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👑 👑 👑
Chifuyu hated it here.
In this large yet suffocating palace.
Anywhere he walked, people just looked at him like he’s a god and put dumb and very much impossible expectations on him.
“Please change the country for the better.”
“Do something about the corrupted politics.”
“Change the country for the better.”
“Please do something about the bandits running around in my neighbourhood.”
Chifuyu was beyond confused.
He’s only 11 years old, so why were these expectations placed on him when they could just ask from his father.
Oh. Right.
They’re all scared of Chifuyu’s father.
Compared to the queen, the king always had a scowl on his face, eyes seeming judging. His wife on the other hand was so friendly it could make people uncomfortable.
Well, they’re not far off.
The king was actually very kind and generous, though he didn’t really know how to smile.
Which was how he fell in love with the queen.
Sure, it was an arranged marriage to strengthen the kingdom’s bond with other kingdoms, but Chifuyu’s father still managed to helplessly fall in love with Chifuyu’s mother anyway.
The queen’s smile was radiant and charming, so of course the king fell.
The queen, on the other hand, fell for the king’s calm and collected yet slightly clumsy demeanour.
The two of them were basically a match made in heaven.
Chifuyu never got tired of listening to their love story.
He had always tried to convince everyone that his father wasn’t really that scary, but no one believed him.
So he decided to take drastic measures.
Putting on his most light and comfortable pajamas, he took out a map that a prince from the neighbouring kingdom had given him after he told the other prince that he wanted to prove everyone wrong.
“Eh? Prove them wrong by showing how much your father cared for you? I’m definitely gonna tell my big brother about this.” Prince Mikey, said prince from the neighbouring kingdom had said.
So Chifuyu’s plan was simple.
One; slip out of the castle.
Two; meet Mikey’s friend -who’s a bodyguard- and run away to a cottage in the woods with said bodyguard.
Three; stay there for a few days or hours. Depends on how fast the king would notice his son has gone missing.
After the maids and everyone in the palace had witnessed how caring and worried his father was when he went missing, surely they’ll understand why Chifuyu had always said his father was kind.
It was honestly a decent and, well, ‘formidable’ plan.
Big words for an 11 year old!
…
Chifuyu shook his head side to side, trying to focus on his ‘mission’.
With the map in hand, Chifuyu carefully pulled out his blankets that he had tied together, acting as a rope as he threw it over his balcony.
Looking down, Chifuyu felt shivers.
It’s actually super high…
“It’s okay, Chifuyu! You can do this!” Chifuyu murmured to himself, encouraging as he hold onto the blanket before slowly climbing down.
He had to be sneaky.
Conveniently, his bedroom chamber was close to a small gate that Chifuyu never got the chance to go past, everyone saying he should stay inside.
His other objective aside from changing the people’s views on his father was actually to just see the outside world himself.
Though he didn’t tell Mikey that.
Huh.
…
When was he supposed to see the bodyguard again-
“Ack!” Chifuyu yelped, the blanket slipping from his hands as he felt gravity pull him closer to the ground.
No no no-
This might hurt really bad-
Chifuyu closed his eyes and waited for the harsh ground to meet his back, seeing that he really couldn’t do anything.
But instead of the harsh ground meeting his back, someone else had caught him.
Though both of them ended up falling anyway, Chifuyu not feeling pained anywhere since the stranger under him had caught him.
Scrambling, Chifuyu stood up, bowing as he rambled apologies.
Ah, right.
Mikey told him to call the bodyguard-
“Woah. Mikey’s actually not joking when he said the prince here was cute.”
???
Cute??
“I thought an angel had fallen from the sky!” The young boy laughed, bowing in courtesy,
“The name’s Keisuke Baji. You can call me-”
“Keisuke!” Chifuyu had chirped.
Right.
Mikey told him to call the bodyguard ‘Keisuke’.
He said ‘my friend would definitely be happy if you call him that!’.
It was the least he could do since the bodyguard agreed to help him in the mission of his.
But wasn’t he too young to be a bodyguard??
“Keisuke- Damn Mikey-”
Chifuyu snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the male in front of him mumbling, the red tinting the male’s cheeks making him looked even younger.
“Did you hear something just now?”
Chifuyu jolted when he heard voices nearing them, taking Baji’s wrist in his out of reflex before dragging the boy towards the gate.
“Quick! We have to at least manage to get out of here before they can find us!” Chifuyu said, using the key he had stealthily stolen to open and close the gate once they’re on the other side.
Chifuyu held his breath as he leaned against the closed gate, hand still wrapped around of Baji’s wrist as he heard footsteps from behind the door.
Luckily, Chifuyu managed to tug on the blanket and brought it with him outside, making it not obvious he had sneaked out.
His window opened was not really something that’ll cause suspicion, as he had always left them opened.
It was an absolute success!
“They’re gone now.” Baji had said, pulling Chifuyu out of his thoughts.
Grinning proudly, Chifuyu finally let go of Baji’s wrist as he placed his hands on each side of his hips,
“Isn’t my plan the coolest?!” Chifuyu whispered-celebrated, grinning happily.
His father would be so proud of him-
“It is, cool, my prince. But we have to get going now. I have to make sure we’re in somewhere safe before actually resting.” Baji had complimented, stopping himself from ruffling the younger’s hair.
The younger’s a prince, after all.
“Will definitely do that, Keisuke! Lead the way!” Chifuyu chirped joyfully, skipping and humming as he walked ahead, obvious to the guard’s flushed state.
When Mikey said that the young prince from the neighbouring kingdom would definitely be Baji’s type, he didn’t know it’ll actually be true.
But hey, nothing’s impossible, no?
Re-collecting himself, Baji finally caught up to the prince, eyes scanning around for any types of threats that could harm the giddy prince beside him.
“Is the cottage far?” Chifuyu asked after a few minutes of silence that was filled with the sound of their shoes crunching dried leaves on the ground.
Baji pursed his lips,
“Not really, a few minutes walk and we’ll definitely-”
Chifuyu would’ve got his ankle snapped by a bear trap if Baji hadn’t swiftly pulled the younger to his side by wrapping an arm around the prince’s waist.
“Careful there, my prince.” Baji had murmured, his hold on Chifuyu’s waist still strong as he scanned for anymore potential dangers.
“Huh. Odd. That seemed to be the only bear trap around.” Baji had informed, taking a nearby wooden stick and sticking it to the bear trap.
Chifuyu looked terrified at the sound of the wooden stick breaking into half.
“…close.” Chifuyu sighed in relief, leaning against Baji.
Cute cute cute-
“We should continue walking, my prince.” Baji said, letting go of Chifuyu and heading further into the forest, wanting to avoid close calls.
“You’re awesome, Keisuke! How come you noticed it despite the terrible lighting in this dark forest?? Do you have magic eyes or something?” Chifuyu asked, already collected.
Baji laughed.
“I guess I’m just used to running away from things.” Baji had said, smiling.
It turned into a wider smile when he spotted the cottage they’re supposed to stay in for a few days.
“Let’s go inside.” Baji had said, smiling as his fangs peeked a little out of his lips.
Chifuyu flushed.
Hmm.
What’s this thing he’s feeling??
Baji looked hesitant for a moment before he grabbed Chifuyu's hand and walked towards the cottage, slightly flushing as he realised he’s holding hands with the prince.
He’ll enjoy the prince’s company for now.
Not like they’ll meet again after this mission ends anyway.
“I’ll protect you for the night, my prince.” Baji grinned once they’re inside the house, a soft smile on his lips as he watched Chifuyu marvel at the cottage.
“It’s not as grand as your palace, but surely it suffices?” Baji asked.
Chifuyu nodded excitedly, started running around the cottage to look around and familiarise with the cottage.
The whole time Chifuyu was running around, Baji followed, contemplating if he should at least befriend the younger.
He knew Chifuyu’s younger because Mikey told him.
Did Chifuyu know Baji’s older though?
“You must be the angel!” Chifuyu suddenly exclaimed after he finished running and marvelling at the place.
“And why is that?” Baji asked, amused.
“Because you’re actually helping me without asking for anything back!” Chifuyu reasoned, taking a seat on the couch in the living room and patting the space beside him, signalling Baji to take a seat.
Should he?
But he’s only a guard-
“Treat me like I’m like you: just another guard! I would like to have ‘normal’ conversations too!” Chifuyu said when he noticed Baji’s hesitance.
Sharp.
The prince was surprisingly sharp and good at reading people.
Loosening up, Baji took a seat beside Chifuyu, leaving a reasonable space between them.
That was until Chifuyu suddenly scooted closer and placed his head on Baji’s shoulder, getting comfortable as he closed his eyes.
“My pri- you’ll hurt your neck if you sleep like this. We can go to the bed at the back instead-”
“I’ve decided.” Chifuyu hummed, cutting Baji off.
…
“Decided what?”
Chifuyu sighed, sort of determined,
“I wanna be as swift and as cool as you when I grow up!” Chifuyu said, though his eyes were getting droopy.
Humming, Baji let his fingers combed through Chifuyu’s hair, smiling when he felt the prince humming in appreciation.
“Well, if only we’ll meet again.” Baji murmured, staring at the already sleeping prince for a short while before he carried the prince into the bedroom of the cottage and putting the prince in bed.
The next morning, the king himself stumbled across the cottage, a few guards following closely behind.
The king thanked Baji for taking care of Chifuyu, eyes puffy probably due to crying.
In the end, everyone did change their opinions on the king.
Though there’s something Chifuyu was not satisfied with by the end.
“Where’s Keisuke?” Chifuyu had asked when he realised he had woken up on his own bed and not on Baji’s shoulder.
A maid nearby smiled,
“He left as soon as we found you, saying he have other matters to attend to.”
Great.
Chifuyu thought it was a dream.
“Oh. He also left a note for you.” The maid said, searching through her pocket and handing it to Chifuyu.
“You are right about… the king, my prince. I apologise on the maids behalf for ever doubting your words.” The maid apologised, though it was unnecessary.
Chifuyu never holds a grudge because of the small misunderstanding anyway.
Once the maid had excused herself, Chifuyu giddily opened the letter, his smile dropping when he realised.
Baji was definitely not good at writing.
He bursted into a fit of laughter, careful to not crush or fold the paper in his hand.
Eventually, he stopped laughing and placed the letter inside one of his files, containing papers of his hardwork in trying to be the next king.
By the time he had washed himself up and was sitting at the dining hall, Chifuyu had recalled what had taken place the other night.
It was honestly awesome!
“Mother, can I go outside again one day?” Chifuyu asked all of a sudden, surprising the king and the queen.
“Maybe? But after you’re older and we’ve gotten you an assistant and things along the line.” The queen promised, a soft smile on her lips.
Inwardly, Chifuyu hoped said assistant would be a certain black haired-male that had accompanied him yesterday, wanting to know and learn more from the guard.
👑 1 👑
Chifuyu’s 14 now.
Aside from studying, he started taking classes for swordsmanship and a whole other stuff.
It was exciting at first.
Though he started feeling more and more exhausted as days passed by without him getting enough rest.
Surprisingly, Chifuyu ended up looking forward to his weapons training classes.
He liked how a certain face always popped up in his head whenever he thought of the word ‘cool’ every time he managed to do an attack or a defenseless successfully.
At the same time, it was draining.
Because everytime he was reminded of the black haired guard he met when he was 11, he’ll remember his conversation with Mikey.
When he was 12, Mikey came to visit him as his parents wanted to see Chifuyu’s parents.
“Draken-kun! Mikey-kun!” Chifuyu had greeted, smiling brightly at the prince and the prince’s own guard and assistant.
“Yo! Looking as good as ever.” Mikey grinned.
Talking with Mikey had always been pleasant, the older always treating him like equals.
Well, they were equals anyway. Being princes and all.
“How do you like Baji?” Mikey asked out of nowhere during their conversation.
Chifuyu immediately started talking about the guard, gushing over how epic and cool Baji had looked the whole night.
“Definitely your type, isn’t he?” Mikey suddenly asked.
Chifuyu didn’t know why, but he felt himself heating up as his heart skipped a beat.
“Oi! Don’t give Chifuyu any ideas.” Draken lightly scolded Mikey, who only shrugged at Draken’s words.
“Keisuke said something about ‘his type’ too. What does that mean?” Chifuyu asked, curious.
…
Chifuyu felt slightly conscious of his appearance when Mikey and Draken stared at him with mouths agape.
“You don’t know what ‘his type’ mean?” Mikey asked for confirmation.
“Uhhh yeah?”
…
An odd smirk replaced Mikey’s friendly smile as he answered,
“By ‘his type’, it basically means traits you would like in your lover.” Mikey explained, looking amused as he noticed Chifuyu heating up.
Traits?
Lovers??
“I remember that you once said that you would like a someone that you could trust and depend on as your lover.
Does Baji fits your ‘type’?”
…
Oh.
Chifuyu felt himself flushing even more.
Huh?
Was that actually the reason he kept on thinking about the young guard?
Because he had a… crush?
…
“Oh god.” Chifuyu finally said something after his epiphany hit him, feeling his ears, cheeks, nose and basically his face going red.
Wait wait wait-
How-
“It finally clicked in, didn’t it?” Mikey hummed in amusement, as if he expected this outcome.
It was definitely not expected!
“But from what I’ve learnt and, well, heard, you can’t just fall in love with someone in one night! You have to give it some time!” Chifuyu said in denial.
It’s not like he refused but-
Him? Falling in love so easily?
It was odd!
“Well, nothing’s impossible, Chifuyu-kun.” Mikey chirped, laughing when Chifuyu covered his face.
That was also the day he learnt that Baji was older than him by a year.
The information somehow made Chifuyu’s heart beat even more faster-
“My prince? Are you okay?”
His teacher’s voice easily snapped himself out of his thoughts, Chifuyu apologising profusely for spacing out while she was teaching.
Said teacher suddenly closed her book, Chifuyu internally praying she was not about to report his behaviour to his father.
Though instead of doing what Chifuyu thought she would do, the teacher flicked the prince’s forehead, Chifuyu hissing at the light pain.
“Sorry for the flick, my prince. But you’ve been spacing out more frequently this week. Usually, around this time of the year, you would’ve been more happy since Prince Mikey would come. So what had caused you troubling thoughts? The maids and everyone are very worried.” His teacher sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose.
Chifuyu pouted.
So everyone has noticed how jumpy he had been throughout the week.
“I’m sorry… but I just-”
-I’m just worried if Mikey would ask me if I still like Keisuke! Would he laugh if I said I still like Keisuke? But surely I’ll be married of to a princess from another kingdom since we’ll need an heir but-
“My prince? You’re spacing out again.”
Oh.
Chifuyu sighed, deflated.
Oh, he’s exhausted.
“Is it… is it okay if we end class early for the day? I’m feeling… slightly more exhausted today.” Chifuyu said before rushing off out of the garden they were learning in.
No wonder everyone suggested the change of place to study.
Everyone just wanted him to get some fresh air.
“Always so considerate.” Chifuyu chuckled to himself in endearment as he walked along the corridors-
-only to bump into someone when he rounded a corner.
“Ack!” Chifuyu yelped when he bumped into a hard chest, backing away to apologise when his eyes met with familiar brown eyes from a few years ago.
Huh?
What’s he doing here-
“Ohhh! Nice one, Baji!”
Chifuyu immediately knew who that voice belonged to, trying his best to not stare at the very much attractive male in front of him, having to stand on the tips of his toes to see the shorter prince.
“Mikey-kun? You’ve arrived??” Chifuyu asked, surprised.
Mikey was supposed to arrive next week with his parents though?
“Oh. About that. I asked my parents if I could visit you earlier! They said I could, if I bring Baji and Draken with me. And here we are!” Mikey explained briefly.
It was then Chifuyu noticed Draken who was approaching them, frowning.
“Why are you in such a hurry to round the corner? Look, now you bump into someone! This could’ve caused a war!” Draken scolded, smacking the back of Mikey’s head.
Must be nice.
To have a bond like those two.
“Well, I didn’t bump into anyone. Baji did.” Mikey said, his voice laced with something close to a tease.
Oh.
Right.
Baji.
Chifuyu instantly blushed when Mikey had raised his eyebrows at Chifuyu suggestively, again earning himself a smack on the back of his head.
Even though Chifuyu only made a brief eye contact with the older, he already knew that Baji had grown and, of course, became much more… handsome.
And gosh, Chifuyu’s confused-
“Ah! It’s dark already! Let’s talk more tomorrow, Chifuyu-kun. I’ve already greeted your parents, of course. For the whole time we’ll be spending here, how about you have Baji as your personal assistant?”
Huh-?
“Great! So, Baji, listen to whatever Chifuyu asks you of from now on. Maybe accompany the prince to his chamber first. Draken will be with me the whole time, so focus solely on Chifuyu-kun, okay? Okay, goodbye!”
Chifuyu watched helplessly as Mikey casually dragged Draken away, leaving Chifuyu with Baji.
…
Oh great-
Chifuyu’s not prepared at all-
“I guess we had actually met again, my prince.”
Baji’s voice was way more deep than Chifuyu used to remember-
But of course he should’ve expected that.
Though he’s still taken aback though-
Chifuyu jolted when his hand was taken into someone’s larger hand before a short kiss was placed on his knuckles, immediately causing him to flush and internally panicked.
God he’s actually real-
“So, do I just accompany you to your bedroom chamber or would you like me to do anything else?” Baji asked, a charming smile on his lips.
His tied ponytail certainly looked really nice to play with-
“My prince?”
Chifuyu’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the older male calling him that.
“Oh! Uhhh just… accompany me- wait- no! I can walk there by myself!” Chifuyu stammered, feeling himself heat up more and more under Baji’s gaze.
“I certainly can’t do that, my prince.” Baji asked, his voice doing things to Chifuyu’s heart.
“Wh- why not-”
“Because Mikey- pardon, Prince Mikey had specifically asked me to accompany you to your chamber. So I have to abide by his orders, no?” Baji grinned, finding Chifuyu’s flushed state amusing.
Baji’s so good-looking what the heck-
“I took your silence as an agreement. Shall we?” Baji asked, silently telling the younger to lead the way.
Oh. Right.
Where’s his bedroom again-
For a few minutes, Chifuyu had only walked aimlessly, panicking internally as Baji was walking alongside him.
What if he accidentally tripped on air-
“Watch your steps there, my prince. Wouldn’t want you to trip on air.” Baji had immediately held Chifuyu’s forearm when the prince almost tripped on air.
Oh gosh this was embarrassing-
It was only after another half an hour, with Chifuyu stumbling over and over again on air and Baji’s amused chuckles everytime he managed to help Chifuyu walk back straight, they finally arrived in front of Chifuyu’s chamber.
“I guess that’s all from me. Any last requests before I officially leave you?” Baji offered, his eyes holding a glint of amusement in them as he watched Chifuyu squirm in his place under the guard’s gaze.
“N-Nothing, for now. Go-goodnight!” Chifuyu awkwardly said before entering his bedroom and leaning against his now closed door, sliding down and sitting on the floor as he covered his face with his hands.
Why did Baji have to be so charming-?!
“Goodnight, Chifuyu.”
It was a silent whisper, probably not for Chifuyu to hear.
But the prince did hear it.
His name sounded nice on the older’s lips.
When he had opened the door to see Baji one last time though, the older was nowhere to be found, immediately causing the prince to pout.
He should’ve been more straightforward-
…
Right.
He’s a prince.
He couldn’t possibly be selfish and fall in love with someone that couldn’t benefit the kingdom.
…
Chifuyu retired to bed that night, head’s a mess and filled with a certain black-haired guard.
👑 2 👑
A few months had passed since his reunion with Baji.
He’s almost 15 now, since his birthday was tomorrow.
He still couldn’t believe he met Baji again even after all those years.
During the time Mikey and his parents had stayed at Chifuyu’s palace, Chifuyu, sadly, didn’t bump into Baji anymore.
Though Chifuyu managed to ask Mikey to pass a note to the older.
He thought it would be nice if the older would call him ‘Chifuyu’ or just ‘Fuyu’.
He gave Mikey the note as soon as he finished writing it, knowing he'd back down if he had hesitated even for a moment.
Luckily, he knew himself best.
He did back down.
Though since Mikey had already gotten the letter, it was no use for Chifuyu to try and get it back from the short yet fast prince, sometimes called ‘invincible’ since he always won spars no matter what.
Mikey said something about ‘just you wait when it’s your birthday!’ when he left, making Chifuyu aware of his surroundings more when his birthday was approaching.
What could Mikey possibly give him aside from shoujo mangas?
Not that he’s complaining.
It’s already 11:50 when Chifuyu stopped thinking, laid on his bed in his most comfortable and very much easy-to-move-around nightwear.
Right.
10 more minutes until it’s his birthday.
…
Was Mikey just lying back then-
The sound of a knock on his balcony’s door snapped Chifuyu out of his thoughts, his eyes immediately scanning the balcony only to find his breath hitched.
Quickly, Chifuyu rushed and opened the balcony’s door, catching Baji in his arms as the older laughed, the sound playing on record in Chifuyu’s head as he felt his heart warmed.
“Keisuke?! What are you doing here? And did you just enter the palace without asking permission first- my father would’ve let you in if you had asked!” Chifuyu rambled, yelping when he fell on his butt as he couldn’t hold the black-haired male properly.
Baji was literally between Chifuyu’s legs and his lips was so close to Chifuyu’s neck-
“I’m sorry, Fuyu. But a certain someone suddenly asked me to come here and pass you a note, saying it was urgent. I don’t have time to ask permission.” Baji had explained, continued to explain with more details, but Chifuyu couldn’t focus because-
Fuyu Fuyu Fuyu-
It sounded so nice on Baji’s lips-
“Fuyu? You okay?”
Oh. Right.
…
Oh god Baji’s still so good-looking up close-
“Ahh! Yes! Y-you were saying?” Chifuyu stammered, cursing himself for always acting so childish like a highschool girl with a crush everytime he talked to Baji.
Chifuyu felt himself blushed even more when a ghost of a smirk could be seen behind Baji’s soft smile.
Still so close with Chifuyu, Baji took out a letter from his pocket before handing it to Chifuyu,
“Mikey sent me to give you this.” Baji explained, eyes on Chifuyu like a hawk.
Chifuyu hummed, taking the letter from Baji’s hand before carefully creating a space between the two of them, suddenly realising how see-through his nightwear was.
It was lucky there’s only the moon giving light in the room. If not, the chances of Baji seeing through Chifuyu’s nightwear was definitely high.
Not like Chifuyu wouldn’t mind or anyth-
Clearing his throat to stop himself from thinking, he opened the letter and unfold the paper inside of it, flushing as he read the words.
“Happy Birthday, Chifuyu-kun! Well, your present this year is just the guy sending you this letter. Use him for the night-
Wait that sounds wrong-
Anyway, have fun- ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)(^_-)” -Mikey
“What did it say?”
Chifuyu jumped.
He almost forgot Baji was still here with him-
“Uhhh nothing, really. You… Thank you for sending this letter to me! Really appreciate it.” Chifuyu somehow managed to make a sentence, averting his gaze from Baji.
Standing up, Chifuyu inserted the note back into the letter, internally cursing at Mikey for being so observant.
When Chifuyu turned around and was about to say something, he shut his mouth instead, tilting his head in confusion when Baji was looking anywhere but him.
Huh.
“The place is really nice, isn’t it?” Chifuyu asked, thinking that maybe Baji had just realised how pretty Chifuyu’s bedroom looked.
Chifuyu was even more confused when the older didn’t say anything, instead staring back into Chifuyu’s eyes with an intensity Chifuyu was not used to.
Was it something on his face? Or was it his nightwear-
…
Oh.
OH-
The flustered prince felt himself blushed even more, connecting the fact that the moonlight was hitting him with the right amount of light for it to be slightly see-through.
Frantically, Chifuyu reached for a sweater his mother had bought for him, the cloth surprisingly very comfortable.
She said the sweater reminded her of Chifuyu.
Clumsily putting the sweater on, Chifuyu blushed even more when the sweater was a tad too big for him, reaching his mid-thighs and the sweater having sweater paws.
Chifuyu looked so small-
“Fuyu.”
Baji’s somehow unreadable voice made Chifuyu jumped, the prince hugging the big sweater he was wearing out of reflex.
He was standing by now, back facing Baji.
He wished he could see the expression on Baji’s face, but he’s too embarrassed to turn around.
It was silent for a few minutes before Chifuyu heard footsteps approaching him from behind before a light breath was tickling his ears, freezing the prince in place.
“Do you always wear clothes like these?” He heard Baji whisper, feeling a tug on his nightwear.
“Ju-just when I’m going to bed.” Chifuyu answered, feeling conscious.
A few moments of silence passed, Chifuyu’s heart beating a million miles per hour as he waited for Baji to say anything.
Though the response never came.
Chifuyu was about to turn around when he felt his eyes were covered by a hand, breath hitching.
Oh god oh god oh god-
“I’m… sorry for my improper behaviour, my prince. But I’m afraid I have to leave now. I do not want to know what I would do if I keep on being around you while you’re in… that.” Baji murmured.
If Chifuyu focused hard enough, he could’ve heard the slight flustered tone lacing Baji’s voice.
Still with his eyes covered, he felt something was pressed into the palm of his hand, feeling the slight cold gesture of that something as he pondered what it could be.
“Do not open your eyes for 10 seconds. I don’t… want you to see me in such an unprofessional expression.” Baji trailed off into a chuckle in the end, pulling on Chifuyu’s heartstrings.
He’s so attractive it’s illegal-
“Promise me you’ll do that, my prince?”
Chifuyu could literally stopped breathing-
“Promise.” Chifuyu whispered.
True to his words, he didn’t open his eyes for the next 10 seconds, only opening his eyes after 15 seconds had passed.
Turning around, his balcony’s door was wide open, no sign of a certain black-haired male could be found.
“Oh! Right.” Chifuyu thought when he realised he still didn’t know what Baji left inside his palm.
Opening his closed palm, he felt his heart skip a beat when he realised it was a silver ring, the initials ‘K.B’ carved on the inside of the ring.
K.B.
Keisuke Baji.
…
Chifuyu pondered if he could negotiate with his parents so that he wouldn’t have an arranged marriage.
He had already found someone that piqued his interest, after all.
👑 3 👑
17.
Chifuyu’s 17 now.
…
He couldn’t believe he still hasn’t confessed to Baji-
After the birthday incident, it kinda became a tradition for the two of them to meet every two or three weeks; Baji just casually dodging the guards and Chifuyu leaving his balcony's door wide open.
Don’t worry. Chifuyu learnt from his lesson and put on the sweater his mom had bought instead everytime Baji came over.
Though the first night he did that, he only wore the sweater, bare legs on show.
For someone who always overthinks, Chifuyu’s brain always ends up short-circuiting if anything involves Baji.
The sight of Baji taken off guard that day was definitely something that Chifuyu would treasure.
The maids have told Chifuyu that it was dangerous, as anyone could come in and harm the prince.
Though Chifuyu’s pretty sure the only guy who’s crazy enough to barge into his room was Keisuke Baji.
Thus, the reason why he didn’t really care.
During the times Baji came to visit him, they didn’t really do anything much. Baji would just come, uninvited, with a box of peyoung yakisoba that Chifuyu had come to love, and they just split the food, half each.
After eating, they would sometimes exchange a few words with each other before Baji left. Or if the older wasn’t in a really good mood, Chifuyu would silently squeezed the older’s hand, comforting.
The smile that always appeared on Baji’s lips every time he did just that always managed to make Chifuyu’s heart skip a beat.
Honestly, nothing was in his way to just confess.
Except for the fact that he probably couldn’t have heirs if he actually… got together with Baji.
Aside from that, nothing’s really standing in his way.
The only thing that was standing in his way was, well, courage?
Should he confess?
Or maybe he should discuss it with his parents first?
“My prince, Prince Mikey has arrived.” A maid said after knocking on Chifuyu’s bedroom door, startling the blonde prince.
“O-okay! I’ll go down soon!” Chifuyu had answered, putting on his clothes quickly and checking himself out in the mirror before leaving his room.
Right, Chifuyu almost forgot.
It’s Mikey’s birthday.
On Mikey’s birthdays, the prince usually went and stayed at Chifuyu’s palace for a night, saying he wanted to celebrate his birthday with his friend.
Thus, the reason for Mikey's arrival.
Chifuyu flushed when his thoughts digressed to a ravenette he hope to meet, feeling himself became more and more embarrassed as he realised he kept on thinking of the older these days-
Descending the stairs, Chifuyu blinked a few times, trying to maintain a calm composure as his parents would also be there to greet Mikey and his parents.
When he reached the entrance, he felt his heart lurched forward at the sight of the guard he had been thinking of.
Huh?
Why was there only Baji?
Surprisingly, it was oddly empty at the entrance. Only a few guards were guarding the area while Baji was leaning against the wall, looking deep in thought.
Chifuyu pondered what Baji would call him this time.
The older always switched between ’Fuyu’ and ‘my prince’, depending on their surroundings and mood.
Approaching said male, it was only when Chifuyu a few steps away when Baji noticed his presence, their eyes meeting.
Chifuyu could never get over Baji’s eyes and collected demeanour-
“My prince.” Baji had smiled, taking Chifuyu’s hand and, like always, pressed a kiss on Chifuyu’s knuckles.
That always got Chifuyu stammering.
Seeing that Chifuyu short-circuited, Baji chuckled, letting go of Chifuyu’s hand as he informed,
“Prince Mikey had asked me to wait for you here, since you’re a bit late today. And he’s hungry. So he asked your parents if they could go to the dining hall first.”
God.
He’s late?!
He’s never late!
“Ah… sorry… I was… busy thinking.” Chifuyu murmured, feeling himself heat up.
Busy thinking about you.
“No need to apologise, my prince. I volunteered to wait for you myself. Do not feel guilty.” Baji assured, stopping himself from ruffling his hand through Chifuyu’s hair like he had always done when they’re by themselves in Chifuyu’s room, the only thing witnessing them being the moonlight.
Chifuyu pouted, but stopped feeling guilty, nonetheless.
The two started making their way to the dining hall after that, Chifuyu internally complaining as the dining hall was far from the entrance.
If he had walked from his room to the dining hall, it’ll take less time to walk there.
“I have a question, my prince.” Baji asked all of a sudden.
Baji should stopped calling him ’my prince’ because Chifuyu might just combust-
“Please, drop the formalities. I thought we’re friends now?” Chifuyu joked, unconsciously playing with his sleeves that were slightly longer than usual.
As if a switch was turned off, Baji’s polite smile was gone, replaced by the teasing grin he had always worn that let his fangs poke out of his lips a little.
“Are you sure? People might question why I’m allowed to act so free around you.” Baji grinned, his voice laid back as he stared at Chifuyu for a reply.
“I’m very sure. They wouldn’t mind at all.”
In fact, Chifuyu had already told most of the workers at the palace, anyway.
Well, he didn’t really tell them, but once in a while the maids would ask what’s on his mind when they caught him silently smiling and giggling to himself.
“Someone just piques my interest. I somehow can’t get them out of my mind.” was always Chifuyu’s answer.
Theories and guesses were made and voiced out, yet Chifuyu never confirmed nor denied any of them.
What surprised him the most was the fact that one of the maids actually figured out that he’s thinking about Baji.
“The prince has actually changed after his plan to change our views on the king. I noticed he looks forward to swordsmanship classes and self-defense classes more than the rest, as if he’s influenced by a certain guard.” The maid explained her ‘theory’.
When Chifuyu only gave them a soft smile, the palace was chaotic for a while.
Everyone was gushing over the prince’s love life the whole week.
Though it stopped all of a sudden the next week, Chifuyu confused when he was called into his father’s office.
Even his mother was there too.
“Just tell us when it’s time, son.” The king had said before he excused Chifuyu.
Chifuyu still didn’t understand what was going on that day.
“Fuyu?”
Baji’s voice snapped Chifuyu out of his thoughts, the younger immediately apologising for spacing out.
“It’s okay. Kinda got used to you spacing out. You’ve always looked like there’s a lot in your mind.” Baji said, amused.
“Really?” Chifuyu didn’t notice at all.
“Well, yeah. You always look like you’re thinking about something. Was that ‘something’ also the reason why you’re late today?” Baji asked, eyes watching every reaction from the prince.
…
Crap.
He was actually thinking about Baji 24/7 now-
“I’m assuming you’re troubled with your love life.” Baji out of nowhere concluded, chuckling.
Wha-
Chifuyu couldn’t understand how Baji could guessed so easily-
“Lo-love life?! Wha-what makes you think that?” Chifuyu stammered, trying his best to hide his ring finger.
He forgot to take Baji’s ring off!
Though it seemed like Chifuyu acted too late, as Baji had this smug smirk on his lips as he glanced at Chifuyu’s fingers before meeting Chifuyu’s eyes.
“What makes me think that? The ring on your finger tells me everything.” Baji teased, a very much satisfied smile on his lips when even Chifuyu’s ears were turning red due to embarrassment.
Chifuyu’s busted-
“Though here’s a piece of advice, Fuyu.” Baji’s smile suddenly turned less-genuine, a slightly sad glint in his eyes.
“Whoever you’re… in love with now, is not the best for you. You have a kingdom to rule. So think wisely.” Baji said, a strained smile on his lips.
Chifuyu’s smile dropped.
Before Chifuyu could say anything, they reached the dining hall, Mikey immediately greeting Chifuyu while Chifuyu’s parents lightly scolded the deflated prince for being late.
Though Chifuyu couldn’t really focus on them when his heart was shattering, could he?
👑 4 👑
It was odd.
Usually, nearing a prince’s 17 birthday, he would be introduced to a princess his age to marry off to.
Not that Chifuyu looked forward to or anything.
His heart’s taken, but said person that took his heart had blatantly said that he wanted nothing to do with Chifuyu romantically.
The said person didn’t even come to visit him at all!
Those facts still hurted Chifuyu like a bitc-
“My prince? Why the sour face?” He heard a maid of his asked, a worried look sent his way.
Always so considerate. All of these people.
“Nothing. Sorry for worrying you.” Chifuyu gave his maid a tight-lipped smile, knowing he couldn’t fake a smile anyway.
Knowing she would receive the same response even if she pressed on the issue, the maid let him be, informing the prince he should be quick as the guests were waiting for him.
It’s 18th of December, a day before Chifuyu’s Birthday.
Since he’s going to be 18, his father had invited guests from their neighbouring kingdoms and afar to celebrate Chifuyu’s coming of age.
This birthday party would also introduce Chifuyu to his supposed ‘fiancé’ or whatever.
Chifuyu didn’t feel like smiling at all.
At least not that night.
Checking himself out in the mirror one last time, he then finally left his room, putting on a decent smile that could at least fool the guests that he’s having fun.
Chifuyu hoped Mikey wouldn’t be here-
“Ah! You’re ready?”
Chifuyu jumped at the unrecognisable voice, turning his head to find an unknown male in a guard attire smiling at him.
“And who could you be?” Chifuyu asked, tilting his head in slight confusion.
The stranger stared at him for a few seconds before he gasped, bowing down and started apologising profusely,
“Ah! Sorry, I thought Mikey-kun had told you. I’m Takemichi, a new guard working for Mikey. Draken-kun didn’t feel well today. So Mikey asked me to replace him for today and escort you to the party at the dining hall.” Takemichi explained as briefly as he could.
Chifuyu slowly nodded, a small genuine laugh leaving past his lips.
Huh.
This Takemichi guy’s surely fidgety.
“Well then, lead the way.” Chifuyu asked, smiling.
Perhaps Chifuyu needed to talk to someone new to distract himself from the ache in his chest.
Along the way, Chifuyu realised Takemichi and him actually had a sense of chemistry between them, Takemichi always understanding what Chifuyu meant and Chifuyu always knew what Takemichi’s thinking.
They clicked instantly.
By the time they reached the dining hall, Chifuyu felt himself tense when he felt eyes on him.
Calm down, Chifuyu.
It was the first time he’s meeting so many people as a prince, after all.
Feeling a comforting squeeze on his shoulder for a split second, Chifuyu internally thanked Takemichi for the gesture, the two of them separating as Chifuyu made his way to his parents.
His heart flattered when he heard praises that were spoken from the crowd, the words he could make out were ‘handsome’, ‘smart’, ‘looks dependable’ and things along the line.
He’s glad he gave a good first impression, meaning he didn’t taint his parents’ reputation.
Good.
The prince was only a few steps away from reaching his parents when his eyes met brown familiar eyes, the owner of those eyes flinching when their eyes met.
Baji looked honestly stunning.
The older male was clad in a suit too, probably was forced by Mikey.
Right.
Chifuyu had to focus and keep calm.
Ignoring his heart beating a tad too fast, he broke eye contact, managed to send a smile at Mikey’s way before he reached his parents.
“Looking sharp, honey.” The queen complimented, placing a short kiss on her son’s forehead.
“Thanks, mother. The maids picked this suit out for me.” Chifuyu smiled, feeling better at the sight of his mother’s smile.
The king only smiled proudly, signalling Chifuyu to give a welcome speech to the guests and officially started the party.
During the whole night, Chifuyu waited for his parents to say something about arranged marriages, but they never brought it up.
“You should mix around, my son. Talk to the guests.” The king suggested after Chifuyu had stacked by his parents’ side the whole night.
Huh?
But wouldn’t it be hard for his parents to introduce him to his fiancé then?
“I agree with your father, honey. The two of us would be mixing around too.” The queen smiled warmly, placing a kiss on one of Chifuyu’s cheeks before linking her arm with her husband’s and left.
…
Huh.
“Mix around?” Chifuyu murmured, taking his time to think over his mother’s words.
Was there something Chifuyu misunderstood?
“Prince Chifuyu!”
The unknown voice snapped Chifuyu out of his own thoughts, the prince putting on his best smile as he turned to the princess who had called out to him.
“Don’t run here! You might trip on those high heels of yours.” Chifuyu politely said, easily catching the princess when she fell into his arms.
“Ah-! Sorry, my prince.” The princess stammered, cheeks flushing.
When Chifuyu had taken a closer look, he realised how pretty the princess was.
And he realised how he felt absolutely pathetic when his head reminded him of a certain ravenette.
“I have a question, would you spare me some time to answer?” The princess asked, a polite smile on her lips.
“Sure. What’s your name?” Chifuyu asked, learning the princess’s name was Hinata Tachibana.
“I’m just wondering who’s the male who walked you here earlier.” Hinata asked, straight to the point.
Amused.
Chifuyu found the flush on the princess’s cheek very amusing.
“He’s a guard of a friend of mine. My friend asked the guard to escort me here. Are you interested in him?” Chifuyu asked, letting out a chuckle at the sight of Hinata’s slowly reddening face.
“M-maybe? He… helped me, just now. He…” Hinata stammered, struggling to form words.
Chifuyu wouldn’t blame her for having trouble making coherent sentences when thinking about her small ‘crush’.
The prince has experienced it first hand, after all.
When a particular song started playing, Chifuyu grinned, offering a hand to Hinata.
“Care for a dance?”
And the two of them danced together that night.
By the end of the party, it was already half past midnight.
Which meant it was finally 19th of December.
Chifuyu made some friends and met some of his father’s acquaintances, the party surprisingly turned out well.
A few princesses had tried to make a move on Chifuyu, but Chifuyu’s head was full of Baji in a suit, hair tied into a ponytail as their eyes kept on meeting.
Were those stares shared between the two coincidences?
The only princess that didn’t really make him uncomfortable was Hinata, as the female had kept the conversation going smoothly and not rushing into things.
Chifuyu also got the feeling she didn’t set her eyes on him, unlike the other princesses.
Hinata’s family was the second last family to be dropped off, Hinata promising Chifuyu they’ll be in touch soon.
“I’ll try asking my friend to bring Takemichi here when you come later.” Chifuyu winked, chuckling when the princess blushed and made a weird noise from the back of his throat.
Once Hinata was on the carriage, Chifuyu bowed in courtesy one last time before waving, smiling as the carriage moved away from his palace.
The party wasn’t really that bad after all.
“Alright. I guess I’ll end up unmarried forever.” Chifuyu sulked to himself, murmuring as he made his way to the garden to collect his thoughts.
Walking at the garden always calmed his thoughts, the fresh air of it and the flowers always managed to make him smile.
He went towards the fountain in the middle of the garden and sat, staring at the night sky filled with shining stars.
The prince sighed, not at anything in particular. Just a sigh.
Though Chifuyu immediately took out a pocket knife of his, pointing at whoever it was that tried to sneak up on him-
“You sure are getting sharper. They taught you well.”
Oh.
Scrambling, Chifuyu tried to pull his hand away, dropping the pocket knife carelessly onto the ground, but was stopped when a hand gripped his wrist.
“Oh! You-you’re here! Wow. I definitely didn’t know you’re here.” Chifuyu rambled, heating up as Baji still had his eyes on the prince and the hold on Chifuyu’s wrist still secure.
Oh god oh god-
“Care for a dance?” Baji asked, not even airing for a response as he placed Chifuyu’s hand that he was holding on one of his shoulders.
The black-haired male took Chifuyu’s other hand and intertwined their fingers, his other hand on Chifuyu’s hip.
Chifuyu’s brain literally stopped functioning-
It was a surprise how they managed to dance in sync, not stepping on each other’s shoes at all.
Chifuyu’s surprised how much he missed this.
How much he missed the other.
“So you’ve been taking dancing classes?” Baji murmured, pulling Chifuyu closer so Chifuyu could clear him clearer.
Unconsciously, Chifuyu squeezed Baji’s hand, trying to make sure he’s not dreaming.
…
He’s definitely not.
“Well, a prince should know how to dance. I have to take dancing lessons.” Chifuyu replied, letting out a surprised squeal when Baji had suddenly twirled the prince before pulling the younger into his arms.
Baji’s hands both settled on Chifuyu’s hips, humming as he nuzzled into the top of Chifuyu’s hair.
While Baji was staying silent, Chifuyu on the other hand was freaking out, blushing profusely as he could feel Baji’s toned ches-
“Did she pique your interest?” Baji murmured into Chifuyu’s hair before Chifuyu’s thoughts could stray any further.
“She?” Chifuyu repeated the question dumbly.
Chifuyu was about to raise his head to see Baji’s expression when the older squeezed his hips, effectively making Chifuyu’s breath hitch.
Help help help-
“Princess Hinata. The princess you danced with.” Baji murmured, Chifuyu noticing how the guard sounded more flustered.
Hmm.
“Well, she approached me to ask about someone else. I just genuinely enjoy her company.” Chifuyu answered honestly, confused when he heard Baji let out a short sigh of relief.
Wha-
“I really can’t do this.” Baji suddenly said, sounding defeated.
Do this?
Do what??
Was Baji going to reject him officially-
“Mikey’s right. I really can’t get over you.” Baji murmured, the statement causing Chifuyu’s heart to beat after and louder.
Huh?
But Chifuyu thought-
Before Chifuyu could even gather his thought, a hand was tilting Chifuyu’s chin and-
-and then Baji had placed a short kiss on Chifuyu’s lips-
Baji’s lips lingered for a moment or two before the two of them separated, Baji’s hand cupping one of Chifuyu’s cheeks as he stared at the younger flushing prince.
Did they just kissed-
Tucking a strand of hair behind Chifuyu’s ear, Baji grinned, fangs on show as he said,
“I take back what I said roughly a year ago. Maybe you should confess. Cuz he’s definitely the best for you.”
Chifuyu’s head was too bustling and busy celebrating that he couldn’t really think of a decent reply, only stared at Baji’s looks under the moonlight.
It was gorgeous.
Baji took Chifuyu’s hand and, instead of kissing Chifuyu’s knuckles, he kissed on the silver ring Chifuyu had put on his ring finger, smiling.
“I’m glad you like my ring.” Baji grinned.
The rest of the events that took place after that was a blur for Chifuyu, Mikey sending him a knowing look while Baji had subtly slipped a note in Chifuyu’s pocket, along with the prince’s pocket knife.
When he finally calmed down, he was walking down the hall to his room with his parents.
“Did you have fun, son?” The king asked.
“Of course!”
Especially the part when the party was over-
“Did you talk it out with the tall good-looking black-haired guard?” The queen asked, her tone close to a tease.
Huh?
“Di-did you guys uhh… see anything happening…? In the garden? Not that there’s anything to see.” Chifuyu scrambled, worried his parents found out of his and Baji!s relationship.
He hasn't had ‘the talk’ with his parents yet.
The queen hummed, her eyes intense on her son before she smiled, somehow looking encouraging and supportive,
“We didn’t see anything. Though if anyone piques your interest, do tell us.” The queen said, pressing on the word ‘anyone’.
Chifuyu’s just glad his parents didn’t notice anything.
The maids that walked past Chifuyu’s room that morning exchanged looks with each other when they heard questionable squeals.
Let’s just say someone promised the prince that he’ll visit him tomorrow and celebrate his birthday together.
Chifuyu ended up staying inside his room for the whole day on his birthday, enjoying the day with the person who had managed to make his heart skip a beat every single time.
👑 5 👑
Remember that one time when Chifuyu’s maids advised him to close his balcony’s door at night? And Chifuyu had dismissed it?
Yeah, 19 year old Chifuyu kinda regretted it now.
Baji had frequently visited his room ever since the birthday party, usually 2 times every 1 week.
Chifuyu didn’t know how Baji always managed to do that.
Though one one particular night, Chifuyu left the balcony’s door open, enjoying the light breeze of the night.
Chifuyu was in his nightwear, the one that he would never wore in front of Baji because, well, it’s silk.
And silk was super flowy.
Sure, it was amazing to sleep in it since it’ll feel colder.
Though it’s also easy to be taken off and, well, see-through.
So Chifuyu avoided wearing it for the sake of Baji’s sanity and for his own sake.
In this one particular night, Chifuyu was leaning against his balcony railing when he heard a sound like-
Looking down, Chifuyu’s eyes widened when he noticed the guards that were patrolling the area around his balcony were unconscious.
Huh?
Chifuyu was about to go back inside and grab his pocket knife when someone caged him.
Chifuyu didn’t even get the time to turn around-
How-
“Ho? So you’re Prince Chifuyu?” A voice, laced with amusement and surprise, whispered, his breath fanning Chifuyu’s ear.
Chifuyu shivered.
“What about it?” Chifuyu muttered, tensing when the stranger inched even closer.
“I’m just interested. Finding out who managed to pique Baji’s interest so greatly.” The stranger chuckled, his hand tilting Chifuyu’s chin and-
“Let’s go inside. You must be freezing in that nightwear of yours.” The male with bi-coloured hair smiled, his thumb on Chifuyu’s chin grazing Chifuyu’s bottom lip.
What the-
The male stopped caging Chifuyu after that, his fingers grazing Chifuyu’s skin a little when Chifuyu’s nightwear flowed a little due to the night’s breeze.
Goosebumps.
Before Chifuyu could really dwell and think what we’re the male’s intentions, his hand was taken in a larger one, the male pulling Chifuyu inside.
“You must have a lot of questions, so I’ll fill you in. So stop being so cautious. You can pose and do stuff like that too on your bed; wouldn’t mind at all.” The male had the audacity to tease.
It irked Chifuyu.
“Well, I don’t know if this could convince you, but I definitely do not mean any harm. Your guards down there aren’t dead or anything. I just hit them on the spot that could make them go unconscious in an instant. It was surprisingly guarded around there.” The male grinned, somehow oddly reassuring.
Chifuyu furrowed his eyebrows some more before deciding he’ll hear the stranger’s story.
Flushing slightly, Chifuyu sat on his bed and covered himself with his blanket before clearing his throat.
When Chifuyu looked at Kazutora who was leaning against the wall opposite of his bed with an amused smile, Chifuyu scowled.
“Speak.”
The male laughed at Chifuyu’s strict and narrowed eyes.
“I’m a friend of Baji’s. Well, used to anyway. We didn’t talk anymore after he was picked up by Prince Manjirou. Though I still keep tabs on him, yet never approach him. I bet he felt guilty for leaving me by myself, but I actually am living my life. Totally.”
Chifuyu then remembered one time Baji had mentioned a friend of his that he missed.
“The two of us used to live in the streets. Baji’s mom was assassinated for some reason while I ran away from home since my parents were abusive. After meeting, the two of us kinda just become partners in crime. Did all the things we could to survive.”
“Though of course, we were caught-”
Kazutora suddenly laughed heartily.
Tilting his head in confusion, Chifuyu only raised an eyebrow, wanting to look at least challenging.
Take him seriously, damn it!
“I-I’m sorry- You’re just- god you’re just so cute I’m struggling to look you in the eyes and be serious.” Kazutora laughed, suddenly approaching Chifuyu and very much casually laying his head on Chifuyu’s lap.
“What are you-”
“Anyway, as I was saying, we got caught. By none other than Prince Manjirou himself.”
“He took both of us in after he realised we were homeless, training us to be guards and all. Baji actually really liked it there. Me, on the other hand, wanted to do something else.”
“So I left the palace unannounced. Only leaving a letter for Mikey saying ‘thank you’. The end. Wait- no, that’s not the end.”
…
Why was he suddenly silent-
“Can you play with my hair?” Kazutora suddenly requested out of nowhere.
What’s up with this guy?
Chifuyu contemplated before he complied, hesitantly braiding small strands of Kazutora’s hair.
Sighing, Kazutora proceeded with his story,
“So Prince Manjirou- okay I’m just gonna call him Mikey. So Mikey somehow knew where I was heading and would always send letters to me. Sometimes I received a letter from a bird, sometimes I received a letter from someone random. I told Mikey to make sure Baji didn’t find out where I was, since I didn’t want him to leave the life he’s already fond of.”
“So imagine how surprised I was when I heard Baji got a crush.” Kazutora grinned, winking at Chifuyu as the prince sputtered.
Crush??
Baji didn’t tell him any of this.
“And guess who was his crush when he’s 12 year old?”
…
“…I don’t know?” Chifuyu murmured, hands fidgeting as he played with his fingers.
Kazutora suddenly sat up and caged Chifuyu on the bed before flicking Chifuyu’s forehead.
“You! It’s you!”
Huh?
HUH?!
“M- Me?!” Chifuyu stammered, shocked but pleasantly happy.
Kazutora seemed to be satisfied at Chifuyu’s reaction, nodding as he hummed and mumbled ‘you got him wrapped around your fingers, Baji’ under his breath.
Making some distance between them, Kazutora crossed his arms over his chest, grinning smugly.
“Yup. You. He has harboured feelings for you for decades. For real.”
When Chifuyu started rambling and flushing more and more, it was then he realised Kazutora had been silent.
Chifuyu was about to ask what’s wrong, but he forgot a crucial detail.
…
“What should I call you?” Chifuyu asked.
That snapped Kazutora out of his daze.
Kazutora took his time to think before he snapped his fingers.
“Kazu. Call me Kazu.” Kazutora grinned.
Chifuyu was about to thank Kazutora for the extra information and, well, for ‘visiting’ him when the older suddenly leaned in and pressed a short kiss on Chifuyu’s nose, catching the prince off guard.
“I wonder if Baji would like to share.” Kazutora had said casually, suddenly standing up and making his way towards the balcony as the prince was still trying to gather his messy thoughts.
“Chifuyu.”
Chifuyu finally snapped out of his daze, turning to Kazutora who was already going to climb down the balcony.
“Till we meet again, princess . Oh, and when Baji comes, don’t tell him I was here. This is but a secret exchange between the two of us.” Kazutora winked before disappearing out of Chifuyu’s sight.
Scrambling out of his bed, Chifuyu rushed to his balcony, gripping on the balcony railings and looking down only to find no signs of Kazutora.
Though upon noticing his guards were starting to gain consciousness, Chifuyu called out, asking if they remember anything.
“Incompetent! We’re incompetent!” One of the guards had cried out before the other guards apologised to Chifuyu for being so ‘incompetent’.
“You’re not! Certainly not!” Chifuyu had shouted back, giving them a few encouraging words and things along the line ‘it’s okay’ before closing his balcony door.
Wait-
If the guards were always patrolling around here and Baji always managed to slip by, then…
…then how come Baji managed to go past them everytime-
A knock on his balcony door made the prince jump.
Turning around, Chifuyu turned around and heaved a sigh of relief when he realised it was Baji.
Opening the balcony door, Baji immediately cupped Chifuyu’s cheeks, rambling about ‘seeing someone else coming into your room’ and ‘are you okay?’ and basically things along the line.
“N-no one came, actually.” Chifuyu lied, warming up when he felt Baji’s eyes on him as the older flushed-
…
Wait a minute-
“Ack!” Chifuyu yelped, realising he was still in the very-much nightwear made of silk.
Before he could really say anything, Baji suddenly connected their lips together, a hand tilting Chifuyu’s chin and another hand resting on Chifuyu’s hips.
Though before anything could get a little bit too heated, Baji separated their lips, red tinting the older’s cheeks as his eyes were dazed.
He looked so-
Baji, being the gentleman he was, left after that, saying he had to go.
The last thought Chifuyu had pondered on that day was if he should just wear the same nightwear when Baji comes next time.
He liked Baji’s kisses, after all.
👑 +1 👑
It was a tranquil night.
“And so, I’m here to proudly say that I’m in love with Keisuke Baji.” Chifuyu ended his speech in front of his parents.
What speech again?
Well, Chifuyu’s 20 now. And seeing his parents weren’t setting him up with other princesses, he decided to finally come out to his parents.
He expected a lot of outcomes, but his parents laughing was certainly not included in the outcomes he had predicted.
“Why are you laughing?” Chifuyu asked, genuinely confused as he tilted his head in confusion.
The queen was the first to stop laughing and answered Chifuyu’s question,
“Sweetheart, if it’s not obvious yet, we already knew.” The queen smiled, reassuring.
…
What-
“It’s no secret. We’ve always known. Remember that one time everyone was talking about your love life? The maids told us about it.” The king grinned, amused when his son started flushing.
“When was the chaos again? If I’m not mistaken, you were 15. About to turn 16. The guards took notice of a certain familiar black-haired male sneaking into the palace, and asked what should they do since, well, said intruder was your ‘lover’.”
Chifuyu’s gonna die due to embarrassment-
“So I told them to just let it be.”
…
Chifuyu knew it-
No wonder Kazutora had to knock the guards unconscious while Baji didn’t have to!
“We’ve given you plenty of signs that we supported you, you always didn’t manage to get them.” The queen laughed joyfully.
Ah…
“But… is it really okay? Since there wouldn’t be an heir for the throne then.” Chifuyu voiced out the thing that has always been the reason Chifuyu hesitated.
The king ruffled Chifuyu’s hair, a soft smile on his lips as he said comfortingly,
“It’s fine. You can just adopt instead. Or maybe we can try other ways. There’s a lot of alternatives. We just want you to be happy.”
Best parents ever-
“Thank you father, mother.” Chifuyu sniffed, at the brink of tears.
He’s so happy-
“We talked to him at your 18th birthday party actually.”
Okay, Chifuyu’s gonna freak out.
“And he’s a really great guy. We approve of your relationship.” The queen smiled, giggling when Chifuyu stammered.
“Just tell him that, instead of sneaking in, how about a friendly dinner with the four of us?” The queen suggested.
After exchanging a few more words, Chifuyu finally left his parents’ room, retiring to his own bedroom.
Chifuyu jumped a little when he entered his bedroom to find Baji sleeping on his bed, the older snuggling into Chifuyu’s pillows.
Adorable.
Chifuyu changed into his nightwear -the silky one since Baji actually liked it- before getting on the bed and laying down, facing Baji’s sleeping face.
Really adorable.
Baji suddenly blinked a few times, mumbling before a droopy smile surfaced on his lips as he discarded the pillow he was snuggling and replaced it with Chifuyu.
With ease, Baji snuggled into Chifuyu’s neck, arms wrapped around Chifuyu’s waist securely as his fingers grazed the skin of Chifuyu’s hip that was exposed.
“Fuyu.” Baji mumbled against Chifuyu’s neck, sending shivers down Chifuyu’s spine.
The two of the, stayed like that for a while, Baji nibbling and leaving light kisses on Chifuyu’s neck while his hands slowly but surely explored Chifuyu’s exposed skin.
Chifuyu might just die that night-
“I love you.” Baji suddenly murmured between his nibbles, sucking on a particular spot that made Chifuyu’s toes curl.
That was the first time Baji had actually admitted it.
Overwhelmed, Chifuyu made a small noise from the back of his throat, wanting to reply to Baji’ statement but was struggling to keep his whines down.
“Love you too-” Chifuyu managed to say quickly before he accidentally moaned, shivering at a spot Baji particularly bit.
Once again, just like when things were starting to get heated, Baji stopped, placing a kiss on the top of Chifuyu’s forehead before retreating back into Chifuyu’s neck.
A few minutes after Baji had fallen asleep, Chifuyu was still awake, his heart still beating a tad too fast for him to sleep.
Just imagined how shocked he was when he saw a figure on his balcony, the bi-coloured hair male grinning cheekily as he approached Chifuyu.
Chifuyu would’ve shouted if Baji wasn’t sleeping-
“Looking comfortable. Mind if I join?”
Kazutora shouldn't have even asked, already slipping on Chifuyu’s other side and just wrapping his arms around Chifuyu’s stomach, practically back hugging the bewildered prince.
“You-”
“Shh. You don’t want to wake up Baji now, do you?” Kazutora murmured against Chifuyu’s ear.
It took all of Chifuyu’s strength to not scold the other for always acting like personal space didn’t exist-
But since he’s a friend of Baji, Chifuyu would let it slide.
“Sleep. I’ll be on watch.” Kazutora whispered as if it’ll help Chifuyu sleep.
In a way, it actually helped.
Chifuyu did fall asleep faster than he usually would.
He just hoped that the two other males on his bed that night would manage to wake up on time the next day.
…
It’s really nice to be cuddled by two people-
👑 END 👑