It started being weird at the Summer Tournament, in their very last match.

The first years only played in some of the matches at the time, and only as subs to see how they would actually do in a game. Aisaka had two matches as a sub, yet it wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to say that Aisaka was the MVP of the day.

When he stepped onto the court, the air sank many times heavier.

He had played in the previous match as well, and had scored a devastating thirty points upon entry. It made sense that people were wary of him.

Aisaka played the Center in place of Murasakibara, and he caught every rebound despite his shorter stature. He avoided every screen and slipped past every one-on-one he had to face.

In the air with their opponent's Center, Aisaka leaps-- he fakes a layup, and rolls the basketball with a perfectly executed Teardrop.

No one could stop him.

-

"Your jumping power is really amazing. What's your record on high jumps?"

"Huh? Uh, 2.3 meters?"

"Holy crap."

Aisaka grins. That was much higher than his record even in his past life. Maybe it was the fact that this world stretches the bounds of realism-- Aisaka can do things commonly considered impossible and ridiculous for someone his age.

This was a world where boundaries and physical limits could go to hell, apparently.

Aisaka loves this place more and more each day. There was very little chaining him down. He gained fame after the Summer Tournament as a super rookie of sorts, and so did the rest of his first-year pals.

Though, the exaggerated term of Generation of Miracles had yet to become known.

-

"Ah, am I late? There's no free spot to use," Aisaka realizes that the gym is packed. It was free training time, and most people opted to stay a little later now in preparation for the Winter Cup.

"You could try the third gym, the third stringers are already done with their training," a senior suggests, "if you stay here we'll all just get in your way, anyways."

"Aomine went there already, didn't he?" another says.

Aisaka jumps, "so that's where he ran off to!" he realizes, "oh, Tetsuya might be there already."

"Don't go, Aisaka, it's haunted!"

"It's the ghost of a boy that lost his life in a freak incident and--"

"--now he plays basketball when no one is around because he's practicing and never got to play because of the cruel three string systems--"

"--and when he sees a starter player he might kill you to take your spot cause he's jealous!!"

Aisaka doubles back, because last he'd heard, that ghost was a girl with a passion for basketball that couldn't happen because there was no girl's team in this school before she died so she posed as a boy and then got found out and—

(yeah, rumours were so weird.)

"Whad'ya mean, haunted? I go there every other day!" Then he pauses and laughs, "but that'd be awesome! Who wants to join me in challenging a ghost to a One-on-One?"

"Nooo! Mama Aisaka, come back!"

"Coach, we've lost him!"

"If you love him, let him go."

Aisaka takes a spare basketball with him as he goes, expertly avoiding further whiny attempts at getting him back. Aisaka isn't an expert of this world, but ghosts could fight him if they dared!

Come to think of it, maybe Kuroko would know more about whatever that ghost was. After all, Kuroko's always in that gym.

-

"Then, I'll practice with you every day! And one day, let's stand on the court together, Tetsu."

Aisaka stops at the doorway.

"Are you sure?" Kuroko's there, looking at the tanned male like he's just been offered a full-class feast he did nothing to deserve.

Aomine snickers, "of course!" He laughs like it's nothing at all.

Their fists bump in between them, and Aisaka realizes he's witnessing something that's close to a game changer. They were complete-- they were complementary.

They belonged to each other, like ink to a pen and a wires to a computer.

Aisaka leans against the door, and snorts, "what's this, Aomine, you're stealing Tetsuya from me while I'm out? You're such a sly boy."

"Geh-- Aisaka?!" Aomine jumps when he notices him, "wait, Tetsuya? oh, is this the guy you've been talking about?"

"Hiroto-kun," Kuroko addresses calmly, "I've finally met Aomine-kun."

"I suppose you've already met," Aisaka joins them, "how's he, Aomine? Isn't he cool?" he gestures to Kuroko.

Kuroko freezes, because why is he suggesting that he's cool when Aomine is right in front of them, that's embarrassing, "Hiroto-kun--"

"Yeah!" Aomine replies enthusiastically, "he's the coolest guy I've seen in ages!"

Kuroko actually whirls around, horrified.

"He's actually smaller than Akashi," Aisaka tells the taller boy, "though he's still nothing compared to the others. I think his basketball sense is as great as Haizaki."

"Seriously?"

"Tetsuya's just naturally weaker," Aisaka says, rubbing the back of his neck as he sighs, "but if he was like, say, your sized, he'd be a scary thing to look at."

Aomine looks between Aisaka and Kuroko a few more times.

"Well, it's not that I'm doubting you, Aisaka," Aomine says, "and yeah my feint didn't work on him just now so you're not wrong, but still, he's tiny."

Aisaka looks past Kuroko's pout.

"Tiny is all he is, Aomine," he says, "I can prove it to you, wanna play a two-on-one?"

Aomine raises an eyebrow, "I still have more wins than you, Aisaka."

"Then I'll draw my wins over yours right now," Aisaka challenges.

-

Aomine lays on the floor, facedown, and he's looking far more dejected than usual.

"Is he dead?" Kuroko deadpans.

"I'M NOT DEAD," he squawks, bolting up like a roller coaster contraption, "god damn it, one more time!"

A basketball lands on his head and he oomphs, face-planting right back onto the ground. Kuroko looks fairly horrified.

"What in the hell time do you think it is, Ahomine," Aisaka says in a growl, "me and Tetsuya are unbeatable. Give up."

"I thought you and me were unbeatable!"

"Yes, but there's only one of me to go around at a time. Learn to share."

Aomine all but lunges at Aisaka, declaring ownership. Kuroko takes Aisaka's other arm, and they begin the world's most childish argument, ever.

"I've known him longer," Kuroko says stubbornly, "and we've been practicing longer."

"But I've been playing with him in matches," Aomine fights back, "I've won more One-on-Ones against him!"

"I've lost more One-on-Ones against him," Kuroko argues back, like a child, "I know everything about him."

"I know more!"

"No, I do."

"No, I do!"

"No, me."

"No, me!"

Aisaka snaps, "enough already! I'm not sharing popsicles with the next guy that continues fighting with me in between them!"

They fall silent quicker than kittens.

"C'mon, let's go get changed!" Aisaka leads the way to the lockers, "and Aomine, you should be texting your mom before she murders you for staying out so late."

Aomine flips into a panic, "oh shit, oh shit, oh shiiiiiii--"

"Are you going to stay over at mine's for dinner too? Cause it looks like Aomine's not getting any dinner tonight," Aisaka says to Kuroko, who nods jerkily in surprise.

"If your father would not mind the late company."

Aisaka leans over Aomine to listen in on the cranky lecture his mother was giving, offering words of assurances and greetings like an old girlfriend, and Kuroko suddenly remembers the rumours he's been hearing around the parts.

"He's seriously the basketball club's Mama..."

-

"Hey, Aisaka, haven't you been getting better recently?"

Aomine's the one to say that, so it's uncomfortably uncharacteristic of him. Aisaka almost thinks he has a fever before the boy snaps back at his rudeness.

"Like, even when Tetsu isn't playing with you," Aomine sounds honestly begrudged, "I hate to say this but your dribbling's getting a step ahead of mine."

"Are you sure it's not your imagination?" Aisaka splits the twin popsicle in half and offers it to Kuroko, "you still steal the most of my crossovers."

"I'm stealing 'em less than usual," Aomine groans, tearing off the package of his garigari-kun and taking a monstrous chomp out of it, "and you know I can never steal anything from you once you're in the air."

Aisaka shrugs at that, looking over to watch Kuroko struggle through his popsicle.

"Man, I can't stand falling behind! Watch and see, Aisaka, I'll catch up soon," he points the half-bitten ice cream at him, "and Tetsu, you're not stealing him from me anymore, ya hear?"

"Hiroto-kun is mine either way."

"No he isn't!"

"Yes he is."

"Yes I am."

"Whose side are you on, Aisaka?!"

-

-

"Hey, Tetsuya-kun, Daiki-kun."

Aomine turns back to see Aisaka's father still at the door. Hiroto's gone in, so Jousuke closes the door to see them out.

"Thanks for looking after him all the time," and even in the darkness, even though father and son looked barely alike, Aomine can see the similarities in that toothy grin. The same little curve of their cheeks that's equal parts adorable as it is rough.

"No, I'm the one that's always in his care," Kuroko responds like a textbook, and Aomine is reminded once again of the boy's incredible stoicism.

"He might be a handful, but I'm really glad he has friends to bring over," Jousuke looks at the open front door, where Hiroto had just gone through and would turn back if he realizes the adult hasn't followed him in yet, "compared to a couple of years back, he's really cheerful-- and really, thank you so much for that."

To Aomine, Aisaka has always been the brightest candle in the box. He's involved with everyone and he gets along with everyone. He's almost never sad-- he doesn't let anything bring him down and he meets the hardest situations with a smile that baffles everyone.

Aomine can't really believe it when Jousuke tells him Aisaka used to be duller. It's as if they're talking about a completely different person.

"Well," he says, boredly, "if Aisaka wasn't around, I wouldn't have a rival, would I? The only one who can keep up with me in practice is him, after all."

When Jousuke laughs, Kuroko smiles. And Aomine can't help but mirror it. Hiroto himself shows up not too long later, frantically asking his father had spilled anything remotely personal about his well-being again.

They tease him, and they all kick up a giggling fuss.

It saddens him sometimes, and Kuroko too-- but Aomine can't really remember if they've smiled like that ever again after that.