Chapter Text
The clopping of horses trailing through mud, and a shout of warning of the unkempt road, could be heard be from within the carriage. Inside, a young man with dark wavy hair falling in his eyes, curiously gazed out the small window near his seat. He looked on to the many guards traveling alongside them, who seem unbothered to be soaked by the harsh rainstorm outside.
“Keiji, close the curtain and sit up right,” a bitter voice barked, startling the named boy out of his wandering thoughts. He quickly obeyed the command, knowing better by now than to keep the man across from him waiting for anything.
“Gods have mercy, after all this time you think you would be able to accomplish at least something as simple as having propriety. I always expect too much from a child like you.”
“I’m sorry father, I was careless. I will make certain not to disappoint you,” came the soft reply, void of emotion, as if said a thousand times before.
“Hm, I’ve learned by now to no longer be disappointed by anything you do. However, I will not tolerate thoughtless mistakes this time, our purpose for this journey is far too important. To think it would come to this, for such a crucial task to be left up to my weak, soft-hearted, failure of an heir, is a cruel joke fate has played on me.”
The dark-haired boy remains silent with his head down, not bearing to look into the cold, unfeeling eyes of the man before him. He fiddles with his fingers in his lap, squeezing each knuckle, in hopes they arrive at their destination soon. The small space of the carriage suddenly feeling more confining than before.
If the curtains were still open, one would see the castle only a few leagues away, as massive as it was magnificent. Each brick and iron bar clearly lain with great care and purpose. The halls filled with ornate paintings and handcrafted furnishings, each artfully placed and cared for by those whose task it was to do so. However, the servants and other workers seemed distracted from their duties by a flash of silver and black rushing past. A young man, with hair of such colors that stuck straight up, flew down the halls faster than humanly possible, trying to make up for how late he was to where he was expected. When he finally arrived at the large doors he was looking for, he was stopped by another boy yelling after him, struggling to catch up to his incredible speed.
“Sire, please wait! You are not finished dressing yet!”
Breathlessly they both slowed to a stop, the slower one bending over out of fatigue, his arms full.
“Ah, sorry Suga, I hardly ever wear them, so I completely forgot. Thanks for bringing it all this way.”
“Bokuto-san, the fact that you forgot your cloak in this weather is one thing, but to forget your crown as well,” he broke off into a sigh, shaking his head and chuckling in disbelief. “Although, it shouldn’t even be surprising knowing you as well as I do.”
The other laughed as well, scratching his cheek and avoiding eye contact as a long black cloak was thrown around his shoulders, and expertly fastened. He lowered his head a little so the shorter boy could place the gold band of metal upon it, smiling as he looked up once again.
“Where would I be without you?”
“Crownless and cloakless for starters.”
The taller’s smile grew wider as he ruffled the other’s grey hair.
“Hey, hey, come now, I just got my hair to not stick up anymore!” Suga pleaded as he tore the big hand off his head.
“Alright, wish me luck!”
Now dressed properly, looking every bit the crown prince he was, Bokuto swung open the heavy doors at the end of the hall that led the throne room.
As he walked across the long red carpet that led to the royal throne, the man sitting upon it called out for him.
“So. my son finally decided to show up? I thought for sure I would have to send someone to drag you by the ear, to finally get you to leave the training grounds.”
The king’s smile matched the one on Bokuto’s face, only more exasperated. The two men were like twins, except one had more wrinkles and his head, full of hair of a solid silver instead, donned with a much larger and elaborate crown.
“I made it in time, right? That’s all that matters.”
“Maybe to you, but your mother here was very worried and is quite upset with you. You best apologize for being the last to arrive to such an important gathering.”
"Sorry mother, I did not mean to worry you. I just lost track of time with the boys is all, you know how it can be.”
Bokuto looked to the elegantly dressed woman standing next to the throne, a shimmering diadem fixed within her intricately braided updo. Her lips were pursed together, and her arms crossed. She looked every bit as frustrated as she sounded when she let out a large sigh.
“Koutarou, you should know better by now than to go to the training grounds when you have important duties to attend to. You always spend too much time there and your punctuality suffers for it.”
“Yes, you are right. It was my mistake for not devoting my time more efficiently. I’ll see to it that I improve upon this in the future.”
His mother smiled and relaxed after hearing his eloquent apology, while his father waved him over to take his place on the other side of the throne. He knew he was cutting it close by killing time sparring with the other warriors, but he was too nervous for today to sit still. Just as he settled in his position, the horns sounded, alerting everyone of the arrival of the awaited guests.
“Your highness, the royal party of the kingdom of Adantis.”
The entrance to the throne room burst open as guards cleared the way for a few new faces to enter, stopping just as they reached the bottom of the stairs that led to where the king was now standing.
“Alpha King Akaashi! My old friend, it has been far too long since we have been graced with your company. It is good to have you here once again.”
Bokuto’s father descended the steps to join arms with the mentioned man who wore a similar golden crown atop his head. The darker haired man responded in kind, gripping the other’s offered arm with just as much vigor.
“Yes, Alpha King Bokuto, much time has indeed passed since we saw each other last. However, I must say you don’t seem to have aged a day since then. And lady Hanako, it is always a pleasure to be in the presence of your beauty.”
“Oh, your flattery is too much. And is this young man beside you your son?” The queen gestured to the boy standing to the side as she joined the two.
“Yes, may I present Omega Prince Akaashi Keiji, my son and only heir of the Adantis Kingdom.”
The dark-haired boy, graced with a thin golden circlet adorned with a single ruby, came forward, bowing deeply to the king and queen before him, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.
“It is an honor to be invited to the kingdom of Velaria by your majesties once again. It is as beautiful as I remember it.”
“You have grown to be even more stunning than when you were a child, your skin still as fair as before.” The queen complimented, earning a soft gaze and rosy cheeks from the prince. She gestured behind her, calling forth the young man still standing there.
“This is Alpha Prince Bokuto Koutarou, crown prince of Velaria.”
The mentioned boy appeared at her side, bowing his head to the new arrivals. His eyes stuck on the dark-haired boy since the moment he walked in the room. Unable to tear his gaze away for even a second, afraid he might miss his chance to meet his eye.
“It is wonderful to have you here in our kingdom as our honored guests. We look forward to rekindling the friendship of our trusted allies to its former strength and depth.”
Upon the word friendship, the omega prince, who had returned his gaze downward, finally looked up to stare straight into Bokuto’s eyes. They were the same deep forest green that he remembered from all those years ago, and they were just as breathtaking now as they were then. The familiar feeling of butterflies fluttering around in his stomach returned once again as he began to get lost them. All the alpha prince could bring himself to do was smile brightly and hope that his face didn’t look as red as it felt.
“Yes, well said my boy! Deepening our kingdoms’ bond is the very reason for this momentous occasion, as our families become one. There is no stronger tie than two souls being united through the sacred ceremony of marriage,” King Bokuto boasted.
“I couldn’t agree more. The engagement of the two princes of Velaria and Adantis is truly something to celebrate,” King Akaashi nodded.
“And celebrate we shall! This week, our kingdom will host a marvelous festival to spread the joyous news. A tournament, with our friends and allies from the neighboring kingdoms as competitors, will be held to make our revels as joyous as possible.”
“Alright, enough talk of future plans. You must be weary from your long journey, let us show you to your rooms so you can rest and settle in,” The queen interrupted, guiding both men down the great hall toward the doors, leaving the two princes behind.
“If you would follow me Prince Akaashi, I can show you the way,” Bokuto held out his arm, offering it to the other boy.
“That would be very helpful, thank you Bokuto-san,” Akaashi wrapped his hands around the extended arm, letting the other guide him to follow after their parents.
Both were walking much slower than the normal pace, but neither paid it any mind as they made their way through the winding castle hallways. The two princes walked in silence as they passed by paintings of past monarchs that lined the wall, with sculptures and other decorations from foreign lands placed on pedestals between each one. The atmosphere seemed to hold an air of awkwardness that neither could figure out how to overcome. It was just a matter of finding the right words to start with.
As they traveled down a long corridor, Bokuto noticed the other staring out the tall windows intently as they passed by the flower garden. He observed how the other’s eyes thoughtfully took in everything from the roses to the hydrangeas, and the alpha finally found his voice again.
“My mother loves pretty things, so she always has the gardener plant as much of a variety of flowers as possible.”
“They are very lovely. I used to love visiting the queen’s gardens when we would visit years ago.”
“I remember being scolded for getting lost while playing hide and seek one time. The servants were so panicked looking for us, and your mother was the only who could calm mine down because she was so upset. We weren’t allowed in the garden after that.”
A small, barely visible smile pulled at the corners of Akaashi’s mouth at the memory. His mother was such a kind-hearted and loving person and thinking about her made him miss her even more.
“It never really stopped us from sneaking back in though,” the dark-haired boy recalled, a wave of nostalgia washing over him as he was reminded of the time he spent in this castle as a small boy.
“That’s true, I was always such a bad influence on you, even though I was the older one,” Bokuto chuckled. “You would constantly get into trouble due to one of my terrible ideas, but you were too sweet to blame me for any of it.”
“Even if your ideas were terrible, they were still fun and exciting so I could never help but go along with you and all your crazy escapades.”
The younger let slip a small giggle that did not go unnoticed by the other. The sound filling his heart with warmth as he smiled radiantly in return. He was glad to be able to talk so normally with Akaashi again, he was worried the years spent apart would have made things uncomfortable between them. It’s clear that although they have both grown up a lot, they are still the same two princes they were back then, just much taller now.
“We have reached the princely quarters, this is your room here,” Bokuto said as they stopped in in front of a door with a complex design carved into each corner. He pointed behind himself to a door with similar markings. “My room is just across the way, so if you should need anything please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you, Bokuto-san. And thank you for guiding me here as well.”
The omega prince turned toward the door, reaching to open it, when the older spoke up once again.
“Akaashi…”
He froze hearing his name said like that. It has been so long since anyone called him so familiarly, his heartbeat stuttered a little at the sound of it. He turned back to the other boy slowly, not able to find any words as his brain suddenly ceased to function properly.
“It’s really good to see you again,” Bokuto almost whispered, as if he wasn’t sure if it was alright to speak them aloud.
Akaashi could do nothing but nod, quickly turning away to open the door to his room. He rested his back against it as it closed, his hand lifting to his mouth as he began to chew on his fingertips. His heart beating faster than normal, and his face suddenly growing hot.
All these years and even the simplest words from him still sway my heart just as much as they always have.
He let out a large sigh, before looking up to take in his new accommodations. The room had a decorative settee with a matching armchair and a small table between, as well as a desk in the corner with a floor to ceiling bookshelf behind it.
Another door in the opposite corner from where the young man stood, that he assumed led to the bedroom, was open. In it stood
a shorter boy that had shoulder length blonde hair with brown roots. Akaashi immediately stood up straight at the realization that the boy had been watching him this whole time.
“How long have you been standing there, Kenma?”
“Hm, long enough,” was all the other said before disappearing back into the bedroom. Soon after the blonde’s voice could be heard again.
“Come, lay down and get some rest while I finish unpacking everything. We’ll just pretend like I didn’t see you blushing over something a second ago.”
The dark-haired boy cringed at the mention of the embarrassing predicament he was caught in but followed after the other, nevertheless.
“Anyway, so how is it going with getting everything settled? Have the other servants been able to adjust fairly easily?” he asked while taking off his crown and placing on the night table next the bed that he now sat on. He shoved off his boots and overcoat and laid down against the soft pillows, taking the others advice to sleep a little. The sudden change of subject didn’t go unnoticed by the shorter boy, but he chose not to say anything about it as he promised.
“There is no need to worry sire, I should have all your things put away by tonight. Now rest up, I will wake you when it is time to get ready for dinner.”
Akaashi hummed in response as he drifted to sleep to the rustling sound of the other unpacking.