Imperfect match // Daiki Aomine (Kuroko no Basuke)

6. Get some rest

After what feels to him like hours, sitting in this quiet room, her hand moves and before he has time to remove his from the sheet, she grabs it, startling him. Her hands are warm and soft, soothing but her grip is strong and it somehow reassures him that she's getting her strength back.

Her breathing deepens as she opens her eyes slowly, swallowing, her head scanning the room as she lets go of his hand to rub her eyes.

"What... where am I?"

"Campus medical centre."

"What happened?"

"You collapsed."

"Why are you here?"

Storming in the room, a few of her team members and the captain rush to the bed and push through as Aomine stands to leave them space, shifting towards the back of the room.

"Oh my god! Are you okay?" They ask.

"Yeah, yeah." She struggles to say.

He discretely leaves through the door and ends up face to face with Kise, feeling a little awkward but not showing it.

"Is she awake?"

"Yeah."

"Are you leaving?" He asks as Aomine walks down the corridor.

"Yeah."

"Are you not gonna take her home?"

He stops and turn around.

"She's fine now. I'm sure she can go home by herself."

"She's weak."

"Come on Romeo, you can take her home can't you?" Aomine says.

"What?! Romeo?" He chuckles. "I'm not..."

"You have a thing for her."

"Wh... no! Not if she's yours. Bro code, man!"

He looks at Kise with a smirk.

"She's not mine and something tells me that she's the type to get annoyed if she's referred as a possession."

"But you..."

"I'm not interested. I don't need a girlfriend. Anyway. I gotta go."

"Sure, see you later man." As Kise turns towards the door, he sees her standing in the doorway. "Hey! Should you be standing?"

"Did... Did he just leave?" She asks looking at him now passing the door at the end of the corridor.

"Yeah. Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to say thank you." She looks disappointed and Kise notices.

She feels embarrassed. It feels as though he just saved her again and then left her. Did she do anything wrong?

"Why do you want to thank him?"

"They said, he carried me all the way here from the gym. I'm not a light weight. It must have been hard and he didn't have to. It's the second time he saves me."

"That's Aomine for you. He looks cold but he can't stand to see people in distress."

"You should be resting!!" Her captain interrupts.

"Fine!! God! Worse than my mum!!" She whines defensively. "Please say thanks for me." She requests to Kise before walking back in, carrying her drip with her.

"Sure thing." He adds before leaving.

Once in bed, the interrogation starts.

"So! Blonde hottie and now tall dark and handsome too?" Her libero asks.

"What are you on about?"

"Oh come on! Don't play innocent. You guys leave the gym together nearly every day."

"We have training."

"Yeah, yeah! Did you start that research because he was in it too? I don't blame you. He's a babe." She says dreamily.

"I had no idea! I do it for myself not because of a boy!"

"You mean a man!!" Cap says raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah what a man! He's so hot right?" Her friend adds leading to the two of them gossiping.

"Yes he is." They laugh.

"Guys, I'm tired and I should try and go home." Satori says unimpressed by how superficial her teammates sound.

"I'll call a cab." Captain says.

"I can walk."

"No you can't, you'll collapse on the way."

"I'm..."

"Do not argue with your captain!" She says sternly.

"Yes ma'am."

"Bleh! Ma'am?! Now you're asking for trouble." She laughs.

"Sorry." She smiles back.

Once home, she spends the evening resting and eating, getting the occasional messages from her captain ordering her to go to sleep.

The next day, when she wakes up, she checks her phone to see a message from a couple of teammates asking how she feels and not to show her face for lectures and practice.

She hates being home and doing nothing but understands she was stupid by pushing herself so hard. There are some things though, she cannot control, like where she lives... her neighbours...

Her buzzer interrupts her in binging on a new anime. Going to the intercom, she answers.

"Hello?"

"Hi! It's... hum... Kise."

Panic. Why is he here? How does he know where she lives? Why didn't she have a shower this morning? It's not like she sweated but still, she looks like a rag. Most of all, why does she care?!?

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thanks."

Does he want to come up? Again, not showered.

"I don't want to bother you, I just wanted to check on you. I also brought soup."

"Thanks. I'll come down."

Quickly passing by the bathroom, she puts deodorant on and brushes her hair quickly before walking down the stairs and opening the door.

"Hi." She smiles standing in the doorway.

"Hi." He answers handing her a plastic bag.

"You didn't have to."

"You were told to rest. I wasn't sure if you had food at home and this place does the best chicken noodle soup."

"Well. Thank you very much." She bows.

"Haha! No trouble!" He says now shying away as he walks back on the sidewalk. "I won't keep you and I have a lecture to go to. Get some rest."

"Bye."

"Yes bye!" He says running towards campus.

He seemed like such a player at first glance but he's actually pretty sweet. She has been very cautious and cold with him but there's no harm in being friendly seeing that he worried about her and made the effort to go to the medical centre with her and to bring her soup.

Maybe she should go easy on him, but still keep boundaries. He strikes her as the kind of person to get excited easily.

Anyway, he was right, that soup is delicious.