too good for my own good

Replace Plus Aomomo for you guys

Once upon a time in the days of yore, me and @potionwine had a discussion on Touou in Kurobas. I think it mainly revolved around “is Touou beneficial or detrimental to Aomine as a team”, somewhat originating from the idea that most, if not all of the other post-Teiko teams in Kurobas give the Miragen something they need in order to grow. This is a sports series staple, after all: whether it’s Ren in Oofuri or Kageyama in Haikyuu!!, we all love stories wherein our favourite characters transfer from negative environments to teams that allow their idealism and spirit to flourish. With Kuroko and Seirin, the entire premise of Kurobas is based on that same principle.

However, at the time Petra pointed out Aomine’s experience in Touou is very different from Kise’s in Kaijo, Midorima’s in Shuutoku, Murasakibara’s in Yosen, or even Akashi’s in Rakuzan. I forget the exact wording, but the impression was that Touou had always struck her as more clinical than the rest of the teams – more like a workplace, rather than a home. Given that Aomine’s “downfall” in Teiko was fueled by detachment from his basketball family, couldn’t such an environment actually be detrimental to him instead? If the point of all other teams was to supply the Miragen with what they needed (rather than sometimes wanted, I’m looking at you Midorin), how could one be sympathetic towards the principles of Touou, while also being sympathetic towards Aomine’s personal growth?

As I personally have tremendous love for Touou, we came up with some interesting theories back in the day. Still, I started to think about the topic over an offhanded comment again, possibly because I’ve since spent two years working in a place that parallels the kind of influence I always imagined Touou to have on Aomine. Therefore I felt the interest to revisit the question of Aomine, Touou, and whether the team can be seen as either beneficial or detrimental to his development as a person – given that I still feel it’s kind of both.

(Mandatory disclaimer: my reading on Aomine is still by and large compliant to this characterization, which in turn affects any of my subsequent views. If you disagree with it, you’ll probably disagree with this piece of writing as well. Feel free to disagree either way, because I’m not arguing facts, just presenting a possible interpretation of them. All good? Then let’s go.)

2 – A slap to the face.

For every action there’s an equivalent and opposite reaction: and Aomine could live without knowing either. It had been so brief, so slowed in time yet too fast to stop, saving each and every frame like stop-motion film. It was a world shattering sound that produced deafening silence. They’d been arguing over something so petty and Aomine was ready to leave. Slipping on his coat, Akashi just had that way of digging into you and pulling something out of you with his words that could make a priest sin.

It had certainly escalated to that point, mind full of terrorizing noise with vision muddied red with blinding rage. It was something, something he can’t even remember now, staring down at the knocked back Akashi with an already flushed cheek. When Aomine whipped around, pulling on his jacket to shout, “Oi!” he certainly hadn’t expected him to be so close, which is why it surprised him enough to uncloud his mind after backhanding his former captain.