Chapter Text
A week passes terrifyingly fast when you’re dreading a family dinner that spelled nothing but the most embarrassing possible end to your pride as a human being, Daiki came to find.
(He wasn’t not being melodramatic, no matter what Satsuki says.)
He’d been productive, at the very least. He’d met up with Kuroko one more time to solidify their backstory, and the texts continued (“I want a dog, but my roommate’s terrified of them. Do you think he’ll get used to dogs if I throw him into the dog park and leave him there?” Kuroko had sent one night. Daiki dutifully noted in his mental collection of "Tetsu Facts" that he had a soft spot for animals and a definite sadistic streak). But no matter how many times he told himself that ‘Daiki, you’ve prepared for this like you’ve never prepared for any exam before,’ he couldn’t help feeling more than a little jittery.
It was showing, and he was well aware of it. His mum had sent him a number of exasperated glances throughout the evening despite her martial pre-family dinner prep schedule, and had let out a lasting groan when he dropped the sofa on his foot in the midst of helping his father reorganize the furniture. (In his defense, Daiki was too busy worrying about what saves he could use if he accidentally called Tetsu by ‘Kuroko’, or if Kuroko called him Aomine-san, or god forbid, what if Kuroko called him ‘Dai-chan’?)
After tidying up the living room to his mother's very precise expectations, he piled his arms with jackets and other laundry (that may or may not have been mostly his) and stumbled up the stairs, arms laden with his excuse to finally escape from the hell that was his mother in expectant-hostess mode and a muttered "Be back down in a bit" that he hoped would not be held against him later.
Depositing his clothing in a corner of the room, he plopped down on his bed and pulled his phone from his pocket, groaning at the time because Holy fuck, who the hell is so productive at fucking 1 pm? What the fuck kind of demon mother am I related to?!
Although, in a slim ray of hope, he noticed a reply from Kuroko to his hastily sent plea for "plz tell me you rly need me rn bc I might explode if I dont leave this house". Hoping he could finally leave the suffocating confines of his house - and his mother - he opened his message, only to find a very unhelpful and very irritating "Perhaps Aomine-kun could come tidy up my apartment instead."
He snorted. Typical.
gee thx. if i actually explode just know my death will be on ur hands
He waited a few anxious beats for Kuroko’s reply, incredibly conscious of the sounds of his mother bustling around downstairs; he seemed to be in the clear for now - she had her claws hooked into his father for the time being (“Where are the finger snacks that I asked you to get?” came floating up the stairs, a distinct scathing edge to her tone that released a sigh from the tension in Daiki’s belly as well as some vindictive pleasure in knowing her ire wasn’t directed at him, for once).
His phone pinged with Kuroko’s response: “At least you won’t need to attend the family dinner tomorrow if that happens.”
Daiki couldn’t withhold his derisive snort as he keyed in his reply.
haw haw, hilarious
youd just love tht wudnt u
Not really. I wouldn’t get paid if that were the case.
i see where ur priorities lie. u monster.
Guilty as charged.
"fck u tetsu" was his immediate reply, though to show that he’d meant it with no bite, he sent a follow up "i guess its a bonus tht im so gr8 huh?"
It took almost offensively little time for Kuroko to deny him. “I don't think I quite agree. I'd rather a boyfriend that didn't drool on my things.”
Daiki spluttered at the screen a bit before angrily mashing in "I DO NOT DROOL TYVM”.
The next message surprised him. There was no text, but it had a single picture named “proof”. Upon opening it, he glared at the screen. That bastard. Filling the screen was the very candid, very unattractive photo of Daiki sleeping on Tetsu’s bed - and drooling. A bit.
Exhaling out an angry breath, Daiki prepared himself for war. You wanna play huh? Scrolling through his own photos, he found his own picture he’d taken of Kuroko blushing upside-down, and sent it with the caption “well gee im so embarrassed”.
His thumb hit the button to send and he smirked, staring at the screen in anticipation of Kuroko’s response.
He felt triumphant when Kuroko sent back a simple “How rude of you, Aomine-kun.” with no embarrassing picture this time. He didn't realize that they had only ever taken one photo each of the other.
Smiling slightly in victory, he typed back “u started it”.
The reply was almost instantaneous. “I wasn’t the one who was rude first,” Daiki had barely enough time to read, when that damned photo of him Definitely Not Drooling pinged onto his phone again.
“Really?” Daiki grumbled under his breath. He couldn’t help a small, reluctant grin from tugging at his lips, however, and he took a moment to rub at his face, exasperated. Alright, two can play at this game.
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ur so not cute
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You seem highly unattractive as well.
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OI i said uncute not unattractive! u think im ugly???
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There was no need to attach my photo to that last text, Dai-chan.
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u never answered my question!!
AND DONT CALL ME DAICHAN
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I think this photo answers your question well enough.
Dai-chan.
“Daiki!”
Daiki couldn’t help a small jolt when his mother’s voice snapped sharply into his room - oh god, since when’d she come upstairs? - as she stuck her head around the corner, glaring suspiciously at him.
Oh, shit. He’d forgotten that the distinct lack of Daiki in the living room was probably sticking out like a sore thumb. With a shrug and a nervous chuckle, he offered a sheepish, “Hey, mom.”
“If you have enough time to be laughing to yourself, you certainly have enough time to help me look for your aunt’s mug!” she barked, then immediately slammed the door behind her. As she creaked her way down the stairs, Daiki could still hear her grumbling mutinously to herself (“Why that lady has to use that stupid mug, I don’t understand -”).
Once she’d left, Daiki scowled down at his phone, abruptly overly self-conscious of his facial expressions. Had he been laughing to himself? He coughed lightly, glancing at the latest text from Kuroko that was still taunting him from his phone screen.
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What a catch my dear Dai-chan is.
Daiki snorted. “Dear”. The man had managed to find something even more horrifying than Dai-chan. Trying and failing to keep a smirk from his face, he tapped out a quick “ur not so bad urself babe” and attached the photo before pocketing his phone. Standing up, he stretched his neck and groaned, but called down to his mom, “Did’ya find it yet?” and headed down the stairs, hand wrapped around the phone in his pocket.