As Shizuka continued to describe the various ways knitting needles could be used for self defense, she saw the smile on the other's face and returned the smile, "Aomine-san should smile more, you would look much more..." she paused, searching for the right word.
"Handsome?" Aomine supplied, a self indulgent grin on his face.
"You wish," Shizuka retorted, before clapping, "Approachable, that's the one."
Aomine ignored the twinge of disappointment. When he opened his mouth to reply, a familiar voice's exclamation cut him off.
"Dai-chan?!" Momoi raised the back of her hand to touch his forehead.
Aomine batted her hand away, "I'm not sick, what's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" she asked incredulously, "What are you doing here," a flurried gesture around them, "Early?"
"Tch," Aomine leaned back on his heels, "I can't come to school at the proper time?"
Frustrated, Momoi poked Aomine's chest, "You know that's not what I asked."
"Oh yeah," Aomine tucked his hands into his pockets, "I wanted to introduce you to someone."
When he looked to where Shizuka had been standing only a moment before, she wasn't there. Looking ahead, he could see her walking towards the school building. It wasn't long until he lost sight of her.
"Who?" Momoi asked, curiosity flashing in her bright pink eyes.
"The girl that was just walking with me, geez," Aomine grunted, "Shizuka Kanon." Aomine liked the sound of her name on his lips.
"Shizuka-san?" Momoi looked excited, "You know Shizuka Kanon?"
"Why're you so excited?" Aomine mumbled lazily, annoyed that Shizuka had just left without a word, "You know her or something?"
"You don't?" Momoi looked genuinely shocked, "Even though you're as sociable as a rock, I would've thought you heard."
"What do I not know?"
Momoi sighed disappointedly, "Her parents own a Japanese hotel chain, they're a pretty big deal. She's been going to Rakuzan until she suddenly appeared here, at some no-name school," there slight pause before she continued, "Well, less no-name after our basketball team display. But no one knows why she's here or what happened, and everyone is too scared to ask or breathe near her."
"Rakuzan eh?" Aomine's eyes glittered, "I want to play them."
"Geez, that's all you get from that?" Momoi sighed again, "So what do you know about her? Why were you walking together?" A look or horror crossed her face, "You didn't sleep with her right? Your life is finished if you deflowered that girl!"
"Satsuki," Aomine flicked her forehead, "Shut up. She's just my neighbour, and besides, she's not my-"
"Type, right?" A smug look entered Momoi's eyes, "That's why you were smiling like a doofus earlier."
Of course Satsuki would notice.
§§§
Practices were Monday through Friday and occasionally on Saturdays, after school every other day on a MWF schedule and practices at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Aomine inhaled deeply, reading the practise sheet shoved into his bag from Momoi.
It was pointless really, it wasn't like he was going to attend.
As he tossed his things onto the desk and settled comfortably into his seat, readying himself for a nap, he could see Shizuka continue to work. Upon looking closer, the textbooks did not seem to be the ones needed for class. Was that University Psychology?
Aomine leaned back into the chair, long legs stretched past his desk. As soon as the teacher started speaking, sleep came easily.
§§§
A kick on his chair jolted Aomine awake, as any person would be, he was annoyed and confused, never a successful combination. He looked to where the kick came from, unsurprisingly, Shizuka.
"What the hell? What d'ya want?" his voice was husky and intimidating, bleary eyes turning focused.
But the person on the receiving end of such coarse words and language merely smiled patronizingly, before pointing her eyes to the front. As Aomine followed her gaze, he met the irritated one of his teacher that was standing right in front of his desk.
"Aomine-kun, I believe nap time was taken out of your curriculum more than a decade ago," his teacher stated, "This has been the second offense on the second day of school. The next time this happens, I will have no choice but to give you a detention."
Upon finishing his spiel, he looked to Shizuka, "Please refrain from kicking other's chairs in the future, even though they, in this case needed it."
"Okay," said in such a way it irked the teacher, however he couldn't pick up on the specific reason, "I understand, Sir."
Lunch practise was a quiet affair, to other's astonishment, he had arrived at practise. Sakurai was in the midst of apologizing for Aomine's absence, when the said person appeared. However, after five minutes of terrorizing the freshmen, he became bored, so like he did for every practise, left without a word of apology.
As he was making his way to his usual spot on the roof, he spotted Shizuka sitting cross legged on the grass, book laid out in front of her. But, it was clear she wasn't reading, in her hands was a store bought bun while her eyes stared off into space.
"Didn't bring a lunch from home?" Aomine asked, startling Shizuka from her daze, "I would've expected you would."
She shifted so she was facing him, and Aomine took this as in invitation to sit with her.
"I could easily point out many things wrong with what you just said," Shizuka mumbled before sinking her teeth into the bread, "But I'll let it slide."
"Why're you eating outside? Didn't you want to join the knitting club?" Aomine asked, crossing his arms behind his head and lying down.
"Because its nice outside, it's stuffy inside, and I feel that our classmates feel more comfortable without me awkwardly doing work while eating bread," she took another bite and swallowed before continuing, "Besides, knitting club is inactive because they incorporated it into the Fashion Committee."
"Knitting, sowing, same difference."
"Stop it with your ignorant comments," Shizuka huffed, "You are only cementing your image as a chauvinist philanderer."
Huh?
"Although," Aomine sat up, studying the petite girl beside him, "You do know you have to join a club right?"
"Really," Shizuka said, taking another bite of her bun.
Aomine's mouth twitched, an idea forming in his mind, "You should join the basketball club."
"No thank you," Shizuka shook her head, "I cannot play sports to save my life, I'll be more of a burden than an asset."
Aomine ignored the urge to sigh exasperatedly, "I meant the boy's basketball club."
"I'm a girl," Shizuka looked confusedly at him, "Why would I join the boy's basketball club?"
"Satsuki has been complaining about how nice it would be to have an assistant," Aomine decided that subtle wasn't going to go with this girl, "I was asking you to join as a manager person."
"Oh, so this is an invitation? I thought I wasn't your type," Shizuka grinned, a teasing twinkle in her eyes, causing Aomine to think she had known the entire time what he had meant, "However, I must politely decline. I don't have much experience with managing a sports team."
"All you're really going to be doing is following Satsuki," Aomine didn't know what managers did, to be honest, "It'll be easy."
Shizuka hummed non-committedly, "I'll think about it," she crumpled up her garbage in her hand about to stand to throw it away to the garbage can several feet away.
Aomine held out a hand, "I'll throw it away for you."
"Trying to persuade me to join the basketball team?" Shizuka chuckled, "Or is this another example of how basketball is 'better' than knitting?"
Aomine's tan skin hid the faint blush on his cheeks, "Both," he replied before throwing the 'ball'.
However, when the crumpled piece of plastic was about to fall into the trash, a sudden gust of spring wind knocked it to the side, bouncing of the rim.
It was silent before joyful peals of laughter erupted from the usually quiet girl.
"That doesn't count!" Aomine defended uselessly, "It was because-"
"The wind," Shizuka finished, calming down slightly before starting giggle again, "I-I know."
Her head was thrown back revealing beautiful skin, and Aomine couldn't help but savour the sight. He also couldn't help wondering what it would feel like to pepper kisses onto her neck, to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. It was also dangerous to watch Shizuka stand and walk to the garbage bin, slender legs pale against her skirt that was fluttering in the breeze.
What was he thinking? Daiki get a hold over yourself. Teenage hormones were truly a pain.
Returning to his side, she schooled her expression back into more serious one, her words on the other hand were the opposite, "Maybe I should join the team, as long as you don't make mistakes like that."
"Trust me," Aomine's ego was speaking, "The only one who can beat me is me."
Shizuka snorted, but before Aomine could call her out for it, she stood. Books in one hand and the other brushing invisible crumbs from her skirt, she turned away from him before saying, "Now then, I do believe class is about to start." And off she went without looking back or a word to Aomine.
"Oi! Are you just going to walk off without me? That's rude you know," Aomine grumbled loudly, slightly miffed at the lack of interest Shizuka displayed.
Aomine wasn't a stranger to female attention, easily one of both the most popular and attractive boys at school, he was very desirable (besides his non-existent brains). Now, as he was seventeen and an open pervert, he had more than enough experience to females. However, the playfulness he got from Shizuka had none of the coy flirtatiousness (he wasn't disappointed) accompanied by requests for night plans.
Shizuka looked back past her shoulder, "I did say that class was about to begin, it's your own fault you're not coming."
Aomine let out a deep breath after picking himself off of the ground, making his way to Shizuka who hadn't bothered to wait for him.
"You could've waited y'know," Aomine yawned.
"That's true, but clearly it wouldn't have made a difference. You're huge, and managed to catch up in a second," she mumbled, "And I was speed-walking too."
He heard nothing except, "So I'm huge eh?"
Shizuka responded with a stony expression, "Yes, your frame is big, resulting in bigger arms, legs, and torso. Everything is big."
"Everything is big?" A devilish light entering Aomine's eyes, "Thank you."
There was a slight pause, Shizuka was silent, "I see this is one of those 'guy things' that my sister told me about. Well in that case," Shizuka beamed angelically at Aomine, "Allow me to correct myself. Everything is big, except for your male genitalia."
"Did you really have to say it like that?" Aomine grumbled.
"Yes, you were asking for it," Shizuka stated as if she didn't just insult what nearly every man held dear (to himself), "Besides, it isn't like it really matters."
Attempting to fluster her, Aomine leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry, I've had plenty of reassurance that everything about me is big."
"Please don't tell me pay for these things," Shizuka's voice didn't betray any embarrassment, however, if one was looking closely as Aomine was, one could see a light flush underneath her skin, "That's pitiful."
"I can see why you're so taken with her, Dai-chan," Momoi's energetic voice startled the both of them, "I like this girl already!"
"Satsuki! What are you doing here?" Aomine's words sounded slightly strangled, "Aren't you supposed to be in the gym?"
"That's really rich coming from you, Aomine-san," Shizuka said lightly, looking at Momoi curiously.
"This is Momoi-" Aomine was cut off by the girl herself.
"Momoi Satsuki, manager of the Touou basketball team," excitement practically radiated off of her.
Aomine shot an annoyed glance at Momoi before continuing, "And this is-"
He was cut off again, by the same person, "Shizuka Kanon," her eyes sparkled, "It's nice to meet the only other person that manages to put up with this lazy bum."
"It's nice to meet you too, Momoi-san, although I think you give me too much credit," Shizuka seemed quite comfortable with Momoi's brand of energy, "I haven't known Aomine-san for very long."
"So formal, we're practically friends already," she took Aomine's place beside Shizuka side, "Call me anything you like."
An adorable smile lit up Shizuka's face, "We've only met just now though, I think I'll continue calling you Momoi-san."
"Well, if it's okay with you," Momoi smiled back, "I'll call you Kanon-chan, you have such a pretty name, it's a shame no one calls you that."
Aomine butt into the conversation, "Does that mean I can call you Kanon?"
"No," came the immediate refusal, "That's weird."
Aomine spluttered a little before complaining weakly, "But, her, you just."
"Let's get to class, Kanon-chan," Momoi slid an arm around Shizuka's shoulders before sending a wink at Aomine. Aomine could see her whispering to the other, causing Shizuka to burst into laughter.
"You're not even in her class!"
§§§
After school ended, Shizuka looked up to see Aomine standing awkwardly in front of her desk, "You're waiting for me?" Shizuka asked, pleasantly surprised.
"So we can walk home together," Aomine stated, a twinge of self consciousness was felt due to the amount of gawking their classmates were doing in their direction.
"Kanon-chan! Let's go!" A familiar voice called loudly, Momoi was standing at the door of their classroom, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Sorry, Aomine-san, Momoi-san is taking me to get the papers for the basketball club," she explained while putting her work away, "You can leave without me, you don't have to feel obligated to do this."
"Huh, so we're getting a new cute manager now?" Aomine's eyes twinkled, he might drop by practise more often.
"Please ignore this idiot, and speaking of which, Dai-chan, practise is cancelled," Momoi sighed, "Clearly organizing you guys will take a bit longer. But hopefully, with my lovely Kanon-chan, this job won't give me premature white hair."
Yours? Aomine blinked.
"Momoi-san told me I won't be doing anything too rigorous, just paperwork," Shizuka explained, exiting the classroom.
§§§
Why was Aomine waiting? He was just looking out for his neighbour that was new to the area. Nothing more, nothing less. He ignored the fact it was completely out of his usual behaviour.
"Oh look! Dai-chan is waiting," Momoi's voice echoed slightly, "That's a rare sight."
"Thank you Momoi-san," Shizuka grinned, "See you tomorrow."
"Bye Dai-chan! Bye Kanon-chan!" the pink haired girl's silhouette slowly disappeared.
"Momoi-san's really nice," Shizuka broke the silence as they walked together, "You're pretty nice too," she added hurriedly when she saw the strange expression on Aomine's face.
"Satsuki's always been like that," Aomine chuckled, "I think she's been craving female interaction, girl's been stuck with the basketball junkies since she was a kid."
"Huh," Shizuka huffed, "Me, on the basketball team, never thought I would see the day."
"You'll fit right in," Aomine reassured, but not without a playful undertone of skepticism.
Shizuka crossed her arms, "If you think I won't be able to reign those hooligans in, you have another thing coming."
"From the short time I've known you, I have no doubts," Aomine muttered.
"Until tomorrow," a small wave and smile was sent his way, and he felt his heart flutter.
§§§
A/N:
I'm hoping this was okay, not that anyone is reading it LOL. I suppose it's just a way to vent for now.