Archive of Our Own

In this modern world, being gay wasn’t seen as such a sin anymore but when you’re royalty, the lines start to blur a little. You’re expected to marry someone of the opposite sex and have a baby with them too. Tsukishima knew this and had known this from the day he was born.

When he was younger, everyone around him described him as a blunt, stubborn, smart and cocky boy. They all knew that he was the son of royalty and directly in line for the throne so making friends was more or less impossible. There was the odd few people who stuck around and weren’t interested in the fact that he was a prince at all. But those people were few and far between.

The vast majority tried to get on his good side so that they would be invited into the palace, treated like royalty themselves and meet the king and queen. Once they got their wishes, they bragged about it to their other friends and then left Tsukishima in the dust. That’s the way he thought it was always going to be for him.

So he stopped making friends. He was cold to people but he stopped talking about his status so much and limiting their interactions almost entirely. For group projects, they all wanted to go to his place but he simply told them it was too much of a security risk and they stopped asking. He wasn’t allowed a phone either since it was declared that it was too much of a risk.

So his social life was… nonexistent. He was surrounded by his personal guard almost 24/7 but it was even worse during school hours. He thought that one day they would leave him alone. Maybe by the time he got to high school? He did have an older brother who was 1st in line for the throne too.

But of course Akiteru managed to fall in love with a commoner and had to renounce his status. Therefore, Tsukishima was now 1st in line and he had to deal with all of that attention as well as losing his brother. Some brotherly love that is. Akiteru was well aware how being a royal had affected Tsukishima.

This royal business is pretty overrated.

The only people he could connect with on another level were the palace staff. Even then they held him at an arm's length and were nice to him to keep on the good side of his parents. They were older than him too.

That was until they hired a new stable boy.

Tsukishima hated many things that came with being part of royalty but he did love his horses. And animals in general, but like the rich boy he was, polo was a sport that was offered to him to play. Tsukishima, being a people pleaser at the time, happily started playing until he realised that he wasn’t a massive fan of the sport. What he did like was the horses.

So when he stopped playing polo, they kept the horses and Tsukishima began to ride them casually whenever he needed to get away. Tsukishima was about to graduate high school when the new stable boy was brought in. He was to replace the other stable hand who was retiring later that year.

Hearing this news, Tsukishima was upset but he was reassured that the new man would be trained to the best of his ability and that he would stick around for a while to keep an eye on him.

In the days leading up to his graduation, Tsukishima was out riding more and more. The pressure was starting to creep into him and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to college. If he gave up the throne there would be no one to take his place so he was backed into a corner.

He hadn’t been down in a few to see the introduction of the new guy. In a way he didn’t want to see him out of pure petty nature. But he would have to bite the bullet one day and that day just so happened to be today.

Tsukishima walked down to the stable and saw a younger looking man leading one of the horses around. The man was tall, had black hair which was dyed at the tips and he looked pretty muscular as well.

“Oh! Good morning!” He hastily bowed and moved back a little. “It’s nice to meet you, your highness. I’m the new helper here at the stable. I heard you’re the one who likes to ride.” The man said and acted as if he didn’t know how to address Tsukishima at all.”

Tsukishima was more stricken at how attractive the older man was and stuttered out a response after staring at him for a little. “Yes, it’s nice to meet you too. Can I get my horse now?”

“Ah! Yes, of course. She was just getting washed. That is my job after all.” Bokuto chuckled and walked around the side of the barn to get the horse equipped. “Do you want me to get her sorted? But you do seem more than capable, your highness.” Bokuto grabbed the equipment until. Tsukishima put a hand up.

“Just Tsukishima is fine. I have my own things stored away.” Tsukishima broke out of his trance and walked around to a compartment that still had his things locked away. It was kept behind lock and key with Tsukishima being the only one who had the key.

Bokuto watched him with fascination as he cared for his horse with such adoration. “Well I’ll just let you two get on them. I hope, since you come around here often, we can become friends.” Bokuto smiled as Tsukishima mounted his horse and started to gallop off.

“Me too.” Tsukishima blushed and started on his usual route. “Jesus Christ… he was so hot.” Tsukishima muttered to himself and leaned down into his horse. Bokuto was still plaguing his mind but so was the thought that they would never get together. If they did, Tsukishima would have to renounce his status and there was no way he would be allowed to do that now.

As he continued with his ride, he let the wind and the scenery take his mind off of all his stresses. Sometimes, he thought about getting on his horse and riding off, never to be seen again. But once again, his morals kept bringing him back to the castle to live out the rest of his days.

Tsukishima’s father was still in good health but anything could happen to him and they all needed to be prepared for that.

By the end of his ride, he had made up his mind. He was going to go to university and study archaeology which would give him something to do. Maybe he would become a proper equestrian too. Sure, he hadn’t done anything like that before but he was comfortable enough on a horse that he thinks he could get it done.

When he’s out rising, Tsukishima loses track of time easily so he wasn’t surprised when he came back that it was starting to get dark. His parents had gotten used to it over time as had the rest of the staff. But of course, that same sentiment wasn’t shared by their newest employee, Bokuto Kotarou.

By now it had been a good few hours since Tsukishima went out, and Bokuto wasn’t seeing anything from the younger man. He had been told that he was a very confident and experienced rider but it was nearly black outside and the young prince hadn’t returned back. Bokuto was not letting the prince go missing on his first full day of work.

Tsukishima was perfectly fine however and was starting to head back to the stables as Bokuto was mounting onto his own horse and heading out.

Bokuto grabbed a torch and started to ride out. When he brought him back he was going to ask for his number so he could phone him next time.

Bokuto had never called himself a very anxious person, but he likes to impress those around him. Since he was a kid he had always been highly athletic, playing any sports team his school had, going to different competitions and there was even a chance he would have joined the national volleyball team.

But life has many different plans for people, and Bokuto ended up getting injured in a game and was advised to stop playing competitively. Sure, he was pretty depressed after this revelation but Bokuto never let anything keep him down for too long.

Other than sports, he was well versed in animals and while he played competitively, he was also studying to become a vet if everything went wrong. Which happened, unfortunately.

The man he was shadowing was world famous and he was only allowed to do this since he had gotten his act together since high school. Since all he had was this, he focused on it more and that proved everyone’s suspicions. They knew he was smart when he tried.

But the man had a lot of serious contacts that he used for Bokuto to get him a good job. Even he wasn’t expecting the royal family to be interested in his abilities. On the job description it didn’t seem like much but once he got on site, there was a lot more work on his plate than he had thought.

The standards were strict and he had to have 3 forms of ID on him at all times which would settle once the guards started to recognise him.

He was mainly at the stables with the horses, but as a trained vet if he was needed elsewhere they would put him there. If he messed up, that was it for him.

Which was why he was now galloping around on a horse at 11PM looking for the prince. He wouldn’t have to look long since around 10 minutes into his search a horse went by him with Tsukishima on top of it.

Bokuto gasped and turned his own horse around to catch up to him. “Y-Your highness!” He cried out and Tsukishima seemed to hear it as he came to a stop.

“Ah, Bokuto. Are you out for a late night ride as well?” Tsukishima asked innocently, completely unaware of the turmoil he had just put Bokuto through. Tsukishima then caught onto the flushed and still slightly out of breath look on Bokuto’s face. “Are you ok? I told you, you can call me Tsukishima.”

Bokuto felt the pressure fall off of him like a boulder. “It’s fine now… I didn’t realise that you like staying out so late on your rides.”

“I do. It’s how I get things off of my mind. I let the air take it away from me and the wind carry them with it.” Tsukishima smiled and the two of them started trotting back to the stable.

Bokuto smiled and looked up at the night sky and he realised why Tsukishima stayed out for so long. “I can see why it would work.”

The two got closer to the stable while staying in a comfortable silence. “I was going to ask for your phone number so I wouldn’t panic again but I realise that might be against code.” Bokuto chuckled as he confessed his stupid idea.

Tsukishima hummed. “I would’ve given it to you but you’re right. Maybe when you’ve been here longer.” Tsukishima blushed about the thought of having such a hot guy’s number in his phone.

“Ah… well I guess I’ll come back to you when that happens.” Bokuto pulled into the stable and climbed off of his horse. Tsukishima followed suit and the two stored the equipment away.

By now, it was almost 10 at night and Tsukishima really had to get home. He waved quickly to Bokuto before quickly walking back to his room.

Bokuto watched after him for a while, just to make sure he got back safe, before turning back around to start mucking out. After that, he would head to his own room in the castle. Then he was back to work bright and early in the morning.

Tsukishima now had another reason to go to the stables as often as he was before. Tsukishima had thought that he had grown out of getting crushes especially since he was doomed to be in an arranged marriage. He convinced himself that this was just to indulge himself and it was better since Bokuto was employed by his father already.

Now everyday when he came home from school, he would head down to the stables to see Bokuto and then go on a ride.

The more Tsukishima learned about the older man, the more he fell for him. Hearing his stories about school, work and his life felt like a comfort to Tsukishima. He was trying to live vicariously through Bokuto to hear what he would’ve experienced if he wasn’t born in this family.

It definitely started with selfish intentions but the more Bokuto spoke about himself, Tsukishima fell harder and harder. Eventually he started listening to the stories for Bokuto rather than the experience of a ‘normal’ high schooler.

Sometimes, Tsukishima managed to pull Bokuto out to ride with him claiming that he would be scared alone. Bokuto looked like he doubted it for a second but eventually got the hint, even if slightly. When they were out riding, Tsukishima could ask any questions he wanted, say whatever he wanted without the fear of someone else hearing and reporting back to his parents.

With Bokuto, he felt like he could be himself and the other man gladly encouraged it. After he got himself to stop using the titles, they were both good to go.

When Tsukishima left highschool, he knew he wanted to go off to university and continue his studies. In doing so, he wouldn’t be able to see Bokuto as much as he would like to. But they do say that distance makes the heart grow fonder.

He could feel that happening for the two of them. Even if it was only a one sided attraction.

His parents were highly reluctant to let him go off to university, they didn’t see it as being necessary but he managed to convince them to let him go. He had the weight of not being the first in line for the throne. He could focus on his studies and even the hopes of getting a normal job like other members of the royal family who were further down the lineage.

While studying he still had his other royal duties to attend to that he couldn’t neglect. There always ended up being a party, some charity event he had to go to. Or even something as simple as showing up in public and walking around.

Other advisors were eager for Tsukishima to join them after he finished his studies. They had tried to make him compromise by going to school only if he was to study politics or business management. That had led to one long argument that left Tsukishima and his parents not speaking to each other for days. Eventually, they gave up and let Tsukishima go off to study paleontology.

When Tsukishima went off to study full time, Bokuto could also feel the longing to be around Tsukishima. He stopped coming over to the stables as often as he did before and that left Bokuto to try and fend from himself and mingle with other staff members.

All of them seemed to be decent enough people who kept to themselves. Some were kind enough to show him around the staff areas and the chefs made him food to snack on as well. Bokuto wasn’t expecting to feel as lonely as he did without Tsukishima around.

Little did he know that Tsukishima was feeling the exact same way.

Bokuto tried his hardest to make friends with the other staff members to no avail. They didn’t have as much free time as Bokuto could, so that was a major factor in making friends. There was someone who caught his eye, however.

A guy, looking just a little younger than him, appeared in the palace every so often. Typically, he was with an older member of staff. Bokuto never approached him or greeted him with more than a shy smile and a bow since he always looked busy. He assumed that Akaashi was shadowing someone to learn from then and then would get a job.

He was partly right about his theories, but he didn’t have anyone he could ask about other than the man himself. It was just finding the time to do that, as well as not sounding like an asshole while asking. He only hoped that he wouldn’t stutter over his words since the other man was very attractive.

The small glances he caught of him always took Bokuto;s breath away. His dark hair fell down his forehead and slightly into his eyes, he had soft, slightly tanned skin that made his eyes stand out. He seemed nice but also snappy which Bokuto didn’t mind. It was hard to assume things about someone if you had barely even spoken to them.

And that’s what their relationship was like for a while. Briefly greeting one another while walking down the corridor or in the kitchen getting food.

At least now Bokuto had his name. Akaashi Keiji.

Turns out that he was the son of the head maid who was planning on moving to a lesser role and having Akaashi fully take over for her. She was getting up there in age but still wanted to do her part for the family that she had served for so long. Akaashi was more than willing to take up the job as well. He had worked hard at school and had grown up in the castle.

He had spent the last ⅔ months shadowing other members of the team to get a complete picture of how they worked. Now, he was going to take the lead with his mother standing beside him for a couple more weeks. A new position had opened up in the kitchen that they were more than happy for her to fill.

She was delighted about that too, every time she went in there she kept gushing to Akaashi about this sweet little farm hand who helps her out with anything she needs him to.

That was his first introduction to Bokuto Koutarou.

After that, he had started seeing the other man everywhere and he did meet what his mother said about him. Akaashi really wanted to talk to him but he was always busy or something needed to be done.

He was glad that he at least got to tell him his name and got the other man's name in return.

Bokuto was bubbly, always talking to staff and, as his mother said, helping out anyone who needed it. Other than taking care of animals, he also had a thing for cooking.

Akaashi could feel himself starting to fall for the other man but he stopped himself from pursuing anything since Bokuto kept talking about someone who he used to see all the time. He never said any names or inferred a gender, only saying that he missed whoever it was and that he hoped to see them again.

That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t try to be friends with him. All he needed was time to do it.

In Tsukishima’s second semester, he decided to go abroad. After a lot of arguments with his parents, they let him go as far as South Korea. Tsukishima was happy to finally get away even if he still had to have guards around him at all times.

That left Bokuto to communicate with him through phone calls and FaceTimes only. But while Tsukishima was away, Akaashi had finally got the job fully and thus had more free time.

Over time, he had managed to figure out Bokuto’s schedule roughly and tried to catch him in the kitchen as many times as possible. He was still working on changing his lunch break.

The two were now talking a lot more regularly and had started to make plans to go out after their jobs were finished.

Bokuto now had a lot of different things to look forward to. His calls with Tsukishima and his outing with Akaashi. Needless to say, he was feeling like a very lucky man. There was no way he wasn’t going to tell Tsukishima about Akaashi and how he really wanted the two of them to meet.

When Tsukishima heard how Bokuto talked about Akaashi, he couldn’t help but get a little jealous. The only time he had seen an expression like that on Bokuto’s face was when he was talking about his family or when he was out with Tsukishima. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone abroad in the first place.

When the day of Bokuto and Akaashi’s ‘date’ came, both of them were feeling a buzz. Bokuto had been awake since 4am even if it was his day off from work, he didn’t want to ruin his sleeping schedule. He was too excited to sleep in anyway, paranoid that he would wake up late.

There was a cafe close by to the palace that both of them frequented without the other knowing. When they both found out that they loved the place, immediately they knew that’s where they should meet. They had agreed to meet outside at 1pm but neither were going to be late which led to them both showing up outside the cafe at 12:50.

The two spotted each other and laughed softly before walking up to the cafe.

“What a coincidence.” Bokuto started before Akaashi nodded and giggled slightly.

“I can see that we’re both very punctual people. Would you like to head inside then?” Akaashi offered and gestured to the door that was only a meter away. “Honestly I wanted to make a good impression but I’m normally like this.”

“I’m the same! People see my personality and think I’m the complete opposite but I like being on time to things and being reliable as well.” Bokuto cried out as he pushed the door open and walked over to find his usual table. “I’m a loud, excitable person but I do have respect towards others and don’t want to waste their time. Is that so hard for some people to believe?”

“It’s just how some people are. They believe what they see on the surface and can’t be bothered to get to know someone more. They’re satisfied with what they see at face value. We’re all guilty of it. Intentional or not.” Akaashi sighed and sat across from Bokuto who settled into his usual seat. “Why’d you pick this seat anyway?”

“Oh… this is actually the seat I usually sit in if I can. I like how it’s next to the windows and you can see some of the mountains in the distance. I like to people watch too. Watching people walk by and wonder where they’re coming from, where they’re going, their life story. I’ve heard it’s a pretty common thing to do.” Bokuto hummed and on instinct his eyes drifted out of the window.

“I’ve never been into people watching much… I like to keep to myself more than anything. But I sit in this spot a lot as well. I like looking at the views too, more than the people.” Akaashi confessed and watched as Bokuto’s face changed into a massive smile.

“Wow… what a coincidence. It’s almost like this was fate.” Bokuto chuckled and stood up. “I’m going to order something, what do you want?”

Akaashi thought for a moment before answering. “A latte and a chocolate muffin would be nice. I can give you the money for it later.”

“Don’t worry about it. If you really want to, you can pay the next time we go out.” Bokuto winked and walked up to the counter to order their food and drinks. He tried to keep a cool and calm demeanor but that changed as soon as he turned around. His face broke into a smile and he clenched his hands to calm himself down.

He kept it together long enough to order their drinks and then make it back to their table. He put their number down and sat across from him again. “They said it won’t be too long until we get our drinks.”

“Plenty of time to talk then.” Akaashi reached over to grab his muffin and started to unwrap it. “Do you want some?”

“No thanks, I’m happy with my brownie.” Bokuto took a fork and started to eat.

The two of them started to talk more and Bokuto found out that Akaashi had known about him for a while. Similar to Bokuto, he was waiting for the right time to talk to him.

Akaashi seemed like a quiet person until you met with him one on one. Then it was hard to get him to stop speaking. He was curious and wanted to know everything that Bokuto would tell him and the other man was more than happy to oblige.

He started telling him all about the animals at the palace and watched as Akaashi got more and more excited. He started asking more specific questions which got Bokuto talking more and more.

Before he realised it, their drinks had arrived and then were finished. That didn’t stop them from continuing to talk. They stayed in the cafe for nearly 3 hours, ordered another drink, before deciding they should call it a day.

The two got up and started to walk out of the cafe when their hands brushed together. Bokuto smiled and took the opportunity to try his luck and wrapped his pinkie around Akaashi’s which spurred the other man into fully grabbing his hand.

Bokuto looked down and walked out with him. “Do you want to do something after this?” He asked.

Akaashi hummed and thought for a moment. “I wouldn’t mind relaxing somewhere.” Akaashi rubbed his thumb against the back of Bokuto’s hand.

“Well, we both have work tomorrow, wouldn’t it make more sense if you stayed at mine? I live nearer the palace than you do.” He proposed and felt Akaashi’s hand squeeze his own.

“Let’s go.”

It doesn’t need to be said that there wasn’t a lot of resting.

From that day forward, the two tried to spend as much time together as they could. Right now, they didn’t have a label on their relationship but both could feel that it was becoming something more than just physical and sexual.

Bokuto had yet to tell Tsukishima about his relationship with Akaashi, at least to the full extent. He had told him about his meet-ups and little dates they had been on. He wasn’t sure why he wasn’t fully telling Tsukishima about their relationship and where it was progressing to.

He would tell him when their relationship wasn’t in its tender stages. The worst thing to do is tell people you’re dating someone and then break up only a few weeks later. Both of them still had to figure out where they wanted this to go.

Meanwhile, Tsukishima was having a great time in Korea. Not that many knew who he was and it gave the perfect opportunity to learn a new language and feel like a regular student. Of course, there were still a few people who knew who he was, usually the upper class.

Tsukishima did his best to avoid all the Chaebol families but that was hard when the news got out that he was abroad. He was still supposed to show his face at different events and that didn’t stop just because he was in Korea.

There was one time where he was waiting to be able to leave a party. He was tired from having to translate everything in his head and then respond to them in turn. All he wanted right now were some painkillers and then his dormitory bed.

He thought he got the go ahead to leave until someone walked in front of him and stopped him. It took Tsukishima a lot more mental effort than he currently had to stop himself from shouting and cursing the stranger out.

“You look exhausted, is everything ok?”

Hearing someone speak in Japanese sounded so foreign to him after only hearing a mix of Korean and English for the last 2 months. Already he could feel himself relaxing in the other man's presence. Finally he could at least understand the language.

“I’m fine. The party was fun but I should really get back to my dormitory to study and then turn in for the night.” Tsukishima bowed slightly and then stood up to get a proper look at the other. There was a flash of familiarity in Tsukishima’s brain as he took in the stranger. He just couldn’t place the other.

The dark stranger smiled knowingly. “Ah, I understand. I’ll be turning in for the night myself shortly. Just thought I would check up on His Highness.”

“That sounded oddly sarcastic for what is supposed to be a nice gesture. I feel like I know you from somewhere. You aren’t careful with your words so maybe you’re no one significant.” If the man was giving it, Tsukishima was going to throw it back at him.

“Ah he has a tongue on him. Don’t worry about who I am. As you say, I’m no one significant.” He did a short, sarcastic bow as the rest of Tsukishima of Tsukishima’s detail came over to escort him back to their car.

Tsukishima didn't waste the energy to bow to the rude guest he just encountered. He was probably some high class Japanese business man who thought he would try his luck with royalty. There was a chance he could be yakuza, but even they didn’t dare cross paths with royalty. At least not in as open a space as a party like this. Cameras are everywhere these days.

There was no point interacting with someone he was never going to see again. Tsukishima had priorities. And right now that was sending a message to Bokuto and getting to his bed. He did have classes in the morning.

He wouldn’t let that one bad meet-up ruin his whole time in Korea. He only had a couple months left here. He was going to spend it to the fullest, even if he couldn’t wait to get back to see Bokuto.

There was a part of him that knew what Akaashi and him were doing. He had a feeling that these little meet-ups and day trips were evolving into their dates. It made an ugly feeling stir up within him. He had never met Akaashi but he was well acquainted with his mother and could at least be sure that he was a good guy. Not like that guy who confronted him at the party.

He just can’t get that guy out of his head. His stupid smirk and stupid haircut. A guy like him deserves to get hit, that’s for sure.

Bokuto was in two minds about what he wanted to do. He wasn’t sure why he felt this way about two men but he knew that it was unfair on the two of them.

So, the thing to do then is go straight to google and ask.

From his research he deemed that he was polyamourous and loved both Akaashi and Tsukishima. From different articles he read, they all said that it was a normal thing but that he should let them both know what’s going on.

As far as Bokuto knew, Akaashi and Tsukishima had never met so how was he supposed to try and confess his feelings. At least he was already in a relationship with Akaashi, but Tsukishima was all the way in Korea.

His worst fear is that they both would leave him and their relationship would be ruined forever. He could hold it in. He wasn;t sure how long for.

Turns out it was until Tsukishima finished his semester abroad and came back. Since the two had been away from each other for so long of course Tsukishima wanted to hang out with him. They started up their daily meet-ups at the barn and sometimes managed to get out on a ride.

On a rare occasion, Akaashi could make it and he joined them. Bokuto spent the first few times teaching Akaashi how to ride properly and the other man picked it up fast.

Tsukishima was watching the two of them from afar, just waiting to confirm his suspicions about the two. The longing gazes, the lingering touches. It hurt to see it in person rather than just hearing about it from Bokuto. He couldn’t deny that his taste in men was good. Tsukishima took one look at Akaashi and immediately understood why Bokuto had fallen for him.

Akaashi had lovely dark hair that was slightly curled, blue eyes that weren’t jarring to look at. He didn’t talk much, preferring to listen. He looked at Bokuto as if he hung the stars.

Tsukishima knew they were dating but he wanted to hear it from his mouth. Part of him still thought that he had a chance.

It was now getting to the point where Tsukishima had had enough. He didn’t want to get in the way of these two and keep feeling like a 3rd wheel. It was unfair on him and he wanted Bokuto and Akaashi to be comfortable and express their love to each other.

So, he took a step back and continued to focus on his studies and duties in the kingdom.

Bokuto waited too long to confess his feelings and now the other was slipping away from him fast. He can’t even say that he tried to tell Tsukishima what he was feeling because he didn’t. He had prioritised his relationship with Tsukishima which had turned out to be the wrong move. He didn’t want to get hurt by one of the men he loved.

Now, he was back to watching from afar as Tsukishima began to meet with different potential suitors from other kingdoms or nobility. Each time someone new was brought before Tsukishima, Bokuto held his breath and waited to see what the others reaction would be. So far it has been rejection after rejection.

And Bokuto was sure it would stay like that.

This confidence came from the fact that only women had been brought before him so far. Even if his father knew fine and well that Tsukishima liked men. He was after an heir in this situation.

Akaashi was sick of seeing Bokuto look like a kicked puppy. He wasn’t even sure why the other was behaving like this. He had tried to get Bokuto to talk to him multiple times but it was going nowhere. Every so often he would catch the other staring longingly at Tsukishima and it was really starting to get to him.

Tsukishima was attractive, sure. But Bokuto was with Akaashi now. He was well aware that Bokuto used to like the tall blond but he thought those feelings had left after Tsukishima took a semester abroad to Korea and got together with Akaashi. Clearly he had assumed wrongly and now the other was back to haunt him. He had tried many times to tell Tsukishima that him and Bokuto were dating without explicitly telling him since that’s not what Bokuto wanted.

Obviously Tsukishima had caught the hint and now kept himself distant which Akaashi was glad about. But that feeling didn’t last for too long since Bokuto started acting this way.

“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird for almost a week now. Is it because of Tsukishima?” Akaashi asked him one night after spending the day at Bokuto’s apartment. He had been acting funny all day and hadn’t been as affectionate as he usually was.

“Nothings wrong… but,” Akaashi was waiting for something. A confession, a breakup, something would be fine. “Tsukishima has been so distant. I thought he’d want to see me again since it’s been so long since we got to hang out.” Bokuto sighed and basically collapsed against the couch.

“So it is about Tsukishima then.” Akaashi said with no obvious emotion in his voice. “I thought you didn’t like him like that anymore. The two of us are together now.”

Bokuto almost flinched when Akaashi said that and Akaashi didn’t miss his reaction.

“Seriously. What’s going on? Have I missed something? Are we not dating?” Akaashi could feel himself getting emotional with the lack of response from Bokuto.

He waited for something and the look on Bokuto’s face suggested that he was fighting a war inside his head.

“Please talk to me.”

After a few more beats of silence Bokuto took a deep breath and then sighed. “I don’t know how to.” He confessed and it was so quiet Akaashi could barely hear it.

“Ok. Do you want me to give you time?”

Bokuto started to nod before stopping himself. “No… I’ve had enough time. It’s just difficult to talk about.”

“It’s fine. I just want to know what’s going on in your head.” Akaashi reached over and took Bokuto’s hand. “Let me understand.”

“I’m in love with you and Tsukishima. I think. I don’t know what’s going on. I thought you could only like one person at a time. I fell for Tsukishima first but when he moved away and you came into my life my feelings changed. I fell in love with you but then he came back. I really don’t know what’s going on.”

Akaashi was shocked at the news but he wasn’t surprised. “Ok. I see.” He kept a hold of Bokuto’s hand while he talked. “I know why you didn’t want to tell me now.”

“It’s not that I don’t love you anymore. I do. I know for a fact I do.” Bokuto took Akaashi’s other hand and turned to face him. “I don’t know if I should tell him. It’s not fair on you either. I feel selfish.”

Akaashi frowned and squeezed his hand. “Don’t feel selfish. You know perfectly well that you can’t choose who you love. I’m still here with you. I know you don’t want to ruin your relationship with him. That’s why I’m glad you told me. I believe you.” Akaashi pulled Bokuto’s hand up and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it. “No wonder you were getting so stressed about all the marriage proposals.”

Bokuto chuckled softly and shook his head. “I was so obvious, wasn’t I.”

“You were. That’s why I was getting so upset. I wanted you to come to me first but it was getting too much for me to handle.” Akaashi confessed. “I didn’t want you to disappear from me again.”

Bokuto nodded silently and then looked up to meet Akaashi’s eyes. “So what now?”

“Let’s go and meet him. Do you want me to come with you?”

Bokuto nodded. “I think you should be there. It makes sense. I don’t know how to explain it though. It’s not like you like him romantically… you barely know him.”

Akaashi hummed and looked up. “That’s true but I can clearly see his charm. I wouldn’t be surprised if I started to fall for him too. From what I’ve heard about His Highness, we seem to have a lot of things in common.”

“Let’s go and find him now. He should be in his quarters.” Bokuto grabbed his jacket and walked out of his apartment.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to see him there. Do you not have his number? I would say that you should text him. Ask him to come to the stables.” Akaashi picked up his own jacket and took Bokuto’s hand who happily squeezed it back.

The two of them walked to the stables while Bokuto sent a message to Tsukishima. “What if he doesn’t come? He might not want to see me.”

“If he doesn’t come now, we can try another time. Have some faith.”

Bokuto took a breath and sat down on his usual stool in the stable. He would wait the whole night for him if he had to.

Tsukishima was sitting up in his room, trying to study when he heard his phone go off. He glanced over and seen Bokuto’s name appear on the text.

’Can you come and meet me at the stable? We need to talk’

Such a serious message from someone who was very relaxed and easygoing most times. Tsukishima knew that Bokuto would want to talk about the fact that he had been ignoring him for the past week. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the reason. To hear the truth that he and Akaashi were dating.

Another reason he didn’t want to go was that he knew he had a long day ahead of him. More suitors.

Bokuto stuck to his word and waited all night, even falling asleep a t some point. Throughout it, Akaashi never left his side. When his alarm went off, that’s when Bokuto knew that he wasn’t coming.

Fully waking up, stretching and looking around. Akaashi was curled up in some leftover hay, still asleep. “So he never came…” Bokuto tried not to be disappointed and he was expecting this to happen. Bokuto walked over and began to shake Akaashi awake.

The other started to stir and wake up. It was clear that lying in the hay wasn’t the best choice as his arms and face had scratches on them. “Akaashi… it’s time to get up. I have to get to work now.” Bokuto kept his voice quiet while shaking him.

Akaashi nodded and pushed his hands away. “I’m up… I’m up.” He reached his arms up to stretch and Bokuto saw his shirt lift up a little. “So he never came? Don’t worry about it too much. There’s plenty of chances to see him. If I see him around I’ll ask for him to talk to you. It’s also my fault for him ignoring you.”

Bokuto let him stand up before going over to help him get rid of the hay in his hair. “You were jealous. I don’t blame you either.”

Akaashi reached out to him and grabbed his hand. “Now, let’s track him down. I need to head back to my place to change but I’ll see you later. Ok?” Akaashi leaned up and pushed a kiss to Bokuto’s cheek who instantly blushed bright red.

“O-Ok… I’ll see you around.” Bokuto waved to him as Akaashi walked back to his apartment.

Tsukishima was up and starting his own day. He had some of his classes to fully catch up on after being away. The curriculum in Korea was mostly the same with some things in a different order.

He was waiting for someone to get him to meet the new selection of partners that his father had lined up for him. He had his usual conversation starters memorised by now. Another day of mindless socialising before he can get back to what actually interested him.

What he knew about this group is that they were Japanese but they mostly stayed in Korea as diplomats. They were nobles and had titles of Duke and Duchess but that didn’t really mean much to Tsukishima. At this point all upper class people were the same.

He walked down into the main ballroom where all of their guests usually gathered first. He could already hear the mumbles of those gathered downstairs which meant he would only have this time now to prepare himself.

Before he could reach the bottom of the stairs, his father appeared from the room. “Are you ready, Kei?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“I want you to take this seriously this time. I looked to see if there were any males that were interested in courting you and I managed to find some. Now come in and meet them.”

Tsukishima was pulled in by his father and once the door was opened, he heard the full extent of the noise. There were people everywhere with plates of hors d'oeuvres and flutes of champagne moving around.

Tsukishima wasn’t much of a drinker, but for gatherings like these he liked to have something in his system. It got rid of some of the anxiety.

Over the night, people came and went. Some were the suitors and some were just socialites. Tsukishima was aware that his father tried to get some men this time but all he had seen were women. No one was peeking his interest enough for him to even fake it for his father.

It was looking to be another failure, so Tsukishima tried to slip away from the party early to get back to his studies.

He thought he was about to escape when someone pushed him back into the room.

“Thought you could sneak away without getting to speak to me first, your Highness.” A familiar voice said which caught Tsukishima off guard.

He never thought that someone other than his father would stop him from leaving. “I’m sorry but I think you have the wrong person…” he started before looking up and frowning. “Not you again.”

“Oh, so you do remember me then?”

“Of course I’ll remember someone with a stupid haircut and a bad personality.”

“At least I stick out in your mind. I’ll remember this with pride.”

“Why are you here? How did you even get into somewhere like this? You don’t exactly scream nobility.”

“I guess you don’t know anything about me. It was your father that invited me after all since I expressed interest.”

“You expressed interest? Are you trying to invade the kingdom and get rich? Because it’s not going to work.”

“Not exactly. This nasty personality is what got me interested in the first place. At first, I didn’t think you were anyone special until people started bowing at sucking up to you. Just thought that I should put you in your place.”

“Keep running your mouth like this and I’ll get my father to kick you out himself.”

“Come on now Moonshine. No need to get your panties in a twist. I’ll let you escape soon. I just wanted to get a chance to talk to you.”

“Well you’ve had your chance now. Can I please leave? I feel like my brain cells as well as my sanity are leaving me the more I’m around you.” Tsukishima pushed against his chest and was surprised to feel some muscles beneath the suit he was wearing.

“Not even going to get my name?”

“I don’t want to waste any more time on you. You don’t deserve it.” He huffed and walked out the doors.

“It’s Kuroo! Kuroo Tetsuro if you’re so interested to know.” He called after him and was surprised to hear a very soft.

“I’m not interested!” From behind the door.

“We’ll see about that.”

Bokuto and Akaashi both continued their duties for the day while keeping an eye out for Tsukishima, if he ever appeared.

Bokuto didn’t know how many messages he had sent to the other but it was getting to the point that he was considering just confessing his feelings over text entirely. He hadn’t tried to phone him yet, seeing it as a step too far.

Akaashi didn’t have any way to contact Tsukishima other than running into him by coincidence. Every time he saw the tall blond and they caught eyes, he was gone by the time Akaashi began to approach him.

Kuroo kept making different appearances at events run by the palace and it got to the point where the man was in Tsukishima’s dreams, nightmares is what he would call them.

Tsukishima kept seeing the three of them around him. Even if they weren’t close it felt like they were breathing on his neck.

One day he had decided that he had enough and was going to meet them all. He couldn’t be bothered with all the text messages, the constant hovering around him. He wanted to know what was going on since he kept getting very mixed signals from Bokuto and Akaashi particularly.

He knew that they were waiting at the stable for him. It seemed like they were there all night for the last week of them trying to contact him.

‘Fine I’ll meet you at the stables tonight.’

That was earlier in the day and a time where he was feeling at his most irritated with the situation. He wanted closure. It didn’t matter how much he didn’t want to accept that Bokuto and Akaashi were seeing each other, he was sick of them hovering and trying to talk to him.

“Keiji! He said he’d meet us tonight! We have to get ready.”

So Bokuto quickly changed out of his work outfit, showered and put on some of his more subtle cologne.

Akaashi was doing mostly the same but he was wanting to make a good first impression on Tsukishima

In the text there was no direct time confirmed. Tsukishima had only said that he’d see them tonight at the stables. That could mean any time between 6pm and 3am.

Bokuto decided to call it 9pm in his mind and hopefully none of them would have to wait very long for the other.

Bokuto got the stables for exactly 9pm with Akaashi coming close by. So far, no sign of Tsukishima but the night was young and they didn’t have much else to do that night. This was what mattered to them just now.

Tsukishima was still sitting on his bed at 9:30, regretting ever having said he would meet them. He knew how much of a coward he was being but he couldn’t help it.

Once it hit 10, he finally dragged himself out of his bed and room before making his way over to the stable. Somewhere he couldn’t bring himself to go for a while.

When he got there, the two were standing waiting for him like they could feel him coming.

“Make this fast. You’ve been bothering me over the past week. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know how to fully explain to you and I’m not sure when this started either but… I really like you. I love you Tsukishima.”

“I don’t get it. You have Akaashi. How can you love him and me? Did you ever love him? Were you just using him to get to me? Make me jealous? I’ll tell you that it worked. It hurt like hell seeing and hearing about the two of you together. I’m sure he’s a lovely guy so I don’t know why you’re bothering with me.”

“No. That was never what this was. I love you both equally.” Bokuto walked over and reached out to take Tsukishima’s hands. “I fell for you first but once Akaashi came into my life it got confusing. I love the two of you as much as the other.”

Tsukishima stood dumbfounded while he tried to fully process what was being said to him. “So… you love me and him?”

“I do. I didn’t know how to tell you that and before I knew it, you were gone and I thought I had lost my chance completely. If it wasn’t for Akaashi telling me to confess to you, I wouldn’t be standing in front of you right now.”

Tsukishima looked behind Bokuto to Akaashi who was standing there awkwardly. He looked like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to do it.

“So what do you feel about all of this?”

“I’m fine with this. I love Bokuto and I can see myself falling in love with you easily. You are stunning to look at, and I’m sure we have quite a few things in common with each other as well.” Akaashi blushed and started to play with his fingers, a habit that Tsukishima had as well.

“So where do we go from here?”

“I want to be in a relationship with you. With both of you.” Bokuto pulled Akaashi over and took one of his hands as well. “If you both are ok with this, I’ll be more than happy to call you both my boyfriends.”

“I’m more than fine with this. How about you Tsukishima? You can still say no if you aren’t comfortable with this.”

“I’ve had feelings for Bokuto for way too long to say no to this.” Tsukishima laughed and began to feel some tears in his eyes. “I’m not sure how my family is going to react to this news though.” He confessed and started to bite his lip. “There is someone else I think we can bring into this as well… he’s a leech that’s been hanging around me for the last week as well.”

“Maybe we should finish this talk in the morning. You should get back to the palace before the guards start to worry about your whereabouts.” Bokuto chuckled and pressed a kiss to Tsukishima’s hand who willingly accepted it with a small smile.

“I should… but I’ll meet you here bright and early tomorrow to finish this conversation.”

And so they parted.

Tsukishima basically ran back to his room to scream into his pillow since he was finally dating the first guy he had a proper crush on. Needless to say, he was pretty excited over this development.

His parents were now his only worry, but he was sure he could come up with something to help with that. A certain man with a really bad bed head would be more than willing to help.

How was he so confident?

Well… he did have the man lying in his bed right there and then.

Bokuto and Akaashi went back to Bokuto’s apartment to get ready for bed.

“That went… a lot better than I thought it was going to. I didn’t think he was going to say yes.” Bokuto confessed as he lay against Akaashi’s chest.

“I told you that you should have faith in yourself.” He kissed Bokuto’s head softly and got them both off to sleep.

Their alarms went off at different times that morning but surprisingly, they all managed to get to the stables for 6:30 the next morning.

Tsukishima introduced the other two to Kuroo and Tsukishima immediately thought it was a mistake with how well Kuroo and Bokuto clicked. Tsukishima decided to hide with Akaashi while those two wild dogs were speaking to each other.

“Since my parents are fine with me being gay, they don’t care if I marry a man. They care about who that man is. I’ll tell them that I won’t get engaged to Kuroo if you two aren’t included as well. That should work fine.” Tsukishima said as the four of them sat together on a bench just outside the stable.

“I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. They should care about the future king's happiness after all.” Kuroo joked and shoved his elbow into Tsukishima’s side gently.

Bokuto looked at Akaashi to get his opinion on the matter and was surprised to see such a soft smile on his face. “It’s all good on this end too. And if they say no, what’s stopping us from running away and eloping.” Bokuto shrugged, which had the others laughing.

“That certainly is another option.”

“I’ll speak to them about this tonight.” Tsukishima confessed and he could feel his chest squeeze with anxiety that the others caught because as soon as he felt it, they had their arms around him.

Tsukishima made his way along corridors that seemed longer than normal to make his way to his parents room. He had a speech rehearsed in his head that he was going to follow to a tee. He knew how to manipulate his parents, there was too much riding on him after all.

He was the crown prince after all. That’s nothing to sneeze at.

Raising his hand to knock on the door, a servant had already moved to open it and he was met with the faces of his parents.

“Kei? What did you want to talk to us about so urgently? You sounded worried.” His mother frowned and walked over to him. She put a hand on his face and began to check for a temperature or some form of illness.

“No mother. It’s nothing like that. I have something to tell you.’

Neither said anything but they had a long as if to say ‘go on’.

“I’ve chosen to court with Kuroo Tetsuro. The duke.”

“That’s fantastic darling! Why were you so nervous to tell us that news? I know we were harsh on you about your sexuality but we realised we were being ignorant and that we shouldn’t be so concerned with having heirs.”

“There’s more… I’m in love with 2 others. And I want to marry them too.”

“2 more? Are you talking about having your own harem? Kei… that isn’t really seen well over here. It's a thing of the past…”

“No. We all love each other. It’s not like a harem or having concubines. I promise you that. If you don’t let me marry the other two, then I’m not going to marry Kuroo.”

“Who are the others?” Finally his father spoke and his deep voice had shivers running down Tsukishima’s back.

“They are Bokuto Koutaro and Akaashi Keiji. They work in the palace.”

“Oh… I see.” His father hummed before he felt his mother grab him.

“Those boys are lovely. I’m sure you know what you’re doing. You are an adult.” His mother reached up to stroke his face. “All we ask of you is that you take care of the kingdom and yourself. I approve.” She smiled and watched as Tsukishima’s face cracked into a smile.

“I can’t really argue against my wife now, can I?”

“I didn’t think you could.” Tsukishima felt himself relaxing as all tension left his body. The only thing keeping him standing was the adrenaline to run to his partners and tell them all the good news.

“Go and speak to them. I can feel you buzzing through your skin.” She let him go and do just that.

Tsukishima found the other 3 close by to where he was.

“It’s a yes. We can all be together.” Tsukishima breathed out and brought them all in for a hug that nearly squeezed the life out of him.

And he would have to deal with this for the rest of his life.

The 2 idiots and the one with the brain cell weren’t planning on letting him go. Both Bokuto and Kuroo had waited too long to be with him to let that happen.