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Kuroo was hard to spot.
In a sea of pedestrians, his stark, black hair didn’t stand out, and the only thing that made him noticeable in the crowd was his height. Even then, he didn’t look for attention, and his normally mild-mannered demeanor helped him blend into the background.
In contrast, Tsukishima was very easy to recognize.
Taller than Kuroo—quite a feat in Japan—with blonde hair to boot, Tsukishima was quite an anomaly. It had been brought up countless times in the past from members of the royal family, the press, and anyone with a pair of seeing eyes.
Yeah, Tsukishima wasn’t the best bodyguard for the prince.
The way he stood out was alarming. Was the blonde hair and height for show? An intimidation tactic? What if there was an assassination attempt? What if Kuroo needed to get somewhere fast, and discretely? He was the only heir of the throne, to a single father who had no intention of marrying again. Having a sore thumb like Tsukishima around was only going to hurt him.
Kuroo seemed like the only one who didn’t care.
The prince would only shrug off the concerns and, with that wry smile that sent butterflies wild inside Tsukishima’s chest, he’d simply state— “It’s the 21 st century, who’s going to kill someone like me?”
‘A lot of people,’ Tsukishima would think. ‘That’s why you need a bodyguard in the first place.’
Yet, Kuroo stood by Tsukishima, despite all the complaints—or, maybe, Tsukishima stood by the prince even though he should have been anywhere else.
Tsukishima still remembers that first day as if it were yesterday.
The royal prince had broken out of castle again and the bodyguards were all in hysterics, searching for him. There was the rising fear of kidnapping in the nation especially as the boy was now old enough to walk around for himself. Tsukishima didn’t really know much about it—he didn’t even know what the prince looked like—he was only in the area with his family to visit the Fukui Dinosaur Museum.
As his mother ran inside to purchase discounted tickets for primary school students, Tsukishima sat on the low concrete wall, swinging his legs and running his fingers across a stone he’d discovered weeks ago—an imprint of leaves on its curved surface.
He smiled to himself, holding up the item to the light and watching it block out the sun’s rays. Finding the imprint in the rock had propelled his interest in archaeology and after pestering his mom for days about coming to Fukui to see the fossils here, she had finally relented in support of his goals. Now, as he held the stone in his hand, he felt an indescribable pride swell up in him for being able to travel across the country to possibly show off a piece of the world’s history to experts.
As he started to lower his arm, he noticed a pair of gleaming amber eyes studying him. Tsukishima blinked back.
It was a boy maybe around his age or younger—it was honestly hard to tell given that Tsukishima was taller than most kids in his grade. He sat there like a cat in the brush, raven black hair sweeping over his face like a curtain. Tsukishima wondered if it was meant to do that.
When neither of them moved, Tsukishima wondered if it was fate or maybe the fossil clutched in his hands that emboldened him to speak up first. In that split moment, he decided to address the weird-looking kid from the bushes. “H-hi?”
The kid startled, stiffening immediately. He looked ready to bolt away though his eyes hadn’t left Tsukishima’s fingers. Tsukishima hesitated, then gently loosened his grip on the stone, presenting it to the boy.
“Do you want to see?”
The kid clutched the collar of his own shirt, as if holding onto his clothes served as some kind of anchor to level the fear he felt. He quietly stepped out of the leaves, shuffling his way over to Tsukishima with a curious, but apprehensive look in his eyes.
Tsukishima thought he was dealing with one of the stray cats in his neighborhood. As the boy approached and peered at the stone, Tsukishima tried not to make any sudden movements, recalling the jittery felines back home.
“What is it?” the kid whispered.
“A fossil,” Tsukishima responded, feeling that pride swell once more. “I found it!”
“Wow…”
Tsukishima watched the kid stare at the rock with wide, entranced eyes. The blonde shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Wh-what’s your name?”
The boy blinked, then suddenly looked abashed. “…Kuroo.”
That name sounded familiar, but Tsukishima didn’t think much of it. “My name’s Kei.” He smiled, running his fingers over the stone again. “Do you want to touch it?”
Kuroo nodded, reaching out a hand. Tsukishima let him hold the stone, and the blonde watched the raven delicately dip his fingers into the small grooves the leaf formations made.
“Is it real?”
“Of course, it’s real!” Tsukishima exclaimed though he had no idea if it was. “I really love fossils and dinosaurs and everything like that so I know a real fossil if I see one!”
Kuroo smiled, as if catching Tsukishima’s enthusiasm. He nodded, looking over the stone again with a renewed sense of awe. Tentatively, he sat next to Tsukishima, handing the fossil back to him.
“Is that real?”
Tsukishima blinked, following Kuroo’s fingers to land on his blonde hair. “Uh. Yeah?”
“Oh,” Kuroo responded, looking down at his feet as he kicked them back against the wall. “I have a friend who d-dyed his hair that color, but his looks really fake. It’s already going back to black.”
“Isn’t that bad for it?” Tsukishima frowned, not that he was concerned with Kuroo’s friend, especially after they had just met.
“Yeah, my dad won’t let me,” Kuroo said, sneaking another glance at Tsukishima’s hair. “But, yours is really pretty.”
Tsukishima fought a smile. Generally, when people first met him, the first thing they pointed out was his height and gangly stature. Getting complimented for his hair was nice, though he didn’t really do anything special with it.
He wasn’t sure what to say.
“Do you want to come with me inside?” he asked instead.
Kuroo looked over and seemingly saw the giant museum for the first time. He contemplated it for a moment, eyes darting to a far-off direction to the right that Tsukishima couldn’t see. When he turned back to the blonde and when the blonde gave him a small smile, he brightened immediately. Tsukishima felt a lightness in his chest.
“Okay, that sounds fun!”
Tsukishima laughed softly in response and Kuroo giggled back, nerves seemingly dissipating into thin air. Together, they waited for Tsukishima’s mother to return.
If his mom noticed anything then about Kuroo’s status as royalty, she kept quiet about it. Or, perhaps, she was just glad that her son had made a friend other than Yamaguchi.
Either way, she paid for another discounted ticket at the door and the attendant did a double take at Kuroo as they entered. Tsukishima didn’t think much of it.
After they got in, they dropped off the fossil at the front desk for analysis. Tsukishima had gotten praise for his excavating skills that sent his heart soaring. He even got a little sticker for his troubles that had ‘little archaeologist’ printed on it. His chanting ‘I told you it was real!’ was accompanied with Kuroo’s ‘Yeah, yeah!’ responses.
The two made their way around the museum hand-in-hand, mostly Tsukishima leading the way to all the places that interested him. Kuroo seemed content enough to follow, opening up more and more as they observed all the ancient bones and artifacts displayed on the stands. Tsukishima’s mother trailed behind them with a doting smile on her face.
Once they finished and exited the building, a suited man greeted them formally. Kuroo seemed to shrink, all of his prior nervousness returning tenfold.
“Kuroo-san,” the man knelt down, offering a hand. “The museum attendants told me you were here. We need to return to the castle.”
Kuroo clung on tighter to Tsukishima’s hand.
The man sighed, running a hand through his curly hair. He looked up at Tsukishima’s mother apologetically. “I apologize for this. He can get really attached.”
“No, no, not at all!” she responded hastily. “I think it’s great for kids to get out and get some fresh air.”
He smiled again, then turned with a more solemn expression to Kuroo.
“Young master, your father was worried sick. Won’t you come back?”
“Kuroo?” Tsukishima spoke up, gears finally clicking into place. The missing prince, a boy around his age, someone who seemed apprehensive over anyone knowing his identity—everything matched his new friend perfectly. The museum was only a few blocks away from the castle to its right.
Kuroo looked over at Tsukishima and he bit his lip. He seemed to mull over something before turning to the man in the suit.
“I want a new bodyguard.”
After the initial surprise, the man’s face morphed into weariness. “We can discuss that once we return. I am completing my duties as your bodyguard just fine.”
But, Kuroo wouldn’t listen. He shook his head and gripped on tighter to Tsukishima. The blonde didn’t think he wanted to let go just yet either. “Kei can be my bodyguard. He’s really smart.”
“Kei?” the bodyguard asked, glancing at Tsukishima. He sighed, getting up stiffly. “Alright, we can take your new friend to the castle, but afterwards, we need to have a discussion with your father. Is that alright?”
Kuroo nodded enthusiastically, looking to Tsukishima. “We have fossils in the castle too, do you want to see? I don’t know what kind of animals they are.”
And that was probably the first and last time that Tsukishima realized he couldn’t say no to Kuroo Tetsurou, prince of Japan.
When Kuroo leaves the castle, it’s not without completing all his important tasks.
Contrary to what people said about the prince’s unkept appearance, the raven was diligent about his duties and really did care about his people, not like the dictatorships or pretend democracies that existed around the world.
Tsukishima learned a lot about Kuroo through the years and although he was first introduced as the prince’s ‘future bodyguard’—it was clear that the prince had only wanted Tsukishima around as a friend to play with. That was fine as Tsukishima was too young to get initiated into the formal process then. Instead, the blonde was exempted from the inspection process (more or less) whenever he came to visit which was fairly frequent because what kid wouldn’t want to spend time in a castle ?
When Tsukishima was finally allowed to join the guard, it was clear that he would be Kuroo’s right hand man. The raven obviously favored the blonde as they were always together, almost inseparable.
Being the prince’s bodyguard didn’t change anything for Tsukishima.
But it honestly should have .
A bodyguard was supposed to be strict, immovable. Someone like a wall to block out all the people who could hurt a person as important as Kuroo. It was an occupation uncompromising, unyielding, standing the test of time again and again.
Tsukishima wasn’t anything like that.
Sure, he was cold and snarky, and this generally did keep people away at a distance far from the prince, but it all seemed to crumble next to the raven.
How could it not when Kuroo smiled at him like that?
Tsukishima wasn’t sure when it had started, these feelings , but they were not suitable for his occupation.
They were not suitable when he picked up Kuroo to take him to his next appointment, they were not suitable when he sat with him during mealtimes, and they certainly were not suitable at late hours of the night when Kuroo convinced him to watch the night sky together.
Countless times. Tsukishima could probably map the star system at this point, but he thought how pointless that was next to finding his way to the soft amber of Kuroo’s eyes. That he could do without even thinking about it.
Case in point, he was a terrible bodyguard.
After all, professional bodyguards would have put their feelings aside for the sake of their job.
Tsukishima couldn’t.
And clearly, he needed to stop this. For Kuroo’s sake.
Yet, even recalling those memories from only a year ago was too easy—the way Tsukishima found it difficult to say no. The shortcomings Tsukishima had in refusing the prince only stung like a freshly picked wound.
“ Would you officially become my bodyguard, Kei ?”
“ I’m pretty sure someone else would be more suited to the job, ” he’d laughed in exasperation. “ Why me?”
“ Because there’s no one else I’d want than you .”
There was an ache in Tsukishima’s heart, a tug that strained his very being. He wished Kuroo had said that in another context. It was all too inviting, those words.
“Feel free to let me go at any time,” he’d conceded, mentally kicking himself afterwards.
Kuroo laughed, a teasing lilt in his voice. “Never. You’re stuck with me, Glasses-kun.”
Jokes on his royal highness, Tsukishima had been stuck since day one.
“Kei?”
Tsukishima blinked, looking back at Kuroo who—gods, why did he look like the world was ending—the worry that was etched on his features couldn’t have been more plain. The blonde forced a straight face, shifting in his seat.
“Hm?”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” Tsukishima responded, trying to keep his voice level. He turned to the window of the café, watching people pass by idly. “What did you want to talk about?”
Even now, on a regular Thursday afternoon, Tsukishima had given into Kuroo’s requests to head out into town for coffee when in reality, he should have been keeping Kuroo indoors or at least keeping him somewhere with more security than a remote coffee shop in the middle of nowhere.
Tsukishima couldn’t even refuse when Kuroo asked him to sit down with him instead of standing at his side away from the round table to protect him from any danger.
Well, if he gets assassinated, at least Kuroo had finished all his royal duties for the day.
Kuroo studied him for a moment more before combing a hand through his hair. A nervous habit he’d never really left behind from his younger teenage years.
“Are you sure you’re fine?”
Tsukishima wanted to curse whoever it was that allowed someone like Kuroo Tetsurou to exist. How dare he be so considerate and kind. How dare he let someone as dangerous —someone who stuck out like a sore thumb—into his life so easily. How dare he care so much about some random kid he met one day in front of a museum.
Maybe he should invent time travel so he could go back and curse Kuroo’s parents.
No, that’d be too much—Tsukishima liked King Kuroo and although he’d never met the queen, he was sure he’d like her too.
After all, in all their early family portraits, she had the same soft smile as Kuroo did.
“Kei?”
Tsukishima sighed, trying to force these gross probably unrequited feelings for the prince down his throat before responding. “Yes, I’m sure, Kuroo. Sorry, just—stomachache.”
Stomachache. Wow. Real creative.
“We could head back to the castle if you’re really not feeling—”
God, what the hell, why was he just so considerate—
“No, it’s okay,” Tsukishima cut him off before he could continue. “Didn’t you say you wanted to try their new cappuccino here?”
“Oh, no actually—you’ve got to try their strawberry latte, I heard it was good from the reviews online.”
Tsukishima blinked. “The drink’s for me?”
“Yeah, I mean, unless you wanted to share,” Kuroo laughed as he wriggled his eyebrows, blind to the erratic beating of Tsukishima’s heart. “Though I know how you get with your strawberries. But, if your stomach hurts—”
Well, it absolutely hurt now , but not for any pitiful excuse Tsukishima had made in the past.
“Okay,” Tsukishima said, glaring at the table between them and trying not to reach out to embrace the prince. “We can share but only because I’m not feeling the best.”
Kuroo smirked his ‘I-knew-you-couldn’t-resist-strawberry-related-food-items’ smirk and raised a hand for a waiter to notice them. Tsukishima watched the outstretched fingers and wondered what it would be like to hold them in his own.
No. Stop that. Bodyguard, remember? Professional bodyguard of one of the most important people in the world. Stop feeling whatever you’re feeling.
Yet, he kept watching as Kuroo’s eyes lit up upon locating a waitress, how his lips moved open and closed as he talked with her, and how his gaze shifted back to meet Tsukishima’s.
The blonde immediately looked down, heat flaring up in his cheeks.
How unprofessional.
“I was just remembering when we first met.”
Tsukishima glanced up to see Kuroo tugging anxiously at his jacket sleeve. He had to dress casually when going out in order to avoid being spotted by the masses, yet he had chosen the blonde as his bodyguard which—in all honesty, seemed counterproductive. Even if Tsukishima also dressed like a regular civilian, which he was now, he still stood out. He always stood out. So, Kuroo, the person he was protecting, was always in danger.
So, in less formal wear, Tsukishima kept a taser and butterfly knife on him at all times.
Just in case he needed it.
“What about it?”
Kuroo laughed, scratching his chin. “I’m glad we did that’s all. I’m glad I decided to go out on my own—without anyone else to supervise me.”
Tsukishima smiled, resting his face on his palm. “Yeah, you were like a wild animal jumping out of the bushes. Like, in those RPG games that Kenma always plays.”
“Hey,” Kuroo tried to sound offended, but it worked as well as Tsukishima expected. “I made a dashing entrance from the thicket , excuse you.”
“The thicket ? Wow, how fancy, prince Kuroo,” Tsukishima retorted. “Maybe the thicket is where your hair came from too.”
“Okay, rude, you didn’t have to make it so personal,” Kuroo grumbled, though his smile came through in the sound. And, not a beat later, in a slightly breathless voice— “And here I was about to ask you out, Glasses-kun.”
It came so suddenly Tsukishima was certain he’d misheard.
“What?”
And, just like that first day they’d met, Kuroo looked about ready to make a run for it whenever the coast was clear. He was smiling, though it was strained and forced, a thin, broken line that didn’t suit his face.
“I, um,” Kuroo breathed again, like a fish gasping for air. “I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out. With me. Together.”
Tsukishima didn’t understand.
“We… we are out right now,” he tried.
“No, that’s not—”
“Here’s your strawberry latte, sir!” the waiter dropped the drink between the two of them, unaware of the strange atmosphere. She smiled sweetly. “Is there anything else I can do for you today?”
Kuroo turned to her and Tsukishima saw how red his ears were. “N-no, that’s all, thank you.”
“Alright, here are your straws—” she placed two straws on each side of the latte. “Enjoy!”
Tsukishima stared at the straws and the single drink and although the two had shared many drinks in the past like this, this time it felt more…
Intimate.
No, wait, he was supposed to be Kuroo’s bodyguard, someone under him, there was no possible way that Kuroo thought him as anyone other than a person who works under the wide umbrella of the royal family.
Yet, Kuroo’s darting eyes and flushed face said otherwise.
Was this okay?
Kuroo swallowed and the sound seemed to echo loudly across the room, though there were other noisy people around them. He stared at the drink for a moment before locking eyes with Tsukishima.
The blonde couldn’t look away.
“When we first met, I think I fell in love.”
Now Kuroo wasn’t the only one blushing.
“What’re you sayin—”
“Listen, Kei,” Kuroo continued, those brilliant, bright eyes boring into Tsukishima’s. “You know how I saw you from the bushes—”
“You were really captivated with my fossil,” Tsukishima laughed but the sound sounded foreign from his lips.
“No, I wasn’t looking at the fossil, I was looking at you.”
If Tsukishima thought humans could implode from embarrassment, he would have surely done so by now.
“I know we were young and so maybe it wasn’t love. But it was something . When I saw you sitting there, sunlight streaming down your arm, onto your face, through your light hair, a smile as blinding as the cosmos—I wondered if maybe this fluttering sensation in my chest was from a need to know what got you that excited. But, when that sensation didn’t go away even after you showed me and after this feeling started growing with time, I knew what it was. What it turned into.”
“Kuroo, you can’t—”
“What I said before—” Kuroo took a deep, steadying breath. “I meant it as a couple. I want to go out with you as your boyfriend. I adore you.”
“No,” Tsukishima found his voice, though it didn’t sound like his. He felt a wetness in his eyes. “Kuroo, you…”
Kuroo looked at him, concern immediate. “Kei, are you okay? Wait, I’m sorry, that was really sudden, I had a whole plan to this, I was going to take you out for this drink and then tell you when we got back to the castle, but I was scared I would chicken out, no, please don’t be upset, I promise I won’t fire you if you reject me, I just—”
“No, I’m not okay,” Tsukishima iterated, lip trembling. “You’re an idiot, prince Kuroo. You’re a stupid, terrible idiot.”
Kuroo’s broken and awkward laughter resounded across the table. “Kei, wait, using stupid to describe idiot is a little too—aren’t they the same—”
“ No ,” Tsukishima said again, sniffling. “How could you be this dumb? You’re the prince ! I’m just a bodyguard. You’re supposed to marry royalty. I’m not—you’re not thinking of yourself at all, you idiot.”
The prince blinked, then bit his lip, fresh tears welling up in his eyes. “I am though. You’re all I want.”
That’s exactly what’s idiotic about it, is what Tsukishima thought, but what left his mouth was a strangled sob.
Maybe one day when they are old and gray, they would look back and laugh about how foolishly they had acted in that small café in the city. Maybe they would look at it fondly or tease each other over how dramatic it all was.
Either way, Tsukishima will remember the day well.
He remembers how they drank the latte together afterwards, held hands on their way home, and exchanged many and more kisses at home, the ever-charming prince Kuroo hesitating uncharacteristically as his number one bodyguard, now boyfriend, gave back all the love he’d ever received from the raven tenfold, one smooch at a time.
They would worry about how this would affect each other’s lives afterwards. How maybe this wasn’t the best decision given how much Tsukishima stood out or how Kuroo’s father wanted an heir to the throne after Tetsurou. But now, this moment with just the two of them was all they could do to make up for all the opportunities they’d missed, contemplating the what ifs.
Kuroo on the one hand, was eager to spoil Tsukishima rotten with all the dates he could ever imagine.
But, Tsukishima?
He was just content being at his prince’s side.