Vicious || Aomine D.

Twenty-Four

[ I got you ]
_____

Someone repeating Riyo's name and telling her to wake up, penetrated through the blackness as she was slowly regaining consciousness. When her eyes finally fluttered open, she was met with deep blue eyes filled with unfiltered concern. 

Aomine?

Riyo had to blink a few times to process what she was seeing and verify she wasn't dreaming. And what eventually tipped her off that it was, in fact, real, was the fuming redhead standing behind Aomine stuck in a loop, one second he was scowling at the back of Aomine's head and the next shooting worried glances at Riyo.

Aomine was really there. For whatever reason, this time, she hadn't sensed his presence or seen him in the crowd.

"You're okay," Aomine breathed out, relief washing over his features but only for a second before Riyo grimaced and hissed as the throbbing pain in her knee kicked in.

"It's okay. I got you," he said soothingly, though she wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself.

With Aomine's help, Riyo sat up, trying to focus on breathing through the pain. It wasn't helping. There was a commotion on the court as the organizers were trying to assess whether or not she needed emergent care.

"Ah. I'm fine," she grumbled as she bit down on her cheek, hard, to school her features into a more neutral expression.

Aomine leveled her with a look. He could tell she was lying. He could always tell.

Damn his mind-reading abilities.

And he wasn't even wearing the superhero costume Riyo had imagined for him. It wasn't fair for him to use his powers without wearing the clothes. Those pink tights and the white cape would've suited him perfectly. Maybe then she would've noticed him in the crowd too.

A laugh bubbled out of her, though it quickly morphed into a groan.

"Here." Kuroko unexpectedly handed Riyo a juice box, of all things. "You need sugar."

She hesitantly accepted it and took a sip. The bitter apple flavor on her tongue was an instant boost.

"What... happened?" she asked trying (and failing) to sound unaffected by the pain.

"You fainted," Teppei told her, his features drawn in concern.

"Not before that IDIOT sideswiped you," Kagami growled shooting a death glare at the boy who Riyo had been going head-to-head with the entire game. He earned a few nasty looks from the opposing team.

Aomine made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat before he rose to his feet. The loss of his touch made Riyo feel cold in a way she hadn't anticipated. She shivered, missing his warmth. He didn't notice, he was too busy sizing up the guy that had been hounding her the entire game. Riyo's breaths came turned quick and shallow when she realized what he was about to do.

No, no, no.

It was written all over Aomine's face as his eyes shimmered with rage, and his nostrils flared. Dread coiled in the pit of Riyo's stomach. If Aomine hurt that boy, it could cost him his basketball career. At the very least he would be suspended for an unforeseeable number of games, maybe even the rest of the season, and with the Winter Cup coming...

There was no way Riyo was going to let him throw away the future he'd dreamed of. Even if they weren't friends, she couldn't be the one responsible for taking basketball, the only thing he loved, away from him, or for taking him, the monster prodigy away from the tournament expecting to challenge him.