Nii-san! (KnB)

❀☂︎ᏝᎧᏕᏖ

Ages: Kuroko, 6, Akashi twins, 5
∞

Aomine hated being alone. Maybe that was why he was almost always with Momoi. He hated being alone more than he hated bees. He hated being alone more than when Kuroko was too busy to play with him. He hated being alone more than when Momoi called him Aomine-kun. He hated it more than his love for basketball, and that was saying something. 

Long story short, Aomine didn't like being alone. No, he didn't have Separation Anxiety (whatever that was). He just hated being alone. 

Oh, and he hated crowds. Aomine reminded himself about that bitterly. He was sitting in a wedge between two shops, waiting. 

Kuroko had taken them out shopping. They were growing out of their clothes and had broken a few toys. Aomine had gotten distracted by a few NBA cards and was now lost. Kuroko and the others had disappeared, Momoi wasn't by his side, there was no Kise to drag him along unconsciously. He was lost, alone and in a big crowd. 

Aomine didn't know how long he had been sitting in the wedge. When would Kuroko come to find him? What if they had abandoned him on purpose? Just like his mother. She had easily given him away to the Akashis a few days after they met at the playground. 

"Tetsu, Ryo, Satsuki... Please come back already," Aomine mumbled, drawing his legs to his chest. He buried his head into his knees and prayed. 

"Daiki-kun!" Kuroko called out, walking through the mall. Although you couldn't see it on his face, Kuroko was panicking. 'I failed. I failed. Daiki-kun, where are you?' he thought, dragging the six behind him. He was holding Seijūrō and Senjūrō by the hand, dragging them behind them. Seijūrō and Senjūrō were dragging behind Midorima and Murasakibara, respectively. Midorima was holding onto Momoi and Murasakibara, Kise.

It must've looked weird, a tiny child dragging behind him at least 50kg worth of children. Kuroko was currently in search of either A, an information desk or, B, Aomine. Preferably B. "Daiki-kun!" he yelled again. Why was it so hard to see a blue-haired child in this crowd of brown-haired people?!

Aomine couldn't hear anything. He felt alone, even though there were hundreds of people walking by him. He went by unnoticed, no one helping him. Was this how Kuroko felt? Is this how Tetsu felt when no one saw him. Was this how he felt when the teacher didn't notice him?

"Dai..."

Aomine continued to panic, blocking everything out. All he could focus on was staying conscious and stabilising his breathing. "Dai." Who was talking to him? What was going on?

"Daiki-kun."

Aomine snapped his head up to look at Kuroko. "Tetsu..." Aomine said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. Kuroko wrapped his arms around the other bluenette now that he had snapped out of his trance. 

"It's okay, Daiki-kun, we're here now," Kuroko said, rubbing soothing circles on his back. Kise stepped over and behind Aomine to hug him from behind.

"Daikicchi, we're not leaving you. Not Tetsucchi, not Satsukicchi, not me, not the others," Kise mumbled into Aomine's shoulder. Aomine smiled slightly, wiping away a stray tear.

"Don't worry, Dai-chan! We're here for you!" Momoi reassured happily. The other four nodded, Midorima and Murasakibara even giving him his lucky item and a snack.

"Arigatō, minne-san."

The eight went back home after the episode at the mall. They helped Kuroko unpack the car and went back into the Akashi manor. 

Kuroko began putting away the shopping, taking out the various toys and clothing. 

"Daiki-kun, you were looking at this before you got lost, didn't you?" Kuroko asked, handing him a few NBA cards. Aomine's eyes widened, looking up at his older brother.

"Hai..." he said in shock. Kuroko's eyes sparkled in amusement, placing the cards into his hands. "Arigatō, Tetsu!" Aomine yelled, hugging his brother. Kuroko smiled slightly, hugging back. 

Aomine purposely wrote 'Tetsu' on the card in permanent marker so that no one would want to trade them. They were now on the shelf where he stored his medals and trophies in a protective sleeve. 

OMAKE

"...I forgot to buy milk," Kuroko mumbled.