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Bokuto didn’t remember the last time he ran like that. Or maybe he could, considering it was the week beforehand. He and Kuroo sprinted through the forest hand in hand with their bags thrown on their backs. The little branches and dry leaves of autumn got crushed under their feet, while they fled from the people making metal clunk noises behind them. It was clear they had nowhere to go, as in the thick of the forest the evergreen trees closed in on them, until Kuroo gestured at a lower branch. They hauled themselves up, quickly climbing to the higher parts of the tree. By the time the knights were there, Bokuto and Kuroo were hidden completely.
They looked at each other while trying to catch their breaths, until they heard the knights leaving the forest behind them.
“Good job with that last solution,” Bokuto whispered, letting his legs dangle off the edge of the branch.
“Thanks. I figured they wouldn’t be able to climb here with the heavy armour.”
“Smart. We can probably set up a camp here for the night then move to the next town over tomorrow.”
“Sounds great. So what did you get?”
“Tons of food!” Bokuto announced. “This’ll last for a couple of weeks. And some stuff we can sell. What about you?”
“Lots of things we can sell. I didn’t have time to get food though,” Kuroo said, slightly disappointed.
“No worries, what I got will last long enough.” Bokuto squeezed his hand.
It’s been close to three years since the event that ended up changing their lives forever, distancing them from their friends and family, who they haven’t seen since.
Bokuto knew Kuroo was disappointed. It was written all over his face as he looked down at him through the bars.
“I’m sorry.” He didn’t dare to make eye contact with Kuroo, he feared seeing the way Kuroo looked at him again. But even more, he couldn’t bear to see himself through Kuroo’s eyes right now. He was scared that he’ll see something he’ll hate forever.
“You promised, Kou.”
Those three words were enough to shatter his heart to dozens of pieces. Soon enough, there was a dark spot in the ground underneath him as tears streamed down his cheeks, and he sobbed quietly.
“I’m sorry Tetsu.”
Kuroo sighed, and sat next to the cell. “Why’d you break your promise?”
“They were hungry. All of them. Hungry, and sick, and cold. All the kids were crying.” Bokuto’s expression formed a raging scowl. “And those people ,” he practically spat out. “They just stood there and went on with their business. They didn’t bother helping, they had the money to do that. And they’ll have so much more left. They didn’t help. Someone had to!”
Kuroo just remained silent, looking at Bokuto as he wiped away his tears.
“What?”
“I can’t ever stay mad at you. But what are we gonna do?”
“We’ll figure it out,” Bokuto insisted.
“How?”
“I’ll think of something, i-”
This time Kuroo was the one to tear up.
“Kou they’re going to execute you.”
Bokuto stared at him in a stunned silence.
“What?” He asked eventually, head dropped down.
“I heard some people talking about it. Apparently you’ve been causing too much trouble. They decided to take extreme measures.”
“So there’s nothing we can do.”
“Only one thing I can think of.”
Bokuto’s head perked up again. “What is it?”
“We might be able to get you out of here.”
“How?”
“Think of our history lessons. There used to be a lot more crime here after all. How did so many criminals run from here?”
Bokuto stayed silent for a few seconds. “Tunnels.”
“Exactly. Tunnels that were never clogged. There’s gotta be an entrance somewhere here. You go through there and run away before your trial. You’ll be considered an outlaw from then on, but I know you’ll be fine.”
“What about you though?”
“Me? I figured I’d come with you.” Kuroo shrugged.
“You can’t.”
“Why not? I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Tetsu, you have a life here. You have other friends and a family and a bright future. I don’t. You’ve already been screwed over for dating me, but I’m not letting you throw your life away just because of me.”
“But what is that life worth if you’re not here to live it with me?”
“Tetsu…”
Kuroo reached through the bars, and cupped Bokuto’s cheek. “You’re the love of my life. And I refuse to be left behind. I’m coming with you. Even if that means I’m an outlaw, and even if that means I’m throwing my life away.”
“Really?”
“I’ll be fine. As long as you’re with me.”
“My trial is tomorrow at noon. Let’s meet at midnight in our spot.”
“You’ll find the tunnel by then?”
“This place isn’t big, I think I can do it.”
“Okay. Be safe.”
“You too.”
By the next morning Bokuto Koutarou and Kuroo Tetsurou were declared outlaws, and an announcement went out. Neither of them cared as much as they thought they would. They knew it would be fine.
As long as they’re together.
The next day, as they were making their way to the next town to try and get some more supplies, Bokuto got an idea.
“Let’s go on a date.”
“Huh?”
“It’s been a while.”
“We’ve been on the run more often the past few weeks after all…” Kuroo sighed. “Even more than when we just ran away.”
“So let’s go on a date when we get there!”
“That sounds pretty fun. But if someone sees us?”
“We’ll run again. We’re pretty good at it.” Bokuto grinned, and Kuroo chuckled.
“We’ve gotten good at it, yeah.”
“So what do you say?”
“Yeah, let’s go on a date. It’ll be fun.”
“Perfect! I can’t wait.”
A few hours later, they arrived at the small town. It was a place they’ve never been to before, now that they were travelling north to meet some old friends they’d met right after their escape.
“This place seems nice.”
“It does. I really like the vibe.”
“Imagine if we could live here,” Kuroo mused. “Or any place like this.”
“It would be nice. Just us. Maybe a dog.”
“I love dogs.”
“I know you do.” Bokuto looked over at Kuroo and smiled, the latter smiled back. But as he turned away, Bokuto could see the gentle smile turning to a frown and a wistful sigh.
“So where are we going tonight?” He changed the subject.
“I don’t know.” Kuroo shrugged. “We passed some nice looking restaurants. We can try one of them? Nowhere too nice though, obviously.”
“Sure, you can choose.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah! I’m sure I’ll like wherever it is.”
“Alright, I’ll find a good place.”
“Perfect.”
That night, Bokuto and Kuroo sat in the restaurant Kuroo chose. It was in the middle of the small town, and a bit more crowded than they expected, which put the two on edge. The place wasn’t very high end, lucky for them. They blended right in with their cloaks, while eating and drinking, chatting happily.
“This place is really nice,” Bokuto said.
“I’m glad you think that. Though I thought there would be less people.”
“Yeah, figured.”
“It has its own pros though. Less chances of being spotted when we blend into the crowd.”
“That’s true. You’re so smart,” Bokuto said with adoration.
Kuroo smiled, blushing lightly. “Thanks. You’re pretty smart too. In a different way.”
“Our smarts compliment each other!”
“They really do.” Kuroo chuckled.
They spent the rest of the evening chatting away, truly relaxing for the first time in a long while.
“Tonight was great,” Kuroo said as they left the restaurant.
“It really was. I feel like we needed it after being on the road for such a long time.”
“Yeah, it was a great idea.” Kuroo laced his fingers with Bokuto’s, swinging their arms. “We’re leaving again tomorrow?”
“I think so, we can’t stay in one place too long.”
“Okay.” Kuroo nodded.
“Is something wrong?” Bokuto asked, turning to look at Kuroo.
“No, no. I was just wondering.”
“Tetsu…”
“I swear.” Kuroo squeezed Bokuto’s hand.
“Tell me if something’s wrong.”
“I will.”
They continued walking in silence, with their hands intertwined. Bokuto knew Kuroo was hiding something from him, and he knew that if he pushed for the information he wanted Kuroo would just snap and they would fight. He wanted to avoid that result (for some obvious reasons), so he decided to wait and see if Kuroo would tell him what it is on his own.
The silence in the streets was almost deafening, as the lights in the small houses surrounding them quickly disappeared one by one. Even in the dark that was only illuminated by a few torches outside, Bokuto could catch glimpses of silhouettes of the citizens of the town. People putting their children to bed, sitting in their living rooms and reading. He could see families eating dinners together, everyone going about their day without a care in the world.
And Bokuto longed for that, more than anything in the world. All he wanted was to be one of those silhouettes at the window that someone sees from afar. He wanted that for him and Kuroo, a happy and normal and stable life. The knowledge that if not for him, Kuroo would’ve been a silhouette hurt. Bokuto wanted Kuroo to be safe, and he knew that despite everything Kuroo said, he’d prefer a peaceful life like this. It reflected through his eyes every time they walked through any little town identical to this one.
Just as they were about to exit the town, they heard shuffling behind them. Bokuto’s head snapped around immediately, and he saw a group of men in uniform, walking with another figure.
“That’s them! I saw them earlier, they’re outlaws.”
Kuroo swore under his breath. “Let’s go, come on.”
“Yeah.”
Without another word, they sprinted away, hand in hand. Bokuto could hear the people following, then a whistle. Then a sudden little thud he didn’t exactly recognise. He heard that sound three more times before it registered, and by that time Kuroo fell to the floor, four arrows stuck in his back.
Bokuto stood in front of him, facing the people chasing them. He glared at each of them, and they all jerked back by the intense fire burning through his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was slow and commanding.
“No one hurts my boyfriend.”
Just as he said that one of them lunged forward, holding a small knife in his hand. Bokuto quickly grabbed his wrist, twisting his hand behind his back, until he dropped the weapon. He quickly switched into a chokehold, struggling against the man until he dropped to the floor, unconscious.
“If any of you get close you’ll end up in a worse state. Go back, tell everyone you found nothing. Never bother us again.”
The rest of the people there left in a hurry, taking the unconscious man with them. Bokuto was left to deal with the aftermath, while Kuroo was still injured, groaning quietly in pain.
“Hey Tetsu, stay with me.” Bokuto kneeled next to him.
“Huh?”
“Listen to me. I need you to stay awake.”
“Okay…”
“I’m gonna try to help you up now, alright? Stay focused on my voice,” Bokuto spoke calmly and authoritatively, despite his heart almost beating out of his chest. Slowly, he managed to get Kuroo upright, supporting him. “We’ll go back to our camp and I’ll take care of the wounds.”
“Okay.” Kuroo nodded, seeming a bit more grounded.
It was a steady and painful way, but they made it back to their camp and sat down.
“I’m gonna pull the arrows out,” Bokuto warned.
“Wait,” Kuroo weakly put a hand on his wrist, “Do we know if they’re jagged?”
“No. Why?”
“It could make the injury worse.” Kuroo’s breath was heavy, and he closed his eyes.
“But what if they’re poisonous? Then keeping them in will kill you.”
“Just take it out.” Kuroo’s hand tightened over Bokuto’s wrist. “It hurts.”
“Don’t worry, I got you.” Bokuto took the knife he stole from the man he fought, making small precise cuts around Kuroo’s wounds, causing him to wince and yell in protest.
“Shh, just relax,” Bokuto said quietly, in a low and humming voice. He put a hand on Kuroo’s shoulder, feeling the tension melt away.
“It hurts, Kou.”
“I know. I got you. This is gonna hurt a lot more though. You ready?”
Kuroo nodded, and Bokuto pulled the first arrow out.
“OW! FUCK!”
“So it’s not jagged, that’s good news.
“Is it poisoned?”
“I don’t know. I’m gonna pull the others out then bandage your wounds.”
“Do it quickly.”
“I’ll try.”
“Thanks.” Kuroo took a deep breath, clearly bracing himself. Bokuto pulled out the rest of the arrows, causing Kuroo to yell out in pain.
“I’m sorry, but we’re done. Now take off your shirt so I can clean the wounds.”
Kuroo didn’t respond, and quickly threw his shirt aside. Bokuto started cleaning out his wounds, and Kuroo hissed in discomfort.
“Fuck,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Almost done.”
“Thank god.”
Bokuto finished bandaging the wounds. “That’s it.”
“Thanks for helping.”
“Of course. How are you feeling?”
“I mean… I’m in a lot of pain.” Kuroo shrugged, then winced. “Ow.”
“Yeah, I can tell. I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
Bokuto sighed. “It’s my fault you’re injured.”
“How? We couldn’t have gotten away.”
“I know. But it’s my fault you’re in this whole situation.”
“Kou, let’s not start this again,” Kuroo beckoned.
“We need to have this conversation! You think I don’t see how sad you look every time we reach a new place? You never wanted this. And we’ve been dancing around this for the past three years. It’s time we talk about it.”
“You’re right,” Kuroo said quietly, looking at the floor. “I didn’t want this.”
“And now there’s no way to go back.”
“You’re right about that too. But there’s something you don’t get.”
“What?”
Kuroo slowly raised his head, looking at Bokuto softly. “I did it for you. For us. I never wanted this, but I chose this. And it’s a choice I’m happy I made. I’d do it again if I had to.”
“Really?”
“I’d do it a thousand times. As long as we’re together I’m okay. Sure, I think about what could’ve been sometimes. But I love being with you no matter what. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Bokuto teared up. “Tetsurou…”
“I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” Bokuto wiped away the tears, sniffling and hugged Kuroo.
“As long as we’re together, I think we’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Can I kiss you?”
“Of course. You gotta kiss your homies before you go to sleep.”
“Seriously?”
Bokuto giggled. “Sorry.”
“You’re not sorry.”
“Not really. Too mad to kiss me?”
“Never.” Kuroo leaned in and kissed Bokuto.
“We should sleep.”
“Probably. Also, Tetsu?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for saying that. It really helped.”
“Anything for you, my love.”