Aligned Fantasy

Dante couldn’t believe it. Someone in Japan could actually go toe-to-toe with him, and not just on the court, but with presence, energy, pull. It was jarring. The first time he saw him, he was standing next to Maya. At first, Dante felt... hurt. An odd emotion for someone like him. After all, he was the one who ended things. He’d done it because Maya refused to attend the same high school. It was petty. Childish. He could admit that now. But still, Dante had never stopped loving him. He’d been around. Slept around. Hookups, yes. But dating? Never. Not since Maya. And now? Maya was standing beside someone new, someone tall,.but not as tall as him, with quiet eyes and a presence so heavy it made Dante’s skin prickle. Worse, the guy was undeniably good-looking. If he weren’t with Maya, Dante might have shamelessly tried to sleep with him. Hell, who was he kidding—he still might if the guy asked. But there was something strange about him. Dante had tried to pick up a scent, a

dante was smart. Always had been. It wasn’t just about grades or basketball strategy, it was the kind of intelligence born from observation, from knowing how to read people before they spoke. He could sense lies. Catch details others missed. He could piece together a puzzle without ever seeing the box. And Taiga? Taiga was a puzzle. After their tense encounter at the Nike store, Dante knew something wasn’t adding up. His instincts hadn’t failed him before, and they weren’t failing him now. That wasn’t the first time he felt it, either. He had started suspecting something during their second meeting at the mall, the one where Dante had stupidly insulted him and then spent the next two days regretting it. It hadn’t just been the way Taiga glared at him. It was the way he bared his teeth. No Enigma would dare show their teeth in public especially not to another dominant type. Not unless they were asking for a dominance battle, a clash of instincts. But Taiga hadn’t backed down

Maya knows something is up with Dante. He's been acting weird lately, showing up unannounced to his practices like it’s no big deal. They go to different schools, so Maya doesn’t really know how he even has the time to make the trip. It’s not like Dante lives around the corner. But regardless of how he’s managing it, one thing is certain: it’s starting to seem weird. And Taiga’s starting to ask questions. It’s not just casual visits anymore. The way Dante keeps showing up, lingering around the gym, watching him, watching them, it’s starting to feel intentional. Like maybe, just maybe, Dante isn’t here for basketball. It’s starting to feel like Dante is coming to see him. And Maya needs to put an end to that before Dante ruins his investigation. Because Taiga isn’t stupid, he’s sharp, emotionally observant, and slowly getting suspicious. The last thing Maya needs is for everything to fall apart before he can figure things out. It’s Wednesday. The sky is overcast, clouds hangin

The locker room was buzzing with anticipation. Hatake Rin, was talkingto his team mates, listening to the excited chatter around him. His teammates were hyped, more than usual, and it wasn’t just because of practice. The real buzz was about a party. But not just any party. Takuri Komori, the enigmatic third-year senior who founded the Shirakiba Wolves basketball team, was finally back in Japan. Takuri had been a legend even before his injury. An Enigma by secondary gender and a genius on the court, he had built the foundation of Shirakiba with his bare hands and iron will. But during their first year, a catastrophic knee injury had taken him out of the game and off to the States for long-term rehabilitation. Now, after nearly two years, he had returned. And in typical Takuri fashion, he was throwing a party that screamed over-the-top—one held at his family’s estate, a mansion sprawling with unused space and silent fountains. He'd invited not just his old team, but rival schoo