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Other people would not call Kuroo Tetsurou lucky.
He grew up in the Outlying Districts, too far away from the major cities for the government to care about his life. His clothes carried the dirt from too many wears, donning him until they would physically fall off of his body. His rib cages counted each meal he skipped, and his hands reminded him of the harsh labor that kept a roof over his head. Many people would not want to be Kuroo Tetsurou.
But Kuroo Tetsurou knew life wasn’t fair.
The population was beyond what the planet could handle, and beyond what the human brain could solve, with people crammed into every corner of the earth. With this excess amount of people came much bigger problems, like inadequate space and funding to support them. Cities and suburbs kept spreading until they had nowhere left to go. Countries responded by becoming more gentrified, only focusing on keeping their major cities afloat, leaving the unlucky souls in the Outlying Districts to defend themselves. Cities like Tokyo were much too overcrowded, but they had easy lives. That was, if you could afford it. An abundance of culture and restaurants, access to education and health care, and events happening everywhere. It was a dream, but a near impossible dream for people like Kuroo Tetsurou.
The people in the Outlying Districts were not given the same. Food was sparse and over priced, buildings crumbled without maintenance to fix them, and the water could not be cleaned fast enough to supply the billions of people using it. Old age was no longer a promise, but a luxury. Illness ran much too rampant, since cleanliness cost too much time and money. It was too much to educate everyone there, so the majority of the people there had very limited or no ability to read.
And despite all of this, Kuroo Tetsurou knew he was the luckiest person alive.
“It happened again.”
Kenma was facing away from Kuroo at his place at the kitchen table. It was an old table, held up by sheer stubbornness and several dozen nails that Kuroo hammered into it. Kuroo loved that table, his father had given it to him when they moved in together last year. It reminded him of the people he grew up with, stubborn and rough around the edges. Kenma’s eyes were focused on the projector in front of him, nothing fancy like the holograms or touch-screens the people in the city had. The news was on. Kuroo sighed.
“Another terrorist attack?”
“If that’s what you want to call them,” Kenma mumbled, coughing slightly while putting his spoon in the empty bowl. He stood up, dropping it in the sink where Kuroo was cleaning their few dishes.
“Ah, right,” Kuroo rolled his eyes, mostly playfully. “According to your conspiracy theory , it’s population control. Is that right?”
“It makes sense. They’re only targeting Outlying Districts in the most populated countries. First France and the UK, now the United States? And the bombs aren’t just little grenades anyone could make, they’re wiping out entire towns. Tell me it isn’t suspicious.”
Kuroo set down the rag he was using to dry the plates, and turned around. He leaned against the counter, eyes finding his partner’s. Kenma’s eyes always had a fire in them, despite how he tried to hide them behind his long hair. His expression always had a bit of ‘challenge me, I dare you’ to it. Kuroo smiled.
“I think that people are unhappy, and this is how they are acting out.” He explained calmly. Kenma stared harder at him, refusing to back down.
“You have too much faith in our government. They wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh yes they would.”
Kenma huffed and looked away. He was the smartest person Kuroo knew, and Kuroo would listen to anything he had to say (despite if Kuroo thought it was ridiculous). He stepped forward, wrapping the smaller male in a hug. Kenma wrapped himself around him, face buried in his chest.
“Japan is one of the safest countries, with much better living conditions than the other major countries. Our government is doing okay.”
It took a moment before either said anything else.
“... You don’t think anything like that will happen here, do you?”
He looked down at Kenma. His fiery eyes were filled with worry, an emotion he only let few people see. Kuroo tucked a strand of blonde hair behind his ear distractedly.
“No,” Kuroo replied, hugging him tighter. “No, I don’t think so.”
Kenma sighed as he melted into the embrace.
—
Days like these were Kuroo’s favorites.
Jobs were hard to supply out here, so most people turned to self-sufficiency, or became proprietors. Kenma was one of them.
Kuroo (luckily) had a boring job at a factory, piecing together racks for internet servers for companies who could afford them. It made him scowl sometimes, and on bad days, when he let his thoughts wander too far, he would find himself angry. Angry that the labor he did for the bare minimum wage was a luxury for people in the cities. These people only had these goods because people like him were working inhuman hours for close to no pay, just to keep a roof over their head.
But Kuroo Tetsurou knew life wasn’t fair.
That’s why his favorite days were days like these, where he didn’t have to work. The summer humidity seeped into his bones, and all the windows were open, in hopes of a little breeze. He was watching mind-numbing videos on his tablet, his orange cat purring loudly in his lap. It felt so good sometimes to do nothing. You didn’t need fancy clothes or a nice house to do nothing. Kuroo could just exist, and still do nothing. It was powerful.
“I’m home,” Kenma announced as he shucked off his dusty boots in the genkan. Their cat immediately went to greet him (that darn cat always loved him more), closely followed by Kuroo. He was wearing all black, as usual, and his clothes were looking a bit dirtier than usual. It must’ve been a hard day at work.
“How was work?” Kuroo asked, as he placed a gentle kiss on Kenma's forehead.
“Fine,” he coughed, removing his jacket that really only prevented him from getting sunburnt, as the fabric was too cheap to prevent the elements. “I was able to sell most of my inventory, but I didn’t find much stock this morning.”
The two sat down on their couch, Kenma immediately cuddling up to the taller male. Neither cared about the insatiable heat. His eyes drifted closed, but Kuroo knew he wasn’t sleeping yet. Kenma was always so tired. Just like Kenma always had that cough. It was a part of him that Kuroo didn’t like, but couldn’t do much about. Not right now, anyways.
But Kenma was much smarter and more creative than Kuroo could ever hope to be. Each morning, he went dumpster diving and scavenging for any technology parts he could repurpose and sell. Kuroo had no idea where he learned to do that, or who he was selling them to, but it kept food on their table, so he had no complaints. With both of them working, it wasn’t so hard to afford things. It was quite nice, they had it pretty good.
“That’s great,” Kuroo whispered into blonde hair. He rubbed the other’s back soothingly. “You’re so hardworking.”
Eyes still closed, Kenma’s face burned. “You’re the one doing hard work, not me…”
“Mmmm, debatable. I’m just slapping frames where they tell me to.”
Kenma’s breathing evened out, and Kuroo found himself also being pulled into slumber. He couldn’t deny a midday nap while his favorite person rested in his arms.
He would never get tired of days like these.
—
“I have a surprise for you.”
Kenma hardly looked up from his handheld game. It was probably the hundredth time he had completed it, but it was his favorite game regardless. “A surprise? You know I don’t like surprises, Tetsu.”
“It’s a good surprise, I promise.”
“What kind of surprises happen at midnight…” Kenma grumbled, but paused the game regardless. Kuroo gleamed in victory.
Kuroo took their hand, both scarred from working with tools and metal all day. His blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, like usual during the hotter months. His clothes were baggier than normal (likely stolen from Kuroo) and his arms were littered with bruises from digging through dozens of trash piles. Kuroo couldn’t help but stare at how good he looked. Kenma always looked good, whether he was trying to or not. Kuroo was not much of a catch, he just got lucky when Kenma liked him back.
“Where are we going?” Kenma yawned while Kuroo ushered him into his old, red truck. The truck was like a billion years old and it hardly ran, but it got the job done.
“Don’t you know what a surprise is?”
Kenma rolled his eyes again.
The truck sputtered to a start, and they traveled down the cracked road. People were still walking about everywhere, it was almost impossible to go anywhere at any time of day (or night) without seeing hoards of people. It seemed like the world never needed to sleep.
They turned down an unlit road, the pavement turning to gravel. The truck carefully maneuvered through rice fields and pot holes bigger than a person. There was little out here besides the necessary rice fields and small complexes full of people who worked them. It was more peaceful than their side of town.
Kuroo stopped the car at the top of a small hill, just past the farming neighborhood.
“Okay, wait here for a second,” he told Kenma while climbing out of the truck. “And don’t peek.”
Kenma sat in silence in the truck, listening to the endless humming of electricity and the faint noises of vehicles and planes in the distance. He hated how loud the world was, but would he like it better if it was silent? He guessed he would never know.
“Okay!” Kuroo tapped on his window, startling the younger out of his thoughts. He coughed a little, steadying his racing heart. “It’s ready.”
He helped Kenma out of the car, always insisting on opening the door for him. Kenma huffed, pretending that he didn’t need the help, but he secretly loved it. Kuroo was such a gentleman.
He led them to the front of the truck where Kuroo had set up one of their blankets, a loaf of fresh bread, and a few flowers (where could he even get those from?) .
“Happy anniversary.”
Kenma blushed as Kuroo wrapped around him, hugging him from behind. It was hard to keep track of the exact days with little technology, and it didn’t really matter when the only things they had to do in life was stay alive and show up to work. But Kuroo was extra, and loved Kenma more than anything else, so he always found a way to remember things like their birthdays and holidays. Kuroo could also be lying, which he would totally do just to spoil Kenma more, but he really enjoyed these days with Kenma.
Kenma ran his thin fingers over the flower petals delicately. “Tulips… How did you get these out here?”
“Ah, connections,” Kuroo smirked and laid down at his feet.
“Don’t make it sound like you have some yakuza friend who does you favors.”
Kuroo smiled up at Kenma, upside down but still a dork. “You caught me.”
Kenma laid down next to him, pressing their shoulders together. He looked up at the sky, stars and moon, almost impossible to see with the pollution. In a really old book he found, he saw pictures of the night sky, completely free of the smog. It looked so clear, and beautiful.
He still thought the sky looked gorgeous tonight, but he was busy staring at the person next to him. He turned Kuroo’s jaw towards him and placed a quick kiss on his lips.
“Happy anniversary, Kuro.”
—
“Tetsurou, what is this??”
He looked up from the dinner he was making them, Kenma’s angry face stomping into the kitchen. He had a piece of mail in his hands, he was waving around angrily.
“What-”
“Why did you tell me?” Kenma yelled as he slammed the envelope on the table, causing it to creak dangerously.
In bold letters, it was addressed to Kuroo Tetsurou. And the return address was for the University of Tokyo.
“Oh, I wasn’t expecting that to come so soon…”
“Kuroo!”
“Ken-“
Kenma stormed into Kuroo’s personal space. It wasn’t often he expressed his emotions so freely, and anger certainly wasn’t a common one.
“… Are you leaving me?”
Kuroo cocked his head. “What?”
Kenma looked away bashfully. Tears pooled in his eyes, and his cheeks burned as he tried to keep them from falling.
“Oh Kenma. No,” he put a firm hand on his arm, not wanting to smother him too much while he was upset. “I would never leave you. Ever. That’s a promise.”
“… But you applied for school. In Tokyo.”
Kuroo sighed. “I… I want to get a degree. Hopefully. So we can live a better life. So you don’t have to work, and can stay safe.”
“Maybe I like working. Maybe I like what we have.”
“What we have? We have nothing!”
“I have you! That’s all I care about! And now you’re leaving me,” his voice cracked on the last word, tears escaping.
Kuroo took a step back. “I wouldn’t leave you here. You are what I’m doing this for, all of it. I want to be able to buy us nice things… help you… Give you what you deserve.”
“We can’t afford to move to Tokyo, or for classes. How would you do it?”
“They love giving full-rides to people in the Outlying Districts, it makes them look good. I would have a dorm, and you could sneak in and stay there…”
Kenma smirked a little, a tiny laugh escaping. “Hide in your dorm the whole semester? Like a cat you’re not supposed to let the RA know you have?”
“Yeah,” Kuroo smiled a bit. “Exactly like that. Except it would be you and a cat we aren’t supposed to let the RA know we have.”
Kenma sat down in a chair, feeling a bit lighter after getting it all out. Kuroo followed his lead.
“What would you study? Chemistry? Engineering?”
“… I was thinking about Pharmaceuticals…”
“Why that? That’s really… not what I expected.”
Kuroo glanced away, not speaking towards Kenma anymore. “… To find something to help you.”
“For me?” Kenma shook. “You want to spend your college acceptance on me?”
“Well I don’t know if I’m accepted yet…”
Kenma slid the envelope over to him. Kuroo stared at it, picking it up with shaky hands.
“… What if I don’t get in?” he whispered, shyly.
“Then you apply for the college in Osaka.”
Kuroo glanced up and smiled at him, opening the seal slowly. He pulled the letter out and began reading. Kenma waited with his breath held.
“Well?”
“I- I…,” a single sigh left him. “I did it. I got in.”
Kenma was out of his chair and tackling Kuroo before he could even process what he was doing. He hugged him back even tighter.
“I- I will have to wait to see if I get any scholarships though.” Kuroo talked quickly and shakily with all the adrenaline.
“You still got in. I’m so proud of you.” He left a kiss on his forehead.
“I’m so, so proud of you.”
—
“Kuro, can we talk?”
Kenma was out the whole day, which Kuroo had been assuming he was working. But there wasn’t a speck of dirt on his clothes. Maybe it was just a selling day?
“Sure, I’m almost done with dinner by the way.” Kuroo started scooping the questionable stew into bowls for them to eat. Kenma sat down at the table, but he was silent. Well, more silent than usual . His head hung as he watched Kuroo set the food in front of him.
“What’s up?” He asked cheerfully.
Kenma stirred the stew around with his spoon, not glancing up. “I uh… I went to the doctor today.”
Kuroo froze, spoon halfway to his mouth. “Oh?”
Kenma glanced away. “Yeah. I had been… saving up for a while. Just to check it out… the cough.”
He could feel Kuroo’s stare burning into him. He didn’t know what else to say, even though he had more to tell him.
Kuroo was much more stubborn that him, and refused to speak.
He took a deep breath. “It’s… not looking good. My lungs. The doctor said the pollution and the work I’m doing, even though I’m being safe and wearing masks when I go outside, and I just have a weaker immune system and-“
“And you’re alright, right? It’s fine? Nothing medicine can’t solve.”
“Kuro.”
“Please,” Kuroo moved to kneel next to Kenma’s chair, grabbing his small hand. “Kenma. Please tell me it’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”
A tear slipped from Kenma’s eye.
“I’m sorry, Kuro.”
“No, no, the doctor is missing something. We can go back! We have plenty of savings, there has to be a medicine that will help. We will pay it, whatever the price, I don’t care -“
“Kuro-“
“- we need to keep you healthy, you can stop working and I’ll pick up more shifts to cover the costs and -“
“Kuroo.”
Kenma wrapped himself around Kuroo, who now had his face buried in Kenma’s midsection. The angle was a bit awkward, with him still on the floor, but he didn’t let go.
“Kuro, I’m so sorry. I am so, so sorry.”
Kuroo shook, and it was Kenma’s last straw. He never cried. Not when they were forcibly kicked from their first apartment, with nowhere to go. Not when his mother passed from illness when he was younger. Not even when he broke his nose rough housing with his friend Bokuto a little too hard.
Kenma didn’t like watching him cry.
“I- I can’t have you leaving me,” Kuroo choked out. “Please. I love you. I love you so much.”
“… I love you too.”
“I- I’m scared, Kenma.” He hugged Kuroo tighter.
They didn’t move from that spot for a while.
—
Work was miserable today.
There was order after order after order it seemed to never end. His lunch was just quickly shoving his sandwich down his throat and being yelled at to return to work. His arms ached and all he wanted was a warm bath and to fall asleep.
“Oh, Kenma. You’re home.” He noticed as he entered the house. The kitchen light was on and slow jazz was playing from their record player they found behind an abandoned house. Kuroo didn’t care for jazz, but it was all he could find, and any music was better than none.
He strutted into the kitchen, where Kenma was waiting for him with the table set up. Two plates set out with a dish in the middle, cinnamon rolls if Kuroo’s nose was right.
“Welcome home,” Kenma got up quickly and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“What’s all this? Did you go to work today?”
Kenma lead him to his chair, working his thumbs into Kuroo’s sore shoulders. He hummed appreciatively.
“I just want to spoil you sometimes. And no… I took it easy today. I sold a lot earlier this week so a day off won’t hurt us.”
“I’m not worried about the money. And you? Spoil me? I must be in heaven,” he sighed as Kenma stopped the massage to sit down in the chair next to him. “Or perhaps, it was just because you really wanted something sweet?” Kuroo took a cinnamon roll and placed it on Kenma’s plate.
“Why not both?” he smirked.
They ate their dinner (dessert?) in silence, letting the jazz fill the air. The sun was setting right through their kitchen window, orange hues dancing across their cabinets and walls.
Kuroo was staring outside, granted it was just at another brick building. He stood up and held a hand out for Kenma.
Kenma raised an eyebrow, but took his hand regardless, joining him.
“Let’s dance,” he explained, pulling Kenma closer to him.
“I don’t know how to.”
“Me either,” he smirked.
Kuroo wrapped an arm around his waist, the other holding his hand. He began swaying to the music, his cheek resting on Kenma’s hair. Kenma was not inclined with rhythm or any musical abilities, but he followed Kuroo’s steps, holding him closely.
They rocked back and forth for a long time, just holding each other.
“Watch this,” Kuroo said mischievously, stepping back from Kenma. He took their connected hands and tugged it around Kenma’s frame, causing the smaller to twirl around.
Kenma laughed, shocked from the sudden change in pace.
Kuroo did it again, spinning him before tugging him close again. Kenma giggled as they slowed down again. Kuroo wanted to hear that sound on repeat for the rest of his life.
He glanced up into Kuroo’s eyes. They were tired and worn, and had seen things Kenma wished he could’ve shielded him from. But they shimmered with determination, and absolute adoration for Kenma. The smaller pressed up on his tippy toes and placed his lips gently against Kuroo’s.
—
Kuroo wished he had gone to bed with Kenma.
His back ached from curling over the desk, as he read just one more chapter of his textbook. He knew that to be prepared for classes without any prior formal education, he would need to study a lot , even boring stuff like the Industrial Revolution in ancient Japan. So each night, he stayed awake just a little longer, cramming his brain full of seemingly useless information. Even if he wasn’t able to go because of cost, he would still be prepared.
He groaned and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands down his exhausted face. The sounds outside were impossible tonight, distracting him from his studies every few minutes. Every car and plane that by made Kuroo want to rip his hair out.
Kenma was curled up on their bed, somehow asleep before him. Kuroo noticed that, the past few weeks Kenma had been sleeping earlier, and longer. He had to pretend like it didn’t worry him.
Kenma’s clock was ticking, and Kuroo wasn’t sure what he would do when it struck.
He stretched and made his way to their bed. He watched Kenma for a second, deep in slumber. His perpetually creased brows were smoothed out and his breathing was smooth. Kuroo smiled.
The planes kept getting louder. It was almost deafening.
Kuroo peeked out of their blinds, watching them fly overhead. They were awfully low to the ground, and there weren’t any airports nearby.
His stomach twisted, something not sitting well with him.
He didn’t know why, but he scooped up sleepy Kenma and their cat, and found himself backing out of their driveway quickly.
Something wasn’t right. He was almost nauseous with this feeling of wrong swirling around his gut.
He pressed harder on the gas pedal, heading towards the big city of Tokyo.
The planes were unbearably loud now, and that’s when he saw it. A small light dropping from one of the further planes.
It lit up the whole sky in its path.
Several miles away, the whole city lit up in a brilliant white.
Kuroo was going to be sick.
He slammed on the gas, thankful not many cars were out at this time of night. He sped down streets, not sure where he would go or if he could go fast enough. Everything in his body auto piloted as he hit the roads, doing an insane speed that would definitely put him behind bars, if he knew the city wasn’t about to vanish completely.
He was silent in fear as he kept driving forward.
“Hmmm?” Kenma began to stir. The rumbling of the engine sounded so loud to Kuroo, he would do anything to make it quieter. The world was so silent, his truck screaming as they hauled away. “Kuroo? What’s going on?”
Kuroo lifted his delicate hand to his lips. “It’s okay.” Another kiss. “Nothing. Just go back to sleep.” Kenma’s eyes closed dutifully. “We’ll be there soon.”
“Another surprise?” Kenma grumbled, wrapping his sleeping self around Kuroo’s arm, getting comfy.
Kuroo could barely nod, choking a little. Kenma drifted back off.
The streets he grew up on flew by, and he wished he had it in him to care a little bit more. Streets he played tag on, streets he skimmed knees on, streets he taught Kenma how to play volleyball on. They were all about to disappear, his home. Should he feel homesick? He knew he would never feel homesick, not unless Kenma wasn’t with him.
He watched the blonde more than he watched the road. He wanted his last memories to be of his lover, sleeping peacefully. Of their cat, perched on his lap. How content they both looked. Kuroo could almost imagine they were in their dingy, little apartment, sitting on their couch, watching a rerun of Kuroo’s favorite show, that Kenma always dozed off during.
The light behind him grew brighter. Kuroo Tetsurou always knew life wasn’t fair.
It’s just how he dreamed the end of his world would be.
Devastatingly beautiful, and next to Kenma.
Kuroo knew he was the luckiest person alive, because he got to spend his unlucky life with Kenma Kozume.