So, this is choppy and not exactly great, but I got this idea about tattoos and had to write something for it. Warning, I have NO knowledge of tattoos or how they work or anything about them, so sorry if anything is inaccurate. I just know they look awesome. This was actually inspired by the story 'A heart full of napalm' on AO3 by robottrash. It's an amazing RyouKura story, so you all should go check it out!
Haruichi tossed on a pair of low slung jeans and a loose tank top, jamming his feet into an old pair of boots and twisting his hair up out of his face. Sweeping his bangs to the left, he rolled his shoulders a bit and cracked his knuckles, shaking his hands out afterwards.
He could picture it in his mind, see the design coming to life. Pulling on some latex gloves, he let the image sear itself into his brain before picking up the gun. Switching it on, he let the hum of vibrations fill the air and gently placed one hand on the bare back in front of him. "Let's get started."
/
Stepping back, he turned off the tattoo gun and set it aside before removing his gloves and tossing them into the trash. Handing a handheld mirror to his older brother, he angled another one to show Ryousuke the final product.
Examining the new addition to his right shoulder blade, Ryousuke smiled. "You keep getting better." The new tattoo was a fox curled up and head resting on its front paws. The eyes looked closed, but if you inspected it closely, you could see a sliver of color that matched the elder male's own eyes.
While it was relaxed and seemed peaceful, Ryousuke got the feeling that it wasn't helpless. It seemed so real, as though he could reach back and stroke the glossy fur. He was tempted to do so, but was interrupted when Haruichi started wrapping it up so it could heal.
Setting the mirror down, he looked over all his other tattoos. Their mother often joked that Ryousuke was Haruichi's canvas, and held the youngest Kominato's best works on his skin. She was right too. While all the other work he did was beautiful, the ones decorating Ryousuke always seemed to be a step above.
On his left shoulder was the first tattoo Haruichi had ever done. Originally Haruichi had been planning on doing it on his own arm, but Ryousuke hadn't liked that idea. He didn't want his little brother to have a tattoo so young, and forced the younger male to mark him instead. It was a stunning cherry blossom tree in full bloom, with petals falling and swirling around the trunk as though dancing in an invisible breeze.
On the back of his neck, below the hairline and above most collars was the Cheshire cat's eyes and smile on a black background. The eyes seemed to glow at times, and Ryousuke enjoyed the way others seemed to find it unnerving. It was one of the only two he'd requested himself. The other was a small white rabbit over his heart.
On the inside of his left wrist was a tiny birds-eye view of a baseball diamond. Ryousuke could cover the entire thing with the tips of a finger. On his lower back was their family name in swooping English letters, the Japanese to the left of the K in smaller print. When their parents had seen it, they'd each gotten one to match.
Haruichi had Ryousuke give him one as well so they all matched. It was the only tattoo the older male had ever done.
On his ankle, he had the kanji symbol for fire, written in flames and surrounded by the words 'Let your passion burn brightly'. On his other ankle he had the words 'Never give up. Never give in'.
/
Haruichi smiled and began packing up his things. Their mother said Ryousuke was his canvas, but to Haruichi he was much more than that. He was his masterpiece.
/
"Another one?" The regulars crowded and examined the newest tattoo on their pink haired member. "Do you just decide to get a new one every time you go home or something?"
Chuckling, Ryousuke moved past the crowd and into the bathroom. "Or something."
"Whoever it is that does these," Kuramochi started, following his senpai, "has a lot of talent." He enjoyed seeing the new works adorning the tanned, toned skin. Not only were they beautiful, but each seemed to represent a different aspect of the shorter male.
To the short stop, they were like stories, each one telling a different one about Ryousuke. With each new one, he learned something about the pink haired male. Reaching out, he let his fingertips gently trace the detail of the fox, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. He'd never admit it, but another reason he enjoyed seeing new tattoos was it gave him an excuse to touch the older teen.
He was jolted out of his thoughts when a wet, soapy rag hit him in the face. "If you're going to stare, at least make yourself useful."
Flushing a darker red and having nothing to say to that, he grumbled and ran the rag over the smaller teens' back. Ryousuke grinned and ignored the slight pounding in his heart that happened each time Kuramochi traced his tattoos like that. Maybe he'd get another, in a more hidden place, to tease the short stop.
/
"Are you going to take a bath now Harucchi?"
Smiling at his friend, the pink haired first year shook his head. "I'll take one later Eijun-kun. I want to finish my homework first."
Pouting slightly, the pitcher grumbled, "You never take a bath with us."
Shrugging his shoulders lightly, Haruichi began heading back to his room. "Maybe another time Eijun-kun."
Still pouting, Eijun made his way to the bathroom. He jumped when an arm clamped around his neck and glared up at the laughing Miyuki. "What's up?"
Frowning, the pitcher sulkily removed his shirt. "Harucchi never takes a bath with us."
Rolling his eyes, the catcher began stripping alongside the others. "He's probably just too shy."
Crackling, Kuramochi elbowed his roommate. "Didn't know you wanted to see him naked so badly."
Blushing a bright red, Eijun glared at the short stop. "No! I just-I mean-DAMNIT!"
Laughing, the second years followed the blushing pitcher into the bathroom. Heading over to wash himself, Eijun couldn't help but stare at the older pink haired player's back. He'd been shocked and amazed when he'd first seen the tattoos, and slightly scared it meant the third year was part of the yakuza. Thankfully Haruichi said it wasn't like that, and he trusted his friend.
His back was mostly taken up by two giant outlines of wings, the tips reaching down to his knees. They were so big they stretched to his sides and almost touched in the middle. Kuramochi tapped the tattoos as he sat down next to his partner.
"So when are you getting them colored?"
"I don't know if I am. I kind of like them like this."
"I think they'd look pretty cool colored though."
"Why do you even have so many tattoos?" Miyuki asked. It was a question asked almost every time someone started talking about the third years' inked skin, but they'd never gotten an answer.
Same as always, Ryousuke simply smiled and hummed slightly, ignoring the question.
"I think I'd look good with a tattoo," Kuramochi said.
"Of what," Miyuki teased, "A butterfly?"
Ryousuke shook his head and stepped into the warm water, ignoring the shouting going on behind him. He'd have to ask Haruichi about the coloring and what he wanted to do.
/
Yawning and dragging his feet, Eijun slowly made his way to the bathroom. He'd had a lot on his mind and had wound up running much longer than normal. Stripping out of his clothes, he shuffled into the bathroom and stopped in the doorway.
"Harucchi!" The pink haired teen jumped slightly in surprise and turned to face his friend with wide eyes.
"E-Eijun-kun! D-Don't do that!"
The pitcher ignored him and stared wide eyed at his friend's fully exposed back and arms. On his lower back was the same tattoo his older brother had of their family name, and on each of his upper arms were swirls of cherry blossoms wrapping around them like a band, going from halfway to his elbow to a few inches below his shoulder. On his left shoulder was one big, stunning snowflake, its details making it seem to shine, and on his right shoulder was the symbol for family, the names of his parents and older brother surrounding it.
"H-Harucchi has tattoos also?!"
Flushing red and using his hands to cover what he could on his shoulders, the smaller teen nodded a little. He always got embarrassed when others saw his work. Going over next to his friend, he pulled Haruichi's hands away and peered closely at the tattoos.
"They're really cool! So realistic. Just like Onii-san's."
"Y-Yeah." Letting his friend stare at them a little longer and run his hands over them, he finally pulled back slightly. "W-What are you doing here so late Eijun-kun?"
Finally realizing how uncomfortable he was making his friend, the pitcher sat down and started washing himself. "I ran for longer than I usually do, so I'm taking a bath later." Glancing at the smaller teen, he asked, "Are the tattoos the reason you don't take baths with us?"
Haruichi nodded. "I don't like it when people stare at them or make a big fuss over them."
Wanting to lighten the mood and make his friend smile, Eijun grinned and stated loudly, "Maybe I should get a giant number one tattooed on my back! That way I'll always be the ace!"
Smiling and chuckling a little, Haruichi shook his head. "I don't know Eijun-kun, you might not want it after a while. Deciding to get a tattoo is a big decision."
"But you and Onii-san have lots!" Thinking for a bit, he asked, "Why did you decide to get tattoos Harucchi?"
Shaking his head, Haruichi reached back and touched the spot that held his family name. It was his favorite out of all the tattoos he had, since his big brother did it for him. "Aniki got this one first, and Okaa-san and Otou-san liked it so much they each got one as well. I got it a little after they did."
Shrugging a little, he continued, "After you get one, the others are easier. It's like, once you get one, more don't matter. Pointing at the cherry blossom rings on his arms, he said, "I got these because I thought the cherry blossom tree Aniki has was cool, but I didn't want the full thing like he has. The snowflake is because I love the winter and the snow. The other one," He shrugged again, "Family is important to me."
"And Onii-san? How come he has so many?"
Flushing a little and ducking his head so his friend wouldn't see, he said, "I-I think he just likes them."
Eijun didn't push the question.
/
Kuramochi felt silly, shifting and glancing at Ryousuke from the corner of his eye every few seconds. Finally working up the courage, he called out to the senior. "R-Ryou-san."
Gaining his attention, the shortstop took a breath and asked, "Are you headed home for break?"
Raising an eyebrow, the pink haired teen nodded. "I always do."
"Y-You're going to get the wings colored over break, right?"
Shrugging, Ryousuke turned back to his book. "I might. Why?"
"Mind if…if I tag along? I've always wanted to watch someone get a tattoo."
Miyuki perked up and grinned. "Oh, that sounds interesting. I'll come too."
"We'll come as well," Tetsu said, nodding at Jun.
"Wa-Don't just decide for me!"
"I wanna come!" Eijun cheered.
"I suppose," Ryousuke said, looking up with a grin, "So long as you find your own place to stay. We don't have room for you." Pointing at Kuramochi, he said, "Except for you. You can stay with us."
"Playing favorites with your boyfriend?" Miyuki asked, a grin creeping up on his face.
Ryousuke raised an eyebrow. "Yes."
The catcher faulted, not having really expected him to agree. Kuramochi just laughed.
/
Kuramochi wondered what was happening. He thought they'd go to a cool tattoo parlor for the coloring, but they just went to a spare room in the Kominato household. There was a table set up in the middle, with a hole in it big enough for a head, and towels lying on top.
Ryousuke stretched and pulled off his shirt, shorts, and boxers before wrapping a towel around his waist and climbing on top of the table as though he'd been through this process multiple times before. Glancing again at the tattoos, Kuramochi wouldn't be surprised if he had.
"So are they coming here just for this?" Miyuki asked.
Eijun was the first to notice the other pink haired teen inside the room. "Harucchi!" Turning, the regulars found the younger Kominato sitting in a corner, though instead of normal he was dressed in low slung jeans and a loose tank top. His hair was pulled back and his bangs were swept to the side. With his hair like that, they could clearly see the multiple ear piercings and the small bar through his eyebrow.
He sat there for a while before finally opening his eyes and standing up. Grabbing a pair of latex gloves, he pulled them on and grabbed the tattoo gun, taking a moment to make sure he had the picture of what he wanted in his head before turning it on. He ignored the rest of the regulars and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Let's get started."
Let me know what you thought! And if enough people say they want it, I might turn this into a RyouKura tattoo story or something. Not sure.
