What would the stupidest tattoo in this world be, you may ask? A dick? Your ex's name? Your bank card code? The scanning code for a bag of Oreo cookies? Wrong. The most ridiculous, weird, stupid tattoo that one could think of is an inscription on your lower back, reading "I choked on three dicks once, can you beat me?" in a cursive, elegant font.
And Kuroo Tetsurou was about to get one for himself.
Do not get him wrong, he didn't do what the tattoo said. (And hopefully, he won't have to.) He just happened to lose a bet to his close friend, Bokuto, and thus, this dare was the loser's punishment. The bet was an even more ridiculous one, to be fair. Tetsurou was stupid enough to agree to drink 7 liters of beer and be confident enough (or stupidly stubborn enough) to think that he wouldn't throw up and pass out in at least an hour after. He did both.
But Kuroo wasn't the shy, cautious type. He did not refuse nor hesitate to accept his punishment. In fact, Koutarou's proposal made him snort and laugh for 10 minutes straight, immediately accepting. After all, how bad could that be? The tattoo would be a semi-permanent one, it would fade eventually, but the memories would remain. And that would be quite a story to tell your grandchildren when you're 80 and more. Wondering about what kind of reactions his teammates would have when they'll see Tetsurou's tattoo at the volleyball practice made him laugh more, this thought making his impatience and excitement grow. He truly couldn't wait til he felt the ink imprinting the ridiculous message on the small of his back. Nothing could go wrong.
Or so he thought.
It was a warm Thursday afternoon. Humming some random tune he heard that morning on the radio, Tetsurou walked down the street, heading to the place he was more than willing to visit since a week ago. A small, newly opened tattoo parlor. He had heard about the shop from one of his course mates when they were talking about tattoos and the brunet has been looking for an actual opportunity to go and get one since then. It was one of Tetsurou's longtime dreams to have a tattoo, and what would be a better occasion to get one if not Bokuto's hilarious dare?
Kuroo grinned at the thought, already imagining the confused face of the (un)lucky person who'll have to write it for him and he couldn't help but laugh more. Man, that would be fun.
He stopped in front of the said building, examining it quickly. Nothing special, just a metal, black door with the inscription "Tattoo parlor" written in bold, white and red letters, and gray walls illuminated with red lights. Opening the door, the black haired male entered the shop and was welcomed by a medium sized room, with brick walls and a wooden floor, illuminated by a few ceiling led lights. Tattoo samples in wooden or metal frames decorated the walls along with a few new-age paintings. Kuroo noticed a black leather couch next to the door and the receptionist's desk, made of black wood with more tattoo design catalogs spread over it. In the farthest part of the room, Kuroo saw a few sinks and leather chairs, along with a brown wooden door. No one was present in the room when he entered, so Tetsurou thought it would be okay to wander around while waiting.
He started examining the designs presented on the wall, humming to the song that played in the background when he heard the back door opening and closing. Grinning, Kuroo kept looking at a certain design on the wall, but turned his body a little, acknowledging the presence of the other person.
"Hey, I thought this place was empty so I was about to use those sharp guns of yours to ink something myself." He joked as he turned around fully, facing the other. "Good thing that you-" Kuroo froze when he faced the said person, too stunned to finish his statement because the man in front of him was just so fucking pretty.
The male was a bit shorter than Tetsurou, his frame lean and slender, but definitely fit. He had black, silky hair, short and slightly curled at the ends, messily combed and pulled backward with a black bandana. He wore a plain, gray T-shirt along with black jeans and Tetsurou saw different tattoos covering the skin of his arms up to his shirt sleeve. The man had the prettiest blue eyes Kuroo had ever seen, deep and mysterious as the night sky and his lips were too fucking smooth and luscious for this world. If Kuroo has ever felt uncertain about his sexuality before, he was God damn sure about it now.
They stood like that for a second or two, until the pretty male spoke, his voice impassive yet so smooth and suave that Kuroo felt like fucking melting.
"Can I help you?"
Blinking, Tetsurou clasped his mouth shut and nodded dumbly, his eyes still slightly widened as he kept looking at the other, charmed by his looks. "Ah- um, yes, I want a…tattoo?"
The male snorted, staring at Kuroo amused. "Asking for a tattoo in a tattoo parlor? Risky." He finished, a small grin on his lips. Tetsurou blushed, taken aback by the view because he could swear that the man got 10000 times more beautiful than he already was when he didn't smile. What the fuck? Frowning, he looked down, mentally slapping himself when he processed his own answer. 'You're in a fucking tattoo shop, Tetsurou, are you here for ballet classes?'
Shaking his head, Kuroo grinned again, hoping that his embarrassment would go unnoticed as he cleared his throat. "Right, yes. Sorry, I'm just a bit tired. The stress, y'know?" Wow, nice save, Tetsurou. "I want a semi-permanent tattoo. Do you do those kinds here?" He asked, immediately changing the subject.
The tattoo artist chuckled again, nodding at his question. "Yeah, you can get one of those. Follow me." Then, he turned around and began walking towards one of the leather chairs, Kuroo following him behind, not able to take his eyes from the tattoed man in front of him. Once Tetsurou was seated, the shorter male grabbed a few utensils and began preparing them, long, slender fingers grabbing a notepad and a marker as he turned back to Kuroo.
"Got any design in your mind or do you want to pick one from the catalogs?" the male asked patiently. Kuroo, who was still admiring the other's looks, snapped out of his daze and nodded eagerly, opening his mouth to speak. Right when he was about to voice his design, he froze.
Remember his thoughts about when he was going to ask the tattoo artist to write that specific message? Yeah, well he was not going to tell some awfully pretty man with an angel-like face that he wanted him to write that he choked on three god damned dicks once on his lower back. Damn Koutarou and his dare. He might as well have planned it, Tetsurou had that much faith in Kou.
They sat in complete silence for a couple of moments, Kuroo blinking stupidly at the stranger as the other simply stared back, one eyebrow arched in curiosity.
"Well?" he asked, his head tilting a little. Kuroo bit his lip and could feel the heat creeping up his cheeks. Sighing, he gave in and nodded, looking away as he spoke, trying to sound less embarrassed than he actually felt. And that was a lot.
"I choked on three dicks once, can you beat me?" he finally replied, his head hung low and his bangs covering his face.
"That's some amazing performance, but I asked you about the tattoo." the other replied, snorting amused at Kuroo's answer, a small grin curling his lips upwards.
Kuroo blushed brighter, his eyes widening slightly and he honestly felt like dying. He then shook his head, facing the other man, and, if it weren't for his super huge embarrassment, he could've melted at the sight of the tattoo artist grinning, biting the tip of his tongue with his canine teeth.
Clearing his throat and resisting the urge to simply jump from the chair and sprint outside just to escape what was going to be the most troubling situation in his life, Kuroo fidgeted and looked at him again, his face serious and calm, despite his internal screeching.
"I want that written on my lower back. In a cursive font."
Now it was the pretty male's turn to stare dumbly at Kuroo, blinking slowly as he processed what Tetsurou had just said. They stared at each other, Kuroo's uneasiness growing by second, till the blue-eyed man snorted. Then he laughed.
Have you ever encountered those situations when you feel like you're both fucked and blessed by some divinity? Kuroo just found himself in one of those states, not knowing how to react as he stared at the brunet while the other laughed for a good minute, not even bothering to cover his mouth in an attempt to be more discreet. Not that Tetsurou minded, that was one of the most beautiful laughs he has ever heard. He decided that he was more blessed than fucked.
"Alright then, deepthroater, let's get you this tattoo." he finally replied, though still giggling as he stood up again, putting on some rubber gloves, gesturing for Kuroo to lay on his stomach. "You take your shirt off and lay down and let me do my magic, alright?" he added, grabbing his instruments and approaching Tetsurou.
Kuroo obliged and took off his shirt, laying carefully on the leather bench, supporting his head on his arms.
The blue-eyed man worked mostly in silence, making a few comments here and there, Tetsurou responding to them effortlessly. Once he started working on the line art, Kuroo was quite surprised. He expected it to be more painful and uncomfortable, but it wasn't actually that bad. Tetsurou decided that he was definitely going to get more tattoos. But certainly not something as embarrassing as the text that the pretty male was imprinting on his back at that moment.
"Is that a talent of yours?" the artist asked after a while, snickering again, his voice a bit muffled by the sound of the tattoo machine.
"Talent?" Tetsurou responded perplexed.
"You know, choking on three dicks at once. That demands quite the skill, I must admit." he replied, another series of chuckles slipping past his lips. Kuroo felt like slamming his head against a wall so that he could avoid all this. There's nothing worse in this world than meeting one awfully pretty male and embarrassing yourself in front of him seconds after, only to make him laugh and make jokes about you. Okay, the other male may have a really cute laugh and smile, but Kuroo still had his damned pride.
Laughing a little as well, Tetsurou turned his head to grin at the other, careful not to bother him in his work. "Fortunately, I haven't experienced what the tattoo says, mind you." he retorted jokingly, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. "It's just a bet I lost a few days ago. This is my punishment. Sorry to disappoint you." he added, chuckling at the end. The other laughed and nodded, feigning a sad pout then lifted his head to grin at Tetsurou.
"Pity. You really look like the type who'd have the skill to do that." he replied, winking. Kuroo had to smile and laugh as well, then he turned his head back immediately because the hottie winked and made a fucking sexual innuendo about him. Insert high pitched screams here.
Once he was finished, the male cleaned the freshly tattoed area, applying the ointment and bandaging the skin, helping Kuroo stand up.(Kuroo definitely didn't "accidentally" squeeze his hand a bit longer than necessary when the shorter brunet grabbed his palm to support to stand up, because aside from a pretty face, a fucking smooth voice and divine laugh, the male dared to have the smoothest hands too. The bastard.
"Apply the antibiotic twice a day, keep it covered till it heals properly and clean and moist too." the brunet explained, handing Kuroo a small bottle of the same ointment he has applied earlier along with a brochure about proper aftercare. Tetsurou nodded and took the goods, placing them in his backpack. The wound on his back still hurt a little but it wasn't anything too bad. He couldn't wait till he could peel the bandage off so that he could show Bokuto his newly acquired decoration. For now, though, he'll entertain his best friend with his story about how he embarrassed himself in front of the prettiest male in this world and how the pretty face flirted and joked back.
Kuroo soon came to the realization that he still hadn't gotten the beauty's name and that he himself hadn't introduced himself either. Smart move, very smart.
Turning around again, Kuroo smiled at him and scratched his nape, laughing a little. "I've been here for more than an hour, but I forgot to ask your name. I'm Tetsurou, pleased to meet you." he finished, extending his hand for a handshake as he waited for the other to introduce himself too.
The stranger though, didn't accept the handshake. Instead, he listened to Kuroo's words, eyeing his whole body in the meantime (he totally checked him out) then took Tetsurou's arm, pulling it closer to him. Taking the sharpie from the small table next to them, the tattoo artist scribbled something on Kuroo's forearm, letting it go once he was finished. Curious, Kuroo inspected his arm and was surprised to find a series of numbers written on his skin in a neat, clean handwriting as the other spoke again, his smirk evident in his voice.
"Name's Keiji. Call me if you want to grab a drink sometime. I have a business proposal for your deepthroating skills." he finished, winking and chuckling at Kuroo when the other snapped his head up to stare at him, taken aback by his words.
Tetsurou nodded dumbly, his cheeks getting red and hot again. He could've said something too, but Kuroo was pretty sure that he'd only blabber nonsense, so staying silent didn't sound like a bad idea. Quickly, he fetched his belongings, paying for the tattoo and the other services, then said goodbye to an amused Keiji and exited the shop hurriedly, still processing what has happened. So he got himself a new tattoo, met a punk, teasing angel and got date with the same hottie, all at the same time, managing even to make a complete fool out of himself in front of the smug beauty.
…..Tetsurou had to work hard if he wanted to rebuild his masculinity and cockiness in front of Keiji.