Chapter Text
If you’d told Aomine a year ago all the things that would go down over the course of this summer, he would’ve told you to go pound sand. From Kagami getting a boyfriend, falling in love with Kagami, the ensuing downfall of Kagami’s relationship and getting together with Kagami himself, all of it—
Even looking back, it all still seems so unbelievable. It’s been a few days now but it’s taking a while to set in. So much had happened and it feels like one day to the next he’s gone from being heartbroken and lonely, watching from a distance, and then all of a sudden he’s woken up with a boyfriend, the one of his dreams—
He’s indescribably happy. They’d gotten together a couple days back and Aomine’s on such an incredible high. Kagami. Kagami loves him. Kagami wants to be with him.
This feeling like his heart’s a balloon, overinflated to the point that he’ll float right off the ground. He’s absolutely sick with love.
Not much is different right away. They don’t do much of anything that couples do. They’ve only ever held hands the once, when they confessed to each other. They’re taking it slow, which is both a blessing and a curse, because sometimes Aomine feels so excited and hyped up that he just wants to grab Kagami and shake him, scream in his face, you are so awesome, fuck, you’re great, thank you for being born, thank you for loving me— and others, he feels very hesitant, doesn’t know how to bridge the gap that crosses the stream, friends becoming boyfriends.
Sometimes he wonders if Kagami feels the same struggle. Has the same worries. If he feels awkward trying to express his romantic feelings to a boy he’s used to playing rough with. Does he worry he can’t meet the challenge as their relationship changes.
But the way Kagami looks at him. It’s… god, it’s beautiful. It feels like heaven. He looks at Aomine like he’s all he’s ever wanted. Like he’s actually worthy of that much love. His heart beats like a dribbling basketball, swooping and striking the pavement when Kagami grins at him with those bright eyes. This fluttering pure thing positively thrives within him.
After about a week of excited butterflies and stupid shy smiles and glances, Aomine figures it’s time he starts making good on his promise and try being a boyfriend.
Aomine spends his Friday on his phone thinking out a date for them. Their first date— it should be special. Not just any basketball weekend meetup, even though that’s all it takes to keep the both of them happy. He thinks it should be something they don’t normally do. To show Kagami he really means it.
Also, not that he’s about to get in the habit of comparing himself to douchebag ex-boyfriend just to one-up him and make sure he’s doing better than he did, but Aomine remembers that Kagami said that Shitoshi was into trying new things and that he’d liked that about him— so maybe Aomine should do that too.
And besides. Kagami’s said that it’s not just basketball for him. That even without basketball, he’d still like Aomine the same. Aomine dares not believe it could be true. Part of him still thinks it can’t possibly be, but it’s as if a world of possibilities has opened up, and his mind runs wild with all the places he can take Kagami, his favorite things to do that they can do together— stuff he hadn’t bothered doing in a long time because he’d been too depressed.
Mountain-climbing, fishing, swimming, bug-catching, shoe-shopping, theme parks— and what does Kagami like? Where can he take Kagami to surprise him? American cinema? Try a new food stand together—? Fuck, Aomine hardly knows what to settle on first. It all sounds fun, as long as it’s with Kagami.
Maybe that’s what Kagami means, about it not just being about basketball. As long as it’s with him.
He eventually invites Kagami to come to the arcade, not wanting to overcomplicate things, and in the end, he loses his nerve to go too romantic— his other option had been a parfait cafe, but he’d chickened out. Not just yet, that’s for further down the line, if all goes well— Maybe Valentine’s...
The arcade is a safer lead-in to their new relationship. He’s got allowance money from Mom today and he’s all set. He’d told her he wanted to treat a friend so she gave him a little extra and told him that bringing them for dinner is okay, just call first so she can have the house clean and ready. That’s another thought that hasn’t occurred to him before but feels monumental— he could show Kagami to his parents.
Part of him actually wants to.
… Not yet. When the time comes.
When he and Kagami meet for basketball, he spits it out when they stop for a water break. Fuck, why does he feel so nervous. They’re already… dating, so this feeling should settle down soon, right?
Besides, it shouldn't be any different than all the times he’s asked Kagami to hang. He’s just using a different word now. Boyfriend words.
“So, do you want to, uh… Can I take you on a date?” Kagami looks up, and Aomine squirms, twisting the cap of his water back and forth. He’d tried to sound smooth and confident but fuck that now.
“What, really?”
He grunts and scuffs his foot. “Yeah, so?” Feeling hopeful, he looks up but Kagami just keeps goggling at him like he’s a weirdo.
“Really, a date?” Aomine huffs. He’s not used to feeling so shy around Kagami. He’s afraid to be vulnerable. He’s afraid to show his belly to someone who would always take that opportunity to tease him back when they were just rivals. He doesn’t want to be teased about this. He wonders if Kagami feels the same way.
“Yeah sure,” Kagami agrees, and Aomine peeks at him, just with one eye at first. He looks so surprised and pleased that he’s been asked that Aomine perks right up. It worked!
“Taito Arcade and some lunch?” he bursts, trying not to sound too over-enthusiastic, but it’s no use. Kagami lights up.
“Hell yeah.”
“What day’s good for you.”
“Tomorrow’s good.” Fuck— perfect. Aomine beams.
“I’m gonna’ win you a prize,” he says with a smirk, just to make extra sure Kagami knows it’s a date. Kagami huffs, immediately looking annoyed, which just makes him smirk wider.
“Like hell, Aomine.” He rolls his eyes. Aomine glares, and then gets in his face.
“What, you don’t think I can?”
“No, I’m winning you a prize, asshole!” Kagami shouts back, jabbing him in the chest, but his scowl becomes a smile he tries to fight back. Aomine grins and pesters him gleefully.
“What?!”
“I know you win prizes for Momoi all the time, so—!”
“What’s that got to do with it!”
“I’m the boyfriend, not you!”
“What?!” Aomine blurts indignantly. Kagami seems to think it’s funny that he’d flustered him. “I’m the boyfriend!” he insists.
“We both are so I get to win you a prize too—!”
“Well mine’s gonna’ be better!”
“Fuck you, we’re settling this now! First to three is the boyfriend!”
“Get ready to eat those words, Kagami!”
They bicker the rest of the afternoon, and that night Aomine knows what Kagami means about being restless before a game because he’s too excited to sleep. He hasn’t been so excited about anything in a long, long time.
They go on the date and have a lot of fun. It comes as something of a relief. He wonders if Kagami had been nervous too on his way here, but he has such a good time playing car racing games and hoop shooting games with him that afterwards when his money’s all spent, he doesn’t want to be finished. This was so much easier than he’d thought it would be and he doesn’t want to stop.
He feels like sleeping over for the weekend like usual, but felt a little awkward about asking. Maybe it’s different now, to have your boyfriend sleep over— but Kagami seems not to think twice about it.
When they wander back through the city, Aomine starts to feel a little tense as he leads them to his neighborhood and up to his house. Kagami’s never been to his house before. He should have Kagami wait out here...
Finally, he has to say, “Uh… you wanna’... uh… come up?”
Kagami blinks and seems to realize where they are. Then wonders stupidly, “Can I?” Shakes his head. “Does your mom know I’m coming?”
“She said it’s fine,” he brushes off, teeth bit together. She did say that.
Kagami forgets a lot of the phrases used when entering a person’s home, but he’s so earnest about it that he’s still polite enough to pass. Besides, his parents aren’t home. In the end Aomine had been too much of a chicken to bring Kagami when they’d be home, but another time—
Aomine takes him through the house and Kagami trails behind, looking out of place. His heart is pounding. It feels like they're doing something they shouldn't be doing. He feels scared to be caught like this for some reason. Kagami seems to sense the mood too, keeping quiet as he follows.
Kagami hangs back when Aomine walks to his bedroom, lingering in the doorway looking a little flustered. Aomine’s face bursts into flames. “Shut up, just come in!” he yelps, and Kagami jumps, racing in.
Kagami’s never come over before. He hasn’t seen Aomine’s room. Aomine takes him to the closet and shows him his shoe collection, beaming proudly when Kagami lights up, eyes sparkling. “Whoaaaa, are those—?!”
He protectively hovers for a while as he lets Kagami take some out of the boxes to hold them, but he eventually strays to gather some stuff to sleep over with, checking frequently and making sure Kagami put them all back in order.
“Did you give them names too?” Kagami teases, and Aomine opens his mouth to snipe back, but Kagami snickers, “So cute.”
Fuck.
“Pick two sets and we can play in them tonight,” he blurts.
“Whoa! You sure?”
“... Yes,” he squeaks out, already regretting it. Kagami starts laughing, and Aomine finds it’s not so hard suddenly, once he’s let them go, realizing he wants to see Kagami play in them more than he wants to keep them perfect and unused. After that first moment, it’s not so hard at all...
They stay at Kagami’s house for the night and play basketball till they’re hungry for dinner. He tries to look cool, grins and flirts and shows off for him. Wearing new shoes does feel pretty great— they’re just his size. Being with Kagami has always felt like that.
They play on the street court till after midnight. When he sleeps over, Kagami crashes on the couch to be out in the living room with him. His arm hangs off the couch— Aomine holds onto his finger. Something so small, something Kagami probably didn't even think much about. It means more than Aomine can ever explain.
Aomine gets a call that weekend that takes him right back to summer fireworks and almost kissing Kagami under the night sky. He ends up at Kagami’s house again spending the night, falling asleep to the buzz of the water filter.
Kagami kept the goldfish.