always...

chapter 61 - kuroken

"kenma?" kuroo hummed, running his fingers through the setter's bicolored hair.

kenma only grunted in response, too focused on his nintendo switch to answer.

"kenma, can you pause for a second please?" kuroo asked gently, making sure not to interrupt his boyfriend too much.

kenma sighed and paused his game. he put down the switch and turned his head up towards kuroo sitting behind him.

"yes, tetsu?" he rolled his eyes.

"first, can you get off my lap? i think my legs fell asleep. second, what do you want to do tonight?"

"i don't wanna move," kenma whined. "it's only been 3 hours and you're comfortable," he leaned back and snuggled into kuroo's chest.

"okay fine, but can you answer my second question?"

"can we just stay in tonight?"

"mmm...if that's the case, then i was actually gonna pick up an extra shift at seventh- i mean, a-at the café," kuroo stuttered.

"at where?" kenma raised his eyebrows.

"umm, the café. they asked if i could cover someone's shift tonight and i said no, but if we're not doing anything then i was gonna do it. i'm a bit short on this month's rent," kuroo explained quickly.

"ah, i see...but you don't mean at the café though, do you? it's your 'mysterious' third job, right?" kenma claimed.

"w-what do you mean? i only have 2 jobs," kuroo's cheeks started to redden as his heartbeat quickened.

"tetsu, i can literally feel your heart racing right now. i know you have a third job, i'm not stupid."

"sometimes i forget how observant you are."

"so, where?"

"well...i can't say."

"why not?"

"i-it's embarrassing!" kuroo pouted.

"c'mon tetsu, what's more embarrassing than that time you showed up to practice hungover and called nekomata-san, 'okā-san'?"

"if i tell you, promise me you won't judge?"

"i will make no such promises."

"please??"

"nope," kenma answered, popping the 'p'.

"fine! i'm a stripper," kuroo blurted out, his face beet red as he turned to cover it.

kenma was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing. he grabbed his sides and keeled over, falling out of kuroo's lap and off the couch onto the floor.

"that's what you were worried about? kuroo, you're kidding right? why are you embarrassed about that?" kenma wheezed.

"i-well, people already think i'm a loser for playing volleyball and that i'm a nerd. i don't need them judging me for anything else too," kuroo muttered.

"tetsu, listen," kenma stood up and placed his hands on kuroo's broad frame. "stripping makes good money. sure, people may judge you for 'selling your body,' but so what? you're hot, so you might as well make money off of it," the setter assured him.

"i never thought about it that way, but i guess that makes sense. if that's how you feel, how 'bout i take the shift and you can come hang out at the club?"

"i would like nothing more," kenma smiled.

a couple hours had passed and it was finally nightfall. the two had just arrived at seventh heaven and kuroo left kenma to wander the club while he went to change.

"kenma?"

the pudding head spun around to be met by bokuto, clad in his black button down and bright white bowtie.

"bokuto-san, what're you doing here?"

"shit, this is embarrassing," the ace muttered to himself. "well, i-uh...i...work here..."

"oh you too? i'm here with kuroo, but he just left to go change. are you a stripper too?"

"oh! oh no, i'm not. i'm just a bartender," bokuto rubbed the back of his neck.

"that's cool too. is akaashi here as well?"

"umm...no. he doesn't know that i work here actually."

"why not?"

"i find it embarrassing and i also don't want him to get the wrong idea for why i'm working at a strip club of all places," bokuto explained as if it were obvious.

"bokuto-san, this is akaashi we're talking about right? he wouldn't judge you at all, you should just tell him and bring him next time so all four of us can hang out," kenma suggested casually.

"i don't know if that's a good ide-kuroo! there you are!" bokuto exclaimed.

"ah, kenma so you found bo, huh? yeah, i'm going to head to the main stage. apparently the shift i'm covering isn't just at the poles tonight," kuroo replied.

kuroo strutted over to the side of the stage and stepped up to the microphone.

"hello seventh heaven! how is everyone tonight?"

the drunk clubgoers cheered along with bokuto who now stood behind the bar.

"i'm one of your resident strippers, onyx, and tonight i have a special guest," kuroo stretched a hand out towards kenma, a harsh blush quickly rising to the setter's cheeks.

kenma pointed at himself, confused as to why kuroo was calling him onstage and how different his boyfriend was from his usual self.

it was like he had a whole other persona. 'onyx' seemed more confident and daring...seductive and bold.

"that's right, kitten," kuroo winked at him.

kenma slowly made his way towards the stage as one of kuroo's coworkers brought a chair to the center of the platform. he took kuroo's hand and stepped up next to him, his face reddening even more as he felt everyone's eyes on him.

"take a seat now, darling. just sit back and enjoy the show," kuroo smirked, pushing kenma's chest lightly causing him to fall back onto the chair behind him.

kenma's eyes widened as kuroo untied his black silk robe, slipped it off, and draped it around his shoulders.

with kuroo's toned chest and ripped abs exposed to the audience, he turned around to face kenma once more.

"i love you," he mouthed to the setter.

"i love you too," kenma whispered back.