Title: Blue Ink

Writer: Amariys

Words count: 5180 words

Fandom/Characters: Kuroko no Basket/Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta, Kagami Taiga, Kuroko Tetsuya and Takao Kazunari.

Pairing(s): AoKise.

Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is not mine. No trademark infringement or profit meant from the writing of this story.

Rating: T

Summary: AU in which Aomine is a tattoo artist and Kagami gives Kise, his college roommate, a dare to get himself tattooed. A late birthday fic for Aomine.

Warnings: self-edited.

A/N: So I've been dying to write an AU like this for a while. Too bad RL keeps on messing with my writing schedule and I couldn't finish this in time for Aomine's birthday. But, eh, at least it's finished (finally!) and I must say I'm quite satisfied with this. The only thing bothering me is that this fic seems to move too fast but meh, whatever. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! (^o^)

"I still think this is a bad idea, Kagami-cchi."

"And I still think you need to shut it, Kise. It's a dare, so you really don't have any right to back off. That is, unless you're too much of a coward to go through it."

Kise pouted at Kagami's words. He didn't want to be called a coward, but he also wasn't fond of pain and what he was about to do bound to be hurt. He folded his arms, eyes narrowing skeptically at the two stores building in front of them. Fancy name sign that read Blue Ink identifying the place. From outside, the tattoo parlor looked well-kept and inviting, so unlike the shady building Kise had originally thought of. The building was owned by one of Kagami friends, hence the reason why they came there to fulfill the bet. Kagami swore his friend would want to draw a tattoo for Kise free of charge.

It was a silly dare made when both of them were drunk as hell after their mid-term exam was over. Kise couldn't even remember most of the silly things they had done that night, so he was quite surprised when Kagami actually remembered this dare and pushed him to do it. He didn't think his manager would be opposed against the idea—after all, tattoo had become a trend among the models for a while now—but Kise didn't think he could believe a stranger with needles near him.

"Kagami-cchi, how can I know if your friend can be trusted?" he asked, giving Kagami who was about to enter the building a concerned frown. When he received nothing but blank stare as an answer, the frown between his brows became even more pronounced. Kise folded his arms on his chest, unconsciously defensive. "Well? How can I know if your friend actually know what he's doing, Kagami-cchi? What if he becomes too reckless and forget to sterilize the needles? I don't want to catch any weird diseases here!"

Kise's eyes widened in sheer panic and he flailed his arms. His mind easily provided the worst situation possible, making his face go even paler. For seconds, all that Kagami could do was staring at Kise as if he had grown an extra head, before he shook his head ruefully. Truly, sometimes Kagami wondered how the blonde's brain work. The things Kise's imagination came up with were simply amazing. "Don't be stupid. My friend has been in this business since years ago. He won't do any stupid mistakes like an amateur. Besides, you can be assured with his designs; he's taking art major for college, for Heaven's sake. Now stop whatever silly thoughts running in your pretty head, we're already late as it is!"

"Late?! We can't be late! Late implied we have made an appointment beforehand and since this is an impromptu—Hey! I'm not finished yet, Kagami-cchi!"

Pointedly ignoring Kise, Kagami grabbed the other's wrist and almost forcefully dragged him inside the building. Small chime above the door rang as they stepped in—Kise inwardly wondered why a tattoo parlor even have a chime—and the first thing Kise saw was the receptionist desk placed near the entrance. That desk was empty and Kagami didn't even bother glancing at it. He kept walking instead, dragging Kise along until they reached the bar counter on the other side of the room where three people were sitting, idly chattering while nursing cans of beer.

"Oi, we're closed!" Someone over the bar counter shouted without bothering to look up. Kise peered through Kagami's shoulder and saw that the one who yelled was a young adult with short, dark blue hair and tan skin. The man looked like a delinquent with black tank and ripped jeans. Although, looking at the obvious muscles on his arms, Kise must admit the man had no reason to be ashamed of his own body.

"Thank God I'm not a customer then!" Kagami called out playfully. He finally released Kise's wrist, letting him standing awkwardly like a sore thumb.

"Ah?" The man who had shouted finally looked up at that. For second, navy blue irises met against Kise's honey brown ones and something akin to a jolt of electric ran through his body. It wasn't like love at first sight, not at all, but those eyes were sharp and dangerous—it was impossible to not be shocked by them. But then those eyes turned their attention back at Kagami and a pleasant surprise shown there instead. "Well, if it isn't Bakagami! What are you doing here, looking for Tetsu?"

"Don't call me Bakagami, you Ahomine!" Kagami snarled, but he accepted the high-five from the other. He approached the bar counter, taking a seat beside someone with sky blue hair, taking his time to greet that man, before turning his attention back at the man called Ahomine. "And no, my main reason coming here is not to see Kuroko—although that doesn't mean I don't like seeing you," he quickly added. "I'm here to ask you a favor, Aomine."

"Oh? A favor from me is going to be expensive, you know." The corner of Aomine's eyes crinkled as he said that and the slow smile he showed after was disconcerting.

Kagami snorted at that. "How is your final project doing? Has you found a model for that?" he asked in return and when Aomine's smile shifted into disgruntled frown, it was his turn to grin. "Now, now. I think I have just the perfect solution for that. You see, my dear friend here has a dare he has to complete and he's looking for a capable tattoo artist. Do you think you can help him?"

"Ooooh, so that's your friend, Kagami-kun! I almost mistaken him as a lost child!" Takao Kazunari, the only man with natural black hair color over the bar counter, teased with bright smile. Kise blushed lightly at that, but then Takao winked at him and he knew the man didn't mean to offend him. The grin on Takao's face widened when Kise offered him a small smile. "Don't just stand around there, Kagami-kun's friend! Come here, we still have few more beers. The first can is free!"

"Ah, thank you, but I think I'll pass." Kise said, still wearing that small smile. He hesitated for a moment longer before joining the group. The only empty seat was beside Aomine and Kise took it cautiously, keeping his head slightly lowered to avoid eye contact. He could feel Aomine's eyes watching him the whole time, making the fine hair on his neck roused, and had to resist the urge to fidget with his fingers.

"So, Kagami-kun's friend. Do you have a name? I'm Takao Kazunari, by the way! I'm Aomine's friend who also works as voluntary bartender here. Nice to meet cha!" Before Kise had any chance to respond, Takao continued, this time pointing at the sky blue haired man sitting beside Kagami. "The quiet one here is Kuroko Tetsuya! You may have not noticed him, but that's perfectly alright. Kuroko-kun always has so little presence; you won't be the first or last person to miss him. Oh, he's also Kagami-kun's boyfriend!"

"Kuroko is not my boyfriend!" Kagami spluttered, denying Takao's words with face as red as his hair.

"Kagami-kun is right, Takao-kun. Since he hasn't confessed his feelings yet, I'm quite sure we can't be called boyfriends. Of course, with how shy Kagami-kun is, I'm not sure how long I should wait for him."

"You hear the man, Kagami-kun! You should move fast, before Kuroko-kun is taken by someone else! Anyway!" Without paying any attention at Kagami whose face had become even darker, Takao had turned towards the last person he hadn't introduced. "The tall, dark skinned man beside you who almost looks like a ganguro is Aomine Daiki! Don't be fooled by his scary appearance, Aomine here is actually quite a softie. He's our main tattoo artist. Kuroko-kun is our second tattoo artist, by the way! And I think that's all! It's your turn now!"

"Ah, I'm Kise Ryouta, Kagami-cchi's roommate. I took business as my major and, uh, I'm here for a dare, just like what Kagami-cchi told you all. Although, this will be my first time being tattooed and I'm actually quite nervous."

"You don't have to be," Aomine said, drawling his words lazily. He flashed a sharp grin when Kise looked up at him, honey brown eyes showing his unspoken question. Aomine put his elbow on the bar counter and rested his cheek against his palm, his face turned towards the blond. "You don't have to be worried," he repeated and Kise could easily detect hints of arrogance in his tone. "I am the best at what I do. You won't regret coming here."

"So, does this mean you agree to do him free of charge, Aomine?"

"Oh, it will be my pleasure to do him," Aomine said, his voice dropped into husky growl that made Kise blush furiously. It was obvious what Aomine had in mind and the steady, almost hungry look Aomine gave to him sent Kise's heart racing. He turned his face away from that predatory gaze, hoping the red on his face would disappear soon. Aomine chuckled at the sight. "Hey, I'm kidding. I have the policy of not sleeping with my clients, no matter how pretty they are. To answer your question, Kagami, I think I'll consider it. But first, I will need Kise here to do something for me."

"W-what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing difficult, really. I just want you to strip here." Aomine answered lightly, grinning like Cheshire cat.

Silence so thick followed after. Kise's eyes were perfectly round as he gaped at Aomine—who just looked back at him calmly, as if he hadn't just asked something so absurd and indecent at all. The sheer disbelieve Kise felt made it impossible for him to form any words. He opened and closed his mouth for a while, looking like a cute little goldfish, before finally he found his voice, "EXCUSE ME?!"

Faintly, Kise could hear someone snickering—most likely Takao—but he was too irate to actually pay attention. He glared at Aomine, face flushed with combination of embarrassment and anger. How dare this man asked something like that of him! "Do you even realize what you're asking for?! Asking for a stranger to strip! How indecent! Do you realize I can sue you for sexual harassment?!"

"Oy, oy, you need to calm down, pretty boy," Aomine rolled his eyes. He put one finger inside his ear to dampen Kise's yell. "Did you not hear a word I've said? I won't sleep with a client. However, I need to see the canvas I'm going to work with. In other words, I need to see your bare skin, hence why I ask you to strip. Do you understand me now?"

The words were said slowly, like a parent chastising a little child. If Kise's face could get any redder, it would; as it was though, the blond only spluttered before he glared dirtily at Aomine. He crossed his arms on his chest, huffing a breath and totally uncaring if he looked like an offended kitten. "I am not going to strip in public."

"Fine," shrugging carelessly, Aomine then slid off of his seat. He took Kise's wrist before dragging him towards the back area where the private rooms in which Aomine usually worked with his customers were placed. The blond stumbled and cursed behind him, but Aomine paid him no heed. He was not the one needing privacy, so he figured Kise didn't have any right to complaints. Once he entered the private room, Aomine closed the door and released Kise's hand. "There. Now you have your privacy, you can start stripping."

Kise didn't immediately complied. His eyes roamed the room he had been brought in, curios about what he would see. The room itself was not big, but it wasn't cramped either. There were two beds inside, with two small chairs and a movable shelf containing many equipment Kise didn't really understand. The room was well-lit and, surprisingly, it didn't feel stuffy although the smell of ink was prominent there. Kise was too busy in his observation, he didn't realize Aomine was still waiting impatiently.

"Well? I don't have all day, you know."

"Oh! Right…," startled out of his thought, Kise hesitantly started to take his clothes off. He kept his gaze lowered determinedly, knowing there was a faint flush on his face and not wanting to see Aomine's reaction to that as he dropped his shirt onto the bed nearest from him. Light shiver ran through his body once his bare skin was exposed and it felt strange standing half-naked in front of a man who was watching him so intensely.

"Can you turn around?" Aomine asked and Kise was sure he didn't mishear the low growl coming from the other. He slowly turned around, inwardly wondering what Aomine was looking for. Then Kise very fairly jumped when a hand touched his bare shoulder, the fingers unconsciously caressing soft skin beneath them. Aomine didn't say a word as he caressed the length of Kise's spine, down and down until it stopped on the small of Kise's back and his hand stayed there, the warmth seemed to burn Kise's skin. "Take your pants off."

The request almost sounded like a demand and if Aomine's breath on his ear wasn't messing with his line of thought, Kise might hit the jerk for that. As it was though, the blond could barely think when he heard Aomine's low growl (because he really had used a low growl when he said that) combined with damp breath tickling his ear and without actually realizing it, he had fumbled with his belt and soon his jeans was dropped between his ankles, leaving him only in his black boxers.

Then, Kise could only wait. The cold air licked at his back once again when Aomine took a step away from him and he tried to resist turning around to demand the returning of that warmth. Kise stood still, the sound of his heartbeat loud in his own ears. Thump … thump … thump. Kise felt light headed and it was ridiculous because he was a model. He was used to be the main focus of people's attention. He was used to pose under the glare of spotlight without even an ounce of embarrassment, but here he was—in a room that was half the size of his own bed room with only Aomine simply staring at him and he was acting like a bloody virgin. Ridiculous.

The silence stretched even longer and Kise finally fidgeted on the balls of his feet. He couldn't take this silent assessment from Aomine any longer. "Umm. Are we finished here?" he asked, turning his head to look through his shoulder at Aomine. His breath then promptly caught in his throat when he saw how Aomine's eyes burned with lust. However, Aomine immediately snapped his attention back at Kise and a flash of something fragile—something that looked like uncertainty—appeared for a second, replacing the burning lust.

"Uh, yeah, we're done here," Aomine spoke after clearing his throat. He turned around then, giving Kise the illusion of privacy. "You can wear your clothes back on. Thank you."

The corners of Kise's lips pulled up into a trembling smile. He breathed out shakily before bowing down to pull his jeans back up. The tension in the room was still strangely thick with something Kise couldn't comprehend and his heart was still racing like mad. Kise cleared his throat once he had finished dressing up, catching Aomine's attention. "So … care to tell me what's that all about?" he asked with a bright smile, hoping it could hide his embarrassment.

Aomine offered a thin smirk in return. He sat on one of the beds before gesturing to the empty place beside him which Kise took immediately. "Like I've said, I'm checking my canvas," he started, the smirk on his face softened into a half-smile. "Your skin is … perfect. The color, the texture … seriously, I very rarely see such a well-cared skin, especially on men, and it will be an honor for me to work on it." He paused for a moment. "When you come here, do you already have a tattoo design in mind?"

"No, not yet. I was going to look at the designs you have and pick one."

"Oh, good," he sounded so relieved Kise couldn't help but to give him a questioning gaze and, for once, Aomine ducked his head as if embarrassed. "Um, did Kagami tell you I'm taking art major? Right," he continued once Kise nodded in answer. "Surprising as it is, he's not lying and I want to do something different for my final project. I want to make a painting that looked so alive. A painting that will capture everybody's eyes and make them hold their breaths. A painting that is not drawn on canvas—but on human skin, so that it will transform that human too. In simple words, I want to make a tattoo, but not just any tattoo and so, not everyone can be my object. If you don't mind … I'm thinking of making you as my object, Kise."

There was only sincerity in Aomine's voice and Kise was quite stunned to hear it. He could notice how much Aomine loved his work—how much he loved to paint beautiful designs on human's skin—from the way he spoke about it and he felt honored Aomine even considered him, someone who knew absolutely nothing about tattoos, to be the object of such important project. The smile Kise offered to Aomine was warm and genuine, his voice soft as he said, "It will be my honor, Aomine-cchi."

The sheer happiness his words brought upon Aomine's face was breathtaking. Kise couldn't help but stare as his heart once again skipped a beat. Then Aomine gave him the most genuine smile Kise had ever seen yet and at that moment, Kise almost sure he was about to fall for this stranger. The thought was exciting as well as frightening and the mixture of those feelings made Kise feel giddy.

"So! Umm, have you had any design in mind or should I pick one?"

"Oh, no, you don't have to. I already have one design in mind," Aomine said, his eyes darkened with lust once again as he recalled the sight of Kise's bare skin in his mind. "It will take more than one session to finish the tattoo, though. So I will need to know your schedule. Of course, I will match mine with yours too."

"That's fine with me!" That was actually more than fine because Kise would love to see Aomine more often after this, but he tried to curb his excitement. "Why don't you give me your email address so I can send you my schedule?"

"That won't be necessary. You take business major, right? I know your building. I can meet with you in campus whenever you're free. I also know where Kagami's dorm is and it will be nice to go out with you sometimes."

"Oh, what's this? Are you perhaps flirting with me, Aomine-cchi?" Kise asked, his tone intentionally playful.

"I've been flirting with you since I asked you to strip. Perhaps I should work with my pick-up lines more if you didn't notice that." Aomine answered, voice filled with laughter that came true when he saw Kise's eyes widened in realization before red blush appeared high on his cheeks. "I have a confession to make." He said with a grin.

"What is it?"

"You know that dare you have with Kagami? Actually, I was the one asking him to give you that dare," the confession was followed by a light shrug and Kise could only stare in disbelieve as Aomine continued, "I've known about you since two months ago. I sometimes watch you when you walk back home with Kagami and I was already attracted by you. I know you're a model—heck, everyone in our campus know about that and you always seem so happy whenever I see you. I guess before I realize it I've been captured by your smile, but I don't have any real reason to get close to you, so … yeah. Sorry about that."

It was not something he had expected to hear. When Aomine said confession, Kise had thought it had something to do with his past lovers or something similar with that. He hadn't expected this kind of confession and he certainly didn't expect the giddiness slowly spreading inside his chest as the result. He tried to keep the giddiness at bay, but already his lips curved into a wide grin and Kise knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"You know, I usually won't appreciate being fooled like that."

"I know, that's why I apologize."

"And usually, I won't let someone asking me out after they make a fool out of me." There was a brief flash of hesitation in Aomine's eyes at that, but Kise just kept on grinning. "So, you're lucky I also am interested in you. Asking me out is still not an option, but I guess … we can start from being friends."

A pair of navy colored eyes widened in surprise, but then they narrowed when sly smirk formed on Aomine's face. "Are friends allowed to flirt with each other?"

"But of course," Kise said, almost purring in his satisfaction. "After all, that's the fun side of being friends."

Aomine tipped his head back as he laughed. His voice just the slightest bit husky and Kise decided he liked the sound. "I like the way your brain works. I'm looking forward to be your friend then, Kise."

"Same here, Aomine-cchi!"

4 Months Later …

"Alright, it's done."

"It's done? It's finally done, Aomine-cchi?" Kise repeated. He tried to lift his head from where it rested atop of his arms, but Aomine gently pushed him back down with a grunt. Kise pouted, but nevertheless stayed put after that. He knew that although he couldn't feel it, his back was still hurting from the needles and hot ink put on his skin; but this was their final session and finally Aomine was finished with his tattoo and Kise was dying to see it. "When can I see it?" he whined petulantly.

"Just wait a second, you impatient brat. The ink still hasn't dried yet." There was a hint of smile on Aomine's voice and so Kise kept whining half-heartedly. Aomine snorted, ignoring Kise and moving away to put the needles and other equipment he had used. He tried to keep the smile off of his face, but it was just impossible. He had finally finished his final project and the outcome looked even better than what he originally thought. There was no way he could hide the self-satisfaction he currently felt.

"Do you think you will get good mark with this project, Aomine-cchi?"

"How should I know about that? God knows I can't predict how my teacher will think. I don't think it matters, though. I like how it comes out and that's enough for me." Aomine answered, coming back to Kise with a camera in hand. He aimed at the newly-made tattoo filling Kise's back and took a shoot. He smirked when Kise twisted his head back at the sound, those beautiful honey brown eyes glinting with hopeful excitement. "Ah, ah. We have a deal, Kise. You can't see the tattoo until I allow you to!"

"But, Aomine-cchi!"

The sound of Kise's whine was more than enough to make Aomine's ears ring, but he just chuckled at that. He sat on Kise's bed edge, eyes glued to his latest creation with unmistaken pride. Aomine reached out, tracing the outline of Kise's tattoo with his finger and revealing in the faint shivers that ran through Kise's body at that. "It's beautiful," he murmured, almost unconsciously. Then his lips formed a soft smile as he added, "You're beautiful. Thank you for making my dream comes true."

It was impossible for Kise to stop the way his blood ran to his cheeks at that. He buried his face back against his arms, unable to form any words. Too bad he forgot his ears turned red too when he blushed and he could hear Aomine chuckling above him. Kise cursed the insensitive jerk under his breath, although he knew it wouldn't mean anything. Lifting his head slightly, Kise gave Aomine a glare. "Don't laugh at me, Aomine-cchi."

"Heh, I'm sorry, but you're just too amusing sometimes." Aomine was still smirking, but when Kise's glare became sharper, he hastily added, "I think you can see the tattoo now, if you want to?"

Immediately, the glare melted away from Kise's face, being replaced by wide-eyed anticipation instead. The blond jerked up on the bed, swaying slightly from the sudden change of position—which Aomine had predicted and he easily caught the dizzy blond. Kise placed his hands on Aomine's shoulders, steadying himself, and looked up at the other, still with those wide eyes. "Yes, please. I want to see it." He breathed out.

The soft smile was back on Aomine's face. "Come here then," he said, lifting Kise's body up and helping him walked towards the body length mirror placed on one corner of the room. Kise immediately tried to turn around, but Aomine's hands were firm on his shoulders; holding him in place. "Don't move," he warned and grunted his approval when Kise obeyed. Once he was sure Kise could stand without his help, Aomine left the blond to take another mirror. He walked back towards Kise, holding the mirror in front of him and directing it towards Kise's back, making it possible for Kise to see his back being reflected to the mirror in front of him.

Kise's eyes went even wider. His breath caught in his throat and he was at loss of words. What he saw in that mirror was … an angel.

Newly drawn onto his back, as wide as the span of his shoulders and of the length of his spine was a beautiful, realistic pair of angel wings. The feather tips even touched his arms near his shoulders and the longest feather stopped just on the small of his back. The outline of each feather was bold lines of black, thick and thin just at the right places. The feathers were pure white with hints of cream and very light yellow in place of shades and in this last session, Aomine had added an airbrush stroke on the outer line, giving the wings an illusion of glowing—of being real and alive—and as Kise saw it, he almost believed he could spread those beautiful wings apart and fly away.

Aomine had turned Kise into an angel and he acted as if it was Kise who had done him a favor.

Before he could stop it, tears had filled Kise's eyes, making his vision blurred and he hastily wiped them away. He didn't want to cry. Not in front of Aomine and not when he had just been given something really amazing. But the tears refused to be stopped and soon his body trembled with suppressed sobs. Faintly, he heard Aomine's voice of distress before two tanned arms pulled him into a loose hug—because newly made tattoo actually hurt when touched.

"O-oi, Kise! What is it? Do you hate the tattoo? Does it still hurt? What's wrong?!"

Panic could be heard clearly in Aomine's voice. Bubbles of hysterical laughter roused up in Kise's throat and then he was laughing and crying at the same time. He knew he must look really weird—Aomine might even consider him as crazy, but Kise just couldn't help it. He was utterly overwhelmed and he just needed to let everything out for now.

"Kise…?" Aomine called out, this time his voice sounded wary. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kise answered, trying to keep his laughter under control. At least his tears had stopped now. "I'm fine," he repeated once he managed to calm down. Smiling softly now, Kise squirmed away from Aomine's hold and turned around to face the other man. "I'm sorry, I was just too overwhelmed by feelings. The tattoo—it's beyond beautiful. It's a perfection and I really don't deserve such a gift, but thank you." He said, voice gentle and sincere.

Any worry or tension in Aomine melted at that. A wry smile settled on his face instead and he put his forehead against Kise's. Their eyelashes fluttered against each other when they blinked and for a moment they just stood still like that, until Aomine chose to break the silence. "Don't scare me like that again, idiot," he grumbled, ruining the atmosphere between them almost immediately, before adding, "and you really deserve that. After all, I design them with you in mind."

All the feelings Kise had for Aomine—his initial interest, his growing fondness of the other as they started being friends and sometimes his desire and lust for this gorgeous tan male in front of him—suddenly felt too much. And they were so close already Kise just needed to move his face few inches forward and their lips would brush against each other. So Kise decided to do that. He decided to close any remaining distance between him and Aomine, to erase the up until now uncrossed line between friends and lovers, and meshed their lips together.

Aomine growled, low and hungry and primal deep in his throat. His hands moved to grab a hold on Kise's hair, gripping just a little bit too tight until Kise gasped and Aomine could slip his tongue into the warm cavern he had so often dreamed of. Kise tasted better than his imagination. He tasted better than anything Aomine had ever had before and the soft moans and whimpers he couldn't hold back was going straight to Aomine's crotch.

They devoured each other's lips—Aomine with sucks and bites, Kise with nips and licks—and it wasn't until their chest burned with the need of fresh air they finally broke up. Both of them panted as if they had ran for miles; saliva dripping on the corner of their mouths and it should be disgusting, except Kise was smiling lazily, his expression content and fulfilled and Aomine's brain short of stopped functioning.

He dove back in to those sweet, sweet lips before he could think about it and Kise laughed, his damp breaths making Aomine's wet lips tingled, but then it didn't matter anymore because Aomine was gladly swallowing Kise's laughter. And, between the sloppy kisses they shared, Aomine faintly registered Kise's voice asking,

"Aomine Daiki, will you go out with me?"

Of which Aomine answered by tightening his hold around his angel. His only angel.

—End.