The Man Who Ran Off With The Moon - [ Tsukkiyama Art Thief AU! ]

Start Thinking

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Isn't what obvious?"

"We're going to steal the Eye of the Moon."

Kuroo threw him a dark look, "That's not fucking funny. This is serious."  Tsukishima was unswayed, "I am serious."

Kuroo got up from the ground, pacing over to the window. He gripped the edge and stared out into the backyard, though it seemed like he was looking beyond. Tsukishima adjusted Yamaguchi's body so he would be propped up a bit more, gently maneuvering his shoulder with the lightest touch.

"We can't go to the police. Yamaguchi is... well, he's not doing well. We steal the gem, we get Kenma back, and Yamaguchi can be free. Everything will be solved. Who's to say we can't? We don't have a lot of time."

Time. It was foreboding notion. Waiting to determine what they could do, who could help them would be a death sentence to the people they loved. There was an invisible clock ticking above their heads. Kuroo nodded slowly, carefully. "Ok... ok. Let's do it."

Tsukishima provided a small note for Yamaguchi explaining they would be going out, that they would be back within two hours, in case he happened to wake up. It felt safe to leave the man at home alone with the deadline they had been given. No one was coming to harm him if they expected the gem to be returned. Yamaguchi was sleeping more peacefully now, and his temperature seemed to have gone down a bit. He looked so fragile, wound up between the sheets like an injured bird in a box, but at least he was still. Tsukishima hoped that he was dreaming of something pleasant. He rested a hand on the man's cheek, trailing a finger along his jawline, then quietly left. Kuroo was waiting outside in his car. He moved hollowly, a darkness in his face. The situation they were in felt so implausible, Tsukishima almost wanted to step away from it and laugh. But it was real. It was happening. All of their lives would be the price of poor execution.

They determined a museum trip was necessary to collect information about what needed to be done to accomplish their goal. The Tokyo National Museum was in the same park as the zoo Tsukishima assumed he had been fired from at this point. The museum was not a single building, but rather a complex of six large spaces that sprawled over the grounds. The main building, the Honkan, housed cultural and historical artifacts; ancient Buddhist scrolls, beautiful ceramics, silken costumery. A long reflecting pool stretched out in front of the grand building, but they were interested in the structure directly behind it. The Heiseikan was sleekly modern, a distinct contrast from the traditional Honkan. It was the most recent edition to the museum's grounds, built in 1993 to commemorate the crown prince's wedding. The bottom floor of the museum was dedicated to a permanent, chronological exhibition of Japanese archeological finds, ranging from the Paleolithic era to the Edo period. It also contained a lecture hall and an auditorium for public events.

The top floor was for special exhibitions.

The museum was packed with people, the allure of the Eye of the Moon pulling in locals and tourists alike. Guides shouted, mother's wrangled children. It was a bit chaotic. Security figures loomed within corners, watching, waiting for anyone to move too close to the glass. The shuffle of bodies and recycled heat made Tsukishima feel sick. There was no way they would ever be able to navigate a crime through this crowd. He and Kuroo didn't speak much as they ascended the stairs.

The top floor was divided into four separate exhibition rooms. The smallest room, shoved without a thought into the leftmost corner, had been dedicated to a traveling contemporary arts show. The painting hanging against the entrance wall caught Tsukishima's eye, momentarily arresting his vision. It was of a simple house at the edge of an ocean. It had been composed not so much by color, but by light, the shifting blues and greens dappled against an unseen sun. He felt like he could reach out and open the front door, like he could step into this painting and enter a security that was denied in his land of three dimensions. There were no people inhabiting the landscape, but Tsukishima felt like he could feel them just out of the frame. He could feel their love.

Tsukishima thought back to Yamaguchi's rambling for a quiet life, his desire for a house by the sea. Tsukishima's life had always been quiet, at least until very recently.
When this was all over, he resolved himself, in that small moment, that he would create a space like this for the two of them to share. He wanted to give Yamaguchi some of the quiet that he deserved.

A house by the sea.

A home.

He bent down to read the artist card.

Oikawa Kana.  "The Vacation".
Acrylic on canvas. Biarritz, France.

Kuroo grabbed him loosely by the back of the shirt, "We aren't here to sight see, come on", he grumbled. The rest of the floor was dedicated to the main attraction, the infamous, coveted Eye of the Moon. Two rooms were dedicated to the history of the stone, a timeline of it's discovery, it's impact on the scientific and artistic community. The final room, the largest, contained only the stone. It was nearly impossible to see with the crowd of people, everyone inching to get a look. The room was rectangular, and there were security cameras in each corner. Tsukshima and Kuroo eventually pushed their way to the front.

The gem really was beautiful.

There is a moon that exists in the sky, a craterous, dull creature. Our conception of what the moon is, what it can mean to an individual, is entirely different. The delicate being that provided comfort at night, that gently pulled the tides- the moon of stories and prayers, songs and sonnets, rested before them in resplendent glory. Tsukishima felt a bit worse. It was ugly and  horrible that there was someone who wanted to take this from where it could be enjoyed by all people. How awful that someone out there would harm and kill for just a little piece of light.

He remembered, with those grim thoughts, why he was here. The gem sat on a pedestal in the center of the room, covered by a glass box. An rope fence existed around it to keep the public back. Three guards were stationed, two on either side of the room, one by the door. Kuroo and Tsukishima stayed in the room for as long as possible, getting a feel for the space, until the crowd forced them out. They returned down the singular flight of stairs and exited the building. Tsukishima noticed his hands were shaking slightly. They had to steal that. That thing that was surrounded by people and guards and glass. If they failed, it would mean not only jail, but death to those they loved the most.

Yamaguchi needed to be free of this before it was too late.

His stomach churned and he felt like he might be sick. Kuroo looked at Tsukishima and nodded, slightly.

"It's... it's not going to be impossible. Just hard."

They quietly returned home. Kuroo said he was going to go do some research on his laptop. Tsukishima nodded, turning back to the garage apartment. Yamaguchi was still in the same position he had been in. Tsukishima cleaned his wound, changed the bandages. Yamaguchi didn't stir, but he was still breathing, ever so softly. The blond placed a hand on his head, moving him gently in his lap.

In high school, Yamaguchi had given him such untiring tenderness. He had always been there to support him, asking for little in return. Tsukishima had so much care to catch up on.

The entirety of the situation felt like an invasion. A loss of control. But, as he cradled Yamaguchi's head in his hands, he realized that he felt calm. It was so simple, in a way. Steal the gem. Save Kenma. Free the man he loved. He was forcing himself to be numb to the insanity of it all, for Yamaguchi's sake.

Kuroo opened the door to the apartment, placed a note on the table, then exited without so much as a word. He seemed lost in himself, in his worry. It made Tsukishima nervous.

He gently moved Yamaguchi back to the pillow, going to pick up the note. It read:

Our obstacles

-electronic security system
-bullet proof glass casing around the gem
-guards
-getting in and out of the museum. it's way too crowded during the day, but security at night is probably increased. we need an alternative

Start thinking.