Aomine x Reader - Glass

Chapter 4 - I've got a lot on my plate

Finally, the training camp from hell was over, and (Name) was free; Almost.

She still had to survive the 3 hour bus ride it took to get back to school. Yawn.

~

As (Name) slid into an empty window seat where she could reminisce about the past couple of days, she felt herself being pushed against the window by some unknown mass. Too close! Too close! Must preserve... Personal bubble...

(Name) turned to face the mystery force and quickly came to a realization. The said 'force' was a tanned arm, awkwardly trying to make room in the seat next to (Name). Soon enough, its owner turned to look at (Name).

"Aomine!"

"....yo."

(Name) was about to tell him that she had planned to sit with (Friend's Name), but something stopped her. It could have been her overwhelming urge to talk to him, or the fact that the bus was already moving; Who knows~?

~

Flashback

To that night at the inn, after (Name) bandaged Aomine's feet

The dinner that night was Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, with whole-grain linguini (per request of the coaches). It felt a bit weird to be sitting alone with Aomine, mainly because (Name) could almost literally feel the stares of her teammates. But there was no way she was going to look back at them and face the assortment of expressions.

Speaking of the 'Black Panther', he was really into the Alfredo. (Name) almost couldn't contain her laughter when she was greeted with the sight of his cheeks full of pasta.

She twisted some of the dish around her fork, laughed, and spoke up.

"Enjoying the meal?"

"Ymsh..."

He was seriously trying to talk with that mouth full of food. A little ill-mannered, but adorable nonetheless.

Aomine finally swallowed enough of his massive bite to reply.

"Yes."

He was dead serious about that massive plate of food.

'Can I talk to you more?', (Name) scoffed silently. His mouth was for that broccoli-alfredo only. Not that (Name) minded much; She enjoyed simply being in his presence. It was just that she found his question a tad ironic.

(Name) took a bite of the garlic bread, smiling to herself.

"Hey."

His deep voice had reached in her mind to grab (Name) from her thoughts.

(Name) turned to look at him rather sharply, almost alarmed, seeing how he had spoken so suddenly in her mind. He didn't react to her expression, so she figured it was alright.

"You're in my English class, right?"

(Name) actually had to picture her English class in her mind in order to recall whether he was or not.

"Oh, yeah! I suppose I am."

(Name) said this as nonchalantly as possible, and then added another statement.

"Funny how classes feel so far away right now."

Aomine grunted in agreement through another mouthful of food. He simply couldn't trust himself to speak after hearing her laugh earlier. It was as if every bit of her was coming into focus, and now he couldn't stand the blurry spots. She was no less than captivating. Nothing below intriguing. He could've melted when he looked up to see her smiling ever-so-slightly at her plate, with cheeks of a rosy tint.

It was one thousand times worse when she looked at him.

~ End of Flashback ~

The days following that dinner were bland and busy. (Name) only saw Aomine when their teams passed each other during jogs. One would think the pair would at least be able to sit down and talk at dinner, but the coaches of the two teams seemed determined to separate them.

How childish, if anyone on either team was there to hook up, they wouldn't be playing a sport for Tōō Academy. Champions are self-disciplined.

Still, (Name) found herself disappointed. He was just... gravitational. It was like she was in orbit around Earth, unable to tear her gaze away, and unable to escape his gravitational pull.

Yet, here he was, sitting next to her, and (Name) still couldn't bring herself to say a single word. With a small sign, she resigned to listen to some music. However, she only put one earbud in, she didn't want to appear as if she was shutting him out.

After a few minutes, (Name) felt a rough tap on her shoulder, and she turned her head to look at the ace next to her. In a simple question, (Name) raised one eyebrow.

Aomine was always surprising her, and this interaction was certainly no exception.

"Can I... Uh... Listen?"

Secretly, Aomine didn't care if he had music for the long bus ride or not, he just wanted to find out what kind of music (Name) liked. It was like, for the first time in his life, he felt something other than physical attraction. (Name) simply wasn't an object of his perverted attitude.

It was like he'd jump into the tiger's exhibit at the zoo, just to know what her favorite food was. Put simply, he wanted to know everything there was to know about (Last Name) (Name).

Back to (Name), who blinked in a mild duration of confusion and stuttered out, "Uh... yeah."

She complied with his request, switching earbuds, and handing him the right while taking the left for herself. It hadn't even occurred to (Name) that her playlist included a bunch of songs from (Home Country) in (Language). Well, it hadn't occurred to her until it was too late. (Name) closed her eyes, waiting for the awkward mention of the subject that would most definitely ensue.

Instead, her ears were greeted with a reverberating laugh and a question.

"Fascinated with (Home Country), huh?"

Aomine grinned at her, and (Name) imagined that she might never recover.

Nevertheless, she shook her head lightly in reply and then laughed ever so slightly.

"Well, I guess I am entitled to like things from my home country."

"You're... You're from (Home Country)?", queried the suddenly unsteady voice of the bluenette.

She answered him with a simple nod.

"So... So you're a transfer student?"

Something cracked in Aomine when he saw her shake her head. That left one option-

"I'm an exchange student."

It would have been a little too much for Aomine if she told him how long she would be staying, so he simply smirked and said, "Interesting.", while slinging an arm around her shoulders.

~

While Aomine's face seemed to reveal a casual mindset about the contact, (Name)'s wide eyes painted a livid picture of her shock. His arm was heavy, warm, and... strangely comforting. Slowly, (Name) accepted the gesture and laid her head on his (well- muscled) shoulder, letting her music invade her thoughts. Soon enough, (Name) just couldn't help it, and she fell asleep.

~

Aomine couldn't imagine a better way to go about embarking on a 3-hour bus ride. He let himself enjoy the feeling of being so close to her, but he couldn't help but dwell on the fact that (Name) was an exchange student, and not a resident of Japan. Should he even try to for a meaningful relationship with her? He so desperately wanted to, but what would happen if she was simply going to return to (Home Country)? Would it... Hurt?

That train of thought suddenly lost its relevancy; There was yelling coming from the front of the bus, the sensation of falling, and the instinct to grab (Name), before everything went black.