Author's note: Here's a new chapter! There are some suggestive parts, but nothing concrete enough to scar anyone haha. Hope you enjoy this chapter! I spent too long editing and rewriting cos first I couldn't think of anything, then I couldn't write it well enough. And don't kill me, cos the AoKuro really is coming back next chapter, promise! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It made my day :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.

Chapter 3

Harsh pants. Light shines dully on sweat-slicked muscles. Hands, large and insistent, trace along the tense plane of his back. Lips clash in a fight for dominance, teeth gently scraping and nibbling. Lithe fingers tighten on his tender skin, digging fresh furrows that leave both pleasure and pain in their wake. His partner's mouth fastens over his jugular, teeth sinking into flesh just hard enough to leave a mark.

Scorching butterfly kisses trail from his neck all the way down to his navel, leaving him writhing, begging for more. All the while, those large hands tweak his nipples, rubbing and pulling at the sensitive nubs. The faintest wisp of hot air is blown over his weeping head, and he is almost- almost there-

Splash.

Kuroko's eyes fly open at the impact, and he inhales sharply. But instead of air, he sucks in a lungful of cool, salty solution. His brain dimly registers that this is wrong – water? Shouldn't it be air? Wait, water? - and his eyes protest, eyelids shuttering against the rush of water. Flailing his arms wildly, he struggles to right himself while his lungs try to figure out how to expel the liquid invading them. Instead, he gulps down more salty fluid, mouth opening and closing like a gasping fish, breathing mechanisms clearly out of his control. His feet slip and slide along the gritty sand for a few heartbeats, unable to find purchase. His limbs are growing heavy, his vision is swimming with black dots, his lungs are bursting with the need to breathe, he can't tell which way is up-

Suddenly, warm hands grasp him under the armpits and haul him out of the liquid into air, blessed air. He coughs deeply, salt water pouring out of his nose and mouth, burning as it is forced out. A large hand pats him on the back as he forces out the fluid and takes deep, shuddering breaths. The air burns as it scrapes his raw nose and throat, but he couldn't be more grateful that he's still breathing, he's still alive. The hand has switched to rubbing small circles on his back, and he glances up shakily to see a worried face framed by gold hair.

"Kurokocchi, I'm really sorry! I didn't actually think you were asleep when I tossed you in-" His voice is cut off with a screech as Kuroko jabs him in the ribs with strength fuelled by spite.

"You. Didn't. Think. I. Was. Asleep?" His voice grows quieter with each word, yet it seems like he is shouting.

"Uhm... Uh... Well, you see..." Kise steps backwards, but with each step he takes, he realises that Kuroko is driving him out into deeper water.

"You are dead to me, Kise-kun."

"Nonononono, wait- Nooooooo Kurokocchi, wait- Wait- Mmphrgh-!"

The muted scream of terror reached Kise's manager, and she gave the surrounding area a cursory glance. The waves are gently lapping at the shore, the wind makes the palm trees sway in its breeze, the sun reflects off the clear sea. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary, and so she returns to her magazine, letting whatever she thought it was be.

She didn't see the mini whirlpool just off the shore, a swirl of yellow and sky blue in its midst.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

There was a knock on the room door, and Kuroko opened it to receive the delivery of their dinner. He had called room service earlier, knowing that after the day's excitement-slash-exhaustion, it would be best not to go out for dinner – after all, fangirls were a breed that did not seem to require rest.

He placed the trays of food on the table and curled up in the poufy armchair with a book, waiting for Kise to come out of the shower so they could eat. Before long, the sounds of the shower tapered off, and Kise walked out, cinching the bathrobe shut while towelling his hair dry.

"You didn't have to wait for me, Kurokocchi."

"I wanted to." Kuroko shut his novel and tossed it on the bed. "I ordered onion gratin soup for you. To apologise for the beach incident earlier today."

"Aww Kurokocchi! Thank you!" Kise flung his arms around Kuroko for half a second before letting go, knowing what would befall him if he held on any longer. He still sported the bruises from their underwater battle earlier that day, and had no intentions of worsening his injuries. Walking to the other chair at the table, he flashed a dazzling smile as he seated himself. "Shall we eat?"

"Yes. Itadakimasu." They chorused the phrase simultaneously, and for a few minutes, there were no sounds except for that of clinking silverware. Kise glanced at Kuroko from time to time, and after about five minutes of this hesitant behaviour, the tealhead spoke. "Say what you want to say, Kise-kun. I'm not about to kill you."

The blond giggled nervously, toying with his food. He swirled the soup around for a few more seconds to stall for time, then cleared his throat nosily. "I am sorry for tossing you into the sea earlier. But I had a good reason!"

"Pray, tell, what that might be?" Kuroko's voice was a monotone, but there was an edge of steel to his words.

"Well, Kurokocchi, you were tossing about in your sleep, and you looked like you were having a little problem…" Kise trailed off, a faint blush staining his cheeks as he recalled the scene. Kuroko was unamused.

"Just come out and say it, Kise-kun. We are both grown men, and should be able to discuss this in a straightforward manner." Even though I think I already know what you're talking about.

"But it's embarrassing!" Kise hid his face in his hands. "I'm not as direct as you or Midorimacchi, you know-"

"Just do it."

"You looked like you were jacking off in public and I had to preserve your dignity, okay?!" Kise buried his face in his hands and slumped onto the table. He still couldn't get rid of the image in his mind. The small body curled on his side, expression hidden by baby-blue locks. The shallow pants coming from him didn't sound scared – it couldn't have been a nightmare plaguing him – no, they sounded feverish and aroused. Every now and then, a small gasp or a lewd moan escaped him, and Kise would look around wildly, praying that no one else could see this. The bodyguards were scattered around the beach, and his manager was some hundred metres away, hidden under a beach umbrella. A few more minutes into this awkward situationand Kise gave up. Desperate times call for desperate measures, he thought, and gathered the smaller body in his arms.

"I didn't think you were just dreaming." He moaned, face heating up as he recalled his embarrassment from misreading the situation. Of course, part of it is from hearing Kurokocchi make such erotic sounds. I dunno if I should be more embarrassed or turned on by it.

Kuroko sighed, and reached across the table to place a hand on Kise's golden locks, unaware of his inner turmoil. What innocence he has of such circumstances. Would it be better to preserve this gem, or to befoul it? "It's alright, Kise-kun. Thank you for saying it. And yes, it was a rather provocative dream. Perhaps it's a good thing you woke me up."

"You're not mad at me?" Kise peeked out from behind his hands, brown eyes large and teary. I'm never going to be able to forget this. My impression of Kurokocchi is ruined!

Kuroko thought he looked like a kicked puppy – Nigou's expression when Kagami refused to touch him – and he felt his heart melt a little. It's not like he did it with bad intentions.

"No, I'm not mad-" Kise perked up, but Kuroko tightened his grip on his hair. "But can you think of a better way to wake me up next time? I could have drowned!"

"Oww, Kurokocchi…" Kise whined, and the hand tugged on his hair more forcefully. "Owowow okay I'll think next time stop please-" He felt the pressure increase for a split second, then the pain receded as Kuroko drew his hand back. Kise sat up, pouting as he rubbed his head, massaging his abused scalp. "Kurokocchi is scary and mean." And dirty, but I'm not telling him that.

"That's what Kagami-kun said. But I think Sei is scarier than me."

Kise shuddered lightly at the thought of the redhead. "Yeah, Akashicchi is scary too. But Kurokocchi looks so innocent all the time, so when you do something like that, it's twice as scary."

That's what I want you to think. "Eat your food, Kise-kun. It'll get cold. We're supposed to be on vacation, so let's stop the serious talk, okay?"

"Okay!" He is just like a child, Kuroko thought.

"Ne, ne, can we watch a movie later? Or go swimming? How about pool-" Kise chattered on while Kuroko pushed food around his plate, nodding absentmindedly. Fragments of his dream on the beach still haunted him, and he needed to take some time to think about it later. He wondered what Kise saw, and how badly scarred he was. If the manifestation of his subconscious in the conscious realm was as serious as he thought it was, then he would need to resort drastic measures soon.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Aomine yawned widely while trailing after Momoi. It was almost noon, and the bitter cold of winter would have kept him in bed – until Momoi came over and demanded he wake up and help her. An hour later, they were trudging through the slushy streets, a flurry of snow swirling around them. The neighbourhood they were walking in looked vaguely familiar to Aomine, though his brain was still in a haze of sleep.

"Oi, Satsuki. Why are we going to the studio? Tetsu's not gonna be back for another week."

"Because you need practice sitting still as a model and I need to complete my homework assignment for Tetsu-kun's class. Kagamin gave me a key, so we're going to use Tetsu-kun's workroom."

"Mm, right- Hah? Wait, what did you say?" No. Nonononononono. She wants to use me as a model?! Aomine's eyes bulged, her revelation shocking him fully awake. He slowly backed away from the pinkette, bouncing on the tips of his toes and ready to flee. As if reading his actions, her hand shot out and grabbed his jacket, firm grip ensuring that he couldn't run away.

"Mou, Dai-chan. Why are you so embarrassed for? You change in a locker room full of naked guys on a regular basis!"

"That's exactly it! We change, we don't spend time staring at other dudes' naked asses! And we don't walk around with our privates hanging out either!"

"Well, you signed up for this. I'm just making your life easier. And it's just me staring at your naked body, which, might I add, I have seen enough times to not be bothered about anymore."

She has a point, but… "And what if I don't want to? You can't stop me."

"But I can."

Chills ran down Aomine's back at the sound of that voice. It seems that they had reached the studio without his noticing, and a figure in the doorway was proof that they were not alone. He lowered his gaze slowly, until blue eyes met red for the first time in many years. "Akashi."

"Akashi-kun! What are you doing here? Didn't you have to work today?" Momoi greeted the redhead cheerfully as she returned the key to her bag. Looks like I didn't need this after all.

Akashi continued eyeballing Aomine as he answered her. The taller man seemed frozen by his unrelenting focus, and the colour seemed to be draining from his face. Poor Dai-chan. "I finished early, so I came to check on Tetsuya's pieces. I know he stores them securely, but it worries me that the studio is left unattended, especially because there are many artworks in here."

"Oh, alright. Dai-chan and I are going to use the inner room, if that's okay with you. We'll be here for maybe two or three hours."

"Very well. Come in, please. I'll bring in some tea later and leave you two to your work." Akashi finally broke eye contact to enter the studio, and Aomine felt a heady sense of relief, despite being superior in size. I had forgotten how terrifying that midget was.

A lone paintbrush came flying and smacked him in the forehead as soon as he stepped inside. "Oww! Who did that-" His eyes cast about the room for the culprit, words dying on his lips as he saw Akashi standing there with arm still outstretched.

"Yes, Daiki, I threw it. I may be a midget, but I am absolute." He flashed one of his more sadistic grins and turned towards the kitchenette, leaving a baffled and irritated Aomine behind. Stupid mind-reading midget.

Muttering under his breath, Aomine skulked into the inner studio, tossing his jacket on top of Momoi's things. "Dai-chan, hurry up and go change!" A clean robe was thrown in his face and small hands on his back shoved him towards the bathroom.

"Oi, Satsuki, stop it-" The door slammed shut behind him and he heaved a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Goddamn irritating people. First Satsuki drags me out, then creepy-ass Akashi shows up. What the hell is he doing here anyway? How does he know Tetsu? He recalls that time when he thought Kuroko was like Akashi, but discards the idea that pops up. They can't be related, right? Their hair isn't even the same colour… But both of them have that weird way of reading minds. And they're short. And smart. And talented.

…I need to stop thinking, it's bad for my health.

Aomine emerges from the bathroom and sees that Momoi has already set up the stool and the various lighting equipment. She is sitting in the short armchair, sketchbook in hand as she waits for him.

"Finally!" She grabs and tears the robe off him, forcing him onto the tall stool in one motion. Aomine splutters at her viciousness. "Satsuki, can you relax, I can take off my own clothes damnit-"

"You're taking too long! But you took off your boxers, good. Now sit there and act natural!" She dives for her sketchbook and her pencil begins scratching furiously while he continues to glare at her. "What if I didn't wear boxers today? And why are you suddenly in such a hurry."

"Gross, Dai-chan. Was it because you couldn't find a clean pair, or because you wanted to go commando? And in case you've forgotten, Akashi-kun is outside. I don't want to intrude any longer than we have to."

"I was kidding, geez." He slouches into a slightly more comfortable position, staring at the paintings on the walls. Trust Satsuki to see through the joke. His eyes wandered over the walls lazily, noting the new additions of scattered canvases as his thoughts drifted. Why would it matter if Akashi is here? Satsuki wasn't scared of him before. Why would we be intruding? He doesn't own the place. Does he?

Aomine was tempted to ask, but with the intensity and speed that Momoi was working at, he deemed it better not to. The faster she's done, the faster we can get the hell away from that devil Emperor. A few minutes pass in this manner, with only the sound of pencil on paper between them, before a firm knock comes at the door, and Akashi strolls in with two mugs of tea.

Aomine is so startled by his appearance, he forgets he is sitting there clad only in his birthday suit. The moment he does remember, his cheeks darken and he glowers at the redhead, trying to tell him to get lost with just his eyes. I can't move or Satsuki will kill me, damnit.

Akashi sets the mugs on the table and saunters over to where Momoi is drawing, blatantly ignoring the cobalt-haired man glaring at him. His gaze flicks up and down, most likely comparing the paper likeness with the real thing. His scrutiny makes Aomine feel very disturbed, for Akashi is looking at him with contempt and a hungry gaze - as if he were a delicacy to be sampled.

Aomine squirms under that ravenous look, attempting to ignore him at first. If anything, this makes the tension in the room increase, and the nude model doesn't just feel very naked – he feels as if his soul were stripped bare and laid out for assessment. Unable to handle another second of the predatory atmosphere, he speaks up, despite his better judgement. "Quit staring, Akashi."

"Hmm, no. I see why Tetsuya picked you for a model. Despite your lack of intelligence for anything other than basketball, you have an artistically perfect body."

Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Aomine fumed. Trying to deflect the unwanted attention, he shot Akashi a question. "How'd you know Tetsu? And seriously, quit staring!"

"You do not have the right to order me around, Daiki. And as to your question, I believe Tetsuya would prefer to tell you himself, so I shall deign to answer."

Aomine glared wordlessly at Akashi. He says it as if Tetsu's his boyfriend or something, and like I have no right to ask him anything. Freaking guy and his damn god-complex. This dwarf is disturbing on so many levels. Or maybe you're just jealous that he knows Tetsu-kun enough to be on a first name basis with him. Shut up and go away, Satsuki. Why? Are you jealous? No, not jealous. Definitely not jealous.

Akashi was still staring. He swore he saw the guy lick his lips. Aomine tried to suppress a shudder. This is practically sexual harassment, and he's not even touching me. Oh god, eww, don't think about him touching you! …If I can't get rid of Akashi, I'll have to get rid of myself. "Oi, Satsuki, have you got the basic sketch? Can I move?"

"Almost… Done! Okay, go. I know you're dying to cover up." Aomine shot off the stool like a bullet fired from a gun, grabbing the robe and dashing into the bathroom for refuge. For a guy with your kind of perverted mindset, you're surprisingly shy about your body. Or maybe it's Akashi-kun. She glanced up at the redhead, who was eyeing her sketch critically. Momoi wasn't blind; she knew Akashi was almost as – if not more – perverted than Aomine. The only difference was that Akashi preferred males - much like Kuroko – and he was not afraid to flaunt it, unlike Kuroko.

"Akashi-kun?" She asked softly, carefully.

"Hmm?"

"Could you maybe stop staring at Dai-chan like you want to throw him on a bed? If he gets scared and runs out of here, I don't think Tetsu-kun would be very pleased about it."

Akashi looked like he was considering her words. "You make a fair point. Although it is quite fun to tease him, I shall desist." Straightening from where he had been hunched over the chair, he stretched and made his way to the door. "There are matters that need attending to, I shall take my leave first. I'm certain we will meet again soon."

The click of outer door being shut could be heard faintly from the inner room, and Aomine poked his head out of the bathroom. "Is he gone?"

Momoi sighed to hide her amusement. "Yes, Dai-chan. Honestly, how old are you? You shouldn't be hiding in the bathroom."

"Can't help it. The dude's creepy. Did you see the way he looked at me? I felt like a piece of meat!" Aomine shuddered and Momoi hid a grin. "Come on, let's finish this. I need to teach you more poses after I'm done, or Tetsu-kun will be mad when he gets back."

"Hah? I have to sit here for an even longer time? Wait, you need to learn these sort of things?" The incredulity in his voice made Momoi want to throw something at him. Dai-chan, why are you so dumb? Why am I even friends with you?

"Shut up and do it. Or you can forget about that magazine I said I'd buy for you."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Kuroko rolled onto his stomach, propping his book up on the pillow. In the bed next to his, Kise was already curled up under the blankets, getting some well-deserved beauty sleep. For him, it is quite literally beauty sleep. Being a model is tough work.

Their 'vacation' was actually a photo-shoot in Australia, and Kuroko had been dragged along at Kise's request. Of course, being 'dragged along' meant he had to work alongside Kise, and while he did not mind the prospect of making some extra money, it was the circumstances under which he was working that made him sceptical about the job.

"I have to do what?"

Kise shuffled his feet awkwardly. "My manager says it will make me look bad if I'm seen doing shoots with guys again. People already think I'm gay, and they want to diffuse that."

"So they want me to do the shoot with you, dressed as a girl." Kuroko's voice emanated disapproval.

"Please, Kurokocchi!" Kise dropped to his knees, clasping Kuroko's hand with tears in his eyes. "No one will know, and you'll have the perfect disguise and all. Please! I don't even want to go to Australia, they say the fangirls over there are even worse than Japan's. Pleasepleaseplease, will you do it for me? Please!"

It had taken a lot of begging and tears before Kuroko had given in, albeit reluctantly. He didn't understand why the modelling agency couldn't find another female model to do the shoot, but he suspected that it was due to Kise's unwillingness to work with the female population in general. "I'm so sick of all the girls chasing me," Kise complained. "I can't get any rest, and none of them can form a coherent sentence whenever they're near me. It's so irritating!"

Kise's manager, needless to say, was ecstatic about the news, and the vast amount of outfits she had prepared made Kuroko wonder how long she had been planning for such an outcome. Maybe she had been planning to hire me as a model long ago but never had the chance to do it. And what's with all the Lolita and moe ensembles?!

But it wasn't all bad.

The photo-shoots had gone relatively well; the make-up artists were so efficient that Kuroko could hardly recognize himself after they were through with him. The shoots by themselves were not awful either – all he had to do was stand next to Kise and smile. There were sufficient bodyguards around, such that on their off time, they could actually relax and enjoy themselves. It was a rather peaceful vacation, and the summer scene made him a little reluctant to return to Japan and work.

"Kurokocchi… You should sleep early…" Kise's voice rose and then faded back into nonsensical murmurs. Kuroko couldn't help but smile at his friend. He has a point, even though he's sleep-talking. We're flying back to Japan tomorrow. I'm going to miss Australia. Then again…

The image of a certain cobalt-haired individual came to mind, and Kuroko had to resist the sudden urge to scream into the pillow like an excited schoolgirl. Two weeks without Aomine-kun and I'm already desperate to see him. Ha, when did I turn into a sappy fool like Kise?

The thought of seeing Aomine again made his heart beat erratically, and not just because of his dream the previous week. Granted, I never saw the person's face, but hngh, just thinking about it makes me hard… Wait, no, don't go there now. Sleep. Sleep is very important.

Akashi had mentioned in an email that Aomine and Momoi had went to the studio to complete a sketch. While he was sceptical about Akashi's involvement in his affairs – stupid, meddling cousin – he was consumed by thought of finally getting his hands on Momoi's sketch. Would she have done a full nude as he instructed the class to do? What would the positioning of the model be like? Was the model she used Aomine?

The last question was redundant. If Akashi said that both of them went to the studio, then it was obvious who the model was. Maybe she wouldn't mind if I never returned the sketch to her. She would understand… Right? Get her a sketch of Kagami-kun, and you're set. …excellent idea. I'm evil, but at this point, I don't think I care.

Different situations and various schemes popped in and out of existence, his imagination spiralling out of control. Suddenly, the morning – and Japan - seemed a long way off.