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Johnny stood in front of the mirror in his downstairs bathroom, doing a last once-over on his appearance. He ran a hand over his hair, slicking the brown locks back and watching them fall into place. He stood back and dipped his sunglasses down, practicing a camera ready smile before resuming his normal stature. He was ready.
Now finished with his own appearance, Johnny’s concerns aimed to find where Kenshi was. Normally the swordsman didn’t usually take this long to come downstairs, but it was a special night and maybe he was just taking extra long.
With nothing else to do, Johnny began to make his way up the stairs. He was giddy with excitement, tonight was the movie premiere of their long awaited film based on their events in Outworld. Not only that, tonight would be the first time Johnny and Kenshi’s relationship would go official. The actor was excited to not only show off his boyfriend, but for Kenshi to experience the world he’d been living in for years.
“Honey?” Johnny called as he tapped on their bedroom door with his knuckles. The light door pushed an inch open from his touch, and through the sliver Johnny could make out Kenshi sitting on a chair that sat near the bedroom window.
Kenshi’s back was towards him with the swordsman facing the window. The window sits halfway open, letting in a gentle autumn breeze in their spacious room.
From what Johnny could see, he was already cleaned, dressed, and ready to go. So why was he still up here?
“Hey hot stuff,” Johnny spoke as he entered the room, “cmon, limos waiting.”
However, Kenshi seemed to not even hear him, he didn’t even turn in his direction. Johnny’s eyebrow raised in confusion but he kept sauntering forward, maybe Kenshi hadn’t heard him.
Johnny set his hand on Kenshi’s shoulders from behind, kneading into the muscles and causing the swordsman to wince under him. Johnny slowed his movements in concern, and his smile fell into a thin line.
“Ken-doll?” He said again, hands just sitting heavy on Kenshi’s shoulders.
Kenshi didn’t reply again, but he made a slight turn barely enough to where Johnny could see his temple before the blind man turned back towards the window.
Johnny leaned down next to his head, facing Kenshi’s side and trying to make out any emotion, but there was none.
“You okay?” The actor asked, and when he didn’t answer again Johnny immediately was hit with a wave of concern. It was never like Kenshi to act so quiet and dazed out.
Earlier in the day and even last night the couple had talked about tonight - the movie premiere event they were going to attend. Johnny had admitted his pure excitement for Kenshi to be there and be there as his boyfriend . Kenshi had even agreed that it’d be exciting, and they had made love for hours after that.
An added bonus of Kenshi being his date to the premiere was that Cris would definitely get to see Johnny happy, moved on, and with someone better.
But now Kenshi sat here on this chair, slumped over, motionless.
Johnny rushed to the front of Kenshi and immediately ran his vision over him to gauge his body language. Kenshi sat with his hands together in his lap, looking downwards with a poker face toward the floor. Although there was no discerning look of sadness, anger, or uncomfortableness - Johnny knew Kenshi better than that.
“Kenshi,” Johnny spoke softly, squatting down in front of the swordsman and peering up at him from a lowered angle to see his face.
“Hey.” Kenshi mumbled, barely audible. His lip went stiff and straight, and his shoulders looked tense.
“Kenshi, are you okay?” Johnny repeated, bringing his hands to hold Kenshi’s balled up ones.
Kenshi nodded, slowly, and the hesitation in it signaled a red flag for his boyfriend.
Johnny leaned in closer toward Kenshi, face morphed into a look of concern and stomach beginning to feel sour with worry as he studied his boyfriend. It was very rare for Kenshi to fall into depressive fits, but Johnny nevertheless was always worried for the well being of his boyfriend. He also understood that being blind was and would never be easy, so he was always ready to comfort and reassure his lover.
Yet something about the situation was telling Johnny’s intuition that this wasn’t like other times Kenshi was upset about the past. Could it have to do with the premiere tonight?
“Kenshi, baby, talk to me.” Johnny said, running his thumb across Kenshi’s tattooed digits. Kenshi let his fingers relax from their clench as Johnny ran over them, but it was clear he was still tense.
Committing to the role of patient boyfriend, Johnny let his position shift from a squat into a kneel as he aimed to stay and console Kenshi. The actor gave him some silence as he waited, only offering his ears to listen and lovingly running his hands over his. He’d wait there for however long he needed, but he hoped that wasn’t the case.
Kenshi seemed to understand this, and his first words came in the form of a whisper, “I…I just…” He trailed off, turning his head away from Johnny.
Johnny gave him time to talk but spoke again when Kenshi continued to remain silent, “What is it?”
“It’s,” Kenshi bit his lip and turned downward, “it’s stupid.”
Johnny held Kenshi’s hand with one of his hands while the other reached up to gently pull Kenshi’s face back in his direction by his chin. Johnny leaned in, eyebrows furrowed with concern and his words heavy with care.
“ Nothing you say is stupid. And I’m your boyfriend, anything you say is important to me.” Johnny spoke, his voice more serious than it's ever been in his life.
Kenshi’s heart sped up at that. Johnny had always proven himself to be an attentive lover, but rarely did he ever talk to him so seriously concerned. The swordsman couldn’t help but feel like he’d been covered with a heavy blanket of warmth and care. He visibly relaxed at Johnny’s soothing reassurance.
“I’m just a little anxious is all…” Kenshi mumbled, but Johnny knew that if big bad boy Kenshi was admitting any kind of emotion - then it was actually tenfold.
“About what, love?” Johnny asked and his hands moved to settle on the tops of Kenshi’s knees, smoothing over them as he listened intently.
“What if-” Kenshi began but stilled. He then took a deep breath, visibly and figuratively building up the courage to admit his troubles in a way he rarely did.
“What if your fans…everyone…what if they don’t like us? What if they don’t like me? ”
Johnny would’ve laughed at how absurd Kenshi’s words were if it weren’t for the seriousness of the situation - Kenshi truly meant what he said.
“You’re worried about what people think?” Johnny asked slowly and softly. Kenshi nodded and turned away again, blushing like this was the dumbest thing ever.
“Can you imagine what they’re gonna say? That this A-List celebrity has a blind boyf-”
“ Hey ,” Johnny immediately cut him off with a harsher tone, “ do not say that like it has ever held you, held us back. You’re incredible, and being blind has never stopped that from being true.”
Johnny brought Kenshi’s hand up to his lips and planted a kiss on the back of it.
“I’m just,” Kenshi sighed, “I don’t care what people think. I don’t. But…it just worries me. What if people don’t like us together? What if it ruins your career? What if you realize I’m not good enough for you?”
Johnny kissed his hands once more, taking a moment of contemplation to think about what he wanted to say.
He held his hands tight as he talked to him directly, “Kenshi.” The swordsman immediately turned his head up to listen to him.
“Firstly, I love and care about you. Nothing. And I mean, nothing , would ever change that. I wouldn’t care if you were a literal fly. Seriously.”
Kenshi laughed at that.
“And I don’t ever want you to speak for me,”
Kenshi’s brows furrowed in worry.
“Because you have no idea how much I love you.”
Kenshi’s expression relaxed as Johnny continued to talk.
“Secondly, I could care less about my career if it had anything to do with you. I’d pretty up dead bodies before I’d ever let acting come between us. You are what I’m passionate about, not playing some dumb superhero in some film.”
Johnny smiled as he threw in a joke for lightheartedness, “The only reason I’d lose my career is cause together we’d be too sexy for Hollywood.”
Kenshi laughed and Johnny’s heart warmed at the beautiful sound. It urged him to continue, “Thirdly I, nor you, should ever care about what anybody thinks. Ever. And I’m saying this as a world class celebrity . I wouldn’t be anywhere if I cared about what people thought, and look at me now,”
Johnny brought Kenshi’s hands to his lips and kissed them from the back of his hand to his fingertips.
“Rich with the sexiest piece of ass I get to call my boyfriend-”
Kenshi cut him off to laugh out loud, leaning back as it pushed through his lungs. Johnny could only watch, smiling lightly but still concerned with his boyfriend.
“And I’d say, we look pretty damn good. So if anyone disagrees, they’re lying.” Johnny finished, and watched Kenshi’s laughter die down until he sat relaxed, blushing with a giddy smile.
“I’m serious, Kenshi.” Johnny said, letting a moment pass between them, “I love you.”
“Thank you Johnny,” Kenshi replied, unable to hide the smile on his face.
Johnny was enamored by it, as always, and rushed up to kiss him, quick and cute.
“What? No ‘I love you’ back?” Johnny joked, hitting his heart feigning insult.
Kenshi leaned down and pinched Johnny’s cheek, “As much of a goofball you are,” he squeezed it, “I love you too.” He kissed him then.
Johnny received the kiss openly, and deepened it as he surged forward to get closer to him. Their mouths seemed to unmold within each other, heads tilting sideways and noses brushing against each other as they kissed. Johnny parted his mouth, opening his mouth for Kenshi’s tongue and their kiss turned hot.
Hot puffs of air filled the space between them as they separated to catch their breaths, panting.
“Is this your plan to get us to stay home?” Johnny grinned.
Kenshi let out a happy sigh, hands finding their home on Johnny’s shoulders, “I suppose it didn’t work?”
Johnny laughed, “Not a chance.”
Johnny grabbed Kenshi’s hand and let him stand up with him. He led him towards the stairs and began to walk behind him.
“Plus,” Johnny began, “I need everyone to see my sexy husband.” He brought a quick hand down and slapped Kenshi’s ass harshly.
“Hey!” Kenshi called, reaching out to yank Johnny toward him by his arm. Johnny wrapped his arm around Kenshi and kissed him once more, to which Kenshi could do nothing but kiss him back, feeling worlds better with his lover by his side.