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smashconTitle: Words not spoken.
Author: arctic_dragon
Rating: PG
Prompt: “If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it.” - Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean
Fandom/Series: Kuroko no Basuke
Word Count: 2020
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary:
Satsuki seems to think there is something Daiki should be saying. Unfortunately, he's starting to think she's right.
Words not spoken.
Daiki doesn't look at Tetsu as he leaves the court. He has added another victory to his collection but he doesn't feel triumphant, instead he feels vaguely bored and dissatisfied. He hadn't really thought Tetsu would find him a worthy opponent had he? He'd stopped hoping for Tetsu's promised challenger long ago.
Satsuki watches him with sad eyes. Her gaze is a heavy pressure between his shoulders.
Daiki refuses to acknowledge her distress.
They won.
Whatever it is, she'll get over it.
*
Pain drags at muscles not stretched in years. His head pounds with that dizzying lack of oxygen that only comes from pushing himself past the point of his stamina. He's exhausted but he's still in better shape than Tetsu who has to be held up by Kagami. He lost and that weighs upon him like lead, but there's also a strange sense of excitement lighting up his heart.
He had pushed away Tetsu's belief in the game of basketball and his belief in Daiki. He had ridiculed Tetsu and gone out of his way to demonstrate Tetsu's lack of talent compared to himself. For all that, all Tetsu wants in acknowledgement of Seirin's victory is the completion of a gesture that lost its meaning with the Teikou team.
He gives in to the request because a fist bump is probably the least he owes Tetsu for bringing Kagami to Daiki's level.
The Touou bench is subdued in the face of their loss. More than a few eyes are discreetly wet.
Satsuki is openly crying, eyes locked on him the entire time.
Uncomfortable, he shrugs off her gaze and locks his eyes on his feet, "There's always next year."
There's a gentle slap on his arm and Satsuki murmurs, "Dai-chan is an idiot."
He doesn't know what she's talking about.
*
It had been strange to find Tetsu waiting outside the shop for him. Almost like they were both still at Teikou.
But there are no shared icicles this time and instead Tetsu is there to politely request a favour from Daiki. It's just like Tetsu's brand of shameless to rub in Touou's loss while requesting help for Seirin's future games.
Satsuki is ever so pleased with the entire thing, flitting around them both with syrupy sweet smiles despite his repeated attempts to eject her from the court. Still, it's not too hard to find a shooting stance that works for Tetsu. The basic groundwork is already there. It's not up to Daiki's standards but Tetsu is an entirely different basketball player from him.
Tetsu, of course, is politely grateful for the time Daiki has given him. It should really be the other way around since Tetsu has given him much more than a few measly hours of his time. He has given Daiki back the thrill of anticipation when his fingers first feel the grip of the ball and that moment where his heart skips a beat at the sight of a basketball.
Tetsu has pushed Kagami into his path and Daiki is thankful.
However, actually saying that to Tetsu is beyond impossible for him.
He leaves Tetsu with an admonishment instead. "Don't you lose Tetsu."
Satsuki pouts over having to leave Tetsu but waves a cheerful goodbye to him. Her arm continues to wave exuberantly until they round the building and Tetsu is no longer in sight. Then she turns and slaps his arm, hard.
"Ow!" he flinches away from her and rubs fiercely at where she had hit him. "What was that for?"
"Stupid Dai-chan," she says already walking away from him. "You missed that moment entirely."
"What moment?" he cries, utterly bewildered.
"That was the perfect opportunity for you back there and you missed it. Not only did you miss it, you stomped all over it with your stupid male ego fronting," she spun around and poked him in the chest, voice dropping in pale imitation of him. "Don't you lose Tetsu."
"Tetsu got it so I don't see what you're mad about," Daiki said defensively. He danced out of the way of the return of her sharp stabbing finger. "I didn't miss out on anything."
"Oh?" Satsuki enquires sharply. "You don't have anything to say to him about how you treated him at Teikou?"
Daiki's eyes slip from her sharp look to fix on the ball as he rotates it slowly between his hands. "There's nothing to say."
She kicks him pointedly in his shin, "I don't know if it's worse that you won't admit it or that you might actually believe that."
*
Rakuzan's defeat is a complete upset. For all that Seirin has toppled giants during this tournament they really didn't have the same scope of talent as had been gathered at Rakuzan.
It would seem to be a victory from pure luck.
Tetsu is crying and for once they are not tears of bitter defeat.
Tetsu has a way of making his own luck, Daiki thinks.
The sight of Tetsu's tearful face is soon lost under the pile of Seirin bodies as they all throw themselves at him in an awkward flail of limbs.
Daiki doesn't remember if they ever had a similar moment while at Teikou.
*
It's just streetball, but Daiki's fingertips are tingling with the eagerness for the feel of the ball in his hand. Kagami's invitation to play has had him on edge all week to the point even Satsuki had been glad to be rid of him for the day.
He supposes he shouldn't be surprised that Tetsu is waiting with Kagami when he arrives at the courts. However, he really wasn't expecting to see Tetsu. Satsuki's words from long ago lurch to the front of his mind.
Of course, Tetsu immediately notices his discomfort and reaches for the bag sitting by his feet.
"Aomine," Tetsu acknowledges him politely before turning to Kagami. "I'll be at the library. Call me when you have finished and we can go over the homework."
Kagami reaches out and casually cuffs the back of Tetsu's head. "What are you talking about? You're going to help me defeat Ahomine and then we'll do homework."
Tetsu shoots him another betraying glance and the knowledge that he's driving Tetsu away sits like lead in his stomach. "We can't play with an odd number."
"Which is why Aomine can have the first random who wanders onto the court on his team." Kagami says impatiently.
"Oi!" Daiki shouts hoping to fix things. "I can crush you 2-on-1. I don't need a handicap."
"Like hell you can!" Kagami immediately fires back shifting his attention entirely away from Tetsu.
Tetsu sends an assessing look his way, obviously finding something that encourages him to return his bag to the ground.
"It's not nice to call people randoms Kagami." Tetsu pokes gently at Kagami derailing whatever smack talk Kagami was gearing up towards spitting out.
"Aomine called them a handicap." Kagami retorts turning back to Tetsu.
"No one likes a tattletale," Daiki drawls, throwing the basketball at Kagami's head.
Tetsu steps out of the way as Kagami immediately returns the favour and the two spend a number of minutes trying to take off each other's heads with the ball.
Daiki does end up playing with the first person who steps onto the court. It's a good game even if he doesn't have to push himself to the extent he did at the Winter Cup.
He says nothing to Tetsu when the game finishes and the Seirin duo wander off to do homework. He ignores the roll of emotion churning at his gut.
The day after the game Satsuki and he are supposed to be looking for a lamp to replace the one he'd knocked over while he bubbled over with impatience for his chance to play Kagami. He doesn't mention the encounter to her, but she seems to know something anyway as she absently murmurs, "When you break something you have to put some effort into fixing it."
Daiki can't quite bring himself to believe that she's talking about the lamp.
*
Personal reflection sucks, Daiki decides and he hates Satsuki for forcing him to do it. He hates the memories that pound at his head and the guilt that tugs at his heart.
He's sick of himself by this point.
He still has no idea what to do about it.
Of course, it's when he's not thinking about it at all and locked in a battle of wills with Kagami that an opportunity presents itself. Kagami curses in the middle of their game and runs from the court shouting something about meat sails. This leaves Daiki alone with Tetsu who had volunteered to act as the referee for their match, and so here is his opportunity. Now he just needs to man the hell up.
Daiki collapses on the bench beside Tetsu and tries to force some words out. The silence stretches out between them and Tetsu reaches for his bag clearly intending to pack up and leave.
"I'm a shit friend," Daiki blurts out before Tetsu can walk away from him.
Tetsu turns to look at him slowly, eyes startled wide.
He rushes on before Tetsu can do anything like agree, "Basketball was, is, my life. When basketball became a chore, became something without joy, I fell down a dark hole. I broke. Without competition, without the possibility of a challenge, everything in my life was a shadow of what it had been. I felt adrift, like I'd lost all hope."
"I remember what it was like." Tetsu says quietly.
Daiki doesn't let Tetsu's words derail him, powering on, "But no matter how shitty it was, it didn't give me the right to treat you like that." He pauses and looks Tetsu in the eye for the first time since he started talking, "I'm sorry. You were just trying to support me and I went out of my way to inflict the darkness in my heart onto yours."
Tetsu doesn't look away, "I understood that."
"I'm sorry," he says again then rubs uncomfortably at his neck and looks away.
Tetsu is silent for a moment and then says gravely, "I forgive you Aomine. I forgave you a long time ago."
"Ok, well if it looks like I'm going to be that stupid again just kick me or something like Satsuki does to fix the problem." Daiki tries to inject some levity into the conversation.
"While I am not necessarily adverse to physical violence I do not think it is possible to fix all your problems in such a way without killing you Aomine," Tetsu says.
It is delivered completely deadpan but when Daiki sneaks a look at Tetsu there is the slightest upward curve to the other boy's lips.
"I do not have that many problems," Daiki mock growls, suddenly ridiculously playful and scrubs roughly at Tetsu's hair to leave it entirely dishevelled.
Pushing his rearranged hair out of his eyes Tetsu's glance seems to speak volumes about Daiki's problems.
Grabbing the ball at his feet Daiki bounces off the bench, "So how about a game? Light versus shadow. Loser buys the winner ice cream."
Tetsu looks from the ball he is bouncing to Daiki's face and then quite deliberately turns to continue packing his bag.
Cheeks aching from the width of his grin Daiki offers coaxingly, "I'll give you a 50 point head start."
Tetsu stands and shoulders his bag, clearly ignoring him. He's halfway off the court before Daiki manages to throw everything haphazardly in his own bag and chase after him.
He slings an arm over Tetsu's shoulders as he falls into step beside him. "No need to be offended Tetsu."
Tetsu stops abruptly and steps out from under Daiki's arm, turning to look at him. His face is so serious that Daiki is afraid he really has offended him.
"Aomine is arrogant," Tetsu says with mocking regret as he slaps his palm into the centre of Daiki's chest.
Smirking, Daiki slips his arm back over Tetsu's shoulders, "I'll work on that."
"No you won't," Tetsu murmurs.
"No," Daiki agrees happily, "I probably won't."
***
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Author: arctic_dragon
Rating: PG
Prompt: “If you were waiting for the opportune moment, that was it.” - Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean
Fandom/Series: Kuroko no Basuke
Word Count: 2020
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary:
Satsuki seems to think there is something Daiki should be saying. Unfortunately, he's starting to think she's right.
Words not spoken.
Daiki doesn't look at Tetsu as he leaves the court. He has added another victory to his collection but he doesn't feel triumphant, instead he feels vaguely bored and dissatisfied. He hadn't really thought Tetsu would find him a worthy opponent had he? He'd stopped hoping for Tetsu's promised challenger long ago.
Satsuki watches him with sad eyes. Her gaze is a heavy pressure between his shoulders.
Daiki refuses to acknowledge her distress.
They won.
Whatever it is, she'll get over it.
*
Pain drags at muscles not stretched in years. His head pounds with that dizzying lack of oxygen that only comes from pushing himself past the point of his stamina. He's exhausted but he's still in better shape than Tetsu who has to be held up by Kagami. He lost and that weighs upon him like lead, but there's also a strange sense of excitement lighting up his heart.
He had pushed away Tetsu's belief in the game of basketball and his belief in Daiki. He had ridiculed Tetsu and gone out of his way to demonstrate Tetsu's lack of talent compared to himself. For all that, all Tetsu wants in acknowledgement of Seirin's victory is the completion of a gesture that lost its meaning with the Teikou team.
He gives in to the request because a fist bump is probably the least he owes Tetsu for bringing Kagami to Daiki's level.
The Touou bench is subdued in the face of their loss. More than a few eyes are discreetly wet.
Satsuki is openly crying, eyes locked on him the entire time.
Uncomfortable, he shrugs off her gaze and locks his eyes on his feet, "There's always next year."
There's a gentle slap on his arm and Satsuki murmurs, "Dai-chan is an idiot."
He doesn't know what she's talking about.
*
It had been strange to find Tetsu waiting outside the shop for him. Almost like they were both still at Teikou.
But there are no shared icicles this time and instead Tetsu is there to politely request a favour from Daiki. It's just like Tetsu's brand of shameless to rub in Touou's loss while requesting help for Seirin's future games.
Satsuki is ever so pleased with the entire thing, flitting around them both with syrupy sweet smiles despite his repeated attempts to eject her from the court. Still, it's not too hard to find a shooting stance that works for Tetsu. The basic groundwork is already there. It's not up to Daiki's standards but Tetsu is an entirely different basketball player from him.
Tetsu, of course, is politely grateful for the time Daiki has given him. It should really be the other way around since Tetsu has given him much more than a few measly hours of his time. He has given Daiki back the thrill of anticipation when his fingers first feel the grip of the ball and that moment where his heart skips a beat at the sight of a basketball.
Tetsu has pushed Kagami into his path and Daiki is thankful.
However, actually saying that to Tetsu is beyond impossible for him.
He leaves Tetsu with an admonishment instead. "Don't you lose Tetsu."
Satsuki pouts over having to leave Tetsu but waves a cheerful goodbye to him. Her arm continues to wave exuberantly until they round the building and Tetsu is no longer in sight. Then she turns and slaps his arm, hard.
"Ow!" he flinches away from her and rubs fiercely at where she had hit him. "What was that for?"
"Stupid Dai-chan," she says already walking away from him. "You missed that moment entirely."
"What moment?" he cries, utterly bewildered.
"That was the perfect opportunity for you back there and you missed it. Not only did you miss it, you stomped all over it with your stupid male ego fronting," she spun around and poked him in the chest, voice dropping in pale imitation of him. "Don't you lose Tetsu."
"Tetsu got it so I don't see what you're mad about," Daiki said defensively. He danced out of the way of the return of her sharp stabbing finger. "I didn't miss out on anything."
"Oh?" Satsuki enquires sharply. "You don't have anything to say to him about how you treated him at Teikou?"
Daiki's eyes slip from her sharp look to fix on the ball as he rotates it slowly between his hands. "There's nothing to say."
She kicks him pointedly in his shin, "I don't know if it's worse that you won't admit it or that you might actually believe that."
*
Rakuzan's defeat is a complete upset. For all that Seirin has toppled giants during this tournament they really didn't have the same scope of talent as had been gathered at Rakuzan.
It would seem to be a victory from pure luck.
Tetsu is crying and for once they are not tears of bitter defeat.
Tetsu has a way of making his own luck, Daiki thinks.
The sight of Tetsu's tearful face is soon lost under the pile of Seirin bodies as they all throw themselves at him in an awkward flail of limbs.
Daiki doesn't remember if they ever had a similar moment while at Teikou.
*
It's just streetball, but Daiki's fingertips are tingling with the eagerness for the feel of the ball in his hand. Kagami's invitation to play has had him on edge all week to the point even Satsuki had been glad to be rid of him for the day.
He supposes he shouldn't be surprised that Tetsu is waiting with Kagami when he arrives at the courts. However, he really wasn't expecting to see Tetsu. Satsuki's words from long ago lurch to the front of his mind.
Of course, Tetsu immediately notices his discomfort and reaches for the bag sitting by his feet.
"Aomine," Tetsu acknowledges him politely before turning to Kagami. "I'll be at the library. Call me when you have finished and we can go over the homework."
Kagami reaches out and casually cuffs the back of Tetsu's head. "What are you talking about? You're going to help me defeat Ahomine and then we'll do homework."
Tetsu shoots him another betraying glance and the knowledge that he's driving Tetsu away sits like lead in his stomach. "We can't play with an odd number."
"Which is why Aomine can have the first random who wanders onto the court on his team." Kagami says impatiently.
"Oi!" Daiki shouts hoping to fix things. "I can crush you 2-on-1. I don't need a handicap."
"Like hell you can!" Kagami immediately fires back shifting his attention entirely away from Tetsu.
Tetsu sends an assessing look his way, obviously finding something that encourages him to return his bag to the ground.
"It's not nice to call people randoms Kagami." Tetsu pokes gently at Kagami derailing whatever smack talk Kagami was gearing up towards spitting out.
"Aomine called them a handicap." Kagami retorts turning back to Tetsu.
"No one likes a tattletale," Daiki drawls, throwing the basketball at Kagami's head.
Tetsu steps out of the way as Kagami immediately returns the favour and the two spend a number of minutes trying to take off each other's heads with the ball.
Daiki does end up playing with the first person who steps onto the court. It's a good game even if he doesn't have to push himself to the extent he did at the Winter Cup.
He says nothing to Tetsu when the game finishes and the Seirin duo wander off to do homework. He ignores the roll of emotion churning at his gut.
The day after the game Satsuki and he are supposed to be looking for a lamp to replace the one he'd knocked over while he bubbled over with impatience for his chance to play Kagami. He doesn't mention the encounter to her, but she seems to know something anyway as she absently murmurs, "When you break something you have to put some effort into fixing it."
Daiki can't quite bring himself to believe that she's talking about the lamp.
*
Personal reflection sucks, Daiki decides and he hates Satsuki for forcing him to do it. He hates the memories that pound at his head and the guilt that tugs at his heart.
He's sick of himself by this point.
He still has no idea what to do about it.
Of course, it's when he's not thinking about it at all and locked in a battle of wills with Kagami that an opportunity presents itself. Kagami curses in the middle of their game and runs from the court shouting something about meat sails. This leaves Daiki alone with Tetsu who had volunteered to act as the referee for their match, and so here is his opportunity. Now he just needs to man the hell up.
Daiki collapses on the bench beside Tetsu and tries to force some words out. The silence stretches out between them and Tetsu reaches for his bag clearly intending to pack up and leave.
"I'm a shit friend," Daiki blurts out before Tetsu can walk away from him.
Tetsu turns to look at him slowly, eyes startled wide.
He rushes on before Tetsu can do anything like agree, "Basketball was, is, my life. When basketball became a chore, became something without joy, I fell down a dark hole. I broke. Without competition, without the possibility of a challenge, everything in my life was a shadow of what it had been. I felt adrift, like I'd lost all hope."
"I remember what it was like." Tetsu says quietly.
Daiki doesn't let Tetsu's words derail him, powering on, "But no matter how shitty it was, it didn't give me the right to treat you like that." He pauses and looks Tetsu in the eye for the first time since he started talking, "I'm sorry. You were just trying to support me and I went out of my way to inflict the darkness in my heart onto yours."
Tetsu doesn't look away, "I understood that."
"I'm sorry," he says again then rubs uncomfortably at his neck and looks away.
Tetsu is silent for a moment and then says gravely, "I forgive you Aomine. I forgave you a long time ago."
"Ok, well if it looks like I'm going to be that stupid again just kick me or something like Satsuki does to fix the problem." Daiki tries to inject some levity into the conversation.
"While I am not necessarily adverse to physical violence I do not think it is possible to fix all your problems in such a way without killing you Aomine," Tetsu says.
It is delivered completely deadpan but when Daiki sneaks a look at Tetsu there is the slightest upward curve to the other boy's lips.
"I do not have that many problems," Daiki mock growls, suddenly ridiculously playful and scrubs roughly at Tetsu's hair to leave it entirely dishevelled.
Pushing his rearranged hair out of his eyes Tetsu's glance seems to speak volumes about Daiki's problems.
Grabbing the ball at his feet Daiki bounces off the bench, "So how about a game? Light versus shadow. Loser buys the winner ice cream."
Tetsu looks from the ball he is bouncing to Daiki's face and then quite deliberately turns to continue packing his bag.
Cheeks aching from the width of his grin Daiki offers coaxingly, "I'll give you a 50 point head start."
Tetsu stands and shoulders his bag, clearly ignoring him. He's halfway off the court before Daiki manages to throw everything haphazardly in his own bag and chase after him.
He slings an arm over Tetsu's shoulders as he falls into step beside him. "No need to be offended Tetsu."
Tetsu stops abruptly and steps out from under Daiki's arm, turning to look at him. His face is so serious that Daiki is afraid he really has offended him.
"Aomine is arrogant," Tetsu says with mocking regret as he slaps his palm into the centre of Daiki's chest.
Smirking, Daiki slips his arm back over Tetsu's shoulders, "I'll work on that."
"No you won't," Tetsu murmurs.
"No," Daiki agrees happily, "I probably won't."
***
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