Yay! I think I'm finally ready for multi-chaptered fics again. Maybe. I hope I don't lose momentum like last time. .-. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke or any of its characters. Only the following story is my own.

Image Source: post/29034568155/kuroko-no-basket-aomine-x-kuroko-rin-rin-awaken

He was used to being watched.

Call it what you want, but he was well aware of how attractive he was. Standing at over 6 feet and with dark skin in a country where practically everyone else was a pale white, he stood out and above the crowd. Not to mention that he was part of a small percentage of the world that could get a girl to drop her pants with a mere smile. His looks were a gift, and he utilized it fully.

Though, the people who knew him said that as far as he was concerned, beauty was only skin deep. He had an aversion to long-term relationships, and balked at the idea of having just one steady girlfriend. His escapades between the sheets were the stuff of gossips around the bars. He didn't think much of women, honestly. They were more of a means to an end. He liked sex, and he needed a second party to accomplish that. It was just that simple for him.

Of course, many one night stands were beginning to turn out badly for him, and he was starting to find the pressure the women put on him suffocating. They called and texted every other hour, and expected him to proclaim undying love after a night together in a sleazy motel. Then there were those that thought that they owned him. Everyone knew he didn't do commitments, but they got it into their heads that they could somehow change him by being clingy and desperate. It was sickening.

Aomine had been leaning up against the old school juke box that probably didn't work any more besides the door of the bar, chatting up some girls while he decided which one to take home that night when he saw him. At first glance he had thought that a really cute high school student was sizing him up from the bar across the room, but on closer inspection he realized that it was definitely an adult.

A very attractive adult.

He sat alone at the end of the bar against the wall and was chatting with the bartender. He had striking blue hair, which a normal person would think wasn't natural, but Aomine knew people with weirder hair colours. Huge blue eyes filled up his face, and he had a strange smile that seemed to hint at a mysteriousness that taunted and beckoned you closer. He had been throwing glances in Aomine's direction occasionally throughout the night, and, Aomine noticed, even staring shamelessly at him at intervals.

Aomine caught his eye when he glanced over again, and watched, fascinated as those gorgeous eyes blinked lazily at him. They stared at each other across the room, and Aomine drowned out the drone of the girls around him as he saw those lips curve up into the smallest of smiles, as though issuing him a challenge. The spell was broken when the man looked away to pick up the thread of conversation with the bartender. They had only made eye contact for moments, but it had seemed like an entire conversation had just happened. Aomine grinned. He knew who he was taking home. He made his excuses curt, finding that being borderline rude was the only way to get girls to lay off – at least for the time being. He made his way through the crowd to the bar and perched himself on the stool beside his quarry.

The blue haired man glanced briefly at him.

"That seat is taken." His voice was soft, almost velvety. It was the kind of voice that gave you the urge to go off into a daydream.

"I've been looking for a while now, and I haven't seen anyone else here." Aomine knew the game he was playing. He'd come across it countless times. Looking at the man's profile, though, he decided that it was definitely worth the effort.

"And what is it that you find so interesting over here?" The tan man smirked slightly. Maybe it wasn't going to be as difficult as he thought.

"You, obviously."

"Quite the charmer, aren't we?" The other man was still avoiding his gaze.

"What can I get you?" Aomine looked up to see the bartender that his guy had been talking to earlier. He gestured at the bluenette's drink. With a nod, the bartender turned away to make his drink.

"I saw you looking at me earlier," he was not interested in beating around the bush. Usually he would've played along, but anyone would be damned if they didn't want in those skin-tight jeans that Aomine hadn't noticed until he sat down.

"Really?" He took a sip of his drink. Aomine watched the motion of him swallowing. He'd never thought a man's throat could be so enticing.

"And a few other times." The bartender approached with his drink and he took it with a nod.

There was a bark of laughter. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I wasn't looking at you."

"You're going to deny it even though I caught you doing it so many times?" The man shrugged.

"It's not my fault that you chose to stand right next to the door."

"So you're telling me there wasn't even a glance at me?" Aomine asked as he watched him take another sip of his drink.

"I'll grant that you got a glance or two, but don't misunderstand; I was merely interested in the number of women that you had surrounded yourself with." Aomine leaned his elbows on the bar and wrapped his hands around the cold glass of his drink. He took a sip as he contemplated his next move. He cocked an eyebrow as the liquid seemed to blow his head to smithereens. That thing ought to be illegal.

"Just catching up on the gossip," he finally answered. He looked up to see the man staring at him. Up this close, Aomine could see the pale blue of his eyes that seemed like some sort of flat mirrors in which he could see his reflection clearly, but with closer inspection, he found that beyond that were crystal clear depths that swam with mysteries.

"I thought you were deciding on which one to walk out with." It was said as a statement, with no judgment whatsoever, but Aomine almost felt ashamed of his earlier intentions. It was definitely those eyes.

"I may have been considering my options," he found himself admitting.

"So what made you walk away from all those pretty girls?"

Aomine made sure to hold his gaze. "I saw you sitting here."

They stared at each other for what seemed like ages, unspoken words being thrown back and forth, and he felt the air around them sizzle with tension. Finally, the other man smiled that strange smile.

"You should have gone home with one of them," he said as he stood up and Aomine watched in amazement as he gulped the rest of his drink as though it was mere water. "I apologize for wasting your time. Good night." He bowed slightly and with a wave at the bartender, he walked out.

Minutes later, Aomine was still staring bemusedly at the door through which that very fine piece of ass had just walked out of when he heard a voice beside him.

"You're wasting your time on him, y'know." Aomine turned to see the bartender leaning against the counter, casually cleaning a glass. They knew each other, sort of. He'd met the man a couple of times on the public basketball courts, and though they got along like oil and water, he was a decent guy.

"So I've been told. What is he, married?" The redhead burst out laughing.

"Kuroko? Married? That man is more flighty than a bird."

Hm, Kuroko? An interesting name for a man with such bright features. And he was as against commitment as Aomine was. He was enthralled. "So what is it?"

Kagami – that was the bartender's name, Aomine belatedly remembered – put down the glass he had been holding to contemplate Aomine.

"He never falls for anyone."

Aomine grinned. "Sounds like my kind of guy."

Kagami shook his head and picked up another glass to begin wiping. "Well, good luck. He's a tough nut to crack, and it's obvious that he isn't interested in you."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that."

"What gives you that idea?" Kagami asked with a raised eyebrow. Aomine stood up, and decided that he wasn't going to risk his liver trying to finish the poison in his glass. He fished out a small wad of bills and laid them on the counter in between his glass and the empty glass left by Kuroko.

"He let me buy him a drink." With a smirk and a wave, Aomine walked out, leaving a baffled redhead staring at the bills on the bar.