Chapter Text
Over the year that Koshi had spent at Daichi’s side, he had yet to grow accustomed to the storms that frequently battered the coastline; spring tides were always the most violent.
Unlike those that caressed his homeland of Seijoh in frequent yet gentle rainfalls, Karasuno would witness harsh whiplashes and thunder. A coastal city graced with strong cliff faces and mountains upon its borders, it raged for the first half of spring and settled and came to life for the rest. Koshi, like many others, waited for the summer when the sun would be ever present, the seas finally calmed and blue unlike their current state of almost black. Horses racing over each other until reaching an untimely death upon the rock face, crashing in great heights as they roared out in agony.
“Awake again?” A sleep filled voice murmured at Koshi’s side, a heavy, draped arm tightening as Koshi was pulled in closer to a warm chest. “Do the skies pull you from your sleep?”
With a shake of his head, Koshi took a deep breath, focusing on the gentle beat pressed to his shoulder, “It is the sea: I hear it crying out.”
“It lies,” Daichi sighed, “don’t listen to it.”
With a hum Koshi stared out at the window left uncovered by curtain, rain lashing against it with each beat of wind that rolled past. It left him feeling uneasy, it was unpredictable. It wasn’t constant either, just when Koshi thought it would finally end it just seemed to pour harder. With a push to Daichi’s chest, Koshi turned over, ignoring his husband’s groan of protest as he moved to lie upon him. Like this Koshi could hear Daichi’s heartbeat clearer, ear right below his collarbone. It was the easiest thing to focus on—that, alongside the deep breaths Daichi took in a relaxed rhythm. It all drowned out the distant roars of the sea.
All he could focus on was Daichi, and that’s exactly how he wanted it. Yet… he was awake now. Any hope of falling asleep once more was next to nothing despite his comfort. Yes, there was nowhere else he’d rather be, but his mind was awake with thoughts, his throat somewhat parched.
“I am going to get a drink,” Koshi whispered, annoyed with how his body seemed to think it was suddenly time to be awake and not asleep.
“Get a servant…” was what Koshi believed Daichi murmured.
“I am capable…” rising slowly, Koshi leaned in once to kiss Daichi’s jaw before lifting entirely from the bed. He draped the sheets back over his husband carefully, not apologising for his incapability to stay still or asleep. It had long been established that Koshi was not to apologise for small things such as this. ‘It wasn't his fault’, Daichi would say. Or sometimes say nothing at all and instead give a soft smile, occasionally the blunt gaze.
Wrapping himself in an extra layer, Koshi shuddered at the crisp of the air compared to the warmth of the bed. It wasn’t a particularly cold night, just cooler compared to Daichi’s natural heat he seemed to endlessly radiate.
At the door of their chambers, Koshi caught two guards, both standing straight as the door opened.
“Your Highness,” they both spoke.
“Shh, not so loud,” Koshi huffed, shutting the door softly, “I am going to get a drink.”
He left without waiting for the guards, normally one would accompany him. Daichi felt more comfortable when Koshi was accompanied by at least one guard. During the war he was said to have been attacked in the night by an intruder; some scars never truly heal.
Of the two that stood guard, Tetsuro, Daichi’s most trusted, accompanied Koshi through the vast and dark halls of the palace.
“You never wait, Your Highness,” he muttered, black armour clinking softly with his movements. It was a marvel, each knight looked as if they belonged on some chess board in Koshi’s opinion. Bespoke armour for each knight, fitting exactly over their physique. An extension of their body as Tetsuro liked to tell him. This style in particular, black metal carved in feathered like patterns, was exclusive to Karasuno’s main legion of knights, a very high honour.
“Perhaps you should learn to keep up then,” Koshi replied with a small smile.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The walk to the kitchen was relatively quiet, small words passed here and there. At this time of the night, everything was silent, not a single maid or servant walking the halls. The kitchens were somewhat strange at this time similarly, Koshi was used to them being full of servants and life, now they stood still and lifeless.
“Drink?” Koshi asked as he searched for two glasses, one of the kitchen maids was kind enough to leave a fresh beaker of water and glasses out for Koshi if he were to awake during the night.
“No, thank you,” Tetsuro replied, standing guard at the door.
With a roll of his eyes, Koshi poured him a glass anyway, seating himself at the table as he waited. “Are you going to sit or not?” He asked, placing the glass pointedly onto the space ahead of himself, expecting Tetsuro to seat himself.
Sighing, Tetsuro gave in and sat, removing the helmet from his head as he did so. From what Koshi could tell, he had been wearing it for some time, there were small red lines beneath his eyes and over his nose, spanning down the sides of his jaws. The helmet covered almost the majority of Tetsuro’s face, leaving gaps for his eyes, the lower half of the front of the piece left entirely open.
“Very well, Your Highness,” He muttered, sitting stiff as he ruffled his hair slightly. Helmet hair or not, it was a mess.
“Daichi told me you are unlike the other knights here… is that so?” Koshi queried, fingers running slowly over the rim of his glass. They had been sitting in silence and Koshi wished for something to distract himself from the storm raging outside.
At first, Tetsuro seemed reluctant to answer, taken aback by the bluntness of Koshi’s question. He was careful as he chose what to say in reply, “My background… is certainly different.”
“Why is that?” Koshi quickly realised the uncomfortable posture of the knight, with haste he added, “forgive me, that was too formal. You need not answer.”
“It is quite alright, Your Highness,” he began, eyes meeting Koshi’s softly, “I have not had the chance to voice this so freely in some time.”
Koshi waited as Tetsuro sat in contemplation. In the dull light of the candles, small flickers of conflict struck the knight’s face sporadically. Though Koshi ought to remember his manners, there was a strange feeling pulling him towards the answers that lay behind Tetsuro’s lips. He wanted to hear them voiced, curious as to why he was so enclosed in his own feelings.
“I was once of noble status,” The knight began, eyes watching the candle dance slowly, “if it weren’t for His Majesty’s kindness I would not be alive.”
For a moment Koshi wondered what Tetsuro could possibly mean, ‘not be alive. Yet, he seemed to have a slight incline as to what the knight was referring to, “...Nekoma…”
With a slight smirk, Tetsuro nodded. Despite his amusement at Koshi's inference, there was sadness behind his smile.
Now it seemed almost stupid Koshi had not realised that Tetsuro was not from Karasuno, there was an uncanny resemblance to a cat within him. His eyes, how he could creep up without notice; lie without hesitation.
“We were informed the Prince died at war?” Koshi queeried.
“A lie,” Tetsuro huffed softly, “I was wounded during the war, by my own people no less. The lies you heard were spread by my cousin in hopes of covering for the real scandal, the one to my own name.”
“Your reputation was tarnished?”
“Are you not aware, your highnes- forgive me, but where it is you have come from?”
“Sendai, I was the second heir to the throne. My brother, Tooru, is who you are more familiar with perhaps.”
“I have heard of him, but I have not yet had the pleasure of actually conversing; your borders are far from my homeland. I presumed you were from here, Your Highness, my apologies.”
Koshi shook his head, dismissing Tetsuro’s apology, “Do not worry yourself, please.” With a small gesture, Koshi leaned in, elbows resting upon the table as he waited for Tetsuro to continue.
“I assure you, Your Highness, it is not as pleasant as you might think,” Tetsuro sighed, hand running through the mess of hair upon his head.
“I do not expect it to be anything, I am simply curious… Talking about it may aid you also.”
With a hum,Tetsuro leaned back in his chair, it was the most relaxed Koshi had seen him despite his still somewhat tense nature. “You really wish to hear about my tarnished reputation?”
“Why not all of it?”
“There is much to cover, Your Highness.”
“The night is long… and I have no intention of sleeping until the storm is over.”
With that, Tetsuro began.
—
“Abiding to the wishes of His Majesty Tsukishima, every district tried its best to avoid conflict between one another. It had been decided that myself and the Princes of Sendai would become acquainted at a young age in hopes of maintaining an alliance between our two neighbouring Kingdoms. Thus keeping peace between the outer districts of Sendai and Nekoma. I was no older than seven when I first met the two princes of Sendai. There being little no difference in our age it was fairly easy to find common ground between us. It was the eldest brother, Prince Akiteru, now a member of His Majesty’s court, that I found a friendship in first. The younger however, K-” Tetsuro coughed lightly, taking a drink from his own glass, “My apologies. The younger prince, Kei, was quite the boaster. He spoke highly of his brother almost always, to find conversation about himself was fleeting. He was and still is, I suppose, a highly introverted character. It took far longer for us to become as close.
“I would spend night after night with them, sometimes for longer than a couple of months depending on what business my parents had to attend to. Having me so young, they sought to do as much as they could before they grew old. Finding time for their son wasn’t an option at the time.
“As we grew older I began to look for solace elsewhere, Akiteru’s nature was an optimistic kind, and on occasion I found that to be too much. I could not handle the joy he seemed to find in every single activity he completed. It was in Kei that I found the silence I yearned for. Granted, we did not get along at first. Now at fifteen, myself eighteen, we had started to truly find ourselves as individuals. He, especially, had begun to bloom into a truly interesting person. I think he had some kind of misunderstanding with his brother, something that had caused him to change quite suddenly. There was no longer boasting of his brother’s achievements, he had fallen back into a shell of sorts.
“It made me curious as to what he was hiding. And not to my surprise, I found a companion in his company.
“It was short lasting, when I reached nineteen years of age, my parents agreed to begin furthering my tutoring. This time personally. It would be nearly six years before I saw either one of them. The eve of the ball King Tsukishima hosted for his sons was when I next saw Kei and his brother. I myself was betrothed to a nobleman’s daughter. Kei, as I remember, was having difficulties with a match his brother had tried to make. I suppose we both ought to be happy.”
Koshi watched as Tetsuro fell short, lost in memory as his words disappeared into the abyss of silence now left in the absence of his voice. The Prince wanted to press on, ask more questions as to why Tetsuro sounded so pained, why he was so reluctant to give any true detail and only a bare story.
“I… did not realise Sendai had a second prince,” Koshi muttered.
“I did not realise Seijoh had a second heir,” Tetsuro stated, still somewhat lost in his mind. There was a strange aura about him, closed off. Koshi could not read him, the only indication of emotion was how Tetsuro fiddled with a small ring between his fingers, it glinted slightly in the candle light.
“His Majesty will worry if Your Highness waits any longer to return,” Tetsuro suddenly stood, helmet swiftly placed back upon his head. “Please.” Waiting by the door, Tetsuro waited, eyes glinting brightly beneath the black of the helmet; the contrast striking.
For now, Koshi would push no further. He abided and left with the knight back to his chambers, the air about them tense unlike the friendly air that once stood. His questions lingered on his tongue, desperate to be asked. Now, was not the correct time for such things.
—
“Why did you take so long?” Daichi questioned in a half dazed state as he sat on the edge of the bed, arms outstretched and waiting for Koshi’s slender frame to walk into his embrace.
“I accidentally awoke one of the kitchen maids, we found conversation,” Koshi lied smoothly, smiling as he leaned heavily against his husband. “I did not mean to be gone so long.”
With a hum Daichi pulled Koshi with him as he fell back onto the bed, hiding them both beneath the sheets. They shifted only slightly to find comfort, soon closely embraced in each other’s arms as they began to drift off once more. The sea now calmed, Koshi supposed his questions would have to wait till the morning.
“I am going to give my brother a visit tomorrow,” Koshi whispered against Daichi’s neck.
“Don’t talk about that right now,” Daichi replied, kissing Koshi's cheeks and forehead, “we’ll talk about that tomorrow. Right now I would appreciate your full attention.”
Koshi simply laughed. For now, it could wait.