Aomine x Reader - Glass

Chapter 2 - Bandages and Bonds

Due to the dramatic loss of the basketball hoop, the team was forced to retreat to the inn and spend the rest of the day talking strategy and resting.

It was almost a positive development for everyone on the team, except Aomine. He sat, confined to a lounge chair, in his room with his feet bandaged. It may have been a great opportunity to take a nap or just generally be lazy, which he normally would have taken without a moment's hesitation, but he was itching to find the owner of the stare he felt earlier. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep and take his mind off his gently forced imprisonment.

~

(Name) dragged herself back to the inn, groaning as she anticipated the amount of lactic acid that would be settled in her legs tomorrow. Was it legal to force someone to do so many squats and lunges? Okay, 'forced' was the wrong word. (Name) knew she loved the rush of accomplishment she felt after a tough session. Still, she would be in for a world of pain tomorrow morning.

Practically crawling up the stairs, she grabbed a change of clothes and ran for the showers. There was no way she was going to be the last to take a shower.

(Name) turned on the water and allowed her mind to transform from that of a disciplined athlete to that of a wanderer.

It wasn't surprising when she found herself coming back to that one boy, like an iron nail to a powerful magnet. That's simply what he was to her, magnetic. Or at least, the thought of him was.

She mentally scolded herself for jumping to conclusions about the guy, he could be absolutely repulsive for all she knew.

The next thought (and her movements that came after) that popped into her head made her laugh at her own stupid sense of humor.

(Name) had mumbled, "He doesn't look repulsive.", when she remembered his face and wiggled her (strong) eyebrows.

The next idea that popped into her head, she considered entertaining; She had seen that he'd cut his feet on the shards of glass in the sand. Maybe she could just happen to swing by the infirmary of the in to do some mystery-boy-recon, under the guise that she needed an ice pack. That whole plan would probably be a better option than asking Satsuki for his whereabouts. (Name) didn't want to come off as too interested. Satsuki would think (Name) had a crush on the boy. (Name) could only cringe and cover her ears in remembrance of the squeal-fest she'd endured the last time she mentioned something even remotely involved with romance to Satsuki. It was one thing to ask about the incident, but it was another thing entirely to inquire solely about the boy. Why did a simple question need so much planning?

~

(Name) was soon forced out of the shower by her sweaty and cranky teammates. They were in such a hurry, in fact, (Name) was forced to wear only a bathrobe in her rush. She just didn't have time to dry her hair properly, and there was no way she was letting her clothes get soaked because of it.

Tightening the strip of fuzzy cloth that held the (f/c) bathrobe closed, (Name) stepped into the main hall, trying to comb the tangles out of her dripping hair with her fingers. Ugh. It was such a pain to carry so much stuff to the bathroom. (Name) looked down to readjust the bundles of clothing in her arms, but kept walking. Then she walked right into a wall. Wait, no. The walls of the inn weren't cloth. Or warm. Eh?!

Taking a step back, (Name) gazed up into the face of the one and only 'Dunk Boy' (she had given him this name for lack of good things to call him in the absence of his name).

"Oi-", the poor guy couldn't even get out two words before he was interrupted by (Name).

She jumped back and pointed a finger at his face with a kind of urgency, "It's you!"

~

Aomine peered lazily down at the girl pointing at him, "Hah?"

This just barely drew a response from the girl who held her eyes wide open and unwillingly kept every muscle in her body tensed.

"You're-", (Name) almost said 'Dunk Boy', but reasoned against it and still managed to say something even less intelligent,"the Panther?" Oh how she would love to melt into the wall and disappear. She couldn't help it though, his eyes were just so intense, she couldn't keep a train of thought for very long.

Just as she was contemplating sprinting down the hall, away from the tall bluenette, he surprised her and laughed.

"Is that what they're calling me now?", he questioned and scratched the back of his neck.

(Name) gulped,"No, no. It's just that-", she stopped when she realized there was no good way to explain herself without completely embarrassing herself.

Thankfully for her, he spoke again.

"Eh. Whatever. Call me whatever you like." And with that, he brushed past her, continuing down the hall.

Then she caught him.

"H-Hey! Should you even be walking right now?"

Aomine stopped and smirked back at her over his shoulder, "Should you be walking around the halls with only that bathrobe?"

(Name)'s face turned an impressive shade of firetruck-red, but she persisted.

"S-seriously! You could reopen the cuts and get an infection!", with this statement, she gestured to his bandaged feet, already traitorously revealing spots of red.

The boy raised an eyebrow and shrugged, surprising (Name) once again by sort of heeding her plea disguised as a warning.

"Well, I'm up now. And unless you want to carry me..."

Damn. He had a point.

"Can you do a handstand?", she weakly suggested, the idea posed as a question.

"No.", was the blunt reply. He was facing her full on now.

"...", it took another second before a smile crawled onto (Name)'s lips.

She sighed, "What a shame. Such a prestigious athlete can't even do a simple handstand."

Right there. She hit a nerve. A growl was drawn from the throat of the teen in question, who was so drawn into the challenge, he didn't even bother to wonder how she knew of his power. She didn't look like someone who cared what went on in the world of basketball.

Aomine marched over to her, and stood dangerously close. He loomed over (Name)'s (height) frame.

"Who are you?", he was trying to call upon his natural powers of intimidation.

However, (Name) refused to back down once again, she was entrenched in this now. She returned his powerful stare with her own (e/c) gaze.

"(Last Name) (First Name). Nice to meet you."

"Aomine Daiki." He hoped his name would somehow imprint the gravity of his being into this girl. Where was that stuttering girl from 5 minutes ago?!

(Name) folded her arms over her chest when she noted his line of sight dip, drawing a small 'tch' from Aomine. Damn, this girl was perceptive.

He considered walking away to save him the energy it would take to argue with her, but he didn't; She intrigued him.

To (Name)'s surprise, he stepped back, leaned forward, and transitioned into a handstand.

With a grunt, he asked, "Happy?"

(Name) blinked in surprise, but smiled in spite of herself.

"This way."

It was punishment on the muscular boy's arms, but from his perspective he had a great view.

~~~