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“Kenma, all I’m saying is if we have to have our first kiss in there no one’s going to believe we’re dating.”
Kenma adjusted his tie, throwing an elbow out to jab Kuroo in the ribs as he did so. “Shut up, I’m not kissing you.”
Kuroo grinned cheekily, unphased by the blow to his side. “Alright, fine, but it’s on you if our cover’s blown.” He rolled his shoulders back and pulled Kenma close, guiding the smaller man to take hold of his arm. “Ready?”
Kenma sighed, tightening his grip on his partner. Sting operations were such a bother.
🌢🌢🌢
Two weeks earlier, missing persons reports started flooding the precincts scattered through Nekoma City. Everyone who’d disappeared was either a siren or a succubus and had gone without a trace. Most of them were women, all under age thirty, and the majority of them lived alone.
It quickly became apparent that the incidents were linked. With suspicions of a trafficking circle raised, all case files were immediately transferred to Chief Sawamura’s detective squad. Officers Tsukishima Kei and Yachi Hitoka worked tirelessly for days, following leads and gathering as much intel as they could. Being sirens themselves, they were anxious to send out the field officers as soon as possible to put an end to the abductions and bring home those who had been taken.
The pair became suspicious after following up on an anonymous hint implicating a city official. They soon learned he was hosting an elaborate party the weekend following his recent reelection to office. Tsukishima arranged invitations and Yachi asked that field officers Kuroo Tetsurou and Kozume Kenma be assigned the sting.
“You two are perfect for the operation,” Officer Yachi explained, “Kuroo’s gone undercover plenty of times, he’s well experienced in collecting information. With Akaashi on leave for now, Kenma’s our only vampire field officer available and we’ll need his ears for the mission. Besides, you two work well together and Chief Sawamura already approved the plan.”
Kenma had opted against arguing with Officer Yachi. It would be a pain to wheedle out of the mission, especially since he knew that at least half of their precinct was gunning for him and Kuroo to hook up (Officer Yachi included). Just that morning he’d overheard Officers Tanaka and Nishinoya placing a bet on how soon after the sting he and Kuroo would go out on a real date.
So, he found himself dressed to the nines on a Friday night, hanging off the arm of one Officer Kuroo. He tried not to think too hard about how much he’d been looking forward to spending his evening off playing one of his new games with Shouyou. It would only depress him.
The first hour wasn’t so bad.
Kuroo was really good at talking to people. He improvised quickly with the information officers Tsukishima and Yachi had provided them with for the foundation of their cover. He seemed to always know just what to say to get someone to open up to him, no matter who he was talking to.
He was also very good at using Kenma as a prop.
He picked just the right times to pull Kenma in close by the waist. He pressed casual kisses to the top of Kenma’s head exactly when he needed to to make a story more believable. All Kenma really had to do was stand there and look cute.
And listen.
For that first hour, he kept twenty percent of his attention on the things Kuroo was saying so he wouldn’t get caught off guard should he suddenly be pulled into the conversation. The shy airhead angle worked well enough for him, but he needed to put in at least a little effort to keep the character believable. If he had to throw in the occasional, “Stop, darling, you’re embarrassing me,” lovestruck smile, or breathy giggle, then so be it. That was the job.
The rest of his attention was devoted to listening in on all of the other conversations going on throughout the house.
He didn’t expect to overhear anything too clandestine in the main room where the majority of the party goers were mingling and sampling fancy hors d’oeuvres. He bounced his focus from conversation to conversation quickly among the crowd for posterity, but paid special attention to anything he could make out going on in other rooms. Kuroo perfected his pacing so they could pass from group to group regularly, moving through the room frequently enough that Kenma wouldn’t miss anything potentially important in more remote corners of the house.
Kenma was stifling yawns as they approached hour two, exhausted from focusing on so many different conversations for so long, when he heard it. Somewhere upstairs, in a far corner, he caught the tail end of a whisper.
“... for me, just a few marks left… out of our hands. ”
Kenma was careful to keep his expression neutral. Or rather, enamored with the tall man beside him. They were already as close to the voice as they could be without leaving the room they were in. It might be suspicious if they ventured further into the house together, especially given their cover as lovers. People would talk and they definitely didn’t want that.
Kenma turned his face up to cast a loving look at Kuroo. “I’m sorry to interrupt, dear,” he murmured, squeezing Kuroo’s arm apologetically as three sets of eyes turned to him. “I’m feeling a bit faint, probably all the noise. I’ll just step outside for a moment.” He was careful to tap the inside of Kuroo’s arm twice, their signal to let Kuroo know Kenma had overheard something and was going to follow up on it.
Kuroo frowned down at him and made a sympathetic noise. He gently brushed the back of his hand over Kenma’s forehead, then cupped his cheek so he could bend down and press a kiss into his hair. “Are you going to be okay, love? Do you need me to come with you?” he asked, using his eyes to confirm whether or not Kenma was requesting backup.
“I think I’ll be fine,” Kenma reassured him, smiling as he drew away. “You don’t need to worry.”
Kenma was quick to weave through the crowd, slipping out the front door. He scanned the area briefly to make sure no one was watching before hopping over the fence so he could get to the side of the house. As he moved into the yard, listening carefully to make sure no one was around to catch him, he picked up on the conversation once more. He made his way toward a bush beneath a second story window where the exchange coming from upstairs was loudest. He crouched low, then closed his eyes to focus.
These men were for sure behind the disappearances, at least in part.
As he listened, he garnered an idea of how many others might be involved. The men didn’t mention any names, unfortunately, but he overheard enough to warrant apprehending them for questioning. All he had to do was get back to Kuroo so they could do the arrest and be done with it for the night. He might even have enough time to call Shouyou to play games after all.
“I thought I smelled a weasel.”
Kenma’s eyes snapped open. He stood quickly, whipping around to face the deep voice that had crept up on him. How did he miss someone getting so close?
He locked eyes with the man before him. Ah. A dryad. He’d been stupid not to consider that a rich man like this politician wouldn’t hire a tree spirit to guard his property, especially if he was involved in trafficking. Of course he’d been able to sneak up on Kenma despite his vampire hearing. He’d probably just phased out of one of the many trees lining the perimeter of the yard.
Kenma’s eyes flicked down to the gun in the dryad’s hands. It was pointed directly at him, and he was at point blank range. If the spirit shot, he wouldn’t miss.
“What’re you doing snooping around back here?” The dryad growled, taking a step closer.
Kenma gulped, mind racing to come up with a believable lie.
Just then, the window above them opened, probably to let in some fresh air since the conversation didn’t pause. What kind of idiots openly discussing slave trading would do that?
“Ah well,” the tree spirit said with a low chuckle as the men above them talked. Even a human would have been able to hear what they were discussing, and it was bad. Kenma couldn’t feign ignorance, and he could become a key witness with the information they were letting slip. “Guess it doesn’t matter anyway. Wrong place, wrong time.”
The dryad fired.
Kenma staggered back, clutching at his chest. He could just make out someone calling his name as he fell back. The world went dark before he even hit the ground.
🌢🌢🌢
Kenma was numb when he regained consciousness. He could feel the rough scratch of concrete underneath him through the thin material of his dress shirt. His eyes were closed, but he could tell that wherever he was, it was dark. There was a heavy pressure on his chest. It hurt.
He could make out what sounded like Kuroo’s voice. He was yelling about something, but it was muffled. Kenma felt like his ears were stuffed with wool.
He was cold.
After a few moments, the fuzziness and ringing in his ears began to subside. Ah, so Kuroo was calling for backup.
That’s right. He’d been shot.
Kenma tried to look around to get a sense of where they were. It looked like maybe some kind of basement, but he didn’t recognize the location as a sanctioned hideout. Kuroo was beside him, shirtless. Kenma followed the line of Kuroo’s arm to see that his partner was pressing down hard on Kenma’s chest, a blood-soaked cloth in his hands.
“Oh thank gods, you’re awake. Can you hear me?”
Kenma drew in a breath to answer, but choked and winced in pain. He coughed, the metallic taste of his blood filling his mouth.
“Oh no, no, no, no. Kenma, listen to me. You were shot in the chest, buddy. It’s bad.” Kuroo’s voice was tight with barely restrained panic. “I called for backup. Bokuto is on the way, but it’s going to take him some time to get here. We’re not going to be able to wait.”
Kenma, disoriented as he was, had a feeling he knew what Kuroo was suggesting. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the terrified man above him.
“Kenma, please. You have to.”
Kenma coughed once more, pushing past the pain to speak. “No. You know that’s a violation.” He wheezed for a few moments. Trying to catch his breath against Kuroo’s bearing down on his chest was difficult. “They’ll take our badges.”
Kuroo growls. “Like I give a damn about that! Besides, the rules about vampire officers feeding on human officers on the job are very vague when it comes to emergencies. No one is going to fire us if I save your life, Kenma.”
Kenma tried to protest once more, but it was getting harder to speak. He was so lightheaded, his vision going dark around the edges.
“Kenma, please!” Kuroo yelled, voice breaking. Tears slid down his cheeks, leaving pink tracks through smears of what must be Kenma’s blood. “I don’t want to lose you! I can’t–” He choked on whatever he was trying to say, a sob ripping from his chest.
“Please,” he whispered. “Just take enough to close the wound. We’re running out of time. If you lose any more blood… Bo won’t be able to bring you back. Please.”
Kenma hesitated. He really didn’t want to risk Kuroo’s safety. Surely he could wait for Bokuto?
“Kenma, please,” Kuroo hissed, “Do not make me feed you without your consent.”
Kenma hated the anguish in Kuroo’s voice. He tried to reach up to comfort him, but he was shaking so badly he couldn’t manage it. Huh. Things must be pretty dire after all.
“Okay,” he whispered.
Kuroo leapt into action. He kept one hand pressed firmly to Kenma’s chest to try to keep the bleeding in check, using the other to pull him up and sideways into his lap. Kenma didn’t love the direction Kuroo was going, but he didn’t have the energy to protest. He felt on the cusp of blacking out any moment. His lips were going numb, the blackness encroaching further on his vision.
“I know you’d rather have my arm,” Kuroo admitted, guiding Kenma’s head to his throat, “But you need a lot and you need it fast. Please don’t fight me.”
Kenma whimpered, but he knew Kuroo was right.
He just prayed he wouldn’t ruin everything.
When he sank his fangs into Kuroo’s neck, he barely registered his partner’s flinch. He could feel the warm, steady flow of blood in his mouth but he couldn’t taste anything. He struggled to swallow, having been sapped of so much of his strength. He nearly choked, but as the first sips made it down his throat, the urge to keep drinking grew stronger. His hands began to steady, and as the trembling faded he managed to reach up to hold the back of Kuroo’s head. Kuroo was totally pliant, moving exactly as Kenma needed him to with just the slightest of touches.
It didn’t take long for Kenma to start feeling more like himself, for his feeding to take on a greater semblance of normalcy.
Well, as normal as drinking from his best friend’s neck in the middle of a cold, dark basement while they were both covered in his own blood could be.
When taste returned, he was floored. Kenma drank human blood often enough, Shouyou always being willing to share and the donation center near his apartment having a few humans who showed up regularly.
Kuroo’s blood was different.
It was as delicious as any other human’s he’d ever had, but something about it warmed and soothed his soul like he’d never experienced before. It was like being wrapped in Kuroo’s arms, protected from the outside world. It felt safe. Right. He could drink it forever.
And that was bad.
Kenma whined and pulled away from Kuroo with gargantuan effort, running his tongue carefully over the wound he’d made so it would seal.
Kuroo was a little breathless, a flush high on his cheeks. Kenma had managed to stop, but had he already taken too much?
The taller officer took a deep, steadying breath and pulled his blood-soaked undershirt away from Kenma’s chest. Kenma followed his gaze, seeing his wound for the first time.
It was definitely on the mend, but it still looked hideous with all the gore smeared across his chest. He could only imagine what he’d looked like to Kuroo with blood pouring out of him. There was still a slow oozing, but if it didn’t seal up on its own in a few minutes it certainly would once he could drink from Bokuto. He would be fine.
He emphasized as much to Kuroo, who looked ready to protest and insist that Kenma keep drinking.
“Please don’t make me take any more,” Kenma murmured, cuddling into Kuroo’s chest. He was solid and warm, and Kenma felt safe. “If I end up hurting you I won’t be able to forgive myself. I’ll be fine now until Bokuto gets here. Please, just… hold me.”
Kuroo made a strange, choked noise in the back of his throat, but did as Kenma asked. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man’s waist, careful not to jostle him too much. Kenma sighed, content. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so comfortable, and he’d just taken a bullet to the chest.
Not one minute later, an enormous wolf tore into the room. It leapt toward them, shifting in mid air. Bokuto was frantic, eyes rolling as he took in the enormous volume of blood pooled on the floor.
“Hey hey hey, little guy, no worries,” he cooed, reaching to take Kenma from Kuroo’s arms. He was incredibly gentle despite his arms being the size of small trees. “Your buddy Bo’s got you. Take whatever you need.”
Kenma was happy to comply.
Drinking from Bokuto was like wearing a big, soft sweatshirt. It was familiar and comforting and Kenma immediately felt at ease. He never worried about hurting Bokuto; the werewolf’s regenerative speed was remarkable. Even so, he probably wouldn’t be able to take all he’d need to fully recover in one meal.
He drank until he could feel his fingers again and his breathing sounded less like a death rattle. It had taken a lot though, enough to make the notoriously energetic Officer Bokuto look a little drowsy.
“Thank you, Bokuto,” Kenma whispered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. With the threat of death no longer looming over him, he cringed at the tight stickiness of his skin where his blood had dried. “I should be fine now until we get back to the precinct. Asahi can give me the last of what I need.”
A nervous chuckle came from behind him. “Guess it’s a good thing after all we keep so many wolves in the office. The canine unit is actually good for something other than drug busts, huh?”
Kenma and Bokuto both looked over at Kuroo, pale as a sheet but sporting a wide grin. After a moment of silence, they all started laughing, relief making them all giddy.
Feeling much more like himself, Kenma pulled himself out of Bokuto’s lap and moved to help Kuroo stand up.
“Tonight was fun and all,” he said as Kuroo got to his feet, “But I think I owe you a dinner.”
Kuroo grinned down at him. “Oh yeah? Like a real dinner? A date dinner? A for-real-definitely-not-pretend-for-work date dinner?”
If Kenma weren’t still so anemic his cheeks surely would have been bright red.
“Don’t make me change my mind,” he grumbled, smacking at Kuroo’s chest.
Kuroo just chuckled, wrapping Kenma into another warm hug. “I’d like that.”
Kenma smiled, reveling in the warmth.
“Great,” he murmured. “Now put on a shirt.”