Chapter Text
The first time Kenma went to his new modeling job he was struck with an anxiety. All the bright lights on him, people looking at him left to right. It made him nervous and anxious. The photographer was nice about giving him a break, allowing him to go off in a dark corner to calm himself down. He would text Kuroo during that time.
Sometimes he hates Kuroo for dragging him into this business. Sometimes he wants to quit, but then only Kuroo would be bringing in income again, and this way it's easier to pay rent, they can afford the wedding now, they will be able to afford going to the beach on vacation.
"Kenma!" he heard the photographer call for him as he put his cellphone away and standing back up, girls and boys coming over to fix his makeup and hair what had became a mess. "Do you think you can continue?" he nods. It's only a couple more shots, it's not like his outfit was revealing.
Actually he was wearing a light off-white sweater with grey skinny jeans, he was posing by Kuroo's mock car what was just for show. Being the team model raised his popularity, as well as Kuroo's. Soon they both were known as the power couple in the drag racing space, Kuroo being a handsome driver and him being a pretty model.
Kenma sighed after the final flash of the light went off. "Excellent work," he heard the photographer complement as he replied with a weak smile, his manager coming up to him, rushing him to change so they could make it to Kuroo's radio appearance.
He pulled the shirt over his head, replacing it with a striped black and red shirt a little loose on him and a pair of black jeans. "I'm ready," he told the manager as the outfit coordinators took his modeling clothes from him.
Kenma watched as building passed by him, his phone vibrating. He looked at the text seeing it was from Akaashi. He was telling him that Bokuto and him got the job of being a drag racer and model as well. Akaashi had told him he would apply to try and help kenma stay calm under all the lights, seeing a friend there with him and Bokuto didn't want to lose to Kuroo.
He smiled making a quick reply as they stopped in front of the radio building, the manager rushing him inside the area. He could see Kuroo with headphones on waiting for the show to go live. He frowned realizing he would have to watch and listen from the room in front of it, through a glass wall. He stared at Kuroo as his fiance raised his head to him, giving him a wide smile.
It made Kenma's heart hurt, seeing how much Kuroo enjoyed the time in the spotlight, where he didn't like it all. He gave a small smile lifting his small hand waving to his fiance. "Where's your PSP?" he read Kuroo's lips as his hand dropped. "Manager took it from me," he mouthed back while eyeing towards the manager sitting in the chair facing towards the coffee table. He saw a flash of anger in his fiance's eyes before they returned as the room buzzed and the "LIVE" sign turned green.
He sighed moving away from the glass to the seats sitting down. He pulled his legs up to his chest closing his eyes as he listened to Kuroo answer questions about both of them.
"I heard you plan to marry Kenma after you win this upcoming race?" he heard the radio host speak.
He heard Kuroo chuckle before replying. "There was always a plan to marry Kenma, with or without winning the race," he smiled softly listening to him speak.
"Is it going to be big? I'm sure your fans would love to see pictures from it."
"No, we're going to go small and private, only family and close friends will be allowed in."
Kenma's smile widened, Kuroo always knew what he wanted, what he liked. He shouldn't be hard on him when he's trying to push to be more social, to be able to live life to the fullest. Not everyone becomes a model.
He drifted in and out of sleep as the conversation shifted back towards Kuroo. Something about fans, and anti-fans, getting letters. He was trying to listen to the fullest until he fell asleep in the chair.
"Kenma."
Kenma groaned hearing Kuroo's voice call for him, he could feel a hand in his hair, brushing it back. "Kenma you need to wake up," he heard him whisper as the younger finally forced his eyes to open, looking tiredly up at his fiance. "Kuroo," he tried to talk loud only for it to come out barely a whisper.
"It's okay, I've got you," he heard the older whisper before arms were under him, hoisting him up bridal style. Kenma was sure to lazily wrap his arms around his neck. "Where's the manager?" he asked softly as he was carried out of the radio studio, it was dark out he noticed. It made him uneasy. "Let me walk," he was suddenly more alert as he pushed off of the older's chest as he let him down.
As he was let down his eyes met with a dark figure out of the corner of his eye before a shot was heard. It seemed like slow motion, the shot firing, him turning in horror as Kuroo fell to the ground, him screaming as he dropped to the ground covering his head just in case as he dialed for help with a free hand.
The time between the paramedics getting there and watching Kuroo bleed from his hip was also slow. Kuroo was staring at him, hand on his hip. 'It wasn't fatal,' he reminds himself as the emergency responders came and took them away.
The next day Kenma wore a mask out as paparazzi and reports got in his face for comments about what happened. It caused him to have panic attacks but he had Bokuto and Akaashi with him as well as managers to push them out of the way so he could get to the van.
Once in the van Kenma would curl up against Akaashi and cry, Bokuto rubbing his back as they drove to the hospital. They repeatedly reminded him that Kuroo was a live and that the wound would heal nicely. He hated it, he hated being in the spot light. He wished Kuroo was still and illegal street racer, even now he'd never be able to return to that. Not being this popular.
He had read articles after Kuroo was shot, what said the older drag racers were jealous by how popular a rookie was. Would another driver shoot his fiance? Was it an anti-fan? Was it someone jealous of their relationship? He wanted to quit this life. He wanted Kuroo to quit but he knew he wouldn't. Not until they made it to the beach.
Kenma turned, staring up at Akaashi. He wondered if his friend was just as scared for Bokuto in this type of sport. But it didn't seem their popularity hasn't spiked like Kuroo and his did.
"Are you feeling better?" he heard Bokuto ask as he leaned up in the seat nodding. He watched as they arrived to the hospital.
Kuroo knows what Kenma is going to say after Bokuto and Akaashi leaves the hospital. "I want us to quit this sport," he heard him say. "No," he responded leaning up in the bed, his hip didn't hurt much, the Bullet didn't go to deep lucky for him.
"After this big race we will quit, I need to win this race, just for the money and then we can go on vacation and get married, I swear," he heard himself tell the younger male looking at his upset face. "I swear Kenma, after this we will be done," he opened his arms as his fiance flopped into him.
"I just don't want you to get hurt."
Kuroo feels a sharp pain in his chest hearing the worry in Kenma's voice. "I won't. We'll have more security for me from now on," he could feel his fiance shift around before finding a comfortable position.
"Comfy?"
A shake against his chest.
Kuroo walked around their side of the race track as their car was hooked up ready for the drag race. His competition looking at him hard. He was an old timer in the sport and had read online that he didn't like him at all. Which made him upset since he had done nothing to these drivers.
If anything he had brought fans in.
He turned to where his fans were seated, waving to the girls and boys sitting there as the race got closer.
"Are you ready for the race?" Yaku asked walking up wearing a headset.
"Oh no, they're letting you on headset?" Kuroo snickered as the short male huffed crossing his arms over his chest.
"I've never failed you and I'm not about to," the short male told him as he placed the mic in front of his mouth.
He looked over noticing Kenma on the sidelines. He didn't look well, but he brushed it off as just nerves from being such a big race between old and new.
"It's time," Kuroo heard Yaku speak into his ear pieces as he went to his car, getting in. He looked over to his opponent who was still glaring at him through his car.
"Don't panic Kuroo, you got this." The red light comes on as Yaku talks. "Don't try to blow your engine." Yellow light. "If you don't win it's ok--" Green.
He could hear Yaku yelling something into the headset as the car screeched off as he pressed as hard as he could on the peddle. He thinks he hears the male call out for Kenma? He tried to stay focus on the race while trying to hear broken words.
Kenma. Blood. Ambulance.
Kuroo's blood ran cold as he deployed the parachutes to slow the car down as he crossed the finish line. Something was wrong with Kenma. He could hear his fans cheering signaling his win, but all he heard was white noise as he saw flashing lights back where his team was.
He jumped from his car, not bothering to wave at his fans as he rushed as fast as he could back to his teammates, the ambulance pulling away quickly.
"Where is he?!" Kuroo questioned as the team quieted down, Yaku was gone, the headset on the ground.
"Kenma started puking up blood suddenly," Lev spook up, jumping at the hard glance the older was giving him. "He looked really sick, I was going to have him sit down, before we could move him he fell to the ground and blood just started pouring out."
Kuroo's heart dropped as he looked around. He needed to get to the hospital. That's must have been where Yaku went.
"I still can't believe that damn driver fucked up your drink by pouring gas in it," Kuroo growled burying his feet in the sand watching as the tied washed over the feet he had buried to uncover them.
"I should have been more cautious," Kenma sighed bending down, dipping his hands into the water. "I should have known something was wrong with the drink once I noticed an odd taste."
"Why didn't you?"
"I just thought it was shitty coffee."
Kuroo snorted looking down at his husband playing with the water. "You would think that," he rolled his eyes before smiling fondly at he younger male before looking back out into the ocean, the wind gently breezing through their hair.
"Kuroo?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you for bring me to the beach."
Kuroo smiled as the smaller male stood up drying his wedding ring on his shirt. "I kept my promises didn't I? That we would get married and I would take you to the beach."
"You even dropped out of racing and picked up volleyball again," Kenma smiled leaning into his husband as a larger wave rolled up on to the land, the older keeping them steady as he stumbled slightly.
"But you can still wear that latex outfit in the bed though," the older grinned laughing when the younger punched his arm. His grin turned into a smirk as he grabbed Kenma's small wrist before wrestling him into the wet sand as the water washed over them.
"Kuroo!" Kenma whined soaked as the older laughed water dripping from their hair. He huffed about to get up but his husband grabbed on to him. He didn't have time to react before lips were on his, water going around their waist.
"I love you." Kuroo whispered pulling back from the kiss wiping Kenma's wet hair from his face.
"Shut up," Kenma muttered looking away a light blush on his cheeks before looking at him out the corner of his eye. "I love you too."