Work Text:
It was a rather strange chilly summer evening and Tetsurou Kuroo did not enjoy the cold air on his skin.
*I told you,* he heard Keiji Akaashi speak in his ear piece. *You should have asked for an update on your costume, dude.*
“What? I like my costume! Plus, I wasn’t able to contact support for my winterwear yet…” Kuroo was looking down from the rooftop he was standing on.
*Dude, I can see your nipple from all over here.*
Kuroo looked over a couple of buildings. He knew that Akaashi was nearby, his marksman quirk all ready to shoot their target. Akaashi was looking through binoculars but Kuroo had his eyesight.
“Okay, first? That’s gross. And second? That’s not why we’re here.”
*I know… Any hints as to where he’s hiding?*
They were looking for a bank robber / hostage taker, a tall, dark male wearing an army combat-like uniform that wasn’t fooling anyone. Kuroo’s quirk not only made him see anything as clear water, but he could also move swiftly around. He jumped from one rooftop to another without making a sound, is movements almost ninja-like.
“Damn it… I could be home instead of jumping around everywhere.”
*You know you like this job, man.* Both men kept the conversation going as though they were standing by a watercooler. They were used to this routine by now, having graduated from U-A almost three years ago already. They had been able to find a job in a small hero office near the school grounds. Thanks to Kuroo’s quirk they managed to find themselves a job as security guards for the school.
But once in a while, other small jobs would occur. Like tonight’s.
Kuroo did like this job. It was the closest he would probably be to being a hero.
“Wait – I see something… he’s near your building, Akaashi.”
Kuroo went back on his track, not leaving the asshole go from his sight. The guy had something in his arms, most likely the body of a young person inside a dark bag. He understood they had to act quick before the asshole would run away with yet another victim in his grasp.
“Akaashi, 30 degrees to your right and you should have him in your sight!”
*Roger that – target acquired. Ready to shoot on command.*
Akaashi would never kill anyone. His power was one to kill and back in the day villains had attempted to recruit him and his power to shoot bullets from his fingers. But the guy had never fell into their traps and had made sure that his powers would be used only in emergency situations.
They couldn’t miss their chance. This was most likely the only shot they would be given.
Kuroo’s eyes never let go of the villain. “Fire!”
A shot was fired. And hit the guy in the leg.
Dropping the baggage on the ground the big ass man grabbed his leg and attempted to run away. “Akaashi, one more dude. Don’t just shoot to hurt he might run away!”
*I am not killing any one, Kuroo!*
“For fuck’s sake just shoot!!”
Kuroo heard the gun shot but he was never able to see if it had been fatal or not.
*Kuroo – what’s happening – Kuroo!*
There was a flash of light. Sudden. And bright. Something Kuroo had never seen before. And was most likely a thousand times worst for him as his quirk had been on all this time.
White. Then black. Then nothing else.
Kuroo feel blood oozing from his tear ducts. His head felt like a time bomb ready to explode at any moment. He threw away the earpiece, the only way of communication he had with any one else. But he didn’t give a damn at the moment.
All he wanted right now was to survive through this pain.
xXx
“Kuroo?”
He heard his name from afar. Everything was dark but nothing hurt anymore. Had he fainted at some point?
Taking a deep breath, his senses made him realize that he wasn’t outside on top of a building anymore but rather inside a small room. Everything smelled… clean. Like…
Was he in a hospital?
“Kuroo, Goddamnit wake up, you stupid fuck!”
He knew that voice. It had to be… Kuroo wanted to look towards the sound of the voice but again everything was pitch black.
“Bokuto? Is that you?”
“The fucker is awake!! ‘Kaashi! He’s awake!”
“Not so loud dude,” the sound of Akaashi’s soothing voice came from the other side of wherever Kuroo was lying down. “Go get the doctor.”
“Yes! Right away…” Bokuto got up and walked away from the bed. “Doctor! Where the hell are you?!”
Kuroo waited until the sound of his best friend’s voice faded in the hallway before he talked again. “What’s wrong with my eyesight?”
When Akaashi didn’t reply, Kuroo started to panic. “Dude, what’s wrong? Why can’t I see?”
“You have bandages over your eyes, dude. Best is to wait for Tsukki to show up.”
“Tsukki? You mean—”
Kuroo was cut off by a new voice.
“Well well… looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake. Did anyone give you a kiss?”
Tetsurou couldn’t see, but he knew that the young blonde was smirking.
“Jealous, are we?”
That shut the doctor up.
The four of them had been long time friends from all the way back to their first year at U-A. While Kuroo, Akaashi and Bokuto all had ended in the hero’s course Kei Tsukishima had been the perfect candidate for the support classes, thanks to his quirk that he had inherited from his grandmother, Recovery Girl.
Throughout the years as students, and even after their graduation Tsukki had been the perfect healer for the group and so he had been able to cure every little injury the boys have had. That is, he had never had to cure Kuroo from any injury as the guy had only gotten minor scrapes and always took care of them himself. So this situation was rather a strange one to say the least.
Kuroo head Tsukishima sit next to him. “So, care to tell me what’s happening?”
“Well from the information I managed to get from Akaashi and Bokuto the villain you were after used a flash-like quirk to blind everyone around him so he could run away. But since you were using your own quirk I’m guessing that it burned your retinas.”
“Wait-” Kuroo turned his head left towards where he assumed Akaashi was sitting. “Did we catch that guy?”
“We did, thanks to that second shot in his leg we managed to follow his track.”
“We?” Kuroo asked, curiously.
“Yeah well… two other heroes were nearby and helped out once they heard me yell out your name. There was a blonde with serious anger issues and a red-haired guy who fetched you and brought you here.”
“Serious anger issues?” Kuroo was running away from the main subject but couldn’t help but wonder just who those two guys were.
Akaashi giggled. “You think Bokuto swears a lot? You should have heard that guy.”
Kuroo nodded. He mentally noted to find those guys and thank them someday. He then turned his head towards Tsukishima again. “So? Can you cure me?”
There was an uneasy silence inside the room, one that made Kuroo even more anxious.
“Tsukki?”
“Here’s the thing: I tried. And I can’t.”
“You can’t?”
More panic. Kuroo could sense Akaashi and Bokuto fidgeting nearby while Tsukishima was clearly working on cleaning his glasses with the bottom of his shirt.
“I… I can’t heal you, Kuroo. I’m sorry.”
And with that the blonde ran out of the room.
xXx
It took Kei Tsukishima three day before he managed to walk back inside the hospital room where one of his most precious friends had been resting.
To him, Kuroo had always been the coolest and the greatest. While the guy had never really liked his own eyesight quirk Kei had always admire it, making him the super hero ninja Kei had always dreamt to become.
Kei’s healing quirk had only appeared after his grandmother’s passing. That was how the quirk had always been passed along. And when his quirk had finally manifested, he had only one person in his mind that he’d wanted to heal someday…
Such a stupid thought, really.
But then, when Kuroo had showed up to the ER thanks to Akaashi and the other two younger heroes, how come his quirk hadn’t worked on him?
Kei had spent the last three days wondering the same thing. He had locked himself in his office, not even answering the door whenever someone knocked. There was just no way…
What if Kuroo’s eyesight never returned again? He had the healing quirk and yet…
Kei took a deep breath before entering the room. Kuroo had been by himself for a while now, Akaashi and Bokuto having to work that day. The guy still had his white bandage over his eyes but was sitting us straight with his head facing the window.
The guy seemed calm and collecte, but Kei had known the guy for so long. He knew that Kuroo was trying his best to hide all signs of negativity and fears that he felt at the moment.
“I know you’re there,” Kuroo said after Kei sat down on the small stool by the bed.
Kei didn’t talk. Kuroo didn’t move his head.
They say like that for what seemed to be hours, before Kuroo broke the silence.
“Kei—”
“Why can’t I heal you?”
Kei’s head fell on the bed by Kuroo’s side. He didn’t give a damn about the glasses on his nose. Grabbing the bedsheets by his face he tried his best not to cry. He didn’t want Kuroo to see--- to feel his sadness.
“Kei… it’s okay.”
“No it’s not! You were supposed to be a hero, to work your fucking ass off until you could manage a place of your own so that you… we…”
They had been planning their lives together for so long… so why was everything going down the drain?
“What’s a healing quirk good for if I cannot heal the man that I love?”
Kei looked up to find Kuroo looking back at him, tears running down on the side of his cheeks.
He couldn’t help himself, and kissed the cat-ninja he had fallen in love with all those years ago.
---
Kuroo didn’t know if being blind had awaken his other senses, but that kiss had been the best kiss he had ever had in his life.
He felt Tsukki’s lips working their magic and they were perfect. Everything was perfect. Kei Tsukishima was perfect in every way. If being blind was what waited for him Kuroo was ready for it, if it meant that Tsukki would stay by his side.
Only…
“Kei…” Kuroo spoke as he tried to catch his breath.
“Hmm?”
Kuroo backed away from the warm embrace and brought his hands up to his bandages. After fighting with the stuff for a moment Kuroo felt Tsukishima’s hands helping him out…
Or rather… he saw his hands.
And then his face.
Tsukishima’s beautiful face.
“I… I can see! Kei – I can see you!”
It was 100% obvious that Bokuto would make kissing jokes later on but at the moment neither of them gave a damn. As they kissed once more Kuroo felt forever grateful to have his long time crush still here by his side, for better or worse.