuki felt unsure and insecure and afraid that she was actually intruding.

However, Kagami held on to her as if he couldn't bare the thought of letting her go. Which was why, once they had moved further up the huge mattress, she took a deep breath and reached out for him. For a moment, the stress lines on his face relaxed.

Once Kagami had settled down over her, Aomine kissed up his spine while his hands massaged his shoulder blades and ran up his throat. It was Kagami himself who took hold of one of those hands and brought it to his lips, leaving a kiss on the palm before sucking the fingers into his mouth.

Surprised by the action and unsure about what to do with herself, she reached out to touch her boyfriend just for her hand to bump into Aomine's instead. She nearly pulled back, unsure of her role in all of this. Everything just felt too raw. But her childhood friend immediately shifted his grip to make room for her. When she didn't react, he grabbed her wrist and guided her fingers to the other man's skin. Her eyes found his briefly over Kagami's shoulder and he gave her a reassuring squeeze before letting go of her wrist.

Feeling as if she were in a trance, Satsuki touched Kagami's hip and watched as Aomine's tanned hand slid down the redhead's abdomen and singlehandedly unsnapped the other's trousers, sliding down the zipper, reaching a half erect cock and stroking it to hardness.

Kagami groaned. He rubbed Aomine's forearm in encouragement and then his hands moved to Momoi's face, cradling her cheeks, combing tenderly through her locks and brushing them behind her ear. The gentle touch made her feel even more lost.

Momoi kept hearing Himuro's words in her mind. And as she felt the subtle shudders rake down Kagami's body, she kept wondering if he saw an echo of his parents turbulent relationship in their own. Suddenly, many little things about him started to make sense, like his obsessive compulsive cleaning or the way he took things in stride. It specially shed a new light over his reaction to Momoi's kiss with Kuroko.

That first kiss, watching his girlfriend go behind his back with his best friend... Was the source of all his anger and pain at that subtle brush of lips rooted on this? Had he seen in her an echo of the man who had destroyed his mother's life? _'I won't live a life,'_ he had told her back then. And Momoi had chosen to dismiss the subtle hints of a deeply rooted pain that now seemed clearer than day. She had been so careless. Even after he had decided to forgive her betrayal, she had pushed him away again and again, too jealous of his newfound bond with her own best friend to think clearly. No wonder he had gravitated towards Aomine...

And as she felt Kagami's callused hands run lovingly down her sides, she felt like crying.

"... Satsuki?" Kagami asked her, releasing Aomine's fingers to talk to her.

As always, he was the first to reach out when he sensed her distress.

Momoi looked at him, noticing how despite his concern his pupils were dilated. She could also feel his shaft hard and heavy against her tights so she... She divested herself and opened her legs to let him in.

It felt so good when his thick cock breached her open. God, she had missed him so so much. His strong frame, his warmth, his gentle hands. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Momoi hid her face against the crook of his neck and kissed him there.

She felt his body shift, his chest leaning forward while his hips pulled back and his cock rubbed pleasantly against her inner walls. It was so big and long. It made her feel so full. So Satsuki moaned for him and, not a second later, he gasped. However, she recognized a hint of pain tainting the soft sound...

She heard movement behind him and watched as Aomine pulled back, removing his fingers from his partner's body. The darker male practically glared murder at his own hand: his digits weren't slick enough.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and on instinct he searched his pockets only to come out empty handed. She saw him curse at himself furiously for his lack foresight.

"Don't be an idiot," said Kagami as he rocked into Momoi. "Who would bring... Something like that to a funeral? Put them back... I can take it."

He reached behind himself and took hold of Aomine's forearm, bringing his hand back to his entrance and making sure his partner didn't pull away again.

"Kagami..."

"Don't make me beg, Aomine."

A slight shadow suddenly obscured Kagami's frame. Kuroko. Looking at the three of them with big gentle eyes, the phantom man of the Generation of Miracles handed a small jar to Aomine, who gaped at him in disbelief while Satsuki nearly laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Leave it to the asexual one in their relationship to remember to bring the lube...

Kuroko gave Momoi a small reassuring smile and then turned back to the redhead, reaching out very slowly to run the tips of his fingers up Kagami's spine. It made the bigger man quiver and lean up. Kuroko leaned down and Satsuki watched as their lips met.

Her heart stopped beating for an instant.

It was a sweet kiss. The sweetest most gentle caress she had ever seen. There was no passion in the intimate brush of lips, just a love so intense that it burned. And it would have lasted an eternity if Kagami hadn't suddenly had to pull back to groan.

His hands tightened on Momoi's thighs and his rocking stilled. She could feel his thick cock twitching inside her and unintentionally she clenched around him, making him lower his head to moan unrestrained. After a couple of seconds his hips started moving again, making her own breath hitch and her lips whimper at the sensation. However, then she noticed how his rocking had changed ever so slightly, and she realized that he was adjusting his rhythm to push back against the fingers thrusting inside him.

Kagami moaned as his breath too started to quicken.

Aomine leaned over them and shushed him, slipping an arm around his teammate's chest to guide him up, urging him to straighten and lean back. The redhead gripped Satsuki's knees to spread them wider, while he rested his back against Aomine's chest, looking down at her with the kind of intensity he saved for games. A subtle movement to their side distracted him and, breathing deeply, Kagami once again reached out for Kuroko.

Kuroko brushed his partner's bangs away from his face and leaned down, letting out a deep sigh as soon as his lips met Kagami's for a second time that night. They kissed slowly, undemanding, tasting and learning each other this way as well as they knew everything else. It was such an erotic sight that a whimper escaped her treacherous lips.

At the noise, Kagami broke the kiss and his attention returned to her. And after watching her for a couple of seconds, his hand moved to her crotch and his fingers teased her, rubbing sweetly at her clit, while he continued rocking into her. She gasped and then very nearly whimpered again because, even in the throes of pleasure, he always thought of her first.

However, Kagami's eyes suddenly turned hazy and he let out a breathless moan, deep and rough and a tiny bit desperate.

"Don't... Don't tease me..." he groaned as his cock once again twitched inside her. His hips grinded back and she realized that he was talking to Aomine.

Momoi saw the tendons on the dark man's neck and the muscles of his shoulders shift with every slide of his fingers into Kagami's body, making the redhead growl and push back against him, which in return made his cock rub against her inner walls. It felt so good that it made her want to cry. But at the time she couldn't take her eyes off the two men in front of her.

"Not yet, hold on for a bit longer. You need to relax." Aomine's deep voice was a comforting purr, rumbling from deep within his chest.

For once there was no mocking in his tone, no challenge to rile up the redhead and, if Momoi listened closely, she would have sworn that she had almost heard a hint of nervousness as well.

But Kagami frowned in impatience and Kuroko immediately ran a gentle hand across his browbone, smoothing the lines there. Even though the slighter man still kept his distance, he had remained close enough to keep touching Kagami. He caressed the long column of his neck, brushed his shoulders, flicked his nipples. He stopped there, rubbing his palm against strong pecs, massaging gently.

Kagami eyes closed as he relaxed into the touch. And soon his hips were once again rocking in tandem with the scissoring of Aomine's skillful hands, making Momoi sigh in pleasure as the cock inside reached as deep as it could go.

"Kagamin..." she called out.

"Satsuki..." he whispered back. And then, to Aomine: "Please..."

And the tanned man hushed him as he pulled out and spread some lube on his own erection. Kuroko pulled away and Momoi saw Aomine position himself behind the redhead and grasp his hips. Despite his strong grip, for an instant so short she would have missed it if she had blinked, Momoi saw Aomine hesitate. '_Oh, Dai-chan...'_ she thought fondly before she brushed his knuckles with her own to get his attention. Just like he had guided her before, maybe now she could guide him in return. As soon as he met her gaze, Satsuki nodded to show him that she understood and he smiled gratefully, closing his eyes as he pushed in.

"Ugh..." Kagami hissed in discomfort.

However, Momoi was immediately there for him. Running her hands through Kagami's face and hair, she kissed him softly, shushing him as he winced at the penetration.

"It's okay," she reassured him as sweetly as she could, purposely tightening around his shaft to distract him, "it's okay, Kagamin. You are doing great. It will feel good in no time."

And he gasped as his lover became fully sheathed.

They remained immobile for a couple of seconds. Him panting against her neck and her kissing his temple until Kagami began thrusting into her again, making sweet love to her body. A slow steady rhythm that made her toes curl.

"Mmm..."she practically mewled.

And he continued fucking her. He had such a good cock. Long, thick and very hard, perfect for reaching all the right places. No wonder Aomine was addicted to it. And it had been so long since she had felt it deep inside her.

She whimpered and hugged him close. Kagami was so good to her. He always had been.

"My boy, my sweet sweet boy..." she crooned.

And Kagami cupped her face between his hands and kissed her again. It had been such a long time since they had last kissed like this. How could she have forgotten about his passionate mouth or his generous lips? Momoi arched her back from the bed, needing to feel his touch on her body, and Kagami's usually steady hands shook as he tried to open her shirt to gain access to her skin. She whined, desperate to feel his touch on her naked body, and Aomine quickly took over, sneaking his own hand around them to unbutton her shirt. However, once her flesh was bare, it was Kagami who massaged her breasts. He cupped them lovingly, his thumbs rubbing her nipples, giving them careful teasing pinches.

"Ah!" she cried out in pleasure. It felt so good. He was so good to her.

And he twisted and pulled at her nubs while his mouth moved to her throat, leaving little kisses that left her shaking like a waif. Satsuki felt his warmth breath on her neck, caressing her flesh softly, and that's when she realized that his lips were murmuring something against her skin.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are..." he was saying as he rocked into her. "I have missed you so much, Satsuki. I love you. I love you so much..."

And she was swept away by the first real orgasm she had had in months.

When she finally came down form her high, the first thing she noticed was that Kagami had moved away from her at some point and that she felt cold. However, almost immediately Kuroko lay close to her and took her in his arms, using gentle hands to sooth her oversensitive skin, treating her to the gentlest and more caring of caresses. Satsuki kissed him lovingly and, when their lips parted, her eyes searched for Kagami again.

The redhead had shifted to rest on his back while Aomine continued to thrust leisurely between his legs. Kagami had closed his eyes and leaned his head back, the sounds coming out of his throat a mix of pleasured pants and quiet little whimpers of pain. But the way his hand clenched Aomine's ass, pulling him close, was testament of how much he needed this.

Aomine kept shushing him, a long string of sweet nothings spilled against his lovers' heated skin with every thrust of his hips. One of his hands curled around the redhead's cock, and Kagami bucked in place, moaning and arching his back in pleasure.

At that point, Momoi felt Kuroko's arms tighten around her.

"Do you see them? They are beautiful like this," he whispered in her ear. "They really are. Please look a them..."

And she did.

She saw their lean fit bodies rock in tandem, their every move sensual and sinful. In submission, Kagami looked just as lewd as Aomine always did but there was something different too... She could see it in the wide spread of his legs, in the cant of his hips, in the way he tried so hard to keep his moans inside and failed. He was completely honest in his pleasure, every inch of him vulnerable and raw. She could also tell by the way his brow scrunched in slight discomfort with every thrust that he didn't quite feel the single-minded pleasure that Aomine experienced while being penetrated, but... He still craved it just as much. She could see how much he needed this in the way Kagami's strong legs wrapped around Aomine's waist, canting his hips to give the other better access, leaving himself open for his lover's cock.

Kagami threw a forearm across his face to cover his eyes and his lips parted in a silent moan. The sweat running down his body highlighted his impressive physique, and it was entrancing to see that beast of a man tamed under his lover's skillful hands. The muscles of his legs shifted with every thrust —he had such powerful legs, so long and muscled and sharply defined—, and his abdomen shifted with every harsh breath he took while his thick cock leaked against the ridges of his stomach, coating it with pre-come.

"Daiki..." he moaned, undulating his body to get more inside.

And Aomine reached out and took hold of his forearm, shifting it away to get a clear view of his partner's face. However, it wasn't only him who appreciated the view... And even though Kagami had always been handsome, now, lost in passion her boyfriend looked absolutely stunning.

Momoi could hardly contain the whine that wanted to scape her throat.

"Look at them..." whispered Kuroko's calm enticing voice in her ear as his arms tightened around her. "Look at both of them..."

And Satauki's eyes shifted to Aomine. She saw how her childhood friend leaned back to watch his lover, unwittingly putting himself on display as well. And looking at him now, that weak spot she had always had for him strengthened when she realized how hard he was trying to do a good job, to make Kagami feel good, to give back some of what he took. And all the while failing to realize just how gorgeous he was too. Even lost in ecstasy, Kagami couldn't keep his hands off him. And Satsuki couldn't blame him. Aomine's dark skin was glistening with sweat underneath his open shirt, the crisp white folds framing his well defined chest as if it were a work of art. Her eyes roamed down those hard pectorals leading to sensitive perfect nipples which had peaked on their own, begging to be abused. He had the most perfect male hips she had ever seen. '_And the most sinful lips'_, she thought as she watched him lick them.

On their own each man was attractive, however, together... Her boys were breathtaking. They moved so beautifully against each other. Erotic, sensual, perfectly in synch.

Her legs rubbed against each other as the tingling sensation of arousal once again washed over her body. And one of Kuroko's hands gently took hold of her wrist, guiding her own hand down her feverish flesh towards... Before she even knew what she was doing, Momoi was rubbing her clit, and she started pleasuring herself in time with their thrusts, letting her eyes feast on the sight of her two lovers together.

Watching them she couldn't help thinking about how different they looked compared to when it was Kagami doing the taking. Now Both looked vulnerable and gentle like... Like they weren't fucking. Like they were making love.

Their breath mingled and they kissed. Mouths wide open, tongues licking and entwining. Kagami's hand dag into Aomine's ass, rubbing his cleft, thumbing the dimples on his lower back, bringing him as close as he could. And Aomine responded by speeding the strokes on his lover's dick. His hips kept rocking, making his cock slide in and out of Kagami's body, spreading his asshole, rubbing against something inside his body that made the redhead's moan himself raw.

"Please..." whispered Kagami in a breathless deep growl while his legs spread wider apart. "Harder. I need it harder... I-Ah... Ahh..."

Now that the pain was just an echo, the sounds pouring from his mouth showed just how much he was getting off on the act. He longed for a deeper penetration, craving to be fucked and owned. His body was begging for it. Kagami didn't have Aomine's dirty mouth, but there was something so raw and genuinely desperate in his voice and movements that it touched Momoi's core like a physical caress, and soon she reached orgasm again with her own fingers deep inside herself.

"Hmm..." she whimpered.

Kagami's eyes were immediately drawn to her.

"Satsuki..." he moaned at the sight of her.

Desperate, his hands griped Aomine's shoulders to ask him to hold still and move back. With a grimace of discomfort Kagami let his lover's dick slide out off him and turned in place, assuming a prostrate position on his knees. He lowered his upper body and arched his back, resting his head on his arms to get a better view of Momoi. Reaching back, he spread himself open and called for his lover.

"Get back inside..." he begged. And as Aomine slid back home, Kagami groaned in pleasure. His hole clenched, pulling the rigid heat deeper inside. "Ah-ahh..."

Aomine licked the back of his neck, whispering dirty little secrets in his ears, making him shiver with arousal. Kagami didn't need to say anything in response since his body spoke for itself: he needed his lover's dick inside him, thrusting and plunging, all he needed was for Aomine to hold him down and fuck him while his eyes remained riveted on Momoi.

"Ah!" he cried out as that solid heat breached him open. He thrashed as Aomine's fingers stroked his weeping, throbbing erection, tugging and twisting the hard shaft in time with the controlled thrusts against his prostate.

She watched in a trance as Kagami's strong frame undulated feverishly against Aomine's, visibly loving the way the other was riding him, holding him, _fucking_ him. And with his half lidded eyes feasting on each line of Momoi's satiated body he let his mouth run wild, moaning every time that hard solid dick slid inside him, filling him up inch by inch until his lover's balls were slapping against his ass. In and out, in and out, deep and hard. Aomine kept fucking him as if they were animals while Kagami moaned in desperation, uncaringly wanton as long as that deep intimate touch didn't stop and his eyes could remain on Momoi.

"Taiga..." she whispered, her hand reaching out for him even though he was too far to touch.

He shut his eyes, coming so hard that his whole body shook. And the way his ass clenched around Aomine must have set the other man off, because he groaned and spilled too.

Afterwards the room was filled with the sounds of their panting.

Once they had calmed down, Aomine nudged the back of his head and pulled out, turning to lie boneless next to him. Kagami took a couple of deep breaths and sat up. Even though the stress lines in his face had lessened, he still looked sad. And the darker male poked him in the back. Kagami's tired eyes shifted momentarily to him and he gave Aomine a small smile. But then...

Then he shifted on the bed to come closer to Momoi and Kuroko. He rubbed her calf gently as soon as he was close enough to touch. She saw his throat bob as he swallowed and he closed his eyes for a moment to try to get his bearings. He then took a deep breath and his intense crimson eyes found hers.

"I... I am sorry for making you feel... Damn, Satsuki, whatever I did to hurt you, I didn't mean it," he started, obviously struggling to find the right words to express himself. "I didn't mean to keep things from you either, it's just..."

And he took another deep breath. However, despite his hesitance it was clear that he wasn't going to run away. As much as it pained him, he was going to tell Momoi everything that she had wanted to know.

"My... My mom..." he started. And his voice trembled. "Crap..."

He ran a hand through his hair and lowered his eyes as if he didn't even know where to start...

But Momoi knew that however long it took him, this time he was going to tell her everything. He really was going to tell her all that she had demanded him to share. And she could clearly see how just thinking about that woman hurt him. Sharing such a big part of himself would have been the ultimate show of trust, but Momoi was starting to realize that maybe it wasn't worth it. Once again it came to words versus actions between him and Momoi, that had always been the crux of their relationship, but now she was realizing that she didn't need to know the details, not when talking about it caused him so much pain.

"It's okay, Kagamin," she told him before he could say anything else, touching the back of his hand because he had always responded much better to physical affection than to any words of comfort. "You don't need to tell me anything. I am sorry I said all those horrible things to you."

And she saw how that terrible tension that had taken over his body little by little left his frame. Kuroko's hands on her waist tightened and Aomine looked at Satsuki as if he couldn't be more proud of her. Momoi felt a weight lift off her chest.

Kagami cleared his voice.

"It's not that I don't trust you guys," he told them in a low quiet voice. "It's just that... The three of you are the best thing that's ever happened to me and I didn't want to... I didn't want to taint you with any of my crap."

His hand brushed her cheek.

"Kagamin..."

"I love the three of you more than anything, Satsuki," he told her. "Please don't ever doubt that."

And right that moment Momoi swore to herself that she would never hurt him again.

Tbc.

Notes: Aww. I want these babies to cuddle! I want it sooo bad. And maybe this would be a good point to finish the story. But there are still a couple of plot points that need to be addressed and our heroes still need to talk things properly and not depend exclusively in miraculous make-up sex to get their relationship back on track. Things can still spin out of control so stay tuned for the last chapter next week! :D As always, comments are welcomed!


	17. Worth It

Here it is at last! After nearly 200 pages of heartache, the final chapter to this story. I almost feel sad right now but hopefully the ending will be worth all the angst you poor faithful readers have had to endure. I actually have written at least one snippet for this story which I will post separately tomorrow, but for now let's wrap this monster! And, as always, your comments are absolutely welcome. :D

Chapter 17: Worth It

Things changed after that fateful night. Changed for the better. Satsuki started waking up happy in the mornings and began to no longer care about which of her three boys had held her while asleep. All four of them started spending more time together and, despite their different schedules, made an effort to go places and do things with each other. Momoi came to understand that none of them would ever be very vocal in their affections or even that comfortable expressing themselves, but in exchange they started to be more mindful of her feelings and paid more attention to the things she said. It was a nice balance.

Predictably, Aomine and Kagami still got lost in that little world of their own every now and then, ditching everything to play their one on ones, be idiots together or to have sex with each other, but when it happened (and it did happen because they were airheads and they would always be so), instead of getting jealous Momoi used that time to bond with Tetsu-kun or even to spend time on her own. And if the other two got too noisy... Well, to Kuroko's amusement sometimes she even joined them.

Life was good. She felt more optimistic and, in an effort to try to make up for her bitchy behavior towards her boyfriend in the previous months, Momoi worked an extra mile for him. Negotiating with the conceited club owner that had made her feel so insecure was very difficult, but after weeks of subtle manipulation she broke through, achieving a deal that would certainly boost Kagami's career.

Excited, the first thing she had done was rush to Akashi's office.

Her friend was on the phone when she entered the room, and she waited patiently till he had hung up, barely able to contain her enthusiasm.

"How may I help, Momoi-san?" he asked her, polite as ever.

"We have got it! The deal for Kagami-kun that I have been working on, they have made the offer and they are wiling to pay even more for him that what I anticipated!" she said excitedly while she handed him the contract.

Akashi read through the clauses in the document, the surprise on his face barely noticeable but still there for her to see. After he was done he raised his eyes to watch her expressionlessly for a couple of tense seconds, and then...

"I am afraid we are going to have to tell them that we kindly decline their offer."

Satsuki froze.

"Sorry?" she asked, chuckling because he had to be pulling her leg. "But, Akashi-kun, why would we...? You can't be serious."

He patiently waited for her to stop stuttering before responding.

"Daiki's cache is still higher than Taiga's and so is his potential for an increased rate. However, on his own he's a risky investment for other teams, so it's in our own best interest to keep the two of them playing together."

Momoi was so confused by Akashi's easy dismissal that she had to repeat his words in her mind to make sense of them. And when she did, Momoi felt her heart skip a beat.

"Akashi-kun, this is a great opportunity for Kagamin," she told him while she tried to wrap her head around his rebuttal. "He's not like Tetsu-kun, he was never meant to stand in anybody's shadow."

Momoi was an analyst, she had spent her entire life analyzing games and players, so she knew that when it came to basketball both her boys were pretty much matched. That said, she also realized that Aomine's impossible shots were flashier than Kagami's straightforward dunks.

In America, Kagami's greatest strength still were his powerful jumps, which allowed him to stand on even ground with players that were over a head taller than he was but, precisely because other power forwards were already so tall, next to them visually his jumps didn't _look_ like the physical feats that they really were. All of this, added to the fact that Aomine's point count on matches was usually higher because he would forever be a ball hog, had led to the redhead sometimes being overlooked in favor of Teiko's former ace and his outrageous formless shots. However, Momoi knew better than anyone that Kagami was as good as Aomine and that he deserved his chance to shine.

"Akashi-kun, it will be good for him and Aomine-kun to play for different teams."

"You are correct about one thing, Momoi-san," cut in Akashi as he leaned on the desk, regarding her with those impenetrable eyes of his. "Kagami Taiga is not like Tetsuya. He is not a shadow. He is a _bridge_. A translator between Daiki and whichever team they happen to be playing with. Even I must admit that their partnership is terribly efficient."

"But..." she started, too astonished by his words to be as articulate as she knew she needed to be.

She understood what Akashi was implying: when they played it was usually Aomine who made it to the hoop, yes, but more often than not it was because _Kagami_ had ensured that the ball got to him. Because at heart Kagami was a team player and Aomine was not. However, efficient as their partnership was, in the long run it could turn against them...

"But neither of them will ever achieve their full potential if Kagamin keeps being Dai-chan's clutch," she said at last. "The more they keep this up, the more difficult it will be for Aomine-kun to be able to work on his own with his teammates and Kagamin will never fully develop his own style if he keeps adapting it to someone else's. It will be good for them to play on different teams."

Akashi stood up from his chair and approached her, stopping just a few feet away. Even though he was closer to Kuroko in height than to Aomine or Kagami, he was still managing to tower over Momoi.

"With all due respect, that's just your own analysis of the facts," he told her. "A more realistic prediction is that neither of them will be strong enough on their own to keep playing in the big leagues. As they are, both of them have exceeded my expectations: they have rocketing careers and their names are starting to become very well known. However, if we were to split them up, Daiki will find himself isolated. It will be so because his skills are already too raw to be tamed back down to play nice with others. And Taiga will definitely find himself stumbling as he is always been too reliant on playing in tandem with someone else. First it was that boy in Yonsen, then Tetsuya and now Daiki. And the fact is that at this stage just one tiny mistake could put an end to their careers: there are no second chances in the world of professional sport."

He had always had a way with words. Akashi's greatest strength had always been his ability to turn everything around to make it fit his purposes. But Momoi knew what her gut was telling her and, even though she couldn't find the words to argue back, she knew that he was in the wrong this time.

"I am sorry, Akashi-kun," she said firmly, "but it's not your choice or mine. It's theirs. I will speak with them and they can decide what they want to do on their own."

She turned to leave the room and Akashi sidestepped her to stand between her and the door.

"You need to learn your place," he told her ruthlessly.

And suddenly there _he_ was, right in front of her, that other Akashi that she had thought had disappeared so many years ago. Was Akashi so desperate to prove his father wrong that he would come to this? Was the prospect of defeat still so terrifying for him that it could push him to the edge? Weary, Momoi took a step back.

"Akashi-kun..." she started.

But he didn't give her a chance to finish.

"When I first realized that the four of you were together, I had to wonder what your role was in this whole equation," he said.

Satsuki's blood turned to ice.

So he had known about the four of them all along...

"I know Tetsuya pretty well," Akashi continued, "after all, him and myself are quite similar in many aspects. So in the beginning I failed to see how someone like you could be of any use to him. Especially since you didn't pursue the improvement of your own abilities, choosing instead to live for them. But then it became quite obvious. The problem is that you haven't yet realized what you are have always been: _bait_."

"... bait?" Satsuki's words chocked in her throat.

What was he saying?

Akashi crossed his arms over his chest and peered at her from down his nose.

"This is what happened," he said. "At first you kept Kagami Taiga from drifting away from Tetsuya but then you made things difficult with your silly obsession with him. You must have, the four of you wouldn't have ended up like this otherwise. Tetsuya has never had any interest in carnal matters and even though intellectually you may have been able to connect with him, you come with too much emotional baggage, so all in all there was nothing you could possibly offer him that would justify an interest in you. However, he has always been smart and in your ignorance you probably presented him with the perfect solution to the issues in his own relationship with Daiki."

Akashi smiled at her horrified expression.

"Don't look so surprised. It's always been obvious to me because I have known the two of them for years, the light and shadow of my team. And even thought it wasn't surprising that they would end up together, that they managed to make it last this long was, because their needs and personalities have always been so at odds. But then you dragged Taiga into the mix and he could be everything that Tetsuya wasn't. You probably thought it was all about you, you silly thing. You probably still think it is. But what you need to understand is that a shadow only becomes stronger, darker, under a bright light. Tetsuya has always hidden behind Taiga to achieve his goals. And unbeknown to yourself, you gave him the chance to keep them both without having to do anything himself."

"That's not true..." she stuttered.

"Think as you will. After all, fools roll in the bliss of ignorance," he concluded dismissively. "But the next time you feel the need to be vindictive and meddle in their affairs, remember that you have no right to do so because you are and have always been _nothing_."

And sitting back down, he handed Kagami's contract back to her.

"Now, please call these gentlemen back and kindly decline their offer."

And he went back to his work, dismissing her as if she, truly, were nothing but a waste of space.

Momoi didn't even know how she made her way back home. Blood pounded in her ears and her vision was so blurry that she could hardly even see what right was in front of her. But somehow she made it, and her heart sank in her chest when she found her three boys in the living room.

Aomine had Kagami in a headlock, both their bodies still a bit sweaty after the day's training. But they looked so at ease together, so confortable in their own skin and with each other, that Momoi suddenly realized how well they actually _fitted_ together.

_'Like mirrors,' _she thought with sinking dread_. 'Mirrors of each other,'_

And it was ironic because the two of them would have never got together if _Momoi_ hadn't said yes to Kuroko's proposal in the first place.

Kuroko. Who was smiling placidly at the other two from the couch. The bastard...

"You lied to me," she accused as she slammed the door behind her and made a beeline to the one who had been the love of her life for as long as she could remember. "You said you had thought that you had wanted to be with me and I fell for it like a fool because I was blinded by what I feel for you and I wanted to believe you. But Akashi is right: you planned all of this."

All three men turned to look at her, completely taken aback by her anger and her words.

"What are you talking about, Momoi-san?" asked Kuroko as he stood up from the couch and approached her. "What did Akashi-kun say to you?"

She saw the concern in his eyes and an overwhelming sadness exploded in her heart.

"_Momoi-san_," she echoed him heatedly. "See what you just called me? You have never, not even once, called me Satsuki."

Kuroko halted. He shook his head in confusion and tried to get close to her, but she just pulled away from him as if his touch scorched.

"It's... It's a sign of respect," he started, "I don't understand. I have never..."

But she didn't let him finish.

"No, it isn't. It's a barrier. It shows what I have been too stupid to see..." Tears started rolling down her cheeks but she didn't let her heartache get the better of her. This was something she needed to say, something that she desperately needed to get off her chest or she would explode. "You planned this. All of it. You saw the attraction between them, you knew the two of them would fall for each other if they were to ever cross that line. And you were so desperate to keep them both that you played me."

"Satsuki, stop! You aren't making any sense." It was Aomine, unexpectedly firm and starting to get angry, who tried to stop her. However, at that point she couldn't listen. Not even to him. And when he tried to grab her arm, she swatted his hand away and moved far from him.

Pointing at Aomine, Momoi once again addressed Kuroko.

"You were so terrified of losing _him_, so sure that you he would eventually leave you because you can't or won't have sex, that you risked it all. You are the one who proposed the arrangement even though you knew you wouldn't be able to be what I wanted you to be, you are the one who took me away on the first few days so that they would have the chance to get together, and you are the one who played us all so that you wouldn't have to be alone."

Kuroko looked pale like a ghost. His eyes were wide as saucers, his mouth a tight thin line. And right that instant, Satsuki hated him with all her heart and soul.

As the pieces suddenly fell into place, she made a decision and rushed out of the room.

"Satsuki!" She heard Kagami call after her while she went into her room and started shoving clothes into a backpack.

He had followed her and Momoi could see him from the corner of her eye entering their bedroom. She had to look away when she realized Aomine was with him. She couldn't face her childhood friend. Not after everything she had said. Not after everything she now knew.

"Satsuki, wait, what on earth do you think you are doing?" asked Kagami as he tried to stop her.

But Satsuki ignored him, stepping around him to rush to a cabinet to grab her passport and a handful of other documents.

"Stop this!" he tried again, placing what was supposed to be a placating hand on her shoulder which gripped her too tightly. "Come on, why are you packing? Stop this already! Satsuki, please..."

She pushed him away.

"And you are just as bad!" she shouted at Kagami, her heart full of rage, pain and disillusionment for him. "You said you loved me. You said you would do anything for me, but the only thing you have ever done is steal _him_ away from me," she screamed pointing again at Aomine, who stood frozen by the door.

She looked at him then, at Dai-chan, who was looking back at her with the same lost expression he had worn when he realized in the middle of a game so many years ago that basketball had lost all appeal.

Feeling her heart break into a million pieces, Momoi grabbed her backpack and pushed past them. She hurried down the stairs and, ignoring the still petrified Kuroko in the living room, slammed the front door on her way out.

Momoi rushed down the main steps, past the basketball hoop in their court yard, and she was so blinded by her pain, so incapacitated by her grief, that she tripped over her own two feet and her backpack fell to the floor.

In her anger she had forgotten to zip it closed and all its contents spilled on the ground.

She saw her things fall on the dirty floor and in those wrinkled clothes and trinkets Satsuki also saw her whole life ready to be stomped on. Tears stained the pavement as she tried to gather what little she had left.

It was over. It really was over. And she was shaking so badly that she couldn't even gather her things. However, suddenly, another pair of hands started picking up her mess.

Confused, she turned and saw Aomine by her side, kneeling on the floor as he carefully folded her clothes and put them back in her bag. She hadn't even heard him leave the house. How long had she been there crying her eyes out on their front door? When had he approached her? And, more importantly, what on earth was he up to?

"Dai... Daiki," she managed to choke out. "What... are you doing?"

He didn't look at her, instead he just kept methodically rearranging her things. And that's when she noticed the small sports bag he had hanging off his shoulder.

"... What do you think you are doing?" she whimpered again.

With his eyes still averted, he zipped her backpack closed.

"You are not leaving alone, Satsuki," he told her.

And the blood pounding in her ears suddenly stopped, leaving behind a deafening silence echoing through her mind.

She couldn't believe what he had just said. She had to have heard him wrong.

"What are you saying? Don't... Don't you know that you have a game tomorrow?" she asked in a chocked voice, once again stupidly thinking about him first because that's the way it had always been. However, deep down she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop and preparing herself for when he mocked her for her naivety.

But he didn't.

Instead, Aomine hung her backpack off his shoulder, stood up and offered her his hand.

"There are others who can play my position in the team," he said. "Come on."

He was joking.

He had to be joking.

He couldn't be saying that he was leaving with her. It couldn't be true.

Basketball had been the most important thing in his life for as long as she had known him, he simply couldn't be willing to risk everything that he had fought so hard to achieve just to chase after her when she didn't even know where she was going!

But there wasn't a hint of humor in his face.

And it hit Satsuki like a ton of bricks: all those times when she had felt annoyed at his overconfidence when Aomine had stated that Momoi would never leave his side... She hadn't realized that in his mind that kind of devotion had always gone both ways.

He was leaving with her.

He really was.

And with this revelation, that painful something which had been devouring her from the inside since she had first realized that she didn't just love him but was in love with him... Suddenly released her.

Satsuki threw herself at Aomine, hugging him with all her might, afraid he would disappear the moment she let go. And when she felt his arms wrap around her and cradle her close, she broke down again and started crying.

She cried because she felt like she was nothing compared to Kuroko and Kagami. Because for Aomine, Kuroko was his anchor, the one that kept him honest and tied to earth. Because Kagami was his partner, the one that put up challenge in basketball and made love to him just the way he needed. And because there was simply nothing she could offer him that the other two didn't already do better than her. But despite of all of this, for whatever reason, Aomine was still choosing to be with her.

And... And it wasn't fair that she was forcing him to do so in the first place.

Her tears worsened when she heard his soft reassurances and felt the warmth of his embrace shielding her from the world, since that's when she also realized that in his mind there hadn't ever even been a choice.

The door creaked open behind them and she recognized the sound of Kagami's steady footsteps on the pavement.

She didn't need to look to know that Kuroko was also there.

"Mo-Satsuki..." started Tetsu-kun in a very soft voice. "Please, let's go back inside."

Her heart skipped a beat and she clutched Dai-chan's shirt tighter between her fingers. When she noticed that Aomine hadn't budged an inch at the words, still ready to go with her on whichever path she decided to take, she nodded.

"... Okay," she whispered.

And Satsuki let herself be led back into their home.

"Whatever Akashi told you, he is wrong," said Kuroko as soon as the door closed behind them. He turned to face her in the middle of the room, his arms open wide at his sides, his stance firm. "I love Momoi-san just as much as I love Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun."

She had never heard such raw emotion in his voice. And when she saw tears well up in his bright blue eyes, she realized that he wasn't lying.

"Tetsu-kun..."

"No, please. Let me finish." He held her stare. "I love Momoi-san because no matter how bad things are... Till now you always manage to be cheerful. Because you are generous and always put those you love before yourself." He took a deep breath. "When I proposed this thing between the four of us... I did it wishing from the bottom of my heart that it would work out. Of course I thought Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun would find love in each other as well, I wouldn't have suggested this otherwise, but I also believed that what they felt for Momoi-san wouldn't fade away."

He looked down then, trying to get a hold of his emotions. When he looked up again it was with that fierce determination that had led his team to victory so many times in the basketball court.

"I failed to see that we were hurting you," he said as his eyes softened. "All this time, I knew something was up and let you deal with it on your own. You have always been there for us, you have helped us to achieve our dreams, and I took all of that for granted. For that, I am sorry."

He approached her then. And after a moment of hesitation, he brushed his fingertips against her wrist.

"But please..." he continued, gentle and firm in a way that only he could be. "Please believe me when I say that if I had known that my proposal would cause you so much grief, I wouldn't have said anything. I am sorry I disappointed you and I am sorry you have suffered because of me, but my intentions have never been what you said." He steeled himself and looked her in the eye, brutally honest and putting his heart on her hands. "Akashi is wrong about me. I wish I could be more that what I am but I can only be who I am. And the only thing I have ever wanted is to see the three of you happy."

Satsuki felt like an idiot. Now that she had had proof that Aomine _cared_, her mind was starting to clear from that terrible jealousy over his bond with the other two men. The fogginess that had been clouding her judgment was lifting and, once the fear of being dismissed by all of them had vanished, the puzzle was starting to slowly reshuffle in her head.

Kuroko had always been hard to read. However, the reason she had first fell in love with him all those years ago, the reason why she had kept loving him despite the time that had gone by, was that his heart was always in the right place. And somehow, someway, in the middle of all this mess... Momoi had lost sight of that.

Kagami suddenly approached Kuroko and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Kuroko," he told him with a firm tone. Then, turning to Momoi, he said: "Satsuki, Kuroko is not the most expressive of guys, but he is not a liar. He is a good person. And he would never do anything to hurt you. None of us would."

She had been such a fool.

But if her boys were here, trying to talk reason into her despite her outburst, they hadn't given up on her yet.

It wasn't too late to fix things.

And she needed to fix this whole mess.

"I... I know, Kagamin," said Satsuki as she clasped Kuroko's shaking hand between hers, bringing it close to her heart. "I didn't mean to hurt you either, Tetsu-kun. I am sorry for what I said. I was just so... Afraid."

She had been feeling so insignificant next to them. Unnecessary. A burden. Completely and utterly dismissible. And it had hurt so so much because... Even hating them she had never, not even once, stopped loving them.

Kuroko rested his forehead against hers and for once Satsuki didn't wonder what was going on through his head. She could clearly feel his relief when those tears that had been in the brink of his eyes finally ran down his cheeks.

"Tetsu-kun..." she whispered.

And he brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles as his lips curved into a smile.

"This crazy thing between the four of us..." said Kagami as he watched the two of them with fond eyes. "It can only work out if there is trust. Otherwise we might as well have called it quits a long time ago."

That made Momoi look at him. And seeing him there, standing so tall and strong like a pillar in the midst of ruins, she felt guilty for having lashed out at him once again as she had done so many times in the past. He hadn't deserved that. He hadn't deserved any of it. And Satsuki knew that she had been unfair to all of them, yes, but to none as harshly or as frequently as to Kagami.

"I have been so unfair with you, haven't I?" she told him quietly. "For such a long time, I have kept lashing out and blaming you for everything but all along you would have been happy with just me."

How could she have been so blind?

"Satsuki..." he started.

But Momoi shook her head.

"It's true," she told him. "It was me who pushed you into this and afterwards I was too selfish to deal with the consequences. I am so very sorry, Taiga."

Her words took him by surprise. She could tell that he hadn't been expecting an apology. However, in response he simply shrugged his broad shoulders.

"These things happen," he said in a gruff voice. "It's also my fault. So let's all be more careful moving forward."

His words and tone were rough because that was the kind of man Kagami Taiga was, but the hand which reached out to hold hers was warm and its grip comforting and strong. Satsuki smiled at him and gripped his hand just as tightly.

Kuroko sighed in relief.

"I guess we all have things to apologize for," he said with a smile of his own. "But it's good to see things are patching up. Right, Aomine-kun?"

Aomine didn't answer.

Alarmed by his silence, Momoi quickly turned to look at her childhood friend and froze.

"Dai-chan..." she started in disbelief, "Are... Are you _crying_?"

All three of them looked at the ace. And indeed tears kept running uncontrollably down his cheeks. Realizing everyone was looking at him, Aomine covered his face with his hands and a strangled sound left his throat. Immediately after he burst into laughter. And it wouldn't have looked so silly if he hadn't kept chocking on his tears at the same time.

"Oh, Daiki..." murmured Satsuki sweetly as moved to hug his shaking back. "It's okay now."

"We are all a bunch of retards," he managed to blurt out.

And Kagami actually burst out laughing as well, a booming sound followed soon after by Kuroko's softer chuckles.

They were so silly. All four of them were.

Satsuki shook her head at their antics and hugged Aomine tighter.

This foursome of theirs, it had created more heartache and grief that many would have even cared to try to overcome. But right that second, watching all three of her boys doubled up with laughter, Satsuki felt her own lips break into a grin.

Because everything had been worth it.

The end.


End file.

Kuroko no Basuke/黒子のバスケ, Drama, Romance