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Kuroo cinched up his tie as he glanced over the room of disgustingly wealthy patrons at the high end art venue. His bodysuit was hot under the black tuxedo and the wig was making his scalp itch. This was his least favorite part of the job, but it was just as necessary as every other step.
“They are bringing it in through the northwest access now. You’ve placed enough false bets by now to be unnoticable. Don’t bid on it, but look interested. No one seems to have given you any consideration yet.”
Kenma’s cool voice in his earpiece provided as much support as he would get for this job. He was known as a one man show, used that to gain the trust of his benefactors, but Kenma was often the brain of the operation. Together they planned out every heist to perfection. In the five years he had been doing this as Shadow Cat, professional thief, Kuroo had never been outdone by any police presence, security system, or private force. He was a master in the business of high stakes theft.
He took another look around the crowded room, gaze flickering up to the high ceiling above.
There was one element that remained outside of their ability to account for. The one thing that had outdone him, multiple times, and he clenched his jaw in frustration that he even had to worry about it. Yet, it had become the one thing that stuck in the forefront of his mind through every mission and provided the greatest amount of risk.
Not it, per se. He.
The Red Devil.
“Stop staring at the ceiling like an idiot, I can see you in the security cameras. There’s been no sign of him, so just focus.”
A little ‘tch’ escaped Kuroo’s mouth. As usual, Kenma hit the nail on the head. Still, their flawless plan was only one crazed redhead away from turning upside down and he couldn’t entirely shake it.
The gavel pounded once to bring the patrons back to their seats and Kuroo took his quietly. The painting was wheeled out, small, only about 8” x 6”, but yet the tiny thing was worth many millions. Kuroo’s fingers brushed against the forgery that lay flat against his side between his button up and his body suit. The switch would have to be fast and flawless, but he’d pulled off more difficult ones in the past. It was just all about timing and reading the situation.
The auction progressed and he feigned interest, checking and double checking access points, terrain, camera locations. The second they wheeled that piece behind the curtain, Kenma would cut the power and it would be time to act. He calculated the movements and faces of the clients, predicting which would bid and how high they would go. When he estimated they were reaching their upper limit, an impressive $12.3 million, he stood, unhurried and excused himself to the restroom.
He started his watch as soon as he stepped through the door, rushing to a predesignated stall and stripping out of the business suit. He pulled up the neckline of his black bodysuit over his nose, which was built into a signature mask with a toothy grin design. Straps against his chest held the forgery in place as he donned his black leather gloves and slipped out of the expensive shiny shoes to leave only the super grip toe shoes. Cinching his belt tight around the balled up shoes, wig, and clothes, he popped the grate over the stall and threw them in, resecuring it just as Kenma came over his earpiece.
“Gavel pounded. Lights out in three, two, one…”
The bathroom went dark around him and he scurried out of the restroom, making barely sound as he slipped through the door and past the guards, who flung flashlight beams in every direction. He didn’t have to guess the layout, knowing well the corridors that would afford him the fastest and safest route. When he reached the junction to the transfer room, the guard was still there, flashlight in hand.
Which was just fine. They had accounted for this. There were a number of pipes that ran along the ceiling of this stretch of hallway. As quiet as midnight, Kuroo jumped and grasped them, swinging his legs. There were rubber grips on his knees as well, to help with clinging to and moving along precarious spaces. He crept quietly toward the guard. With any luck, he would be able to drop down behind him and-
A bright light blared suddenly straight at him, blinding him momentarily. Then, a wicked and familiar voice broke the tense quiet in the hall.
“Oh lookie there. A cat. In the shadows. What a surprise!”
The guard shouted and blew his whistle, running over to Kuroo and waving his flashlight and baton.
“Fuck.” He wondered if Kenma was aware, but there was no mic on him to prevent an audio jam. He swung down just as the guard skidded to a stop below him, twining around him and putting him in a sleeper hold. It wasted valuable seconds as the man fell limp against him and he let him slide to the floor. Lights were just appearing down the hallway and he only had time to jump back up into the pipes before the other guards reached them.
That fucking Red Devil. He was trapped until they moved.
“Your position hasn’t changed, so I assume you’ve run into trouble. Hang on,” Kenma’s voice sounded in his ear. A sprinkler system hissed to life down the hallway and men below him all turned toward.
“What the hell...you two, get Makoto out of here. Shizuki, check the transfer room. The rest of you, come with me.” They split off from each other, leaving an empty hall that Kuroo dropped down to, racing after the guard who had entered the transfer room.
He almost barrelled right into the guy, as the guard had pulled up short, his flashlight illuminating a sight that had Kuroo’s lip curling in a snarl.
There in the light, leaning dramatically back as he held out the painting, was the Red Devil. His bristling shock of red hair was unmistakable, and the goggles he wore, almost steampunk style with little horns to the side that gave him his moniker, obscured his eyes from view. His smile curled up at the edges as he peeked back at them over his red scarf. He still sported a bodysuit that zipped up the front, much like Kuroo’s, but his forearms were bare and his gloves looked more like biker gloves than the sleeker ones Kuroo wore. There were red laces in his boots that went all the way up to his knees. He was a clown.
And he was fucking good. Too good. As good as Kuroo, if not better. That was what really got under Kuroo’s skin.
“The trash that people will throw millions at, I tell you. My eighth grade niece could have painted this.” With a flick of his wrist, the Red Devil rolled up the canvas and shoved it in a thigh holster. “Thanks for the distraction, Shadow Cat!”
“Wait-” the guard began, but Kuroo was already shoving past him. The Devil grabbed hold of a wire, spinning artfully as it pulled him up. Kuroo caught the very end of it and let it lift him as well.
“Not today, you fucking jester.”
The Devil looked down at him and grinned, sticking out his tongue. Kuroo scowled at him. He tried to think where this could be going, what route of escape his rival would be taking. There were several fire escapes, but he was already sweating as his mind raced to catch up. He could almost never predict the man’s movements. It was infuriating.
This was true once again as the Devil released his grip and caught Kuroo on the way down. The extra weight was surprising and Kuroo lost his grip as well, the breath pushed from his lungs as they went into freefall.
“Do all cats really land on their feet?” the Devil asked, just before he kicked off Kuroo, sending them both flying in opposite directions. It was enough to propel them both over the edges of viewing balconies. Kuroo landed with a whump that knocked the air out of him, but at Kenma’s urgings, he sat up with a cough. The Devil was leaned over the edge of the balcony opposite looking at him, but grinned widely as Kuroo sat up and made a rude gesture at his nemesis.
His shit-eating grin shattered though as Kuroo held up the rolled up canvas and winked at him. As the Red Devil scowled and rushed behind the curtain, Kuroo scrambled to his feet and darted behind his own.
“I don’t know how you’ve ended up on the third floor, but if you take the door on your left it will lead you to a utility room.” Kuroo turned on his heel to slip quickly into the cramped utility room. “There should be a large grate on the back wall. Remove it and it will lead out to a catwalk which supports the gallery’s light and heating systems in the main chamber. If you can cross over that without detection, there’s a ladder that leads to an emergency exit. I’m still tracking your movements and I can disarm the alarm when you get close.”
He’d already pulled the small battery powered drill from his belt, hopeful that the soft hum of it would not alert anyone as he removed the screws on the grate. He just heard the voices of guards from a few rooms away as the grate popped free and he set it aside, slipping into the space and out onto the slim catwalk which was suspended over the dark gallery below. He could hear the low murmur of many voices below him, meaning they hadn’t evacuated. Good. That would make it easier to slip out.
He was quiet against the metal grating that made up the walkway as he moved as quickly as possible. All his focus was on balance, the map of the building playing and rotating in his mind, when a tug and snap at his ribs pulled his attention. He whirled around to see the Red Devil, clinging to the outside of the hand rail and grinning, the rolled up painting in his fist.
“You fucking-” but before the whispered curse was even out of Kuroo’s mouth, the Devil fell backward and Kuroo flung himself toward the railing to see where he’d gone. But sure enough, he dangled from his knees from a bar about a foot below the flooring of the platform. He looked up at Kuroo and held a finger up to his lips, making Kuroo scoff.
“Why did you stop? Kuroo, I can’t keep the lights down forever. Hurry up.” Kenma’s voice was sharp in his ear. He watched the Devil slip the canvas into a strap across his chest and swing up under the catwalk, out of his line of sight. Fuck.
A palm slapped into the center of his back, pushing him against the railing as the Devil popped up behind him and took off down the catwalk. Kuroo snarled and raced after him. The Red Devil reached the ladder and stuck his tongue out as he slid down it at a breakneck pace. If Kuroo followed, Kenma would disarm the alarm and allow for his rival to escape. If he didn’t though, he wasn’t sure he could get out without detection and he definitely wouldn’t have the painting. He had no choice. He slid down the ladder, but as he dropped to the floor, he whipped out the counterfeit canvas and rolled it up.
Flattened against the wall, he made his way past the murmuring guests without detection and out a low hallway with a red ‘Exit’ sign above it. A lilting voice carried to his ears from down where the emergency exit was located.
“Here, kitty, kitty.” The Red Devil was leaned against the wall next to the door. It was dark in the hallway but the red light overhead cast him in a neon glow.
“What are you waiting for?”
“For your little friend to unlock the door for me.”
“You sure you have what you came for?”
The Red Devil stood up a bit straighter and tilted his head down to the rolled up canvas secured to him. Kuroo knew that it was too dark in the hallway for him to be able to tell, even if he unrolled it. His adversary snarled and charged toward him. Kuroo turned and ran in the opposite direction, Kenma already starting to feed new directions in his ear, when he rounded the corner and pain exploded, white hot, in his forehead. He remembered hitting the ground but then unconsciousness took him.
***
Kuroo started to come to, as he was roughly shoved against another body. His head throbbed with pain and there was something sticky and constricting over his mouth. One of his hands was shoved up, cold metal clamping around it, while the other was jerked to the side and around, like he was hugging the waist of the person in front of him. Their heads knocked together and he groaned as the other person let out a muffled ‘oof.’
As he pulled back, he met a pair of blazing red eyes, framed by a familiar shock of red hair. Panic overtook him and he tried to step away, but the cuffs at both of his hands kept him bound to the Red Devil. A piece of black tape covered the Devil’s mouth and that solved for what was covering his own. Kuroo scowled and the Devil rolled his eyes.
Rough hands removed his belt, straps, checked his pockets and boots. Another guard worked to do the same to the Devil, who was obviously in better shape than Kuroo as he kicked at them and received a punch to the side.
“Keep it up, punk. We’re not police, so we’ve got no qualms knocking some obedience into you.” Now that Kuroo was starting to regain his wits, he could see the metal bars they’d been cuffed to. It was smart, immobilizing them by cuffing them together like this, neither free to move without full cooperation of the other and held in place by the crosshatched bars along the back wall. Both of them had one hand cuffed above the Devil’s head and one cuffed behind his back, pressing them chest to chest. The room was small and the two men man-handling them looked like private security, each with a pistol on their hip and a baton at the ready.
“Our boss will be in to talk to you in a few minutes,” said the other guy, shoving Kuroo against the Devil and making them both grunt. “You two were easier to lure into this than we thought. Boss’ll be happy though. You’ve both cost him too much money. Hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your days in private prison. Hehe.”
The guards snickered as they left the small holding room, the door clanging shut behind them. Kuroo met the Devil’s eyes, his head spinning and fear starting to take hold, but in them he saw determination. There wasn’t much they could do if they couldn’t talk, though. So, pressing his tongue against the tape and moving his mouth to loosen it, he leaned down and scraped it against his fellow prisoner’s shoulder until it caught and tore free. Then he frowned at the wide eyes right in front of him.
“This is all your fault. I hope you realize that.” The Devil frowned and rolled his eyes at Kuroo’s words and ‘hmmphed’ behind the tape. As much as he didn’t really want to free his mouth, he’d need to if they were going to get out of this. “Hold still.”
He managed to get the corner of the tape between his teeth and tear it away from the other man’s mouth. He spit it onto the floor and brought his glare back over. But, it was the first time he had seen the Devil entirely unmasked. That teasing smile that curled up at the corners just a bit, his slender nose, and his mischievous red eyes, all framed by his shock of red hair.
Goddamnit. Of course he was attractive. Unconventionally so, but there was no denying the sly allure of his features, especially pressed this close. Great. That would make things all the more difficult.
“Got any clever plans to get us out of this, Cat?” the Devil whispered, looking over his face.
“They took all our tools-wait, yes. I have something, but I don’t know if you’ll be able to get to it.” His adversary raised a thin eyebrow.
“Try me. I’m very flexible.” There was a suggestive quality to his tone that Kuroo ignored. The last thing he could afford to think about was their compromising position and the closeness of that curving mouth. Not when their lives were at stake.
“There’s a hidden zipper along the seam under my right armpit. About five inches down, along my ribs. In that pocket is a lockpick. If you can get it with your mouth, I think I can take it from you and get it to my right hand over your shoulder. I should be able to pop my side of the cuffs and get us the rest of the way out.” The Devil ducked his head below Kuroo’s raised arm before the last word was even out of his mouth. He tried not to think about the way their hips bumped together. He tried not to focus on the feeling of the Devil’s mouth against the thin fabric of the suit, searching for the zipper.
He breathed out a sigh of relief when he felt the tug of the little hidden pocket being unzipped. He bit his lip as he felt the Devil’s tongue dip in against the thin mesh which held the little metal piece. He could almost hear Kenma telling him that he was a pathetic, pent-up fool, despite being a world class thief. He was definitely not allowing himself to be caught up with his greatest adversary.
“Got it!” the Devil whispered, a bit muffled, and raised his face back up to Kuroo. He grinned wide, allowing one shiny end of the lockpick to peek between his teeth before closing his mouth around it.
“Great, now stick it out and pass it to me.”
“What, and risk dropping the only chance we have of getting out of here? Come and get it. I promise I’ll be gentle.” The Devil waggled his eyebrows and Kuroo felt his face flush uncontrollably. Goddamnit. Of course, why wouldn’t he still be a fucking flirt. A vastly annoyed and very embarrassed ‘tch’ snuck out of Kuroo’s mouth before he swallowed his pride and leaned forward.
It wasn’t really a kiss, after all. It was an exchange of an item with the only instrument they had available, and it was true that passing it through the seal of lips was the safest option. Still, as his mouth met the Devil’s, with their bodies pressed so close, it sure felt like a kiss. Kuroo closed his eyes, trying to focus on the thin piece of metal being pushed in his mouth, and certainly not the tongue that propelled it. The way the Devil tilted his face and leaned into it though, the way his teeth grazed against Kuroo’s bottom lip as he retreated…the guy was clearly playing with him.
“Not gonna lie, always wanted to do that.” The Devil’s words made Kuroo’s eyes spring open and he grimaced at him. He was sure that even in the low light, the flare in his cheeks was probably obvious.
“Fuck off, this isn’t the time to mess with me, Devil.”
“Satori, actually. I’m surprised you didn’t know.”
“Whatever. Look, I’m gonna have to crowd you to get this to my hand, so if you could refrain from your teasing, that’d be great.”
“Sure, sure, Tetsu, whatever you want.” Kuroo gave him a sharp look that was met with a sure grin. He’d been so careful. How could the guy have figured out who he was? Oh well, it didn’t matter right now.
He pressed Satori back against the bars, going up on his toes and stretching his neck to try to reach the hand that was cuffed above Satori’s head. The angle just wasn’t gaining him enough height though. He remained several inches shy of his grasping fingers. Satori shifted down suddenly, bending his knees slightly and turned toward Kuroo’s ear.
“Use the cross bar by our feet for extra leverage!” Satori whispered harshly, and Kuroo felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. He stepped up with it, slipping the lockpick into his hand and coming back down. He backed up a couple inches to allow his unlikely partner a chance to breathe. “Jeez, you really are surprisingly bad at thinking on your feet, aren’t you?”
“Keep it up and I’ll leave you here.”
“No you won’t.” He sounded so sure that Kuroo huffed out another frustrated sigh as he started to work on the cuff. A few quick flicks and adjustments and it popped free, allowing him his dominant hand back and a blissful amount of space between the two of them.
The problem was, when he stepped back as far as he could, given his other hand was still cuffed behind Satori’s back, he was given a full view of the other rogue. Stripped of his ridiculous goggles and scarf, chained as he was with his black bodysuit tight against his lithe frame… as Kuroo’s eye darted back up to his red ones, Satori smirked.
“I’ll take that as a compliment, but get us out of here before you admire me too much, handsome.” He winked and Kuroo scowled, but he could sense the tight fear coiled behind Satori’s teasing words. With his freedom of motion and ability to see, he freed his other hand in a heartbeat, popping Satori’s lower hand free as well.
“Just give me the pick, I’ll get the other one. Check to see if there are guards.” He handed the little pick over to Satori, who set to work on his upper hand immediately as Kuroo approached the door quietly.
Peering through the little window, he could see at least one guard posted outside. He caught Satori’s eye and held up a finger to indicate just that. Satori nodded, rubbing his wrist and taking in the small room around them. All of their things had been taken, the room was just a barren place with the grate against the wall and the cuffs that had held them in place.
Movement drew Kuroo’s attention as another guard approached, one of the ones who had chained them earlier. He rushed back over, pushing Satori against the bars again.
“Someone’s coming to check on us,” he whispered and Satori didn’t hesitate, placing tape back over Kuroo’s mouth and then his own as they quickly took up the close quarters position once again. Not a moment too soon either, as the door clanged open and the guard stuck his head in, looking them over and sneering.
“Don’t get too comfy, now, love birds. Pretty soon you’ll have your very own cages to suffer in.” He let out a smug ‘heh’ before shutting the door again. Kuroo didn’t kill people. But he certainly wanted to hurt that asshole just a little.
He turned back to Satori and felt his body heat up as he met heavy-lidded ruby eyes, close enough to kill. The Devil’s head was tilted just so, their noses barely brushing and the tape against their mouths just preventing another kiss, this time not for utlity’s sake. Without thinking, Kuroo’s hand behind Satori’s back brushed against his hip.
Satori peeled the tape from his mouth and Kuroo went to step back, but found himself tugged back forward against the other thief. Satori switched their positions, pushing him against the iron grating and damnit, he wanted to fight back, but was paralyzed by the allure and the danger of the moment. Satori leaned forward, his mouth close to Kuroo’s ear and his wicked fingers petting down Kuroo’s ribs in blatant suggestion.
“Follow my lead. Do everything I say and I’ll get us out of here. Then, we can talk more about how to direct all this...hostility.” His low whisper carried so much promise that Kuroo’s libido struggled for a moment against his pride. He hated how much he wanted that, but it didn’t matter unless they could get out. He tore his own tape from his mouth and nodded, fully aware that his face had to be flushed. He pulled the mask attached to his suit up over his mouth and nose and Satori patted his chest once before stepping back with a grin.
“If that guard sees we’re out, we’re screwed though. How are you gonna get that door open?” Planning was the only thing he could manage to unscramble his brain, but Satori looked back at him like he was an adorable idiot.
“Last I checked, this is still a gallery, which means this room was made to hold art, not prisoners. Funny thing about art. It never tries to escape.”
With all the nonchalance of someone who was definitely not a prisoner, Satori swaggered over to the door and just-- opened it. The guard turned in surprise, but the Red Devil landed his forearm across the bridge of the man’s nose, bouncing his head hard off of the wall and causing him to crumple to the floor. He grabbed the downed guard and pulled him into the room, lifting his walkie talkie and gun. He tossed the gun to Kuroo, who fumbled it for a moment in panic.
“Wha-I don’t know how to fucking shoot anyone!”
“Oh calm down, you just aim it and pull the trigger, but you’ll be fine if you just look like you can use it, okay. All right. Time to move, Cat!”
Satori slipped out into the hallway and Kuroo followed him, gripping the gun too tightly. They dodged around the corner of an office and listened carefully. When no sound came, Satori smirked and raised the walkie talkie to his mouth.
“Hey, are you guys sure there were only two of them? I’m over on the south side of the building and I swear I heard-” and then he dropped the walkie with a clatter and made ‘oomph’ noise like he’d gotten hit. There was a buzz of voices through the speaker but Satori just picked it up and switched it off, dropping it into the trash bin.
Fucking brilliant. Goddamnit.
Without Kenma in his ear, he felt exposed, but he fell into stride right behind the Devil as he darted through the dark offices. Only twice did they have to take cover from running guards, though they were memorable, as Satori took every opportunity to press up against him. He wished he hated it.
As they moved into a utility stairwell, they heard doors both above and below them burst open and the shouts of guards. Satori gritted his teeth, indecisive for a moment, and Kuroo’s knowledge of the building kicked in. One floor down was a fire escape window they could access if they had the time. He grabbed Satori and pulled him to the railing of the stairs.
“I think I saw them up here!” Kuroo yelled and men started shouting as feet pounded up the stairs. He tracked their movement and just before they rounded up the corner, he popped the safety off of the gun and aimed it at the light overhead, shooting it out. The stairwell went dark except for the red emergency lights by the doors and he yanked Satori to the otherside of the railing, leaving them hanging over the long drop down to the bottom floor. The men ran by, screeching at their team above, and as soons as they were clear Kuroo hauled them back over the railing and pulled Satori down to the next landing.
“Good show, old boy. What now?”
“This window leads to a fire escape that should drop us down into the alley on the North side. There’s a security door to the other building that I unlocked prior to coming in that should get us free and clear.” He popped the window out, thankful for the darkness of the alley two stories below. He pulled himself easily through the small side of the window, taking Satori’s hand and lifting him through it as well.
There was barely room to stand on the rickety platform outside the window that met the long ladder which spanned the height of the building. Kuroo started to descend, when he heard a door open below him and three armed guards step out in the alleyway.
“Guard both ends, I’ve got this door. They won’t be getting out of here alive.” Fuck. So much for that plan. He felt Satori climb over him and head upward on the ladder to the roof. He looked down at Kuroo and gestured for him to follow. With no other options available, he followed the directions of the other thief, and made the climb, scrabbling onto the roof after Satori.
Whatever lead he had taken for a moment, it was gone now. He hit the roof running, barely following after the flash of bright red hair weaving amid the vent pipes. The Devil darted to the side behind some structure and yanked Kuroo with him, pointing at the guard across the way, standing with a rifle of some sort, surveying the grounds below. They both cut across, behind the area with the door leading to the stairwell down. They could see the roof of the building across the back alley, but it was at least fifteen feet across, not reasonable to jump.
“You’re on, Devil.”
Satori grinned at him. He slapped him on the chest and took off at a run, leaping from the roof edge and soaring across the expanse. Kuroo held his breath. There was a moment where the Devil seemed suspended over the dead air and Kuroo was sure he was going to fall and die and his heart squeezed tight in his chest.
Yet, on the breath of a wish that Kuroo never intended to make, he watched Satori pull his legs up and roll just barely over the lip of the opposite roof. As Satori sprung up, he waved his arm to Kuroo. Kuroo shook his head. He knew his limits and he may have nine lives, but he wasn’t wasting one on this. Not when he’d considered this a possible avenue for entrance and knew very well that there was another way. He pointed down the building and snuck along the ridge of the gallery’s roof, Satori mirroring his footsteps across the way. Kuroo reached the point he’d scouted out and stopped, pointing down at his feet. Satori looked down and bent, moving aside the black tarp Kuroo had placed there earlier, revealing the plank he’d hidden there hours before. He could barely make Satori as he smirked and shook his head.
For a moment, Kuroo remembered that they weren’t allies, not really. That there was no reason for Satori to help him. He could disappear into the night and leave Kuroo to the wolves and there could be no sense of betrayal. They were rivals, enemies. And yet, Satori lifted the plank and spun its end out toward him where he caught it, setting it gently against the lip of the rooftop.
There was no time to second guess and give the Red Devil the opportunity to back out. Kuroo popped up on the plank and skittered across it, the extra weight of the gun in one hand making him slightly off balance and raising his pulse near the end. Though as he teetered a bit on the plank, Satori reached out and offered his hand and without even thinking, Kuroo took it. They lifted the plank together, eyes locking for just a moment before a voice from below interrupted them.
“Hey! That looks like them!”
And then they were running again, Kuroo barely keeping up with the Devil as he wove around structures and jumped far smaller and more manageable distances between buildings. The way Satori used the world around him to propel his force, Kuroo could only believe that he was a freerunner in his time off. Kuroo wasn’t great at predicting the turns, jumps, and climbs they tackled in quick succession, but he kept up well enough. His physical training combined with natural flexibility and coordination were requirements for his job and this was exactly why.
As he followed Satori recklessly over the ledge of a building, he dropped down suddenly right next to the other thief onto a little wooden balcony. Satori looked at him with raised eyebrows, a smile curving on his lips as he panted into the cool night air. Kuroo’s lungs burned from exertion, but here, even the noises of the city seemed diminished as their huffing breaths filled the space on the balcony. Only a small window was there to indicate any access to the building.
Tendou flipped a small, hidden lever on the window frame and popped it open, slipping inside. Kuroo stood moment, unsure if he should follow, until Satori leaned on the window ledge and leered at him from the dark interior.
“Well, you’ve come this far. Are you coming in, or what?” Then the Red Devil disappeared within.
Kuroo looked down at the gun he’d hooked in a built in strap on his bodysuit. He always had that if things got out of hand. Besides, he couldn’t really go anywhere else; the ledge above that he’d come over was too high to reach and they were three stories up. So, with a final deep breath to tamp down his usual caution, he shimmied through the little window and into the cool, dusty room beyond.
The place was sparsely furnished, just a little studio apartment with a bed,bedside table, small dining table and two chairs, and a dresser. It smelled vacant and dust covered the furniture and counter of the little kitchenette. Satori fit the window back in place and turned on a small, dim lamp that sat on the table. He pulled a dark curtain over the window, the only one in the place, and turned to Kuroo with a proud expression, hands planted on his hips.
“What is this place?” Kuroo asked, confused at how they could have been fortunate enough to find a furnished but abandoned apartment in the bustling hive of the city.
“This is one of my safe houses. I have them strategically all over the city for reasons just such as this. Each one rented or leased under a different name. It’s not cheap, but they are always worthwhile to have handy!” Satori crossed over to the bed and flopped down on his back, a billow of dust filling the air around him for a moment.
“You really are a one man show, aren’t you?” Kuroo replied, pulling down the mask part of his collar so that he could breathe more freely.
“Well, unlike some people, I have no friends, only handsome rivals.” Satori sat up and waggled his eyebrows at him, which made Kuroo scowl. “Why did you follow me here, Tetsurou? You could have gone your separate way any time?”
“Why did you help me at the gallery, with the plank? You could have left me there. You should have. You were free and you’d be down a competitor most likely, then.”
Satori leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and looked up at Kuroo with those lurid red eyes.
“Why did you unchain me in that room we were being held in? You could have unlocked your own cuffs and left me there. But you didn’t. In fact, even though I had pissed you off to no end and teased you relentlessly, even when you’d threatened to do just that, you didn’t even consider leaving me. We were allies of necessity up until that very point. You chose to take me with you.”
Kuroo blinked at him, his mouth falling open. He wanted to rebuke him. Tell him that that was preposterous, that it had been well-calculated that they could escape easiest if they worked together. But, the truth was, he was right. Kuroo had never given a single thought to leaving him in there, chained to that rebar. The very thought made him feel nauseous.
“And I chose to bring you back here, if you would follow.” Satori stood and took a step toward him. There was a flicker of doubt in Kuroo’s mind. Had he been lured, like a fly into a spider’s web? Satori was giving him a dark, almost predatory look and he couldn’t decide what was behind it. He took a step back and pulled the gun free, leveling it at Satori.
Satori raised his hands, but his expression didn’t change. If anything his smile curved even sharper.
“Oh, come on now. There’s no need for that.” He took another step forward and Kuroo’s whole body tensed. He didn’t want to do this, but he would defend himself if he had no other choice.
“Why did you bring me here? What do you want?”
“You know, Tetsu-chan, a gun is really only a superior weapon at a distance of greater than five feet. Any less than that and…” Satori raised his hand, snapping his fingers, which drew Kuroo’s eyes for a split second. At the same exact moment, his other hand shot out and grabbed the gun, jarring it from Kuroo’s grip before he could even think to pull the trigger. He aimed a wild punch toward the Devil, which was easily dodged. Satori was too close for him to fight effectively, pushing aside his hands and blocking Kuroo’s raised knee by turning his body and bending at what seemed like an impossible angle.
It was only a flash of a moment before Kuroo’s back hit the wall and Satori had one of his wrists pinned against it as well. The other rogue had slotted his thigh between Kuroo’s legs and fit himself snug against him to prevent further flailing. Worst of all, the gun barrel was resting gently against Kuroo’s cheek, the Devil’s curling grin so close that he couldn’t help but remember the taste of it.
“Not as agile in close quarters, hmm?”
“Fuck you.”
“You really haven’t figured out why I brought you here, Tetsurou?” Satori dragged the cold barrel of the gun slowly down Kuroo’s cheek, following the line of his throat. Those red eyes watched its descent hungrily. As the gun drifted down to Kuroo’s chest, Satori’s gaze came back up to meet his, and he leaned in closer so that Kuroo could feel his breath against his lips.
“I’ve admired you for such a long time, Kuroo Tetsurou, Shadow Cat, thief extraordinair. I was nothing but a circus act before you caught my curiosity and I realized my full potential. You didn’t seem the type to appreciate a fanboy, but a rival? That was how I would get your attention. Tell me, have I impressed you, senpai?” The words rolled out of Satori like smoke and honey. Kuroo wasn’t sure anymore if he was being threatened or seduced, even as the firm tip of the weapon reached his navel.
“Are you going to kill me, Satori?”
The Red Devil’s brows cinched into a little frown and his smile dropped.
“Tch, haven’t you been listening? How are you this dense? No, I’m not going to kill you.”
“But you have a gun to-” Kuroo sucked in a breath, losing his words as the gun dipped down to slide along his dick between their bodies. He reached down with his free hand to grab Satori’s wrist, just as his rival leaned in and pressed his open mouth to Kuroo’s throat. Kuroo froze, the warm, wet push of Satori’s tongue against his skin sending an electric pulse of pleasure through him.
Oh. Oh, he...he was being seduced? Like, not just a little bit, like very purposefully and obviously being seduced. It was incredibly clear now that he had flipped his brain out of crisis mode. He let his body relax a bit in Satori’s hold, and the red-headed thief pulled back to look at him with a new expression, one that was hopeful and trimmed with edges of vulnerability.
“Working against you is the most exhilarating part of my life. But tonight, working together, that was everything I’ve wanted for so long. Listen, if you want to leave, I’m not going to stop you. You can walk out that door and we’ll be rivals again. But,” Satori pulled the gun away from him and set it on the table, shoving it away before placing his palm on Kuroo’s chest. “You could also stay, for just a few more hours, and we could work together toward some even better goals.”
Kuroo’s sex life consisted of bi-monthly one-night stands with strangers who he barely knew the names of. He was fully unprepared for someone who knew him, at least to some degree, who knew his secrets, who found the real him appealing, to ever surface. He felt his face flush as he blinked at Satori, unsure entirely of what words were or how to use them. There was no doubt he was attracted to the other thief. And he had never felt wanted like this before.
He came to the conclusion that words weren’t really needed. He gripped Satori’s suit front and pulled him into a searing kiss, tongue darting into his mouth in all the expression of enthusiastic consent that he could muster. The little chirrup sound that came from Satori was absolutely charming and he dropped both hands to Kuroo’s hips as he pressed against him more firmly.
There was something bright and frantic about Satori, the way he held Kuroo so close and touched as much of him as he could. When their mouths separated, Satori dropped back to Kuroo’s neck, though the fabric bunched there from his suit and mask didn’t leave much to work with. Satori tugged at the zipper, opening it slowly and following the line of exposed skin with his mouth down to Kuroo’s collarbones. All the while, his hips ground a steady rhythm slotted with Kuroo’s, and he could already feel both of them hardening even from the limited stimulation.
“W-what, ah...do you have a, a preference?” Kuroo managed to ask awkwardly. His face was burning and he hissed as Satori nipped hard at his clavicle. He needed to get out of his own head. He was better than this and the sudden need to impress welled up within him when Satori looked up at him with an arched eyebrow.
“Well, I admit this isn’t exactly how I imagined things going. Kind of figured you’d be the one to take the lead, but trust me, I’m not disappointed. I’ll have you any way, Tetsurou.” The way he purred Kuroo’s name against his lips was white hot and electric, and it snapped his focus back to the reality of this situation. Processing everything that Satori had just confessed, suddenly the dynamic preference of his rival became clear.
Kuroo grabbed him around the waist and pushed off of the wall, pressing Satori down onto the table. Satori’s legs wrapped around his waist as the redheaded rogue gasped in surprise from the sudden show of force. Kuroo ran a hand up the man’s chest, pleased as he arched into it.
“I think you better call me Kuroo-san, then, brat. Tell me, what do you think would have happened if I’d caught you? Out there, during one of your little opposed heists?” Kuroo watched Satori’s eyes drop to the gun which lay on the table next to him, not with fear but with excitement, so Kuroo snatched it up again. He discreetly switched the safety on this time, willing to play but not take any chances. He softly dragged the barrel under Satori’s chin and gained a satisfying shiver from his adversary.
“Ah, you would have been all business, Kuroo-san. Threatened to tie me up and leave me to the police. Maybe even kill me. And I would beg you not to, offer you anything you wanted. Do anything you wanted…”
As Satori talked Kuroo had slipped the barrel lower, catching against the zipper of his suit and was slowly pushing it down, revealing more of the Devil’s pale, freckled skin. Something about this new direction, being the one in control, being handed that power by a man who was honestly his equal if not his better, that was tripping every trigger in him. As the zipper nearly reached Satori’s navel, Kuroo looked back up to see him watching its descent toward his obvious erection with wide eyes. Kuroo grinned.
“Anything I want, huh? That might be more than you bargained for…” He brought the gun back up to Satori’s face, pushing it against the corner of his mouth.
“I think you’ll be surprised what I’m willing to take.” Satori turned just enough to hold Kuroo’s gaze while he licked a stripe along the entirety of the gun barrel.
Kuroo wasn’t sure he had ever been this hard in his entire life. He couldn’t stop the roll of his hips as he ground his cock against Satori’s and they both groaned. Kuroo set down the gun and Satori pouted.
“Please tell me you have supplies here?”
“Bedside dresser, doll. Come on, now.”
“I’ll get it. Take your clothes off.” He darted toward the bedside table, ignoring the snicker that came out of Satori. The top drawer held a chain of condoms and lube, just as promised and he grabbed them both, chucking off his toe shoes in the process. He pulled his arms free of his own suit, pushing it down and stepping out of it, only to feel warm hands against his hips and a snap at one of the leg straps of his jock.
“Oof, was not prepared for this,” Satori whispered against the back of his neck as he ran his fingers over Kuroo’s ass. It made him shudder from the light contact. He could fall into it, but he remembered his place, remembered that he was wanted as the dominant in this moment. He turned and gripped Satori’s long neck with one hand, thrilling to see that he was completely naked. Satori gasped in delight and Kuroo leaned close, just barely brushing his lips.
“If you like it so much, why don’t you get on your knees for a better look.”
Whatever he was doing, it was working. Satori let out a shaky breath, plucking the bottle of lube from his other hand, and sank to his knees.
“Oh, yes, sir,” dripped from his lips like syrup and Kuroo’s cock twitched from its new proximity to that hot mouth. Satori nuzzled against the straining fabric, his hot breath making Kuroo’s pulse pound ever faster. He ran his fingers through Satori’s soft red hair, gripping hard as he felt that devilish pink tongue slide along the cloth against his cock. Satori tugged at the leg straps and pulled the jockstrap down far enough for Kuroo’s cock to spring free. The other thief smirked and licked his lips, looking up at Kuroo from under his ruby lashes.
“Do what you like, but don’t make me cum before I can fuck you.” His underwear dropped the rest of the way to the floor and Satori coated the fingers of both hands in lube, sliding one hand back to prep himself. The first hot drag of his tongue against Kuroo’s cock had him tipping his head back with a moan. He nearly choked when he felt Satori’s slick fingers slide up to his entrance and he gripped his hair a little harder and pulled his head back.
“W-what are you doing, I thought-” he lost his words as a finger slipped inside of him. Satori just smiled wide up at him.
“You don’t like this? Please? I won’t make you cum yet, I promise. I just want to feel you, Tetsurou…” Satori swiped his tongue along his cock again and Kuroo felt his resolve give way. He did like it. A lot. He just wasn’t sure how he was going to hold out if Satori blew him properly while finger fucking him. Already his legs were shaking as a second finger probed at him and Satori was just supplying little kitten licks to the head of his cock.
He had to release Satori’s hair to lean against the table as he felt more and more of that sweet stretch. He grumbled in hazy frustration, but Satori never took him fully in his mouth, just mouthed around his cock, humming and moaning as he worked both of them open with all the skill of the ambidextrous thief he was.
By the time he pulled free, Kuroo was panting and ragged. Satori opened one of the condoms, placing it in his mouth and rolling it down Kuroo’s cock like a pro. After so much teasing, the hot inside of his mouth felt like heaven, even through the latex, and Kuroo grabbed his hair again, holding him in place for a moment. When he pulled the Devil back, he was nearly bowled over by the flushed and wanton look on his face. Kuroo wasn’t sure anyone had ever desired him so powerfully and it stroked his ego in a way that had him regaining his composure in a heartbeat.
He helped Satori stand before spinning him around and leaning him against the wall, biting at his neck and shoulders. He knew he should say something witty, tease more, but he was out of patience. He needed this now. He lined up with Satori’s entrance and sank in as slowly as he could manage, which based on the little cry his rival let out, wasn’t as slow as he’d intended. But as their hips met, wrapped in that delicious heat, all he could do was breathe hard against the back of the other man’s neck.
“Ah, Testurou, fuck, I’ve waited for this.”
He couldn’t hold back anymore. Kuroo wrapped and arm around Satori’s waist and started fucking him in long, even thrusts, pulling almost completely out before pushing back in. He wanted more, deeper, so Kuroo lifted one of Satori’s legs, allowing him a deeper angle. He marvelled at the Devil’s flexibility, more impressive than even his own. The curve of his spine and the height his leg could be pulled, all while maintaining balance...incredible. He was so beautiful, all toned muscle and soft skin, his cries of pleasure a sweet song of forbidden delights.
Too quickly he was hurtling toward the precipice, lost in sensation. Every time he slowed his rhythm, Satori begged him for more and he had no will to deny him. He felt the edges of climax rush up to him and couldn’t stop it, groaning deep in his chest as his hips stuttered and he buried his face in the crook of Satori’s neck. He let down his rival’s leg as well, feeling some embarrassment creep over him as a low chuckle rolled out between his partner’s heavy breaths.
“Oh ho, you were more worked up than you let on, eh Tetsu-chan?”
“Goddamnit. Sorry. I’m not...I’m not tapping out, I’ll take care of you.” Kuroo reached forward for Satori’s neglected and no doubt aching shaft, but a hand around his wrist stopped him. Satori leaned forward, allowing Kuroo to slide out, and then turned, pulling him into a passionate kiss as he backed them toward the bed. When Kuroo’s legs hit the edge, Satori pushed him down to bounce on the mattress.
“Oh, don’t worry kitty cat, you’ll be taking such good care of me.” With a smooth motion, Satori palmed Kuroo’s softening cock, easing the condom off of him and discarding it. Kuroo hissed from the stimulation. Satori ran his hands down Kuroo’s chest and abdomen, leaning down to kiss along the line of his hip to soothe him.
“Right. Yeah, of course.” He tilted his head back but uncertainty was welling in his chest. Everything had gone so fast and he’d been so caught up in the moment that he hadn’t started to think about all the implications and problems until now. At the same time, what kind of asshole would he be if he denied Satori anything at this point? The Devil had just let Kuroo fuck him against a wall until he finished, without getting off himself. They might be rivals, but Kuroo would be damned if he’d be that kind of lover.
A moment went by where there was no stimulation, just Satori’s hands still and warm upon his chest. Kuroo hadn’t realized he’d squeezed his eyes shut until he forced them open to look up at the Red Devil. Satori looked down at him with an oddly soft and concerned expression, his head tilted to the side. Then he maneuvered over to the side, to lay next to Kuroo, never taking his eyes from his face.
“You don’t have to stop. I want you to have a good time too, you know.” Kuroo felt his face flush and he dropped his gaze away from Satori’s intense, red eyes.
“Tetsurou, tonight you have already given me far more than I ever expected. I hope you won’t come to regret it, but...your expression tells me that if I push any further you definitely will. I’m not going to just take you, with your body clenched and your eyes squeezed shut and teeth gritted together. I may be the Red Devil, but I’m not a monster.”
Kuroo rolled his eyes and huffed out a sigh. Now that he thought about it, yeah, it did seem pretty awful to expect that from the guy who had done nothing but admire him from the moment they’d connected here.
“Sorry. I...don’t do this. Especially not with people I know. You really caught me up with all that, and then I went and got in my head about it.” Kuroo leaned up on his elbow and looked down at Satori. He looked flushed and happy, lovely in the low light of the dingy little apartment. For once, the way his mouth curled up at the corners didn’t tick Kuroo off. It made him feel...something else.
“You’re the most beautiful and magnificent person I’ve ever met, Kuroo Tetsurou. All this that I’ve done, I did it primarily to impress you. You’re dark and mysterious and untouchable. I never even thought I’d get the chance to tell you that. I’m so happy that I get to see you like this.” Everything about him was so genuine in that moment and Kuroo’s heart stuttered as he looked down at him. There were little scars along his skin, some faded tattoos. Kuroo reached down and traced one with a fingertip as it ran along Satori’s collarbone out across his shoulder.
“You were the only thing I could never plan for. The only piece of chaos in my structured, ordered world. I hated it, but, if I’m being honest, I was always disappointed when you didn’t show. The job was always so much more satisfying if I could beat you. You’re amazing, the way you just react and fly blind, fearless and without limits. I could never do that.” He watched as Satori’s eyes widened at his words and the Devil leaned up close to him.
“Can I kiss you again? You can say no. I just...I never thought you’d think of me like that. You’ve made my heart sputter like a flame. Can you feel it?” He pressed Kuroo’s hand to his throat and Kuroo could feel the wild beating of his heart.
Instead of answering, he slid his hand back to Satori’s nape and pulled him in, slotting their mouths together once again. It was different this time, a slow burn instead of a raging fire, and he let himself love the way Satori melded with him, pulling him close and running heated fingers up his spine. Satori didn’t push, keeping his hands above Kuroo’s waist, but the hot brush of his cock was impossible to ignore. Their breaths were growing heavier in the shrinking space between them and Kuroo groaned as Satori dragged his tongue over the line of his throat.
“Tetsu, you can fuck me again, if you want…” Satori’s voice was low and breathless, his hands tugging gently at Kuroo’s hips. But now that he had time to think about it, to plan and prepare, as was his way, that wasn’t what Kuroo wanted from him.
“Actually, I think I’d prefer if you picked up where you left off. If you still-” his words were cut off as Satori rolled on top of him and kissed him hard, tongue tangling with his own inside his mouth. He gripped Kuroo’s thighs hard as he eased them open to settle between. All at once it seemed, Kuroo wanted all of him, pulled him down to press their bodies together and groan into each other’s mouths from the sweet friction of their cocks sliding together.
That didn’t last as Satori’s patience gave way quickly. He reached for their supplies, rolling on his own protection and coating his fingers once again. He lowered his mouth to Kuroo’s nipple, rolling his tongue over it several times until Kuroo was squirming from how good it felt, before pressing two fingers slowly back into him. He was relieved that most of this was taken care of earlier, but he still blushed at how deliberate and careful his adversary was, pressing sweet words and kisses into his skin as he made sure Kuroo was ready. He was sucking a dark mark into Kuroo’s collar when he finally removed his fingers, making Kuroo whine from the emptiness.
“Oh, my beautiful Shadow Cat, I’m going to show you just how incredible you are. Just how much I adore you.” Kuroo had never thought he’d been a fan of praise, but Satori’s words were soft as velvet and as he pressed inside of Kuroo, he made a little gasp that lit fires in every piece of him that knew pleasure. As their hips met and he felt Satori pulse inside of him, he wasn’t sure if sex had ever felt like this before, like he was being worshipped and defiled all wrapped together. He relaxed his body, but his hips still rolled against Satori as he couldn’t suppress seeking more. It gained him a satisfying buck from the other man with another wanton noise that had his nerves singing.
“Oh yes, Testurou, my perfect, strong, prince of the shadows. I want to see your face when you cum for me this time. I’ll bet you look finer than any art we’ve laid our hands upon…” Kuroo had never been spoken to like this, and as Satori began to rock into him in earnest, he could do little but soak it in, savoring the feeling of being the object of such adoration. He wound his fingers into Satori’s hair, dug his nails into his back as he pushed deeper and deeper, coaxing sounds of pleasure out with each slow drag of his cock.
Words began to fail Satori as their pace increased, but the way he looked at Kuroo never changed. He watched him like he couldn’t bear to miss a single moment of Kuroo’s ecstasy. He pressed one of Kuroo’s legs up, hooking his knee over Satori’s shoulder, which gave him an even better, even deeper angle. He knew he shouldn’t be selfish, that he should let Satori do as he wished to him, but his need to was beginning to press against his abdomen. Kuroo reached down to fist his cock, the sweet stimulation a relief, even as the action made Satori fuck him faster.
“Fuck, yes, touch yourself for me. I want to feel you cum on my cock. I want it so bad. Stroke yourself for me, darling.” Something in the back of Kuroo’s mind told him those words should be embarrassing, but under that heavy gaze he felt the coil of his orgasm building. He wanted to do whatever Satori asked, anything he wanted, anything to make him praise him more, want him more, love him more.
Each thrust was hard enough to move his whole body as Satori pounded into him in wave after wave of bliss. Under those lust-filled eyes, still burning from those silken words, Kuroo stroked himself fast and hard until he was cumming, squeezing tight around Satori and painting his chest with release. The moment he began to regain himself, Satori took him rough and wild, overstimulation beginning to win out just before the other rogue moaned loud and uncontrolled into his ear as he pumped his own climax into the thin layer of latex between them. Kuroo pulled him into a kiss, hot and messy, as he milked the last of his orgasm by slowly fucking in and out of Kuroo a few times before finally pulling free.
Kuroo’s hands and feet tingled in satisfaction. He held Satori close, reveling in their shared high and the charm of the Devil’s trembling, post-coital demeanor. The redhead just rested against his chest a moment, catching his breath as Kuroo petted down his back and shoulders. The quiet crept back in around them, the air cooling their sweat-damp skin.
After long moments tangled together, Satori sat up and stood on shaky legs.
“I’ll get us a wet cloth and a dry towel. Stay right there.” As Satori shimmied off to the bathroom, Kuroo followed his directions, happy to be pampered by the adoring thief. A warm, wet washcloth soothed the sticky mess from his chest and stomach, and he even let the Devil dry him with a fluffy towel. Kuroo wasn’t sure what would happen next and it made him anxious. Even as they slipped their suits back on in the quiet of the room, doubt began invading all his thoughts once again.
Satori crossed over to the table and retrieved a large, rolled up stack of papers from a dresser drawer. Kuroo finally had to break the spell they’d let linger, still speaking in a low hush.
“I should go. You...I...we probably shouldn’t have done any of this. It’d probably be best if we forget about it…” The words felt like cold disappointment leaving his lips and Satori looked up at him with an unreadable expression as he unfurled the papers and spread them out on the table.
“No.”
Kuroo blinked at him. Satori was methodically placing objects at the corners of the papers to keep them flat and looking over the contents, barely sparing him a glance.
“What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, you can leave if you really want to. But I’m not forgetting about this or pretending it didn’t happen. And I don’t think you really want to either.” Then he looked up and gave Kuroo one of those sure grins, one of the ones he only got when he’d bested the more experienced rogue, and Kuroo couldn’t decide how he felt about that.
“Well, then what-”
“Actually, considering what happened tonight, I think we ought to switch up our tactics. Give them something they’ll never expect. They’d never expect a team. And I’ll be damned if we don’t make a good one.” There was just a hint of the lilt of a question in his last statement and Satori arched an eyebrow at him as he smoothed over the documents before him; blueprints, Kuroo now realized.
“A...team?”
“Yes, a team. It just so happens, I really need someone good at planning and preparing. Care to help a fellow miscreant out?”
Kuroo stood and walked over to the table, looking down at the blueprints. It was like the paths lit up on the map before his eyes, his sharp mind already working toward the goal, unknown as it was.
He looked up at Satori, those red eyes holding him captive in such a new and tantalizing way. Kuroo felt the corner of his mouth curve upward.
“Show me what you got, Red Devil.”
And in one fell swoop, Kuroo Tetsurou, Shadow Cat, became the victim of a new kind of heist. One where the perfect rival steals something that Kuroo never realized he wanted taken so badly.