Author's notes: Not. Having. Internet. SUCKS.

Anyway. Have I mentioned that you are all fantastic beautiful and wonderful readers? No? Well you are. I'm so flattered by the reviews and follows and favorites! Thank you sososo much! I'll try not to disappoint you with this chapter :D

In other news: This fanfic is just an excuse for me to describe sexy half naked kiseki no sedai menz with prettier-than-you-uke Kuroko. Any semblance of a plot is inconsequential. I apologize for misleading all of you. #Jknotreally

Disclaimer: Imagine how much sexier Kurobas would be if I owned it.

Chapter 4

"Dai-chan, you have to go to the dressing room and change." Momoi handed Aomine dark slacks.

"Wha? Why?" Aomine turned his gaze away from Kuroko and Midorima comparing hands.

"Because we came late, and you're the only one who isn't dressed!"

He glanced around to see that the others were indeed dressed in the designer pants. They also wore their own shirts, but those would be removed when their turn came. "How early did you guys even get here?" he mumbled and headed towards a dressing room.

Once inside, Aomine quickly changed. As he prepared to leave, he stopped at his reflection in the mirror. A tall and incredibly tan person with a shock of dark blue hair scowled back at him. He peered closer to see what the makeup artists had done. They just made it look cleaner, Aomine concluded. Yet he continued to stare at his reflection.

Aomine should have been the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. Except while all could agree with the two former, few agreed with the latter. Aomine wasn't handsome in the strict sense of the word. Stunning maybe, but not exactly handsome. Unlike Kise's classic model good looks, Aomine probably ranked above average. In addition, his often laid-back and apathetic personality would hardly make a random passerby look twice. But random people did look twice. Aomine's true attractiveness shone through his posture, his voice, his eyes, and of course his basketball. What am I doing? Aomine asked himself. This modeling thing is bullshit. I'd rather be playing ball. So why am I here?

His mind quickly flashed to the scene from earlier. Kuroko had fidgeted in the doorway, uncomfortable in the oversized sweater. His purposely disheveled wig framed his small face and brought out sky in his eyes. If Aomine could differentiate colors, he would know Kuroko's lips were painted with coral gloss. It was a color pink enough to provide contrast to pale skin and orange enough to look natural. The off shoulder sweater had exposed a prominent collarbone that betrayed the boy's thin figure. He just looked so innocent. So pure. No one would be able to distinguish this image with the basketball champion.

After seeing Kuroko in those pictures, Aomine couldn't get the shadow out of his mind. He tried looking at other magazines; magazines filled cover to cover with scantily clad, incredibly busty women. He would stare at them, trying to recover the pleasure he'd once derived from their paper figures. But all he would see were eyes that weren't blue. Hair that wasn't the sky. And lips that had never said his name. Aomine slammed his fist into the wall. Damn those pictures.

As he trudged back into the studio, he met Midorima who was on his way out. "Done already?" Aomine asked. He received a nod before Midorima closed the door behind him.

"Dai-chan, you missed it! Midorin laughed! He actually laughed!"

"Weehh, I can't believe I missed it too," Kise slumped in a chair.

"Midorima? Laughing? I don't believe it." Aomine fell back on the couch.

"It's true, Mido-chin laughed~" Murasakibara was eating his way through a tub of cheese balls.

Akashi stayed silent. For some reason, their fearless leader had tucked himself in the corner, arms crossed, observing the events across the studio with a steady gaze.

"Can I have Aomine-kun come up?" Natashou asked.

Kise snickered, "This will be great! Have fun, Aominecchi!"

Momoi clapped her hands, "Maybe Dai-chan can prove he can do something besides basketball!"

"Good one, Momoicchi!" They high-fived each other.

"Tch." Aomine rose from his seat. I'm going to punch that blonde idiot in the face after this. Aomine peeled off his shirt and threw it unceremoniously on his seat. The female staff gawked. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him. His abs had been marvelous, but as he made his way towards the set, everyone noticed his incredibly defined back. Damn this modeling bullshit. A deep valley carved its way along his spine, emphasizing the powerful muscles that rippled as he moved. It's all his fault. He rolled his shoulders as he walked, causing the shoulder blades to cut shadows across his form.

"Are you alright, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked politely. He was still sitting on the bed and watching an extremely pissed off looking Aomine heading towards him.

Aomine scowled, "Peachy." Actually, he was thoroughly pissed off. It's Kise's fault, he thought, shooting a glare at said person. It's all Kise's fault.

"Aomine-kun, could you pick Kuroko-chan up bridal style and face me?"

He complied without protest, easily lifting a startled blue-haired boy. Aomine's immediate thought was, He weighs nothing. Is he eating properly? It was all Kise's fault. Aomine already established that. He looked down at the boy in his arms. The combined effect of bright lights and the white background created an ethereal glow around Kuroko. And yet…

Thanks to Kise, he was holding Tetsu in his arms. Unconsciously, Aomine buried his face in Kuroko's hair trying to burn the scent into his mind.

"Oh! Hold that!" Click. Click. Click. Natashou and her female staff squealed in delight.

Suddenly, Aomine yelped in pain. "OW! Tetsu, what was that for?!" Kuroko had jabbed Aomine's side.

"You're crushing me," Kuroko looked up, the slightest hint of a frown on his face.

Damn this guy's face… "Sorry." Aomine loosened his hold.

"You called him Tetsu. Are you guys close?"

"Hah? Yeah, we've been friends since middle school."

Natashou's eyes sparkled. "Sit down and continue holding him in that pose then. Kuroko-chan, wrap your arms around his neck. Hunch your shoulders just a little. Now bring your foreheads together." Aomine's scowl deepened. "Aomine-kun, relax your face. Can't you make it look a little kinder?" His scowl stayed. "Here, close your eyes, count to ten. Kuroko-chan?" Aomine did as instructed and slowly counted to ten. Click. Click. Click. When he finally opened his eyes he stared directly into a blank face not a centimeter from his own. Click. Click. Click. Aomine barely had time to hide the shock that crossed his face and then briefly thanked God for giving him dark skin that easily hid his blush. He stayed frozen and tried to keep his gaze steady.

"Kuroko-chan, sit on the side of the bed again, closer to the headboard. Aomine-kun, lie on his lap. Kuroko-chan, look at him, angle your face a little higher so I can see it. Now if you can stroke his hair… good. Aomine-kun, cup Kuroko-chan's face. Use the hand closer to him, pretend you're wiping away a tear or something."

Kuroko stroked Aomine's hair as he was told. He hadn't expected it to be so soft. As he ran his fingers through cobalt blue, Kuroko thought how strange it was that even Aomine complied with Natashou's instructions. It's usually so difficult to make the hotheaded ace do anything he was told. Aomine reached up, held a small face in his hand, and thinly traced the outline of Kuroko's eye with his thumb. "Ne, Tetsu, have your eyes always been this big?" Click. Click. Click. The females of the room sighed in happiness.

Kuroko pulled the skin around Aomine's eyes until they were tiny slits. "Have your eyes always been this small?" he quipped and then proceeded to flick his forehead.

"Oi!" Aomine grabbed Kuroko's wrists and rose from his lap. A faint smile ran through Kuroko's lips. Click. Click. Click.

"Kuroko-chan, stay how you are. Aomine-kun, please sit behind him. Make sure Kuroko-chan is between your legs. Good. Wrap one arm diagonally around his waist and the other around his neck. No, that's a death grip. Place your hand over his neck like you're choking him but in like, a sexy non-threatening way."

Aomine sat on the edge of the bed with Kuroko in his lap. He wrapped his arms around the slight figure and rested his head on the crook of Kuroko's neck. Aomine's current thought was: payback.

"Kuroko-chan, look straight at the camera. Aomine-kun, turn your head like you're whispering something in his ear, but keep your eyes here."

Aomine growled "Tetsu…" into the pale neck. He grinned when he felt Kuroko shiver and saw pale ears flush red beneath a mess of blue hair. And then completely on a whim, Aomine bit the boy's ear.

Kuroko's eyes flew wide and he jerked away, hand to his ear. Aomine clutched him even tighter. "Aomine-kun, that was unnecessary!" He structured the sentence as an exclamation, but his voice only rose slightly from its usual sound level.

Aomine raised an eyebrow, "Wasn't that good though?" he directed his question to Natashou, who had hearts in her eyes. She recovered and adjusted her glasses.

"Aomine-kun, you're a genius."

He simpered, clearly satisfied by the praise. "See? Basketball isn't my only talent." Kuroko's eyes narrowed. "OW! Why'd you do that again?!" Kuroko had jabbed Aomine's side again. Harder this time.

"Natashou-san, I think Aomine-kun's finished, don't you?" He asked the photographer ever so politely.

"Man, Tetsu. When'd you become so sensitive?" Aomine rubbed his side and got up from the bed.

"Yes Aomine-kun's finished. You two have so many good shots!" Natashou squeed as she flipped through the pictures in her camera. "Get Murasakibara-kun for me, please?" She asked Aomine as he headed back to the corner of models-for-the-day.

"What was that, Dai-chan?!" After watching Aomine and Kuroko's shoot, Momoi was flushed red.

"I didn't think you'd get so into it." Kise frowned.

"Hmph." Aomine grunted. He tried putting on an air of indifference, but inside he was quite please with himself. Aomine lazily put his shirt back on and threw himself on the couch. "Oi, Murasakibara. It's your turn."

"Ehh~" Murasakibara had just finished the giant tub of cheeseballs. All the same, he rose from his seat and staggered to the set.

"Kuroko-san," a voice called from behind.

Kuroko turned to see his make-up artist. "Hello again. Can I help you?"

"Roll up your sleeves and hold out your wrists, please," she requested.

"What for?" He held them out, curious.

"You'll see," she grinned and sprayed his wrists and hands with what looked like an oddly shaped perfume bottle.

Kuroko opened his mouth to ask again when Natashou said, "Murasakibara-kun, please remove your shirt and put away the chocolate." The giant had made his way to the set munching his way through a large chocolate bar.

"Do I have to?" he drawled. Murasakibara peeled off his shirt but kept the chocolate in his mouth.

Natashou regarded him for a moment. Is it even possible for a sixteen year old to be over two meters tall? His gigantic size was even more apparent as she craned her neck to look up at him. "Alright, keep the chocolate…" she said slowly. His limbs were so incredibly long. Natashou eyed the monster's legs with admiration. Any model would kill to have such long legs and torso. But she was more put off by Murasakibara's leanness. With his excessive eating, Murasakibara would be expected to have at least some fat, but there wasn't any. In fact, there didn't seem to be any ounce of fat on his body. The skin stretched tight over his muscles that contracted with every small movement. And despite his colossal size, he wasn't very clumsy. Natashou noted that he moved with a certain fluidity uncharacteristic of his outer appearance. Some runway models could take a few lessons from him, she thought to herself.

She shook her head to concentrate back on her work. "Okay Murasakibara-kun, sit at the center of the bed and lean back on the headboard. Kuroko-chan, sit in his lap."

This time Kuroko hesitated. He and Murasakibara hadn't really talked since the Winter Cup, and he wasn't sure what do to with the purple-haired giant.

But Murasakibara was already on the bed. "Kuro-chin~ come 'ere." He held his arms out towards the shadow. Kuroko slightly widened his eyes but climbed into the giant's lap.

"Murasakibara-kun doesn't have to bribed with food for once?" he asked tentatively.

"Ehh~ what do you mean? She let me keep my chocolate," he took bite as if to prove his point.

"Murasakibara-kun, could you feed Kuroko-chan the chocolate?"

Murasakibara looked from his chocolate bar to Natashou to his former teammates across the studio and then shrugged. "Kuro-chin, say 'Ahh~'" Kuroko was so shocked that he unwittingly opened his mouth and let Murasakibara feed him the last of the chocolate bar. "This chocolate reminds me of the chili cracker sticks you won for me a long time ago. Do you remember?" Kuroko tasted the hint of spiciness in the chocolate. Where did he get this?

"Actually, I'm surprised that you remember, Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko said after swallowing the treat.

"Waah, is Kuro-chin making fun of me?" Murasakibara pouted childishly and pulled Kuroko closer to him. Click. Click. Click.

"It was a long time ago, Murasakibara-kun."

"Kuro-chin is being a meany!" He used both hands to tousle the boy's wig.

"Murasakibara-kun, please let go," Kuroko asked, knitting his eyebrows and placing his hands atop the giant's in an effort to make him stop.

Murasakibara paused before saying, "Wah, Kuro-chin's hands are so little~" He held the fragile looking hands in his monstrous ones. Murasakibara brought Kuroko's hands closer to his face to examine them better when, "What's that smell?"

Kuroko looked at him curiously, "What are you talking about, Murasakibara-kun?"

The giant didn't answer. Instead, he breathed in the scent of Kuroko's hand. "It smells like…" he licked Kuroko's palm, "strawberries." Kuroko immediately tried to rip his hand away, but Murasakibara held firm and continued to trace his tongue over the small hand. Click. Click. Click.

Momoi's eyes flew wide. Uuu… good thing I sent Dai-chan to get interviewed before he could see this, she thought. I don't know what he'd do if he was here… Currently, the Generation of Miracles plus Momoi ogled at the events unfolding across the studio.

"Wha-what's that idiot doing?" Midorima sputtered, plainly scandalized.

"Why does everyone else get to do suggestive poses with Kurokocchi?" Kise whined, forgetting that he had had an entire 'suggestive' photoshoot with Kuroko all by himself.

Once again, Akashi kept his silence.

"St- stop that…" Kuroko stammered, still trying to pull his hand away.

"Kuro-chin, your hands taste like strawberries~" Murasakibara ignored him and trailed from the palm to the wrist, pulling the smaller boy closer. Kuroko's hands were both being held captive and close to Murasakibara's face.

With some effort, Kuroko managed to stretch the hand that wasn't being eaten and yanked a handful of purple hair. "Ow!" Murasakibara let go of Kuroko's hands at the pain. Kuroko scrambled away and stood at the edge of the set, keeping his wrists to his chest. "Kuro-chin, that was really mean." Murasakibara said petulantly. His droopy eyes narrowed.

Natashou tried to hide her smile and somewhat failed. She dropped her camera for the moment. "Murasakibara-kun, did you hear the speech I gave Kise-kun earlier? Please act maturely and don't do anything that will make Kuroko-chan uncomfortable. Just listen to my instructions okay?"

"Waahh~" Murasakibara stretched out his long legs on the bed, "Why am I the only one getting bullied? Mido-chin and Mine-chin didn't listen to instructions either~" he sulked.

"But it won't do if our main model refuses to participate, right?" She gestured towards Kuroko who was still glaring at Murasakibara. "Please apologize and say you'll listen to my instructions."

Murasakibara made a sort of whine, "Finee~" He looked at Kuroko and held his arms out again, "Kuro-chin, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. Please come back." Kuroko edged back towards the bed but regarded Murasakibara more carefully this time.

"Okay, go back to your last pose and angle more towards me. Kuroko-chan, keep your back towards Murasakibara-kun this time. Murasakibara-kun, wrap your arms around him and put your chin on his head. Okay good, now pretend you have something in your hands and hold it." Murasakibara placed his head atop Kuroko's with ease.

"Ahh, Kuro-chin really is so small~"

"No, you're just freakishly big," Kuroko mumbled.

"Haah~?"

"Kuroko-chan, lean back and pretend you're asleep. Rest your head on his shoulder. Murasakibara-kun, keep your arms around him but look to the side." Kuroko closed his eyes and let himself fall on the broad chest. He had always been envious of Murasakibara. How could they be the same age and be so different? Why was Murasakibara born with natural talent while Kuroko had to work so hard to improve? Click. Click. Click.

"Wonderful! Good job, boys!" Natashou beamed and quickly reviewed the pictures on her viewfinder. "Alright, Akashi-kun next and then we can wrap this shoot up!"

"What did I miss?" Aomine came back from his interview to find Murasakibara already finished and eating his way through another bag of chips.

"Oh, you're back." Momoi didn't answer Aomine. "Mukkun, it's your turn to get interviewed!" Murasakibara stood and left the studio. Kise, Midorima, and of course Akashi, also offered no answer to Aomine's question. Thankfully, Aomine thought nothing of it and plopped himself back on the couch.

"Akashi-kun! Please come up!" Natashou called from the other side of the studio.

Their fearless leader emerged from his little corner. He smoothly removed his shirt and lightly placed it on an unoccupied chair. The room fell silent. Akashi was short, or rather, he seemed to be. He was actually of average height for a teenage boy his age, but being constantly surrounded by unnecessarily tall teammates and opponents did not help his case. However, his comparative shortness was never an issue. Akashi carried himself well. Certainly no one could feel as if they were looking down on him. His physique was nowhere near average as well. To a trained eye, Akashi had perfectly balanced muscle tone. The kind that could only be obtained through careful and constant training. Not only that, every movement of his was deliberate and elegant. He walked with the air of a king.

Kuroko unconsciously stiffened as he watched Akashi stroll across the studio. An approaching Akashi was intimidating no matter the circumstance. The red-haired point guard stopped at the edge of the bed and look down at Kuroko with his mismatched eyes. "Hello, Tetsuya."

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko gave a small nod.

"Okay then!" Natashou spoke, slightly trembling under the tension that suddenly pervaded the studio space. "Akashi-kun, if you could-"

Akashi Seijurou does not take orders well. Before Natashou had even opened her mouth, Akashi was in motion. Kuroko barely had time to blink before he felt himself being shoved onto the bed. Akashi crouched over him, his crimson and gold eyes flashing.

"… or not. That pose is good too!" Natashou went on to take pictures.

Low enough so only Kuroko could hear, "Do you know why I was angry at Ryouta the other day?" Akashi asked. The blue haired boy gave a small shake of his head, his eyes trained to the other's.

A shadow flitted across Akashi's eyes. "Tetsuya, are you having fun?"

"I don't know what you mean, Akashi-kun."

"Do you like modeling, Tetsuya? Do you enjoy having so many eyes on you," he bent lower, "getting so much attention… seeing yourself all over the country…"

"…"

"You haven't thought about it, have you." Akashi focused his dichromatic eyes towards Kuroko. "If you keep going like this, do you know how it will affect your basketball." Kuroko turned his head away. "Your basketball," Akashi pulled Kuroko's face back forward, "works through your misdirection, your lack of presence, your ability to disappear from sight. Without it, you are a half-rate player at best. But if you so choose to continue amusing yourself with this," his eyes flicked to the camera, "you might never be able to play basketball again."

Kuroko pursed his lips into a straight line.

"Tetsuya," Akashi purred, stroking Kuroko's cheek. "I'm only looking out for what's best for you. I know that you love basketball more than anything else in the world. And I don't want to see you unable to play because of a… frivolous whim." He ran his fingers through sky-blue hair and grazed a feather-like kiss on a pale forehead. "Do you understand?"

End of Chapter

And the plot thickens! Kesese

The metric system throws me off so much. Mukkun is supposed to be 6'10"! It's just so hard to imagine. The average height of an NBA player is only 6'6" or something too…

Also, yay for –Replace- novel references! I know in Mexican Hot Cocoa they add spices, but I don't know if they do that with chocolate bars too? Anyway let's pretend it exists.

edit: those kinds of chocolate bars exist!