"Hey! Focus! We need to get this job done quickly!" The redhead harshly whispered.
"I know. I'm trying! Picking locks isn't the easiest thing in the world." The blue haired boy whispered back.
Both of them stood quietly in a room while Kuroko worked hard to pick the lock on a cabinet door. A cabinet door which for sure held jewelry and riches on the other side. When the blue haired boy got the door open, he gestured for the redhead to look first. Akashi grabbed everything of value, put it into his bag and they both left without a trace.
They had done this so many times, it was impossible to count how many robberies they had done. It was simply one rich house after the other. Prepping the house for weeks, making sure they knew the family's routine and making sure they could cover all security cameras and get in/get out without leaving a single clue for the police to find. They were experts and they really needed the money.
Kuroko has found the redhead purely by mistake when he was seven years old. They both grew up as orphans; their parents abandoning them at birth. The blue haired boy saw that Akashi had broken in to the orphanage just to get a little bit of warmth from the winter air outside. Kuroko then opened a window for the redhead every night so that Akashi could come and curl up beside him on his bed. When they slept side by side, it was always the blue haired boy who had his arm secured around Akashi's waist and it was always Akashi who fit snugly against his chest. But as the years passed, Akashi grew taller, he built more muscle, and all of the sudden Akashi was the one holding Kuroko.
The blue haired boy didn't mind, it was nice to feel safe in someone else's arms and when they left the orphanage, it was nice to know they were leaving together. They traveled the streets together, not knowing how to sort their lives out. But then they realized they had a gift. Kuroko was able to touch a lock with his beautiful hands and it would simply open for him, like magic. Akashi overall was good at finding things. He was always the one who targeted the house and found the valuable items. The redhead was more of the muscle as well. Kuroko had muscles but his stamina was on the low end. Whenever they stole from rich houses, they would take the stolen items and get them appraised in order to switch the item to a big wad of cash. Then... they gave it away.
Of course they kept some for themselves, but they kept only what they needed and then gave the other struggling, homeless children, women, men, and families enough to get by. Some people picked themselves up after receiving the money. Some were able to clean up, find a small job and work their way up from there. But it was hard and most hit rock bottom by the end of the week or month.
It was alright though. Even if those who received money didn't pick themselves up right away, Kuroko and Akashi were happy to help. Of course, they made sure people didn't start heavily depending on them but they made sure to save as many people as possible. The blue haired boy and redhead enjoyed the adrenaline that came with potentially being caught and though they new the consequences of repeated robbery was probably the death penalty, they really couldn't care less. They were already dead as far as they knew.
Or at least, Kuroko thought they were already dead since they had no one to love. Akashi, on the other hand, fell in love with the blue haired boy. He simply loved the way Kuroko worked as he picked locks or talked with him and he especially loved it when they slept side by side like when they were little. The blue haired boy's smile was blinding to the point Akashi would call it his sun. The redhead loved the feeling of Kuroko's waist underneath his fingertips, delicate but strong. He loved burying his face into his soft blue hair and wondering how he smells so good even though they use the same shampoo. Akashi hoped that Kuroko would return his feelings and they would be able to settle down together but... he seemed intent on helping others before thinking of his own life.
The two thieves went back to their very small apartment and hid the stolen items to appraise tomorrow. They both took a quick shower and fell asleep side by side on the bed. Kuroko gripped Akashi's shirt tightly as they tangled each other in the soft blankets. The redhead lightly brushed Kuroko's cheek as he slept and then fell asleep a few moments later.
Kuroko would be lying if he said he didn't care about the redhead at all. The blue haired boy was in fact very fond of him and cared about him very much. But he knew to keep his distance and he knew that loving him and starting a life with him was pointless. Kuroko always thought to himself that two boys in love wouldn't get very far, if anything they would be shunned by other people. Which was stupid because love is so abstract to begin with and it can happen to anyone. The blue haired boy simply enjoyed the comfort of Akashi's strong arms holding him and fell asleep as well.
The next day, they traveled together, never alone, to the appraiser. Once changing their stolen objects into cash, they bought a lot of food and handed it out the homeless people in their neighborhood. Then they also handed out some cash for them to buy what they needed. Once taking care of the people around them, Akashi and Kuroko bought some clothes for themselves and food. There wasn't a lot of money left, but they knew how to get by without the best conditions. While walking down the street, they spotted a TV playing inside a store, the latest headline read, "Burglars strike once again"
It was normal to see headlines about Akashi and Kuroko after they stole things. The blue haired boy laughed, "The rich are so sensitive... they freak out over a stolen vase and a little jewelry."
After a few days of relaxation, the redhead spotted a house that looked promising. They had no pets, a daughter of around five years and of course, they were filthy rich. Akashi immediately began preparing for their next 'job' and Kuroko watched him patiently while fiddling with a bunch of locks. The blue haired boy played with the locks on the bed while watching the the redhead map out the house and security cameras.
Kuroko really couldn't help but admire the redhead's jawline and the intense look in his eyes as he worked. Eventually, the blue haired boy fell asleep. The redhead continued working for a few more hours before cleaning up and slipping under the covers with Kuroko.
They spent the next few days observing the house, when the parents left, when the daughter came back from school, when they slept, and even when they woke up. It was hard to gather all the information without looking suspicious so they often broke a window and then disguised themselves as repair men to get into the house. Sometimes they painted rooms to get a better look in the house too. Whatever was more efficient.
After weeks, Kuroko and Akashi decided to rob them. They had figured out everything they needed to know, from the grass in the front lawn down to the location of their precious items. They decided to move in at night since it was definitely a lot easier to steal when people were sleeping.
It was Akashi's fault. Well, he blames himself. That night as Kuroko sat in front of the safe and fiddled with the lock, they both heard a light voice behind them,
"You have beautiful hair."
They both froze in shock and turned to see the tired daughter of the house. The daughter who was supposed to be sleeping. The redhead was still wearing a mask but Kuroko usually hated wearing masks while working so he had taken it off. The blue haired boy gave his lock picks to Akashi and whispered to him to pick the lock.
"Tetsuya...no." The redhead harshly whispered.
Kuroko remained calm and gestured for the redhead to pick the lock while he took care of the girl. Akashi took a deep breath, lightly kissed the blue haired boy's cheek and continued picking the lock.
"I'll be fine, Sei. Just finish the job and get out, I'll meet you back at home."
Akashi wasn't the best at picking locks but he was definitely capable after watching the blue haired boy for years. He was slower and he was even more slow when he realized he was crying, his hands shaking. Tears streamed down the redhead's face when he told himself that it was all his fault that they had gotten caught. And since Kuroko was the one without the mask on, the blue haired boy had sacrificed himself. Akashi opened the safe, stole some things and left without a trace.
Meanwhile, Kuroko crouched down in front of the little girl and smiled warmly, "Hey Lizzy, why don't we go back to your room and put you to bed?"
The little girl nodded groggily and let the blue haired boy pick her up. She trailed her fingers through his silky hair as he slowly and very quietly tucked her back into her bed.
"Are you going to stay with me?" The girl asked.
Kuroko smiled lightly and nodded. He sat by the girl's side until her breathing evened out. When she fell asleep, the blue haired boy slowly moved away and out of the house. Kuroko ran back to his little apartment and saw the redhead crying by himself.
"I'm back." The blue haired boy mumbled as if he hadn't just set up his own death.
Akashi stared at Kuroko, completely baffled with the fact that he was so calm.
"Tetsuya..." The redhead sobbed, "I'm so sorry. It's my fault that you were seen."
The blue haired boy held Akashi in his embrace and stroked his red hair. Kuroko gently lulled him to sleep on their small shared bed. The redhead cried himself to sleep while gripping the blue haired boy's shirt. When Akashi ran out of tears to cry, he mumbled apologies into Kuroko's chest.
"It's alright, Seijuro. Don't cry." The blue haired boy cooed.
Akashi refused to fall asleep, he knew that by morning Kuroko would be gone. The redhead tried his best to stay awake. Akashi stared into Kuroko's eyes and saw an immense amount of sadness. The redhead slowly closed his eyes as he closed the gap between their lips.
Kuroko didn't kiss back.
"I love you." Akashi said. The last three words he said to the blue haired boy before falling asleep.
In the morning, as expected, Kuroko was gone and he had taken all the evidence of their robberies with him. The redhead felt numb. He simply sat in their apartment and waited.
It wasn't long until Kuroko got caught and sent to jail. They harshly questioned him. But the blue haired boy claimed that he worked alone and that he only had an adoptive brother who he hasn't seen for years. Akashi passed off as Kuroko's brother and wasn't suspected at all.
As Kuroko spent his time in jail before his execution, he thought about his life. How many people he helped, how many houses he robbed and how much he loved Akashi. He also thought about how much he regretted not kissing the redhead back, but he knew it would be harder for Akashi if he had.
A few days before the execution, the blue haired boy met Akashi in a small room. They sat at a table face to face with no surveillance or officers standing beside Kuroko.
"Hey..." The blue haired boy said with a small smile.
Akashi didn't know what to say. So he reached out and held the blue haired boy's hand. Kuroko pulled away and sternly said, "Don't. You know it'll be harder otherwise."
The redhead snapped, "God, Tetsuya, can't you just let me feel something for once? Let me show you how much I love you! Let me show you what life we could have had!"
Kuroko was taken aback with the sudden outburst. Usually they were both calm and composed and never spoken words they would regret later on. The blue haired boy balled up his fists and stood up.
"You think you're the only one having a hard time?! You think I don't care about you? I love you, Seijuro, I always have and I still do."
Akashi shoved the blue haired boy, "Then why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you kiss me back?! We could have been better, we could have had a different life!"
Kuroko grabbed the redhead by his shoulders and crashed their lips together. Like a wave coming down onto a city, the redhead relaxed under that small touch of warmth that was shared. Tears streamed down both of their faces as their locked up emotions were revealed. Their memories were triggered.
"I love you." Kuroko mumbled as he desperately tried to pull the redhead closer.
When they broke apart, they didn't know what to say. Kuroko was still going to have to face the death penalty and Akashi would live on by himself, waiting day after day for death to come. There was no way for then to avoid it.
The blue haired boy was simply frozen in shock as the officers came in, handcuffed him and lead him away. Akashi felt his hands grow cold without Kuroko's warmth beside him.
As his last request, Kuroko asked to have a tattoo on his back to continue the tally chart. Akashi got his tattoo as well. The redhead stayed home and sat on his bed on Kuroko's execution day and all he could think was,
Be strong…
Fortunately, not many years passed before Akashi passed away as well. The redhead had a nice job, a decent apartment and he had met all his friends. It was only three years after Kuroko's death that Akashi passed away in a car accident. Greeting death with a slight smile, the redhead closed his eyes and let out a small laugh.