Restart (Aokuro)

Bad Omen

Or so he thought.

Kuroko wondered when did it all go wrong - they were never the type of people to communicate their feelings with one another, despite their friends always urging them to do so. Kuroko always believed things would turn out okay in the end, and they do, until everything comes crashing down again and again. Kuroko doesn’t understand, nor does he want to talk about anything as heavy as his inner feelings, because he’s sure Aomine had other things to worry about.

Like the upcoming inter-school basketball game.

It was their 6th month together - things went smoothly like a boat on a calm river at first, but as the days go by, Kuroko noticed a drastic change in his boyfriend’s attitude. Aomine rarely spoke to him anymore - the most he’s said were “See you” or “Pass me the ball”. Kuroko didn’t think too much about it at first, but when Akashi mentioned the noticeable distance between the couple, only then were his eyes opened.

“Is there something going on between you and Daiki?” The red-head questioned with a ball in his hand, not a hint of kindness in his expression. “If there is, I’d love it if you could fix the issue as soon as possible. I don’t want the horrible dynamic to affect our team during the tournament,”

“Do you understand, Tetsuya?”

Kuroko was disturbed by Akashi’s tone, but he nodded his head obediently. “I understand.”

And before he knew it, Kuroko was standing in the middle of the basketball court, heavily panting as the team advanced further in their annual inter-school basketball game. He watched Kise giving their teammates a high-five, everyone except Aomine returned it. The latter had an intense aura radiating his body, causing Kuroko to reach out to him.

“Aomine-kun!”

The dark-headed boy immediately turned his head towards Kuroko - his eyebrows were furrowed tightly, his jaw clenched. Kuroko has never seen him like this - Aomine was turning into a monster.

Who are you?

“Aomine-kun.” He repeated, trying to reach out again, only to be pushed aggressively to the side.

“Do not touch me, Tetsu.” Aomine warned.

“…”

Without saying anything else, Aomine walked away. Kuroko stood there in complete silence, the noises surround him deafened as he watched his teammates leave him behind. Something about today’s game was affecting them - something changed, and something bad. Kuroko didn’t want to admit it, but he knew that the sport was starting to suffocate him. What welcomed him to the team, may now be the reason for him to walk away.

The game went on smoothly after that - too smooth. It didn’t feel like an inter-school anymore, but an inter-team, if that was a thing. Kuroko stared in horror as his teammates went against each other to see who could score the most hoops. The opposing team has long given up - most of them were already standing by the side of the court, just blankly watching, staring, not moving…

Kuroko felt like giving up as well. He’s not having fun anymore, not because it was too easy, but because it seemed like his teammates have completely changed the game.

Without him.

He felt lost - Kuroko doesn’t understand his purpose in the team anymore. He blindly ran around, chasing them, but the ball never reached him. It has stopped reaching him a long time ago.

When they went back into their locker room at the end of the day, Aomine was the first to break the silence. He yelled and banged the lockers, saying everything was too easy for him. The other teammates acted as if it was already a normal thing for Aomine to break down like that, but Kuroko reacted differently.

“Aomine-kun!” He yelled with all his might, the ones that were left in him anyway. “Why are you being like this?” His voice cracking was enough to catch Aomine off-guard, and for once, he was finally looking at him. His precious Tetsu. No…

“Tetsu.” He acknowledged the smaller boy coldly.

“Why…” Kuroko cried out, as if he were begging Aomine to talk to him. “Why…?”

“What happened to holding on?” Kuroko breathed, and his eyes were burning with anger, which left Aomine stunned. He’s never seen Kuroko like this before, but he knew it was bound to happen. He knew this day would come. He knew he would eventually break. He knew he was hurting Kuroko.

Aomine knew. He knew all along.

“You promised.” Kuroko spoke angrily. The rest of the team decided it was best to leave the two alone, and they left the locker room silently. Kise watched them over his shoulder, a frown plastered on his face, and he sighed before disappearing in sight.

“Promises are meant to be broken.” Aomine replied with the same amount of bitterness and coldness.

Kuroko let out a sarcastic laugh. It’s not in character for him to do so, but he didn’t care anymore. If the rest of the team could change, Kuroko can too.

“I don’t care what you think of me now,” The tanned boy stated. “It doesn’t matter to me anymore. What matters… is the game, and how stupid it is!”

Aomine violently grabbed the smaller boy’s shoulders, and the latter flinched at his tight grip. “You want to know why, Tetsu? Because I don’t feel like myself anymore. I’m getting bored. I’m getting bored with basketball. You know how much basketball means to me, right?”

“Stop,” Kuroko pleaded, trying to break free from Aomine’s grasp. “Aomine-kun, you’re hurting me.”

“Why is everyone so weak, Tetsu? They give up so easily! Their motivations, their goals… everything is thrown aside the moment they step into the court. Why is that?”

At this point, Aomine was talking to himself, because he continued to ramble even when Kuroko didn’t give him an answer. His voice started to falter, and he started to mumble words. Kuroko only cried.

“If I could…”

“I could just…”

“Why didn’t I…”

All these words were coming out of Aomine’s mouth, and it deeply wounded Kuroko. What used to be a team-based game, has become an individual sport to Aomine Daiki.

“There’s no ‘I’ in team!” Kuroko finally shouted back, but it didn’t surprise the tanned boy this time. Aomine only laughed out loud, as if he didn’t believe a single word that just escaped Kuroko’s mouth.

“There’s no ‘we’ either,” Aomine simply responded, and he smiled bitterly. “I’m sorry, Tetsu,” His grip loosened, but his hands remained on Kuroko’s shoulders - they felt like iron, weighing him down. Kuroko only stared at his feet in silence - whatever he was going to say just vanished into thin air. There’s wasn’t any point anymore. Aomine didn’t want to be saved.

“Goodbye, Tetsu. Let’s not see each other anymore.” Aomine dropped the bomb, before kissing Kuroko on the lips one last time.

A/N: And what if I disappear again?