Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Akaashi Keiji loved flying. He often assumed the form of a burrowing owl and flew high among the trees; there was something freeing about soaring through the air, magic burning in the tips of his wings. From there he could observe the entirety of his home, the deep woods that lined the edge of the human kingdom and blocked it from the magical realms.

The world of humans and magic was deliberately separate. Most humans were blissfully unaware of the majority of magical creatures in their forest, outside of crude superstitions and wild exaggerations. Those who did know of the world beyond kept it a secret or were considered witches, beings that could grant any wish beyond any human’s understanding. Since the majority of humans ignored magic, the magical creatures were able to keep to themselves, their forests, their rivers, and their lakes- all beyond the barrier at the edge of the humans’ kingdom.

The forest nymphs were the guardians of the woods, keeping watch over the smaller, weaker creatures, and ensuring that humans didn’t disrupt the balance or trespass too deeply into the woods. In their true form they were human-like in appearance, with long limbs and wide, sharp eyes. Most took the form or features of their favored animal, seamlessly blending with the rest of nature. They used their magic to mask themselves and the creatures under their protection from humans, true forms invisible unless given a blessing.

Akaashi preferred to keep to himself, occasionally he would watch from the tree tops when humans entered his domain, but very rarely would he get down to their level and listen to their conversations. So long as they left his home and wards undisturbed, he had no reason to keep tabs. He favored owls over all other creatures; he admired their sharp eyes and soft wings, and spent his time with them instead. He most often assumed the form of a burrowing owl, or favored a tunic of soft brown down feathers, covering his shoulders and forearms down to his thighs.

Unfortunately for Akaashi some humans were harder to ignore than others. He was in a small clearing, tending to some baby owls that had fallen out of their nest when he barged in, yelling at someone behind him. The human was loud in both voice and action, crashing into the clearing with all the grace of a newborn foal. Akaashi climbed into the tree to watch, out of the way of the human, who was now brandishing his gun in excitement. If he’d intended to hunt he was doing it badly, as all the animals had fled from the commotion he was making. He had hair that reminded Akaashi of a horned owl, and he briefly wondered if that was intentional or an amusing accident. Two more humans came running in after him, panting and sweaty as if they’d been chasing him all afternoon.

“Hey, bro! Bokuto! Seriously! You go way too fast.” The second human emerged with almost equally ridiculous hair, followed by a third who looked to be a combination of bored and frustrated.

“Kuroo, Bokuto, if you two keep crashing around and yelling there will be no deer for weeks.” Konoha said, truly exasperated with his friends. The human with the owl-like hair spun around and laughed.

“Lighten up, Konoha! It’s not like we were gonna catch anything anyway. It’s like a cool hike through the woods!” Bokuto said. Akaashi studied his face now that he was close enough to see; his hair was white and black, and obviously intentionally spiked into tufts. His eyes were deep gold and piercing, which drew Akaashi in until he felt himself leaning off the branch to get a closer look. He was mesmerized.

“Yeah, come on! No one expected us to come back with anything.” The second badly-haired human, Kuroo, spoke up. Though he seemed carefree in body language, Akaashi could tell by his eyes that he was more observant that the other two in the group. More aware that the forest around them was morphing into something more than it appeared the deeper they went. He looked familiar too, like Akaashi had seen him before, but he couldn’t quite place where.

“Fine. But we should get back soon. Before sunset.” Konoha said and Kuroo nodded.

“Yeah. Don’t wanna get stuck in these woods at night.” Kuroo said, and Akaashi froze as his eyes lingered over the tree where he was seated. He knew it was impossible for Kuroo to see him, but he still felt unsettled.

“Aw, man! You guys are lame.” Bokuto said, grinning as he looked around the large clearing they’d found their way into. “And anyway, I wanna see something cool! Cool stuff is supposed to happen in the forest and I’m the prince so if anyone gets to see something cool it should be me, and-” Bokuto suddenly grew eerily quiet, and crouched down near the base of the tree Akaashi was in. Akaashi looked down and spotted the last baby owl that he hadn’t been able to reach before Bokuto entered the clearing and startled him into the branches. It was too late to grab the small owl now, not without notice.

“Bro?” Kuroo stepped closer but was stopped by Bokuto throwing a hand out.

“Dude! Be careful!” Bokuto spoke in a hushed-yet-sharp tone, setting his gun down to scoop up the small ball of fluff at the base of the tree. “It’s a baby owl.”

Akaashi was shocked at the sudden change in Bokuto’s facial features. His eyes were still bright but his brow was furrowed, it was obvious that he was doing his best to be extremely gentle, something Akaashi would have never expected. The reverence with which he looked at the owl struck a chord in Akaashi, and he watched as Bokuto carefully set the bird in the hollow of the tree with its brethren.

“A whole bunch of baby owls!” He whisper-yelled, peering into the nest in the tree. Kuroo and Konoha laughed as soon as their friend’s serious look lifted as he spun around to look at them, eyes full of excitement.

“It’s mom is probably somewhere around here, I bet she’s so beautiful! Man I wish I could see her!” Bokuto started scanning the trees with such an eager look on his face that Akaashi was overcome with the desire to assume his owl form and make Bokuto’s wish come true. Kuroo clapped Bokuto on the shoulder before he could, however, and a part of Akaashi was a little relieved he didn’t follow through with his foolish plan.

“That’s real sweet dude, but you got to hold your owl, so we should head back soon, yeah? Maybe come tomorrow or something and check on it.” Kuroo steered Bokuto back the way they came and Konoha scooped up the gun he’d discarded. Akaashi followed them to the edge of the clearing, smiling at the way Bokuto carried on and on about how soft and sweet the baby was. His excitement was non-stop and Akaashi couldn’t help but want to share some of the forests magic with him.

--------

As soon as the group left the forest Akaashi assumed his owl form and flew to the witch who lived just inside the forest bounds. The house was a small, circular building that had been there as long as Akaashi could remember. Inside was a single room with a large pit in the middle, housing a cauldron over a fire. All around were tables and shelves lined with books, jars, and candles that were dangerously low yet would never burn out. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling and cast long shadows along the walls. Akaashi announced himself as he entered, though Kenma always seemed to know when he was coming beforehand.

“Kozume-san.” Akaashi greeted, bowing to the witch adding something from a jar to the bubbling cauldron.

“I’ve said you can call me Kenma, Keiji…and please don’t bow” Kenma said, voice quiet.

“Right. Kenma.” Kenma was their witch, the one closest to the home of the forest nymphs, and every being in the forest had respect for him. Some even feared his power and Akaashi was never able to shake his automatic politeness to a being that so clearly outranked him.

“There’s something bothering you. You feel more tense.” Kenma said without even looking up. He was extremely observant and sometimes Akaashi regretted that.

“I saw someone today. A human.” Akaashi started out slowly, moving over to a table and toying with one of the loose pages. He was still trying to work out the encounter with this strange man, and how he should feel about it. Or, feel about the way it made him feel.

“You’ve seen plenty of humans before.” Kenma said, prompting for more information. He knew Akaashi was holding back and wasn’t going to let him stew over it alone.

“Not like this one. He was...well, firstly he resembled a great white owl.” Akaashi said and Kenma snorted quietly, it wasn’t a secret that Akaashi favored owls and Kenma knew instantly who he was talking about.

“And he was also extremely loud, brash, and unobservant?” Kenma said as he waved his hand over the cauldron, still not looking up from what he was doing.

“Yes. You know him?” Akaashi asked, moving away from the table and closer to Kenma. He was excited, if Kenma knew this human then maybe he could tell him more about him, what he was like, why he might have come here.

“He’s Prince Bokuto, though his first name is Koutarou. His father rules the lands that intersect with your forest.” Kenma said, finally setting down the spell he was crafting to look at Akaashi. They had been friends for a long time, ever since Akaashi had recognized the magic within Kenma. Even though reading Akaashi was usually simple for Kenma, this time he was having difficulty placing his expression. Akaashi’s cheeks and mouth were downturned, as if frowning, but his eyes were trained sharply on Kenma, hanging on to his every word. Kenma could see the gears working behind Akaashi’s eyes, considering what Kenma had told him along with whatever else he knew.

“You should have seen him. He was with two others, they all had guns. Maybe they were trying to hunt, but this prince, Bokuto-san, was too loud. He kept frightening all the deer away.” Akaashi toyed with the paper from the table, he was forming his thoughts and Kenma waited patiently for him to continue. “But when he saw one of the baby burrowing owls I’d been tending, he was so quiet. Reverent.” Akaashi’s lips spread into a smile as he recalled the events of that afternoon— the look on Bokuto’s face when he saw the owl, the gentleness he used to handle it. It was easier now for Kenma to understand Akaashi’s thoughts.

“So you fell in love because he was nice to an animal.” Kenma teased Akaashi, and he was rewarded with a light pink blush spreading across Akaashi’s cheeks and ears.

“N-No! Not necessarily! He is handsome, I will admit that, but that doesn’t change that he was still so loud, and there’s no way he understood or felt any magic.” Akaashi grasped at any straw he could, any reason why he couldn’t possibly love Bokuto, instant love was not his realm of magic, and he didn’t think it was something that could even really work. And it was a moot point anyway if Bokuto was blind to magic. You couldn’t receive the blessing if you weren’t open to it.

“Would you like to learn more about him for yourself?” Kenma ignored Akaashi’s protests.

“You mean give him my blessing? Would he even be able to receive it?” Akaashi studied Kenma, his initial assessment of Bokuto had been that the Prince was completely oblivious to anything outside of the natural world.

“Probably not, honestly. Not as he is now, anyway. But there is another way, maybe. If you’re interested.” Kenma said, looking back down into his cauldron.

“Another way.” Akaashi felt his throat grow dry. He was interested, but there was a reason so many creatures feared Kenma’s powers. He could grant any wish, but they almost always came with a price.

“I could make a potion that would allow them to see you outside your forest and within their senses. But once you leave the forest you’ll be vulnerable. It’s not permanent and it won't make you human, only appear so, so you won’t be able to speak to them. Him. And you won’t be able to use magic to protect yourself. I can’t guarantee anything.” Kenma finally moved away from the cauldron to one of the many shelves, selected a book, and flipped it open to the desired page.

“And?” Akaashi knew that couldn’t be it, he moved over towards Kenma, looking over his shoulder at the words on the page. He could only just barely read the writing of humans, a byproduct of spending so much time with Kenma.

“Well. That’s it for the potion. But Keiji…” Kenma paused to fix his sharp golden eyes on Akaashi. “Humans are fickle and weird. You’re setting yourself up for more hurt than happiness.”

Akaashi nodded slowly, but he was too busy thinking about the prospects of appearing human to heed Kenma’s warning. Not being able to speak would be difficult, but he wanted to learn more about this prince and he didn’t necessarily have to talk to him to do that. It would be the easiest way, of course, but he could still observe. It could still work.

“I’m willing to try.”

“Alright. Let me get started on it. One of Koutarou’s friends comes by my shop at least once daily. I’ll introduce you to him when it’s time.”

--------

Akaashi left the hut and assumed his owl form, flying deeper into the forest only to be stopped by a voice calling out to him from the water below. He circled and landed while a water nymph rose from the lake, draped in silver, shimmering cloth with long, wide sleeves that covered his hands and a hem that covered his feet. His hair was the same grey and he had a beauty mark by his eye.

“You went to see Kenma?” Koushi said, with a grin on his lips. He was teasing, and Akaashi took his sweet time turning back from an owl before answering.

“Hello to you too, Koushi-san.” Akaashi was intentionally formal to frustrate Koushi. He chose his next words carefully, drawing the silence out to an unnecessarily petty length. “I see Kozume-san a lot. I like him.”

“It’s just ‘Koushi’, Keiji. And Kenma would tell you to use ‘Kenma’, too.” Koushi said with a sigh. “You look different this time.” Koushi could always tell when something was up, Akaashi knew there was a devil behind that sweet face.

“Alright, Koushi. What did Tooru tell you.” And as soon as the words spilled from Akaashi’s lips there was a scoff above him and another wood nymph dropped from the trees to join them. He was taller than either of them with very intentionally tousled brown hair and an emerald moss frock that reached from his shoulders to his mid thigh.

“I didn’t tell him anything!” Tooru answered, offended. “I only just saw you! But I agree, something is definitely up.” He tapped Akaashi on the nose for emphasis. Akaashi wrinkled his nose and crossed his hands behind his back, toying with his fingers.

“Nothing is ‘up’.” Akaashi defended, but he knew it was hopeless. The only person more observant than these two was Kenma. They were onto him and it was only a matter of time before he would have to tell them anyway.

“Can’t you trust us Keiji?” Tooru said, batting his eyes, which caused Akaashi to snort and turn away. As if he would ever fall for that.

“We promise we won’t laugh!” Koushi chimed in, he was getting as close as he could while remaining on the banks of the lake.

“That promise is as empty as Tooru’s head.” Akaashi said, crossing his arms. He knew it was a losing battle, he’d eventually tell them what he saw, but he wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

“Ehh! That’s so mean!” Tooru drew a hand to his heart in mock offense. Akaashi knew he didn’t take it seriously, but he was still a little surprised at himself for getting that petty.

“It was. I’m sorry.” He sighed and sat on a rock near Koushi, prompting the others to sit before him like they were eagerly awaiting story time. “I saw a human today...”

“You’ve seen lots of humans.” Koushi replied, grinning. Akaashi was overwhelmed with deja’vu and the urge to roll his eyes.

“Kenma already made that joke.” Akaashi sighed. How many times would he hear that? “But this one was...” Was Bokuto that different? He’d certainly seen other kind humans before, that wasn’t new. So what was he? “Interesting.”

Tooru’s face spread into a wide grin and he leaned forward. “Interesting?”

“It sounds like our Keiji has a crush!” Koushi waved his finger. “Tsk, tsk Keiji! Details! Did you talk to him? Is he handsome?”

Akaashi could feel the involuntary blush spreading across his cheeks and ears, and he closed his eyes as he thought about his responses. He was found out, there was no going back now. He didn’t like to lie to his siblings.

“He looks like an owl.” Akaashi said, and Tooru and Koushi burst into laughter, cutting off anything else Akaashi had to say.

“An owl!” Koushi said, wiping away tears and choking back laughter.

“Of course you’d be into that!” Tooru covered his mouth in a vain attempt to hide his snickers.

“I was not the one who dressed him nor did I do his hair this morning. It was only an observation.” Akaashi tried to defend himself but it was a hopeless endeavor.

“Okay, okay. So? What happened?” Koushi said, shushing Tooru and settling in. They wanted to hear about this owl-man that had captured their Akaashi’s attention.

“He was hunting with his friends. Badly, I might add.” Akaashi silenced more snickers with a sharp look. “They stopped in the clearing and...well, he was loud. And energetic. But also…” Akaashi looked down at his lap, toying with a feather there. His blush from earlier had faded, but it was coming back full force as he remembered the scene. “He was gentle, too. Soft.”

“Ooohhh, Keiji!” Koushi cooed, reaching out to rub Akaashi’s pink cheeks.

“You’re in love~” Tooru chimed putting his hands to his own cheeks in mock shock. “You’re so smitten!”

“It’s not love…” Akaashi refused to admit to himself that he could fall in love so readily with someone he didn’t even know. He was attracted (though he’d absolutely never say that out loud) but he needed to spend time with Bokuto to know if it really was love. He was certainly drawn to the prince, at the very least.

“Right, of course not. You’re just extremely infatuated.” Tooru said with a smug smile.

“What are you going to do about it? Do you think he comes to the forest often enough? Daichi visits at least once a week-” Koushi was drowned out by both Akaashi and Tooru groaning loudly. They heard at least once a day about the human that unknowingly caught Koushi in his net, and had since kept visiting him.

“Koushi, we don’t need to hear about how sweet Daichi is anymore.” Tooru said, pinching Koushi’s nose between his fingers.

“Or handsome.” Akaashi agreed. “Or strong, or daring, or…” Akaashi trailed off with a dreamy sigh and a mocking hand over his heart.

“You’re just jealous!” Koushi huffed, waving Tooru’s hand away. “Then what are you going to do? Did you talk to him at all?”

“No…” Akaashi said, frowning. “He wasn’t very aware of his surroundings. I’m not sure I could easily give a blessing to him. And besides, he was with friends.”

“Than you’re just going to sit there and moan about it?” Tooru pursed his lips at Akaashi, he wasn’t going to sit for that.

“No. I want to get to know him. Observe him.” Akaashi said.

“How very owlish of you.” Koushi said, laughing at the flat look he received in return.

“Kenma has a potion. It’ll make me look human for a couple of weeks, so I’m just going to watch.” Akaashi said, watching the two of them very closely for their reactions. Tooru’s frowning face morphed into one of confusion and shock, and Koushi knitted his eyebrows in concern, leaning forward to touch Akaashi’s knee.

“Keiji, you can’t go live with humans. You belong here.” Koushi said.

“What will we do if you get hurt? We won’t be able to reach you or call to you if you leave.” Tooru leaned in closer, looking over Akaashi. He worried for his sibling. While technically Koushi was the oldest of them, Tooru was older than Akaashi and they both viewed him as the baby. None of them had ever left the forest for any reason, even Koushi stayed within his river when Daichi came to visit. They always stayed within safety and the call of the other nymphs.

“I’ll be fine. Kenma has a friend who knows the prince. I’ll be with him.” Akaashi was a little nervous himself, but Kenma said it would take a week to make the potion so he still had some time to think about it.

“He’s a prince? Keiji, whatever you’re thinking…” Koushi said, exchanging glances with Tooru. Akaashi being in love with a human was already difficult, the fact that the human was a prince made it even worse.

“I just want to see him. I know. It will only be two weeks.” Akaashi said, toying with a feather near his knee. He was touched by how worried they were but was still determined to go through with the plan. If he didn’t go he would spend the rest of his time wondering, and the nagging in his chest would never go away. He needed to do this.

“Okay. Two weeks. Two weeks when?” Koushi asked, he was trying to be supportive. He knew what it felt like to be in love with a human, and if he could easily visit Daichi he was sure he would do the same thing.

“Kenma said the potion takes a week to make. Then I’ll go.” Akaashi said, finally looking back up at them. Koushi offered him a reassuring smile and Tooru sighed.

“Well, there’s no stopping you then. Ah, young love…” Tooru sighed, barely hiding his teasing grin.

“It’s not love! And you aren’t that much older than me.” Akaashi huffed and stood up to leave, he didn’t have to stand for this, but instead Koushi tugged his hand and tugged him into the water of the lake, dunking him under the water. Tooru leaned away from the lake laughing, but not far enough and Koushi grabbed him too, dragging them both under the water laughing.

--------

The week passed slowly. Akaashi avoided Kenma’s house— he didn’t want to bother the witch, but he was burning with curiosity about what the prince would be like. Or what the other humans would be like, for that matter. Akaashi had only seen them when they came into his forest, which was a very limited scope. He realized he really had no idea how humans behaved at home, or what they did. As soon as his mind set on visiting he was overcome with questions, hopefully Kenma’s friend would be understanding.

The day the potion was to be ready Akaashi arrived at dawn. He had barely slept that night, choosing instead to stay up and tell his owlettes about his plan for the hundredth time. Tooru had promised to look in on them while he was gone, and he was anxious to just leave. Kenma was already awake and expecting when he entered the house, he didn’t even look up as he mumbled hello.

“Good morning, Kenma.” Akaashi moved to a chair by the window, there were some clothes set out and he moved them to the back of the chair so he could sit. He toyed with some of the herbs drying on the sill; Akaashi was so full of questions and excitement— it would be the first time he’d ever truly left the forest, and he wanted to see Bokuto again.

“The potion won’t be done for another hour.” Kenma said, finally looking up to greet his friend.

“I know. I’m just eager.” Akaashi stopped touching the dried stem when he broke a little piece off.

“Then you haven’t reconsidered?” Kenma hummed, unsure of what to make of that. It would have been easier if Akaashi had decided that he didn’t want to do this after all, but Kenma couldn’t stop him. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t tell what good would come of this but it wasn’t his choice to make.

“No. I’ve made my choice. When will your friend get here?”

“I’ve asked Kuroo to come just before noon. He and Bokuto usually meet up to go on hikes.”

“Kuroo? He was in the forest with Bokuto, when I last saw him.” Akaashi remembered the tall man with the worst hair he’d ever seen.

“That’s unsurprising. They’re best friends.” The tone of Kenma’s voice was exasperated, as if just the thought of those two together made him tired.

“That’s comforting.” If Akaashi was under the protection of the prince’s best friend, then he could count on relative safety. After all, Kenma seemed to trust Kuroo, and Akaashi valued Kenma’s opinion highly.

They sat in relative silence for the rest of the morning, Akaashi watching while Kenma moved around his house, occasionally adding things to the cauldron but mostly playing a numbers game he was fond of. When the potion was ready Kenma siphoned it out of the cauldron and into a glass, handing the mixture to Akaashi. It had the consistency and appeal of mud and Akaashi wrinkled his nose. He set the offending glass on the windowsill, catching sight of Kuroo outside.

“He’s here.” Akaashi said, turning around to Kenma.

“Hm.” Kenma sounded displeased, but Akaashi didn’t have enough time to ask why before the door swung open.

“Knock knock~” Kuroo stuck his head past the doorway, wearing a smug, crooked grin across his lips.. Kenma pointedly ignored him and turned his back to the doorway. “Hey! Kenma! C’mon, say ‘who’s there’!”

“No.” Kenma replied, still refusing to look at the man now standing just inside the house.

“Fine. I’ll do it myself. ‘Who’s there’?” Kuroo tried to imitate Kenma’s voice and failed miserably, earning a frown from Kenma. “Be!” Kuroo edged around the fire pit to get inside Kenma’s field of vision.

“No.”

“‘Be who’?” Kuroo again attempted his Kenma voice and was doing no better. Kenma shuffled farther away. “I’m be-witched by you!” Kuroo’s shitty grin widened further and Kenma scrunched his nose in disgust.

“Get out.”

“Aw, hey! That one was good!” Kuroo leaned on the table Kenma was using, lowering his head to be within Kenma’s field of vision. “‘Sides, you said you wanted my help.”

“I do.” Kenma sighed and finally lifted his head to look at Kuroo before motioning to where Akaashi was standing. “This is Keiji. I need you to take him to the castle. Keiji, if you please.” Kuroo looked curiously around the window and Akaashi licked his thumbs, reaching out to swipe them over Kuroo’s eyes, down his cheeks, and across his lips. Kuroo blinked a few times and jerked back when he saw Akaashi standing before him.

“....a spirit.” Kuroo stood up straight and his eyes flicked back and forth between Kenma and Akaashi, trying to sort everything in his head. He was no stranger to magic, he spent enough time to be familiar with the idea that the forest was more than he saw, but he’d never received the blessing and this was his first time coming face to face with it.

“I prefer Akaashi. Keiji is my personal name.” Akaashi smoothed the feathers at his side. It was more nerve wracking being seen by a human than he thought. “And I’m actually a nymph, but you’re close…”

“Right, okay...a nymph, to the castle. Why?” Kuroo furrowed his brow and turned to Kenma. “Is he going to do that to every single human there? Can he?” Kenma ignored his questions and let Akaashi continue talking.

“I want to meet your prince. I saw you, in the clearing the other week.” Akaashi met Kuroo's curious gaze, he'd had plenty of time to think about this and he was sure it was what he wanted now. “I just want to know what sort of person he is.”

“There’s a potion I can give Keiji.” Kenma said, flipping the pages in his book to show Kuroo. “It will make him appear human, though once he leaves the forest he won’t be able to do much magic, or give his blessing like he did with you. Your interactions with him should be largely unaffected, since you already have it.”

“Right...” Kuroo leaned over the book, trying to decipher what exactly all that meant and why.

“I won’t be able to speak to the other humans. I don’t need to, the potion wears off after a couple of weeks.” Akaashi picked up the murky brown glass Kenma had set next to him, studying the contents.

“So you just wanna come, look at Bo, and then go home? Why?” Kuroo asked, although deep down he had his suspicions. He came to see Kenma daily, and he loved to listen to Kenma talk about the creatures of the forest and lakes. He knew that they never left the safety of the forest unless they really had to. There was no way Akaashi wanted to leave out of pure curiosity.

“I don’t know.” Akaashi lied. He wanted to watch, to see what sort of person Bokuto is outside of that glimpse in the clearing. He wanted to see Bokuto again and hear him laugh, he wanted to see the look on his face when he saw a real, live, adult owl. Akaashi wanted to be the one to show Bokuto that owl.

Kuroo studied Akaashi seriously for a moment before slipping back into his grin. “‘Kay. I’ll take you. Bokuto’s a friendly enough guy, he likes company and definitely won’t notice anything weird.” Kuroo said. Akaashi could tell that he didn’t buy the lie but was relieved that he wasn’t going to press it, and that it really would be that easy to simply integrate into castle life for a few weeks. If he were there as a guest it would be much easier to get closer to Bokuto.

Akaashi looked down at the cup in his hand and swirled the liquid inside, it looked disgusting. That was settled then, the prince’s friend would take him to see Bokuto, he had two weeks to observe. Just observe. Then he would come home. He took a deep breath and swallowed the thick brown liquid as quickly as possible, coughing when he finished. It tasted and felt like mud and he could feel Kenma’s eyes laughing at him. A tingling heat spread from the center of his chest outward, lingering in his fingertips, toes, and the crown of his head. When it faded he looked at Kenma curiously.

“That was it? It’s done?” He somehow thought it would hurt.

“That’s it. You should change into regular clothes though.” Kenma motioned to the clothes he had set out earlier and ushered Kuroo away to give Akaashi some privacy. Akaashi shook his body and willed the feathers covering him away, changing into the plain, too-large, shirt and pants instead. Akaashi thanked Kenma for the loose fitting clothing, he wasn’t used to something other than his own magic covering him and it was strange enough without it fitting tightly and pressing against his skin. When he was done he turned around and watched Kenma and Kuroo talk quietly for a few moments before clearing his throat.

“I’m ready.” Akaashi pulled uncomfortably at the shirt he was wearing.

“Then let’s go! Bo can get pretty impatient, and I’m supposed to meet him soon.” Kuroo kissed the top of Kenma’s head and turned toward the door, grinning as he led Akaashi out and waved goodbye. Kenma gave a small wave in return, using his sleeve to cover the flush on his cheeks.

--------

Just before leaving the forest Kuroo stopped Akaashi and gathered some dirt in his hands.

“We should get you kinda messed up looking, Bokuto can be dense but he’s not stupid.” Akaashi nodded and held still as Kuroo patted some dirt on his clothes and face. He had to give Kuroo credit for being thorough— it seemed he was as committed to this idea as Akaashi was.

They continued when Akaashi was sufficiently mussed and Akaashi felt the nerves tingle in his stomach. He so badly wanted Bokuto to be like the person he saw when he handled the baby owl, but if he was what would he do then? What would he do if he really was in love? Akaashi didn’t have much time to dwell on that thought, they soon approached Bokuto outside of the forest. Kuroo yelled as they got close and as Bokuto spun around, Akaashi realized he was a lot more intimidating than Akaashi remembered. Now that they were down on the same level, Akaashi felt exposed. Bokuto was staring at him with those sharp, gold, inquisitive eyes, one eye cocked higher than the other, his gaze pierced Akaashi and he felt raw. He was also much taller and larger than Akaashi had noticed from his vantage point in the tree. It was different now that the Prince loomed over him.

“Yo! I found this guy in the forest, s’why I took so long.” Kuroo motioned towards Akaashi with his thumb. “He hasn’t said anything tho’, not sure he can.”

“Hey hey hey!” Bokuto broke into a wide grin and reached out to clasp Akaashi on the shoulder. His hand was large and warm, and the fabric of his borrowed shirt was rough against Akaashi’s skin where Bokuto was squeezing. “What’s your name?”

Akaashi opened his mouth to speak, but watched as the sound floated right past Bokuto’s head. He tried a couple of times anyway, just to make sure, before shaking his head and patting his throat. Kenma was right, without the blessing there would be no way he’d be able to speak with Bokuto. His lack of speech didn’t seem to bother Bokuto, however, and he threw his arm around Akaashi’s shoulders, steering him away down the road.

“That’s cool! We’ll get ya some paper or something! You can stay as long as you need!” Bokuto said, voice loud in Akaashi’s ear. He cringed but Bokuto’s arm was heavy around his shoulders and he couldn’t get away. The whole way back Akaashi was bombarded with questions but the speed at which Bokuto spoke it was obvious that Akaashi wasn’t actually expected to answer.

“You came from the forest? Did you live there? Have you ever seen an owl? I saw an owl once. Do you like the forest? No wait! You probably lived somewhere else and got lost! Obviously! This one time I got lost-” As they approached the castle, Kuroo sent Akaashi a sympathetic look, and finally intervened.

“Bo. Dude. We’re here, maybe give the guy a break from your rank armpit?” Kuroo said, grinning as he helped Akaashi free of Bokuto’s arm. Bokuto at least had the self awareness to be a mix of embarrassed and offended.

“I shower every day! My armpit is not rank!” But Bokuto released Akaashi anyway and gave him a little space. Akaashi missed the heavy warmth of Bokuto’s arm, his hand automatically went to his shoulder, grasping at how empty that space was. He followed the two into the castle looking around at all the extravagance as they entered. The main hall of the castle was built of creamy white marble, adorned with black and gold tapestries. There were several large mahogany doors that led to other areas and Akaashi had to fight the urge to peek through them. He reminded himself that he was visible to the humans here and they were all watching.

Akaashi turned his attention to the groups of people that gathered as he followed Bokuto into the main hall. He had never seen humans wearing such extravagant and colorful clothes; the ones who came to the forest were typically wearing simple, plain clothes that were colored in neutral tones and blended well the the forest around them. Here, however, both men and women were wearing clothes with colors as vibrant as some of the most beautiful flowers, embroidered in beautiful, intricate patterns. Everyone at court stopped and moved aside as Bokuto entered and Akaashi felt exposed once again. It was strange enough being visible to Kuroo and Bokuto, but now there were dozens of curious humans turning their eyes towards him. Women whispered behind fans and men shifted back on their heels as they went by. Akaashi sped up and kept closer to Bokuto and Kuroo than he had before. His attention snapped back to Bokuto when he realised the other was speaking to him, and that he should have been listening.

“-parents, so just hang out here, okay? You’ll probably be fine, don’t worry!” Bokuto slapped Akaashi on the back, causing Akaashi to rub a hand over the sore spot on his back. Bokuto then left Akaashi in the hall, and when he turned around he’d discovered that Kuroo had also left. Suddenly alone he felt the stares of the courtesans crawling up his skin and he desperately wondered where Bokuto had said he was going. Thankfully Bokuto returned to the room quickly, bringing two other people in with him. As soon as they entered, everyone in the room bowed. Akaashi quickly followed their example, deducing that by parents Bokuto was obvious talking about the King and Queen. Of course.

“You’re Koutarou’s new friend, then?” The queen was the first to step forward, she smiled at Akaashi and held her hands out towards him. He straightened and she took his face in her hands, examining it. “Koutaro was right, you are very striking.” Akaashi felt his face warm, and he glanced towards Bokuto who was also pink and looked mortified. As soon as Bokuto opened his mouth, though, the King stepped forward and cut him off.

“What’s your name?” The King was large. Taller and more muscular than Bokuto, but it was very obvious where Bokuto got his mannerisms from. They had similarly styled hair, in two tufts that reminded Akaashi of an owl, and those same sharp, gold eyes. Akaashi had never wished for the safety of the trees to hide in more than that moment, where he felt the King’s gaze sear right through his human disguise. After a moment too long of silence, he reached for his throat and tapped it, shaking his head as best he could with the Queen’s hands around his cheeks.

“Oh, you poor dear.” The Queen said, patting those cheeks and finally stepping back. “You must have been traumatized. We’ll set you up in a room with dinner and a bath, you can tell us all about it tomorrow.” Akaashi tried to protest and again bring attention to his throat, but the Queen was already calling some servants over to give them instructions.

“Koutarou, be a good host to your guest and show him to his room, you’re the one who brought him here.” The King said as he clapped Bokuto on the shoulder. Bokuto straightened and grinned as he was given responsibility and eagerly ushered Akaashi out of the hall.

“Sorry my mom kinda swooped in on you. She uh. Well, what she said, you are pretty and I had to mention it…” Bokuto rambled as he rubbed the back of his neck, pink dusting his cheeks and ears. “It was so embarrassing though.” Akaashi couldn’t help but laugh at the embarrassed look across Bokuto’s face, and while Bokuto couldn’t see the sounds he recognized the shaking of Akaashi’s shoulders and smile.

“Hey! I made you laugh! Sorta anyway. Look, you can get dinner I bet you’re starving, I’m so hungry, all we had was a picnic Kuroo packed…” Bokuto trailed off about their adventure from that morning leading up to Kuroo slipping away, until he stopped abruptly in front of a door. They had been walking for several minutes and Akaashi suddenly regretted not paying more attention to his surroundings, as he had no idea where they were in the castle or how they got there. He was too focused on the sound of Bokuto’s voice.

“Wait! I think this was the room mom wanted you in. Was it this one? Man, why can’t I remember…!” Bokuto groaned in frustration and ruffled his hair while he tried to remember what exactly it was his mother had said. He was stopped by a maid carrying a silver tray, who cleared her throat as she approached them.

“Your highness, if your guest is ready to enter his room, I have dinner for him…” She said, clearly helping Bokuto without being too obvious. He snapped to attention and threw opens the doors as soon as she confirmed he was in the right place.

“Yeah! Of course! Go eat, I’ll see you tomorrow for sure!” Bokuto slapped Akaashi on the back again and Akaashi winced. He followed the maid inside and marveled at how much extravagance was in even a guest room. The bedroom was much larger than Kenma’s house, and had the same gold and black accents. The woman set the tray on a table next to a window that overlooked the gardens and bowed to Akaashi.

“The bathroom is just through that door when you’re ready for a bath. Some spare clothes have been laid out in the wardrobe.” Akaashi bowed to her, since it was the only way he knew to thank her, and she took her leave.

Akaashi looked out the window to the gardens below and sighed to himself, if today was anything to go by these two weeks wouldn’t be long enough.

Chapter Text

The next morning Akaashi was awoken by a quiet knock at his door. He groggily looked out the window where the sun told him it was still very early, far earlier than he was used to waking up. Still, he had to remind himself that he was with humans now, and maybe they liked getting up this early. The person knocked again and Akaashi pulled himself out of bed and towards the door. When he answered, the girl on the other side squealed and covered her eyes, jumping back as if Akaashi had burned her.

“I’m so so sorry! I didn’t mean to, of course you’d be sleeping..!” She stammered with her hands covering her eyes. Akaashi tried to motion to her to stop, but it was proving difficult. Finally he reached out and gently touched her arm to get her attention. She slowly lowered her hands and looked up at him with large fearful eyes.

“I-I’m Yachi Hitoka, handmaid to the Princess.” She said and Akaashi smiled. “I was sent here to welcome you and bring you to breakfast but I woke you up…” Yachi trailed off, clearly expecting him to come in with an answer. Akaashi patted his throat and gestured while he shook his head, hoping it would convey that he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. He cringed when she squealed again.

“You can’t speak! Oh, but you can hear?” Yachi asked quickly and Akaashi nodded. “Come with me!” She took Akaashi’s hand and, ignoring that he was still in his borrowed pajamas, led him down the corridor to a separate wing. She was quick, her movements reminded him of a frightened deer, and he wanted to ask where they were going but he had no real way of communicating, especially while she was pulling him down the hallway. They finally stopped in front of large double doors and Yachi motioned to Akaashi to wait while she ducked inside.

Being alone in the hallway made Akaashi feel uncomfortable; he didn’t know how he would explain what he was doing if someone else showed up. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long, as Yachi reappeared in the doorway and ushered him into the room. It was a large seating area with several chairs and a desk, and two sets of doors leading off to other rooms. Akaashi only had a brief moment to look in awe before Yachi was speaking again.

“This is Princess Kiyoko, Prince Koutarou’s sister.” Yachi said, making movements with her hands as she spoke. Akaashi was torn between watching the gestures and looking at the woman sitting in the chair across from him. He realized a little late that he should probably bow, like he did to Bokuto’s parents.

“She says you don’t have to bow.” Yachi said after a moment of silence, and Akaashi stood up, looking curiously from Yachi to Kiyoko. “He can’t speak, but he can hear.” Yachi said towards Kiyoko and Akaashi realized that Yachi was speaking for his benefit only. Kiyoko only replied with more hand motions, which Yachi understood. Yachi ushered Akaashi into a chair next to Kiyoko, before sitting down herself.

“Kiyoko is deaf, and because of that she doesn’t speak very much.” Yachi said, signing as she spoke. Akaashi kept looking between Yachi and Kiyoko, unable to decide who he should be paying attention to.

“She uses sign language to talk to everyone else.” Yachi continued and Akaashi decided to focus on her for now. “When I saw that you were mute I thought you might already speak it, but we can teach you!” Yachi finished signing and presented Akaashi with a notebook and a pen. Akaashi took them, suddenly more grateful for the time he spent with Kenma than he ever had been before. Kiyoko tapped her fingers together and gestured to the notebook.

“She’s asking for your name.” Yachi clarified. Akaashi picked up the notebook and hoped he remembered Kenma’s lessons.

Akaashi. His writing was spidery and messy, nothing like Kenma’s neat, loopy script. The writing of his kind was very different from humans, he wrote symbols in mud and moss, wards meant to protect his forest against harm. He hoped they could read his attempt and presented the book to Kiyoko. She read it, and then began signing again.

“She’s asking where you’re from?” Yachi said, signing her response as she spoke. Akaashi started to mimic the signing as they went, trying to learn which movements went with what words. If the Princess was his sister, then surely Bokuto knew sign language as well, and this would solve his problem of non-communication. He took the notebook back and wrote his answer.

The forest. It was completely true, but he knew it would be seen as vague and he hoped they didn’t now think he was rude for being secretive. While he liked and wanted to trust Kiyoko and Yachi, revealing everything might ruin his whole plan. Yachi taught him the sign for “forest” and Kiyoko smiled.

Akaashi spent the morning with them, learning signs and telling Kiyoko a little more about himself. They were interrupted at noon by a loud knock at the door and a whine from the other side. Yachi lept up and opened the door to let Bokuto in, who was pouting.

“Kiyoko! You kidnapped my guest, I wanted to show him how cool my morning routine is!” Bokuto whined and Akaashi caught Kiyoko laughing. He remembered what Yachi had told him about sign-names and waved to get her attention before making his for Bokuto.

Loud Owl. Akaashi signed and Kiyoko broke into laughter, causing Bokuto to pout even more.

“Hey hey hey!!!! I’m not that loud!” Bokuto yelled, and Akaashi noticed Bokuto also signed as he talked, though his signing was much messier and harder to follow than Yachi’s or Kiyoko’s. He also had to stop a couple of times and remember the proper movement before continuing.

Mine too. Kiyoko signed at Akaashi, admitting that that she also used that sign name for Bokuto. Akaashi took a moment to remember the signs, repeating them back to her before laughing.

“Hey, wait! You sign?? Are you deaf too?” Bokuto asked, the situation finally clicking in his mind. Akaashi shook his head and reached for the notebook instead, he was still learning and it would be easier to write.

I can’t speak. He held the notebook up for Bokuto, who lept forward to read it.

“You can’t!! Well. I guessed you probably couldn’t! You know, since you didn’t say anything yesterday.” Bokuto forgot to sign, and Akaashi caught Yachi out of the corner of his eye doing it for Kiyoko’s benefit. “Okay so what’s your name? It’s weird always calling you my guest!”

Akaashi underlined where he had written his name earlier for Kiyoko. Bokuto moved to hover over his shoulder so he could read while Akaashi wrote.

“Akaashi! What a cool name! Where’re you from then??” Bokuto asked, breath hot on Akaashi’s ear. He underlined “the forest” to draw Bokuto’s attention there, and tried not to focus on just how warm his body was when Bokuto pressed close to his shoulder.

“So you did live in the forest, no way! Hope we didn’t kidnap you.” Bokuto said and Akaashi laughed at the sincerity in his voice.

You did not kidnap me Bokuto-san. Akaashi wrote out, and Bokuto laughed loudly in his ear. Akaashi felt cold air rush in when Bokuto finally moved away, heading towards the door.

“Well, Akaashi! Come with me, I wanna show you some stuff!” Bokuto said and Akaashi stood, bowing to Kiyoko.

I would like to learn more later. He wrote out and showed the notebook to Kiyoko. She smiled and nodded.

“I’ll come get you tonight!” Yachi piped up and Bokuto placed a hand on Akaashi’s shoulder and steered him towards the door.

“Hey I know signs too! Some of them, anyway. I can teach you.” Bokuto said, “First we gotta get lunch though. I’m starving!” He rubbed his stomach for emphasis and Akaashi smiled, allowing himself to be steered down the hall by Bokuto. Once again he found himself thinking about Bokuto’s hands, they were large and warm, and Akaashi could tell that although Bokuto wasn’t using much force to get him to move, he certainly had the power to.

Akaashi realized a little too late that Bokuto had been talking to him the entire walk. He tuned in during the middle of a one sided conversation, grateful that Bokuto wasn’t actually expecting him to answer. “-I’ll just have to make sure I get there before Yachi in the morning!” and, as much as Akaashi appreciated and liked Yachi and Kiyoko, he hoped so too. He was here to spend as much time with Bokuto as possible.

-------

That afternoon Bokuto insisted on taking Akaashi for a tour of the castle. Akaashi was extremely interested in rooms like the library and the towers but Bokuto didn’t linger there for long, preferring instead to show Akaashi the outdoor areas.

“I hate being inside for too long. I start getting restless and then Dad gets mad, so I try to be outside as much as possible! In the mornings Kuroo and I train…” Bokuto led Akaashi over to an area with discarded wooden swords and dummies on pikes. “Kuroo acts like he’s ahead in wins but it’s totally me! I knocked him over which counts as like two and he just doesn’t remember ‘cause he hit his head pretty hard.”

Akaashi frowned, he was sure that hitting your head wasn’t good but it was too cumbersome to try and write anything down while outside. Instead he crouched down in the grass and picked up one of the wooden swords, turning it over in his hands. It was rough and old but well loved, Akaashi could feel that it had been used long past the point it should have broken. He was so focused on it that he didn’t feel Bokuto’s sharp eyes watching him.

“Do you fence?” Bokuto asked, his voice lower than usual, making Akaashi jump. Akaashi shook his head and picked up another sword, holding it out to Bokuto in an invitation. This was something Bokuto loved, and if Akaashi was to get to know him better he needed to experience the things that made Bokuto happy. Bokuto got the hint and took the sword from Akaashi, a grin lighting up his face.

“Yeah, okay!” Bokuto moved next to Akaashi. “You gotta stand like this!” He said, moving his legs apart and bending at the knee. Akaashi mimicked his leg’s positioning and Bokuto stood, moving and adjusting Akaashi’s arms as he was bent down. Akaashi closed his eyes and ignored the thought that Bokuto didn’t really need to touch him so much. He was only here to observe, he told himself, and this was the best way to observe. If Bokuto thought that lingering touches were the best way to teach him how to fence, he wasn’t going to complain.

Once Bokuto had perfected Akaashi’s stance, he resumed his own and showed him a few moves. Akaashi copied him, albeit much more clumsily, and was frustrated with himself for not being more graceful. As a bird he was sleek and fast, why wasn’t this form more like that? They practiced lunging and slashing at the air together well into the afternoon, until Akaashi felt like his lungs were going to burst. He stopped to catch his breath and leaned on the sword for support, watching Bokuto continue to parry the air with as much gusto as he’d had when they first started.

Bokuto stopped when he’d noticed Akaashi leaning on his wooden sword. “Tired already?” he grinned, he easily had another hour in him. “You live in the forest right? Lemme show you something you’ll really like.” Bokuto dropped his sword and Akaashi followed suit, laying his sword carefully next to Bokuto’s before falling in line behind him. As they walked, Akaashi hoped this new place would have a place to sit, and he found himself subconsciously reaching for his owl form. Of course, this far from the forest he couldn’t draw enough magic to do anything more than feel a tingle in the tips of his fingers and toes. As he tried the tingling grew stronger, not enough to help, but enough that Akaashi noticed the difference and nearly walked into Bokuto when he stopped abruptly.

“This is it!” Bokuto held his arms up and before them lay the expansive garden Akaashi saw from his window. It was even more magnificent up close, filled with vibrantly colorful flowers along twisting walkways, and canopies made of vines and tall bushes. Akaashi suddenly understood why the magic was just a little stronger here and he knelt down to stroke the petals of a nearby flower. Akaashi closed his eyes and breathed in the perfume from the blossom, feeling more at home here than he thought was possible in this foreign place.

While he was absorbed in the foliage, stroking leaves and brushing his cheeks against the petals, Akaashi missed the way Bokuto’s eyes lingered over him. For once Bokuto stayed quiet, letting Akaashi enjoy the peace of the garden. It was only when the sun began to set that Bokuto reached out and gently touched Akaashi’s back, snapping Akaashi out of his reverie.

“It’ll be dinner soon, we should head inside.” Bokuto said, voice quiet. It reminded Akaashi of that day in the forest, when he saw the baby owl and held it with reverence. The tone made Akaashi’s heart clench painfully in his chest and he stood, motioning for Bokuto to show him the way.

------

Bokuto made good on his promise to Akaashi; the next few days Bokuto came to get Akaashi for breakfast instead of Yachi. He always had a new story for Akaashi to hear, typically about a strange dream he’d had, and Akaashi gladly listened. They had breakfast with Kiyoko and the Queen, and Bokuto spoke over everyone unintentionally. Akaashi had a feeling that if everyone weren’t also using sign for Kiyoko’s benefit, no one would hear anything other than Bokuto’s voice, not that he minded.

In the afternoons Akaashi joined Kuroo and Bokuto on the fencing grounds. He usually served as a referee between the two, though he allowed himself to favor Bokuto most times. By now he knew his intentions were obvious to Kuroo, who gave him sly grins when Bokuto wasn’t looking. The first one made him nervous, but Kuroo maintained friendliness and Akaashi reminded himself that if Kenma trusted Kuroo, so could he.

Each evening Bokuto would take Akaashi to the garden. It would start out with Bokuto telling Akaashi the origin stories behind the flowers Akaashi stopped at, but it would always lapse into a comfortable silence as Akaashi sat amongst the bushes and blossoms, soaking in what magic they would afford as Bokuto watched. As much as Akaashi loved listening to Bokuto’s rambles, and as endearing as he found the man’s boundless enthusiasm, this was his favorite part of the day.

“You’re magical, Akaashi.” It was barely a whisper and Akaashi cracked his eyes open to look at Bokuto. The look on his face was close to the same reverence he’d had that day in the forest and Akaashi felt his cheeks flush. Before he could respond, Bokuto exhaled and put his hands on his hips. “It’s almost time for dinner, I’m starving!”

As Akaashi watched Bokuto’s back retreat towards the castle he couldn’t help but wonder if there was hope. Perhaps Bokuto was not as closed off to magic as he and Kenma thought. Perhaps Akaashi would be able to share his world with Bokuto the way Bokuto shared his world with Akaashi.

--------

One morning there was a loud pounding at his door, much earlier than ever before. Akaashi groaned and dragged himself out of bed, unable to understand how humans were able to move this early in the morning. Dawn was barely peeking up over the horizon and Akaashi swore not even the birds were awake right now. He stumbled towards the door and opened it to Bokuto’s excessively smiling face.

“Akaashi! Oh, I woke you.” Bokuto laughed, rubbing his head with his hand. Akaashi wondered just how early he must get up to spike it that way every morning. “You’re not even dressed yet! Hold on, I’ll come back in five minutes, okay!” Bokuto reached in and pulled the door shut, though Akaashi didn’t hear him walk away so he assumed Bokuto was just going to stand on the other side of the door until Akaashi was ready. He took out the same clothes he wore yesterday, they weren’t particularly dirty and he didn’t want to bother Yachi with washing them yet. He’d found out from Yachi that they were actually some of Bokuto’s old clothes from when he was younger, kept around just in case. That explained why they were a little loose on him, and Akaashi liked that these clothes would have once been worn by Bokuto. Once he was dressed he grabbed his notebook and opened the door.

“Great! So, they don’t actually serve breakfast for a couple more hours, but I wanted to make sure you were up in time!” Bokuto said, though he looked nervous and Akaashi got the feeling he was hiding something. He opened his notebook and began to write.

This early? He held the notebook up for Bokuto to read.

“Well, yeah! You know...just to make sure you had plenty of time to get dressed before breakfast!” Bokuto said sheepishly. Akaashi wasn’t buying it. He tapped at his words again, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, so there was a meeting this morning but I told Dad I’d already made plans with you so I didn’t have to go.” Bokuto finally admitted. “But then I started thinkin’ about you and I really did wanna come get you! I don’t actually have a plan, though.” Akaashi was touched by Bokuto’s raw enthusiasm.

Do you usually get up this early? Akaashi wrote out, he was curious if this was normal or strictly related to Bokuto. He’d waited a little longer before getting him in the previous mornings.

“Well yeah! Lots of people think I stay up late but I actually don’t make it very long past dark.” Bokuto began walking and Akaashi followed him. The halls were empty as they walked and Akaashi realized that it was very likely that they were alone. Now would be as good a time as any to learn as much about Bokuto as possible. Akaashi took his time remembering the words he had learned yesterday with Kiyoko and tapped Bokuto on the arm to get his attention.

You do what?He signed slowly and clumsily, but Bokuto seemed to understand.

“Do what, like what do I like to do? Or in general during the day?” Bokuto asked and Akaashi just nodded, he’d like the answer to both questions if Bokuto was willing to respond.

“Well, y’know, I’m gonna take over the country, so anymore Dad makes me join in meetings and stuff. It’s really boring though! I’d much rather be outside goofing off with Kuroo or something! What about you Akaashi? You can’t just live in the forest by yourself.” Bokuto ended up leading them to the library, where it would be easier for him to see Akaashi speak. Akaashi sat at a table but Bokuto stayed standing, wandering in loops around the table. The time it took for them to get comfortable was enough time for Akaashi to consider how he wanted to respond. He certainly wasn’t going to tell Bokuto the whole truth, that would ruin everything. But he could tell half truths and distract Bokuto with other things.

Siblings. Owls like, you? He answered the question and then diverted Bokuto on to a question he already knew the answer to. Based on the way Bokuto acted when Akaashi first saw him there was no way the other man didn’t love owls.

“Owls!!” Bokuto said excitedly, and Akaashi was smug that his plan had worked. “I love owls! Was it the hair? Pretty cool, huh?” Bokuto was grinning and Akaashi nodded, Bokuto was extremely attractive and the hairstyle was interesting. “They’re so cool, they’re fierce and tough but like, really observant and amazing! I held a baby owl once,” Akaashi listened as Bokuto retold the story from the forest, feeling his chest tighten painfully. Hearing the story again, it became very obvious that he was indeed deeply in love with Bokuto. He hated to think that way, that he could fall so quickly, but after talking with Bokuto the feeling only cemented. Akaashi wondered if it was possible for time to pass both too quickly and too slowly.

They both forgot about breakfast until Bokuto’s stomach growled loudly and he slammed his palms on the table. “Food! C’mon Akaashi, I bet everyone else is already there eating without us!” Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s hand, Akaashi having barely enough time to grab his notebook as Bokuto yanked him out of the library. They ran down the hallway towards the dining room and Bokuto threw the doors open, finally dropping Akaashi’s hand as he eagerly jogged to his seat. Akaashi hesitated in the doorway and awkwardly bowed to the people in the room before joining Bokuto. It was Kiyoko and the Queen as usual, but Akaashi felt like it was somehow the polite thing to do.

“You can’t keep running away from meetings forever, Koutarou.” the Queen said, pointing her fork at Bokuto. “The Princess likely expects you to be involved in these meetings. You’ll have to rule together someday.” Akaashi furrowed his brow, making eye contact with Kiyoko.

Princess? He signed, familiar with the word from using it in regards to Kiyoko. Kiyoko raised her hands to reply with the Queen interjected.

“Koutarou didn’t tell you?” She clicked her tongue at Bokuto. “He’s engaged! She’s coming for the official announcement next week. There’s going to be a ball, and it’s a lot of preparation, so we need you to pitch in Koutarou.” Akaashi felt his heart drop to his knees. He knew enough about the customs of humans that engaged meant taken. That Bokuto was already in love with someone else. Akaashi’s throat constricted and he did his best to focus on anything other than the tension pulling at his chest and shoulders. If the ball was next week that likely meant it was at the tail end of his stay. Akaashi would have just enough time to see Bokuto with his bride before returning to the forest forever. Kiyoko gave him a sympathetic look and Akaashi realized that his feelings were maybe not as hidden as he’d thought. He worked to bring his expression back under control, face resting at neutral.

“Yeah, but I’ve never even met her.” Bokuto whined.

“That’s because you chose to spend last summer with Tetsurou instead of here. You’ll meet your fiancée next week.” the Queen replied, standing from the table. “Please excuse me, unlike Koutarou I can’t skip my meetings.” She gave Bokuto and smile and squeezed his shoulder as she left. The three of them ate in silence, Bokuto still pouting from the earlier mention of his apparent bride. Akaashi was sifting through a whirlwind of emotions: that Bokuto had a bride, was in love already, and why was Bokuto so upset about it? He should be overjoyed, ecstatic even. The word fiancée rattled inside Akaashi’s head, in all the stories Kenma had told him two people never married unless they loved each other. If Bokuto had a fiancée that meant he had a love and that meant that there would be no room for Akaashi. Perhaps Bokuto was only upset because that would mean he had to sit in more meetings.

They spent the day together as usual, but Akaashi saw the visible drop in Bokuto’s mood. He never really perked up from the conversation and it gnawed at Akaashi. His own insides were churning miserably, still uncomfortably ringing with the knowledge of the morning. It was a dull and painful throb, and Akaashi desperately wished for something, anything, to ease it. Finally, while they were in the garden, Akaashi couldn’t take the shadow cast over them any longer. He pulled out his notebook instead of basking in the flowers.

You’re unhappy. He finally settled on a simple statement of fact. Bokuto was unhappy, and Akaashi was here to listen if he wanted to talk about it.

“I don’t like thinking about marriage.” Bokuto said, leaning back on his feet.

You don’t want to get married? Akaashi pressed a little harder, feeling guilty because he hoped the answer was no.

“I dunno. I’ve never really thought about getting married.” Bokuto shrugged. “Like sure girls are pretty, but lots of people are pretty. You're pretty. I don't think about it. Mostly it's just a lot of ceremony." Bokuto would rather be out running around than sit still. "What about you Akaashi? Do you like girls? Or like...getting married?”

Akaashi slowly shook his head. Truthfully, he’d never found human women appealing. There were some that were beautiful, and some that were cute, but he didn’t find himself looking at and thinking about them the way he thought about Bokuto. There had been nymphs as well— passing crushes— but nymphs were genderless and that didn’t really count either. On top of that marriage wasn't a concept nymphs had. They could, of course, dedicate their lives to one another if they wanted, but it wasn't fanfare like the weddings in the stories.

“No way! Well, Mom says that it’s probably just because I’m young. She says when I meet my fiancée I’ll totally understand.”

Fiancée. There was that word again. It made Akaashi’s stomach twist and sour. He didn’t want to hear any more about the fiancée that would be arriving in a few days, or the ball that would likely mark the end of his stay with the prince. Instead he directed Bokuto’s attention to the sunset breaking over the crown of the trees. Akaashi and Tooru would often rise above the treetops to watch it, and before it had been one of his favorite sights, something that soothed him after long days, but now the warm gold streaks only reminded him of Bokuto and an unpleasant feeling settled in his gut.

-----

Akaashi spent much of the next day with Kiyoko and Yachi, where he tried to keep his mind away from Bokuto by focusing on learning more sign language. The Princess would be arriving in just a week, and some of her people had already arrived to see that everything was in place. Since she was his bride, Bokuto was required to sit through the long meetings with his father, and Akaashi could only imagine how restless and frustrated he must be. Especially considering Bokuto’s revelation last night, how he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to marry a girl, let alone the Princess, Akaashi found it hard to focus on the lessons.

Instead he thought of ways to cheer Bokuto up once he was finally freed of the meetings for dinner. Food would be first, of course, but then after maybe they could fence together. Or, Bokuto had talked about taking him to the stables. Akaashi had only seen horses from a distance, most were too afraid to enter the forest, so he was curious to see one up close. Regardless of what they did, Akaashi was determined to at least put a smile on Bokuto’s face for the night.

Kiyoko decided to call it quits when dusk settled in across the sky, and Akaashi sheepishly wondered if she’d noticed his mind hadn’t been fully on topic the whole day. He stood and bowed to the two of them, leaving them in the peace of Kiyoko’s study and eagerly setting out to find Bokuto. It took longer than expected, he still got easily turned around in the halls of the castle, but when he heard a familiar whine Akaashi made a beeline in that direction. Akaashi found Bokuto slumped against a door, face twisted into a grimace he’d never seen on the other man’s face before. Akaashi waved his hand to get Bokuto’s attention, but once he had it he was overcome with a mixture of excitement at finally seeing Bokuto again and worry at his expression and what had happened all day. Akaashi struggled with what to say, trying to sign variations of both Are you okay? and How can I help?

When he took too long trying to find the right signs to express himself, Bokuto crossed his arms and huffed.

“Just spit it out, Akaashi! I can’t understand anything you’re saying!” As soon as the words fell from his lips, Bokuto’s eyes widened and he launched himself off the door with a loud groan, rocketing past Akaashi and pulling at his hair with his hands. “Just leave me alone!”

Akaashi watched, stunned, as Bokuto’s back retreated down the hall. He’d wanted so badly to help and he had made it worse by not being able to properly communicate. Never before had he felt such a strong desire to drag Bokuto back to the forest and force the blessing on him, force him to say what had happened that caused him to lash out like that. Akaashi didn’t know the reason behind the pain on Bokuto’s face, but he knew he never wanted it to be because of him.

------

The outburst yesterday had shocked and worried Akaashi. It was sudden and uncharacteristic of Bokuto, at least from what he’d learned. He had only been here a week after all. Yachi made sure she was the one to deliver Akaashi his breakfast that morning so she could warn him Bokuto was in one of his “moods” again, though Akaashi had no idea what that meant. She didn’t see to Bokuto personally, but apparently the servants tried to warn each other as quickly as possible when this happened. Akaashi furrowed his brow and reached for the notebook, but Yachi read his face first.

“This happens sometimes, not a lot, but he gets really down on himself. Usually Kuroo-san tries to cheer him up. He’ll be okay though, he usually is…” Yachi moved along the edge of the bed, straightening sheets. Akaashi knew she could work much faster than she was and was grateful she was dragging her feet to talk to him. He picked up his notebook anyway, curious that everyone seemed to be okay with Bokuto being in such a bad mood.

How long? Akaashi wrote, holding it out for her to read.

“Oh. . .” Yachi trailed off and drew away from the bed. “No one knows. Sometimes hours, sometimes days, once he was like that for a couple of weeks. Only once though!” Yachi quickly added, Akaashi appreciated that she was trying to keep him from getting worried, but it happened anyway.

Can I visit? Were people off limits to him in this time? What if yesterday’s incident was the last time he spoke to Bokuto?

Yachi worried her lip, trying to think of a good answer to that question. “Well. . .” she said, nervously smoothing her shirt down. “You could try. No one’s forbidden from seeing him. He just might...not want to see you.” Akaashi nodded and scribbled Thank you. down on his pad of paper. He would go to see Bokuto, at least try to talk to him, and if Bokuto didn’t want to see him anymore then he’d wait. Yachi said these moods passed. He doubted the outburst was really directed at him, it was short and Bokuto ran away immediately after. It was likely he was on the receiving end of some frustration, and Akaashi wanted to be able to help.

Akaashi dressed quickly once Yachi left, he missed his soft feathers that he didn’t have to change daily, it was faster and more comfortable than any of the borrowed clothes and right now he wanted speed. The trip to Bokuto’s room was long and the hallways between the guest wing and Bokuto’s quarters were shockingly empty. Typically there would be guards patrolling, servants running around to do their daily work, and various courtesans touring the halls. Yachi said people tended to avoid the area when Bokuto was like this, but Akaashi couldn’t help but think how lonely that must make Bokuto feel. Bokuto thrived on other people, especially praise and interactions. The quiet walk gave Akaashi plenty of time to worry about Bokuto’s state of mind uninterrupted.

Akaashi heard voices as he approached Bokuto’s quarters and slowed his pace so they wouldn’t hear him. Part of him felt a little guilty for trying to eavesdrop, but he was here to gather information on Bokuto. Every little thing he could learn was vital. The inner sitting room was empty, but the door to the bedroom was ajar and Akaashi could see Kuroo standing next to a lump in the covers he assumed was Bokuto. He moved closer to the doorway slowly, listening in to their conversation.

“So? What happened?” Kuroo said, hoping to talk Bokuto through this funk.

“Man, you know what happened...I’m like the worst prince…” Came Bokuto’s muffled reply from under the covers. “Dad’s super pissed I’m too blunt…all that little stuff adds up! It makes me frustrated ‘cause I try, Kuroo. I fucking try and then stuff just goes up in fire anyway.”

“So you guys fought again?” Kuroo said that as more of a statement than a question, he wasn’t surprised. He also chose to overlook Bokuto’s misspoken metaphor, now wasn’t the time to correct him.

“Kinda...some...visiting dignitary had a really funny hat. So I told her that! It was a compliment, I didn’t think about it!” Bokuto’s face appeared from under the covers as he sat up in bed. “Anyway, it apparently ruined the meeting and now she’s so offended she won’t even talk to my dad…” Bokuto continued, covering his eyes with his arm.

“Dude her hat was a fake bird. That’s hilarious.” Kuroo said, and Akaashi had to stifle a laugh. “And anyway you know she’s always like that. If it wasn’t you it’ll be something else. Stuff like that doesn’t usually get you this down.” Kuroo was familiar with his best friends habits and was determined to draw the full story out of him.

“I yelled at Akaashi too.” Bokuto rolled over in bed, covering his forehead with his arm. “I was pissed off about being scolded by my dad ‘cuz I’m not a kid anymore and Akaashi was tryin’a say something and I snapped at him and it was so uncool...” Bokuto groaned at the memory of yesterday, covering himself back up with the covers only to have them yanked away by Kuroo.

“Dude, what? Why?” Kuroo raised his eyebrows at his friend, it was unlike Bokuto to actually snap at anyone.

“I don’t know! He was just there! I didn’t mean to…” Bokuto sat up in bed again and Akaashi ducked around the doorway to avoid being seen.

“Then apologize, bro.” Kuroo said.

“It’s not that simple!” Bokuto whined, followed by the sounds of a fist hitting a pillow.

“It’s exactly that simple. Say sorry, he’ll forgive you. Easy as pie.”

“Pie’s not easy…” Bokuto mumbled and Kuroo laughed obnoxiously, Akaashi assumed there must be a joke there that he’s missing.

“Look dude, I’ll tell Yachi to bring you breakfast. Eat and then go apologize to Akaashi. You’ll feel loads better.” Kuroo said, giving Akaashi a wink as he walked out. Akaashi then waited a few minutes after Kuroo left to knock on Bokuto’s bedroom door.

“Dude, I’m getting up okay…” Bokuto froze when he saw it was Akaashi sticking his head inside instead. “Akaashi! Hey! Um! Hold on! Can I get a second?” Akaashi nodded and went to sit in one of the chairs outside of Bokuto’s room. He emerged a few minutes later, still wearing his pajamas, and his hair was deflated and hanging in his eyes. While it was cute, Akaashi wished he could have seen it under different circumstances. Bokuto sunk into the chair next to Akaashi and sighed heavily.

“Akaashi…” He started slowly, picking at the arm of the chair. “I’m really sorry for what happened yesterday okay? I didn’t mean to say that stuff! I just get so frustrated and Dad was getting on my case…” Akaashi opened his notebook to respond, but Bokuto continued. “I know you’re still learning that sign stuff, I’m really bad at it and I always mess up or sign the wrong thing and I wish I could help you like Kiyoko does but I’m the worst prince…you’re probably so mad at me cuz I was rude to you.” Bokuto slid down in his chair and Akaashi frowned, scribbling furiously in his notebook.

You’re not. You’re a very good leader, with many friends. He held the notebook out to Bokuto and let him read it, before taking it back. I’m not mad at you. I’m worried. Everyone is a little stressed and sad sometimes but hiding away hurts more than helps. In the forest, animals that hid when they were hurt were the ones closest to dying. That thought drove panic deep into Akaashi’s core. Bokuto read the rest of Akaashi’s statement and laid his head down on the table.

“Akaashi, you’re the best. Like, if Kuroo weren’t already my best friend, it’d definitely be you.” Bokuto wasn’t looking at him but Akaashi smiled anyway. Hearing something like that made everything about this worth it.

You wanted to show me the stables. Akaashi took the notebook back, he was going to divert Bokuto’s attention from yesterday’s events, and get him out of his room if it was the last thing he did. Leaving him in here to stew on it seemed cruel.

“Yeah!! Yeah I did! Have you ever ridden before?” Bokuto asked, suddenly perking up. Akaashi shook his head, only because he’d always preferred to fly before and deer weren’t fond of being ridden.

“I can totally teach you that!! Lemme get dressed and stuff and I’ll meet you down there okay?” Akaashi nodded, and took his leave. In the hall he bumped into Yachi, who was bringing Bokuto’s breakfast like Kuroo asked.

“Oh! Is he feeling any better?” She sounded hesitant and Akaashi offered her a reassuring smile. He opened his notebook and underlined his last statement to Bokuto.

“The stables! You’re amazing if you getting him to leave his room. Even Kuroo can’t always accomplish that! I’ll make sure someone shows you down there!” Akaashi bowed at her and left, feeling pleased with himself and his work.

-------

Akaashi had only ever seen horses from a distance before. They were larger than deer, he knew, and they were easily startled by the magic they sensed deep within the forest. Akaashi couldn’t blame them, there were many forces humans were oblivious to, and not all of them were benevolent. Still, he was nervous when a kitchen maid led him down to the stables while on her way to deliver apples for the horses. Bokuto was already at the stables when Akaashi approached, brushing a horse and fitting it with a saddle. He waved with his whole arm when he saw Akaashi approach.

“Hey hey hey!! Akaashi! Are you ready to ride?” Bokuto said. Akaashi approached, but as he did the horse reared up, throwing its saddle off and whinnying loudly. Akaashi backed away and Bokuto held his hands up in an attempt to calm the horse down.

“Hey, woah! He probably just knows you’re nervous…” Bokuto said, but Akaashi knew it was because the horse knew he wasn’t human. No amount of potions or distance would disguise his true form from raw instinct, for even some more sensitive humans would feel uneasy around him. Akaashi couldn’t blame the horse for reacting so negatively. Once Bokuto had gotten the horse to still and settle, he got an apple from the bucket the maid had brought and held it out to Akaashi.

“Here, give him this. He might warm up to you if you feed him.” Bokuto walked with Akaashi towards the horse, holding Akaashi’s outstretched hand in his own. Bokuto’s presence, mixed with food, seemed to be enough to keep the horse calm as it took the apple from Akaashi’s palm. While the horse ate, Bokuto moved Akaashi closer and led his hand to the horse’s neck, stroking gently.

“You want to try and ride him?” After the few moments of silence Bokuto’s voice startled Akaashi, hot and quiet against his ear. Akaashi nodded, and Bokuto lifted Akaashi by the waist to help him up. Akaashi was surprised by the sudden movement but managed to swing his leg around to the other flank, ignoring the way Bokuto’s eyes lingered on his ass while he moved. Once Akaashi was seated, Bokuto swung himself up behind Akaashi, chest pressed heavily against Akaashi’s back. He was glad Bokuto couldn’t see his face. Bokuto showed Akaashi how to hold the reigns and then covered Akaashi’s hands with his own, so they both had a grip.

“Ready?” Bokuto asked. Akaashi took a deep breath, being on the horse still made him nervous, but the weight of Bokuto pressing against him was reassuring. He leaned in to Bokuto and nodded. Nothing could have prepared Akaashi for the way the horse took off when Bokuto dug his heels into its flank. Akaashi could hear Bokuto laughing in his ear over the sound of wind rushing past them as the horse galloped across the field. Once the initial shock faded Akaashi found himself laughing too, until tears stung at his eyes and the wind chapped his face.

They were both out of breath by the time Bokuto slowed the horse to a walk. Akaashi turned, smiling widely at Bokuto, a remnant of the laughter and adrenaline. Bokuto beamed back and Akaashi wished that he could hold on to this moment forever.

-------

On the day the Princess was scheduled to arrive, a few days before the ball announcing their engagement, Bokuto woke Akaashi up even earlier than he ever had before. Dawn hadn’t even broken before Bokuto let himself into Akaashi’s room and shook him awake.

“Akaashi! Akaashi, it’s important!” Bokuto said, face entirely too close as Akaashi blearily blinked his eyes. Once they were open, Bokuto took that as a signal to continue. “I’m freaking out. What if I don’t like her? What if she doesn’t like me? Kiyoko likes her okay…” Akaashi sat up in bed as Bokuto rambled, gathering his thoughts and his notebook.

Kiyoko is a very good judge of character. He finally wrote and tapped Bokuto’s arm to get his attention. Bokuto pursed his lips and crossed his arms.

“Yeah, okay, that’s true. But. I dunno.” Bokuto trailed off and seemed to be struggling with something more than he was saying. Akaashi found it very easy to read the other man, and he wasn’t going to let this slide.

What is it? He wrote, pushing the notebook at Bokuto persistently.

“Nah, I was just talkin’ to Kuroo about something. Be with me when she’s announced?” Bokuto asked suddenly and Akaashi was surprised. He knew he shouldn’t be, given how close they’d grown in a manner of just a week and a half. His stomach fluttered as he thought about the request and found himself nodding before he realized what was happening.

“Great! Great. That’ll help a lot Akaashi, you’re the best.” Bokuto slapped Akaashi on the back and Akaashi winced. No matter how many times that happened to him, he never got used to it. “I’ll let you go back to sleep then!” Bokuto slid off Akaashi’s bed and out the door, as if he’d never even been there. Akaashi drifted back to sleep, and for once Bokuto let him sleep in a little.

That afternoon, instead of going out to horse around in the practice field, Bokuto and Akaashi went to the main hall to officially greet the princess. Akaashi felt only dread and anxiety, refusing to call her his adversary in his mind. He was far from it, he was merely inhabiting the spot at Bokuto’s side that was rightfully hers. To shake any nasty thoughts from Akaashi’s mind he focused his attention on Bokuto, smiling in reassurance when the other glanced nervously at him. Yukie entered, followed by a small procession of what Akaashi could only assume was her “court” that the Queen spoke of. She was extravagantly dressed in a long, heavy gown and she curtsied before approaching Bokuto and Akaashi.

“Koutarou, we finally meet.” She smiled and Akaashi thought she was very pretty. Perhaps not beautiful like Kiyoko, but pretty enough that any rude dreams he had of Bokuto not liking her were dashed.

“Yeah! Sorry about last summer, Kuroo couldn’t leave so I went to see him instead…” Bokuto rubbed the back of his head nervously. “Anyway! This is Akaashi, my friend.” Bokuto gestured to Akaashi and Akaashi bowed in return.

Nice meet, you. Akaashi signed, he’d learned the phrase from Kiyoko specifically for the day.

“Ah! Kiyoko taught me some of that last summer. Nice to meet you too, Akaashi.” Yukie said and Akaashi let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “I forgot how long that trip was.” Yukie yawned widely, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Oh, I can show you to your room!” Bokuto perked up, this was something he was pretty sure he could do, and the look of approval from his mother affirmed that.

“Yes, thank you. I’d like a nap before dinner…” Bokuto led Yukie out of the hall and Akaashi hesitated a moment before following at a safe distance. He didn’t know what to do without Bokuto, so he would go back to his own room to wait. Bokuto chattered to Yukie as they walked towards the guest wing, her replies were quiet but they seemed to have an engaging conversation. At least Bokuto seemed engaged and Akaashi pointedly ignored the jealousy he felt welling in his gut. Yukie’s room was beyond his so he diverted when they passed his door. He should give them a little privacy to talk and get to know each other.

Akaashi had only just opened his window to lean out over the garden below when a loud knock at the door startled him. He opened it and Bokuto came in quickly, shutting the door behind him.

“Akaashi! Do you think that went okay?” He asked and Akaashi went for his notebook on the table.

It went fine. You did very well. Bokuto sank into the chair across for Akaashi and Akaashi slid the notebook over to him.

“Yeah? What did you think of her?”

She has a pretty smile. He replied, it was the best compliment he could think of.

“Not like yours, though. Yours is stunning.” Bokuto said, without skipping a beat. Color dusted Akaashi’s cheeks and ears and he focused on writing his reply instead of looking at Bokuto.

Thank you. Bokuto read it and then glanced towards the open window, thinking.

“It’s a little early, but d’you wanna go to the garden? It’s nice out.” Bokuto said, looking out the window at the plants below.

Gladly. Akaashi wrote and stood up to follow Bokuto out the door.

-------

Now that the princess had arrived, Akaashi fully expected that Bokuto would mostly forget about him. She was funny, beautiful, and he’d been so excited to meet her. Akaashi was disappointed of course, and felt mean for hoping Bokuto would be disinterested, but he tried to be happy that Bokuto would have someone who at least put up with his bad jokes. It was to Akaashi’s surprise that Bokuto still came to get him for breakfast the morning after her arrival. He was headed down anyway, since sulking was rude, but he opened the door to find Bokuto’s face.

“Oh! Akaashi!” Bokuto grinned and used his raised hand to rub the back of his neck. “Ready for breakfast? I had this crazy dream last night, you wouldn’t even believe-” Bokuto started walking and Akaashi quickly followed behind. He waited for a break in Bokuto’s story before tapping his arm to get his attention and signing the words:

Why here, you?

Bokuto gave him a confused look and he processed the hand movement. “Why...here…oh! Because it’s breakfast…?” Bokuto looked sheepish and Akaashi smiled, it was cute and made him a little bad for questioning his motives.

Princess? Akaashi signed across his body and Bokuto nodded quickly, he was familiar with that sign.

“Yeah, she’ll be there! Probably?” Bokuto paused and horror dawned on his face. “Oh shit! I should have gone to get her shouldn’t I? I was just so excited I had that dream and I wanted to tell you right away-” Bokuto pulled and his hair in frustration and Akaashi couldn’t help but laugh, reaching up to pull Bokuto’s hands away before he hurt himself. It was sweet that he was the first person Bokuto thought of in the morning, and he would be lying if he said it didn’t make him feel warm.

Do not worry. Akaashi signed over his face. He felt sour that he was glad Bokuto still wanted to pay attention to him, but he also didn’t want Bokuto’s mood to fall because he thought he’d made a mistake. Yukie seemed pleasant, he was sure she wouldn’t mind that Bokuto forgot. And if she did then she didn’t deserve Bokuto, and Akaashi wrinkled his nose at himself as soon as he had that thought.

Dream? Akaashi signed up and Bokuto nodded, launching back into his story as they entered the dining room. Yukie was already there with Kiyoko and Akaashi bowed before sitting.

“There he is.” Yukie smiled at them both while they sat down.

Always late. Kiyoko signed and Akaashi laughed.

“I am not! I was gettin’ Akaashi! Like always!” Bokuto whined and Akaashi laughed harder.

He was. Akaashi signed to Kiyoko and she nodded. Bokuto de-ruffled himself from Akaashi’s confirmation and immediately dug into the breakfast food. Akaashi followed suit, eating at least as much as Bokuto was.

“So, Koutarou, are you ready for tonight?” Yukie asked, already eating her breakfast.

Tonight? Akaashi signed, looking at Kiyoko and Bokuto curiously. Bokuto groaned with food still in his mouth. Akaashi shot him a look and he at least swallowed before answering.

“Yeah we got like...a performance tonight. The ballet.” He sounded less than enthused about it and Akaashi gave him a confused look. “Why can’t we play games or something instead!”

“Last year Bokuto fell asleep.” Yukie said, teasing him.

“Can you blame me? It’s so boring and it’s so hard to sit still that long…” Bokuto pouted and Akaashi swore his hair fell with him.

You should come. Kiyoko signed to Akaashi and Bokuto immediately perked up.

“Hey hey hey!! That’s a great idea! Akaashi you’re my guest, you gotta come!” His attitude was a complete reversal from earlier and Akaashi felt his chest warm. It was endearing the way the simplest things could perk Bokuto up immediately.

Yes. Akaashi signed, unable to really articulate just how excited he was. He didn’t know what the ballet was or what to expect, but Bokuto really wanted him to come and that was enough to convince him. Plus, if he was honest with himself, he was glad that he would be Bokuto’s guest rather than the Princess, whom he was sure Bokuto was supposed to take. So far it seemed like Bokuto really wasn’t interested in her after all, or at least more interested in him. For now Akaashi would enjoy the attention.

That evening, after dinner, Kiyoko sent Yachi to help Akaashi dress in his formal clothes. Akaashi asked her to explain what a ballet was as she dressed him and she did her best. She always took his weirder questions in stride and he was grateful she never pressed for more information. The suit he borrowed was of the same fine material that his usual clothes were but they were much stiffer, crisper, and tighter than he was used to. It was a little uncomfortable, but he didn’t mention that to Yachi.

When Akaashi was done dressing, Yachi led him out to the main hall where Kiyoko, Yukie, Kuroo, and Bokuto were waiting. Akaashi bowed to them all when he entered (he still didn’t have the hang of when that was appropriate) and only looked up when he heard Kuroo snort. Bokuto was staring at him, mouth open as if he was going to say something but stopped himself. Akaashi looked back, feeling warm under his intense gaze. It was times like these that Akaashi was reminded of just how sharp Bokuto’s eyes were and it was hard to look anywhere else. After a moment Kuroo slapped him on the back and Bokuto snapped his mouth shut.

“Dude! That hurt!” Bokuto whined, reaching behind to rub his sore back.

“You gazing into Akaashi’s eyes hurt way more, Bo.” Kuroo said with a smug grin.

“I wasn’t gazing into his eyes!” Bokuto said, the tips of his ears growing red. Akaashi snorted and Bokuto immediately diverted his attention away from Kuroo and towards Akaashi. “Anyway! It doesn’t matter.”

“We need to leave now.” Yukie shooed them all towards the door with her hands. “The walk to the theater is short but they might still start without us.” Akaashi made eye contact with her as he passed and she gave him a slight smile. He felt his heart skip with nerves and he swallowed, refocusing on Bokuto who was rambling next to him.

“Y’know, Akaashi…” Bokuto said, growing unnaturally quiet. “You do look really good in that suit! You always look good, but like! Wow!” Akaashi felt his face heat at Bokuto’s words, he always spoke with such honesty and Akaashi couldn’t tell if Bokuto was just voicing the thoughts that came to his head or if he meant anything by it. He tried not to hope too much. He signed the word “Thank you, you also” and Bokuto beamed at him. Akaashi couldn’t help the small smile that graced his lips in return and Bokuto gasped loudly.

“Dude your smile!! You never smile, but you’re really pretty! Is it weird to call a dude pretty?” That question seemed to be directed at Kuroo and Akaashi let them duke it out.

“It’s really gay, Bo.” Kuroo said.

“Okay, but is it weird.” Akaashi tried to ignore the way Bokuto skipped over the word gay. After their conversation earlier he knew how Bokuto felt in general, but how Bokuto felt about him was a mystery that itched under his skin and burned his insides.

“I dunno, ask Akaashi. He’s the one you called pretty.” Kuroo said, sending Bokuto’s attention back to Akaashi like a magnet.

“Akaashi! Is it weird that I called you pretty??” Bokuto asked, leaning in close and hanging on every word. Akaashi shook his head no, and Bokuto shouted triumphantly.

“Great! Because you really are!” Bokuto pumped his fist in the air and Akaashi tried to hold in his laughter as they entered the theater. Most people had already found their seats and they were brought to the royal box by an usher immediately. Bokuto insisted that Akaashi sit next to him, and Yukie sat on his other side. Kiyoko and Yachi sat next to Yukie, and Kuroo took the final seat by Akaashi. Akaashi had the feeling that he was intruding, that he’d displaced someone from their proper spot but Bokuto insisted that they sit together and Akaashi wasn’t going to argue against it.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the lights dimmed and the orchestra started, grateful for something to hold his attention. Despite Bokuto’s complaints Akaashi found the ballet amazing; the dancers reminded him of the way fae would glide across Koushi’s lake when it rained, flitting between raindrops. It made him homesick, made him miss his siblings, but it was beautiful.

Halfway through the performance Akaashi felt a warm weight on his shoulder and looked down to find Bokuto sleeping peacefully. Akaashi smiled and shifted a little so Bokuto would be more comfortable as he slept. After that it was harder to pay attention to the dancers between Bokuto’s warm breath and Yukie’s glances. He tried instead to focus on the way Bokuto’s hair tickled his cheek, and when Bokuto shifted and let his arm fall across Akaashi’s lap, Akaashi gave up on watching the ballet entirely. Instead he traced along Bokuto’s palm and fingers with his own, lacing their fingers together as Bokuto slept.

Kuroo nudged Akaashi as it was ending and Akaashi shook Bokuto to wake him up. He yawned loudly and groaned, rubbing his face. He looked confused as everyone else stood but followed while they left.

“What happened?” He asked Akaashi as they were leaving. Akaashi hadn’t brought his notebook, and he struggled a minute to think of what to sign. Eventually he settled on the sign for “sleep” and hoped Bokuto understood.

“Aw man, I fell asleep? I didn’t drool on you did I?” Bokuto asked, and Akaashi shook his head. In reality he had no idea if Bokuto had drooled on him, he hadn’t been paying attention to that. Their walk back to the castle was quiet, it was late and Bokuto, easily the loudest, was still groggy from his nap. He still insisted on making sure Akaashi made it back to his room, and to Akaashi’s chagrin, Yukie stepped forward to volunteer.

“We’re both in the guest wing, I’ll walk with him.” She offered and Bokuto, still in his sleepy state, nodded.

“Yeah! That’s a great idea! See you in the morning Akaashi.” With that Bokuto went off in the opposite direction, leaving Akaashi and Yukie alone.

“He’s very sweet on you.” Yukie said and Akaashi couldn’t bring himself to look at her. He didn’t have his notebook, but he didn’t really have a response anyway. She was supposed to marry Bokuto, he knew that, and he knew it was unfair of him to keep taking Bokuto’s attention. But he has so little time left before he returned to the forest. Then she would have Bokuto all to herself.

“You’re sweet on him too.” Akaashi felt his cheeks heat up and she reached out to tap one with her finger. “Goodnight, Akaashi.” He finally looked up to see the door of his room, he hadn’t even realized they were this close. He quickly bowed to her and dashed inside, relieved that the conversation was over, if it could even be called a conversation. He couldn’t help but feel badly, he knew he shouldn’t be acting this way, he knew he should try to direct Bokuto’s attention towards her, but he liked the attention and he liked Bokuto.

It was only one more day.

-------

That night, Akaashi woke up to the sound of rain pattering against the windows. He got up and looked outside at the garden below, feeling the magic thrum in his fingers like thousands of tiny heartbeats reaching out to him. Immediately he knew he needed to share this with Bokuto, tomorrow was the ball and this might be the last chance Akaashi had to spend time with him. He slipped shoes on and ran down the hall, by now familiar with where Bokuto’s room was. Akaashi shook Bokuto awake and pulled the groggy man down the hall and out a garden door. Bokuto was heavy and difficult to steer but once the cold rain hit his face, he fully woke up and took in his surroundings. Akaashi turned around, walking backwards out into the rain with his hands outstretched towards Bokuto. Bokuto followed, reaching for him.

“Akaashi? Why are you out here?” Bokuto asked and Akaashi simply motioned for him to keep following. He lead Bokuto to the most flower-dense part of the garden and finally took Bokuto’s hands in his, spreading the warmth he felt from the flowers singing in the rainfall. Akaashi grinned wide at Bokuto and Bokuto couldn’t help but smile back, eyes lighting up brighter than the moon.

Akaashi spun them around, slipping on the stones and mud and Bokuto laughed, rain covering his face and flattening his hair. Akaashi felt overcome with intense affection and he reached a hand up to Bokuto’s face, pulling him down so their lips could meet. It was wet and slippery, their noses bumped together and Bokuto’s lips were chapped but he was warm and close and Akaashi enjoyed every second before pulling away. He let his hands slip down Bokuto’s cheeks and for just a second he swore he felt Bokuto leaning forward. Akaashi signed Thank you and turned back towards the castle, leaving a stunned Bokuto behind in the rain.

-------

Akaashi didn’t see Bokuto at all the next morning. Yachi came to his room to wake him up with the suit he was meant to wear later that day. She told him he didn’t have to put it on now, and most people wouldn’t begin to get ready until the afternoon, but she wanted to drop it off now and explain how the day would work.

“I’ll be helping Kiyoko get ready, but I can send someone here if you’re worried!” She said, placing breakfast on the table for him. Since everyone was busy with preparations there wouldn’t be a formal breakfast like usual. Akaashi hadn’t had time to regret what he’d done last night until he realized Bokuto’s absence at the table.

“Bokuto-san will be with his father and mother the whole morning, making sure everything is set up properly...you probably won’t see him until the ball.” She continued, taking an older set of clothes from the wardrobe. Akaashi pushed the food on his plate around with his fork, he wasn’t sure Bokuto would even want to see him after last night. It was fun, Akaashi shared a little bit of himself with Bokuto, but then he had ruined it with the kiss. Admittedly he didn’t stay around to see Bokuto’s reaction, but he didn’t want to. Bokuto wasn’t his, and never would be.

Yachi left Akaashi alone with his thoughts. No one, except Kuroo, knew that this would be his last day. He wished he could say goodbye to Kiyoko and Yachi, and even the Queen who had been nothing but welcoming. Even more than that, he wanted to say goodbye to Bokuto, but the more he dwelled on his conversation with Yukie and the events of last night, he didn’t think it would be a good idea. Tonight was to celebrate the official engagement of Bokuto and Yukie. A political bond that would serve both their kingdoms well according to the Queen, and Akaashi felt like he was getting in the way of something more important than what he could offer.

Akaashi spent the morning drafting various letters he wanted to leave behind for Kiyoko and Yachi. The wanted to at least thank them for their kindness and understanding, even if he couldn’t full explain the situation to them. He told them that he had to leave, that he was expected back home, and thanked them graciously for everything that they’d done for him. He wished Bokuto and Yukie well, and he sincerely hoped that they could be happy. He hoped that Yukie would be patient when Bokuto experienced his moods, and that she would understand his need to pace while he thought out loud about everything.

When the sun began dipping down in the sky Akaashi got ready in the suit Yachi had brought him, nervously toying at the cuffs. It was similar to the one he’d had for the ballet, and he remembered the warmth and roughness of Bokuto’s hand as he ran his fingers over his own palm. Akaashi quashed the urge to cry and prepared the letters for Yachi and Kiyoko on the table. Yachi would find them, or at least another servant would and hopefully pass them along. When he heard voices in the hall he stepped out to follow a few of the other guests that had arrived throughout the past few days. He could tell the potion was already beginning to lose effect, as no one paid him any attention when he slipped in the ballroom with everyone else.

He watched from the crowd as Yukie was announced, she looked just as stunning as she did the day she arrived, clearly very dressed up for the ball. She looked happier than Akaashi had ever seen her look and it helped to harden his resolve. She was happy, she deserved Bokuto more than he ever would. Akaashi’s heart clenched in his chest when he heard Bokuto’s name called and watched him enter the hall. He allowed himself, from a distance, to admire the way the suit was tailored exactly to Bokuto’s body, if this was the last time he would see Bokuto he would at least let himself enjoy it. Bokuto looked around as if he were looking for someone, and Akaashi felt his feet carry himself forward as if to say, I’m here, but he froze when Bokuto saw Yukie and smiled widely. Bokuto leaned over to say something in her ear and she laughed, nodding in agreement and patting Bokuto on the arm.

Bokuto looked ecstatic. Almost as excited as he did when he was sharing owl stories or teaching Akaashi to fence, the face Bokuto wore only when he was doing something he loved. Akaashi’s heart dropped to his feet and he backed off into the crowd. To show up now would only ruin the moment. Bokuto deserved every ounce of happiness the world could give him and then some, and Akaashi had no right to interfere in that. It was time for him to move on, to go home. He learned what he’d come here to see, and he thought grimly about Kenma’s words from before, when he’d first proposed the idea.

He had indeed set himself up for far more hurt than any happiness he gained from these two weeks.

Chapter Text

Akaashi walked the long way back to the forest, giving himself plenty of time to ruminate over the previous weeks. He finally allowed himself to feel self-pity, while he couldn’t bring himself to regret the path he had chosen, he knew deep in his heart that if he had to pick he wouldn’t want to forget those evenings in the garden and afternoons in the field for all the happiness in the world.

At first Akaashi was angry. Not at Bokuto, it wasn’t his fault Akaashi fell in love with him. He was angry with himself, angry that he went through with the plan, angry that he stayed for so long, angry that he kissed Bokuto that night before he left. Akaashi’s mind felt cloudy, it was difficult to think about anything other than the events of the past couple weeks. At home, most of the animals and fae avoided him. It was unusual to see Akaashi exhibiting so much negative emotion and no one knew quite what to do. Many went to find Tooru and Koushi but were told that Akaashi needed time and space.

The owls were the only creatures willing to go near Akaashi. The smaller ones pressed against his hands until he stopped sobbing and stroked them in slow, heavy motions. The motions allowed him to slow his breathing, giving him a few moments of peace. He told them about Bokuto and all they things they did together. He told them about how much Bokuto liked owls, how they would probably like him even though he was loud.

“He’s gentle when he’s concentrating,” Akaashi whispered to one of the smaller owls nestled against his hand. “And very intense.”

After the anger subsided Akaashi lapsed back into a calm self pity. He loved Bokuto so much it hurt – Bokuto’s smile, his laugh, the way his eyes lit up when anyone showed interest in what he was saying or doing. It was like his brain was punishing him on an endless loop, taunting him with images of something he could never have, never touch, again.

He tried to ignore the crushing tightness he felt around his ribs, tried to talk to the owls about something else, but it never worked. His eyes were painful and itchy, rubbed raw from his hands and tears. Nymphs weren’t meant to fall in love with humans – they weren’t meant to experience the devastating pain that came with heartbreak.

Akaashi felt like a fog had settled over his mind. Moving from the moss floor of the forest proved difficult, his limbs were heavy and even forming into an owl seemed impossible. He grew afraid that spending time away from the forest had robbed him of his magic, that he was doomed to haunt the forest forever both out of touch with his own home, and the one he’d tried to join with Bokuto. A week passed like that. An entire week of Akaashi moping, hiding in the trees and avoiding Tooru and Koushi, a week of allowing himself to wallow in his own pity.

“Akaashi!” At first he thought he was dreaming. An illusion of his mind, or a fae that was trying to cheer him up through imitation. He waiting for it to pass but the yelling persisted, so Akaashi pulled himself up and went after it. At the very least it was encouraging him to move from his spot.

“Akaashi!” The call was closer to the edge of the forest than Akaashi had been in weeks. He could see the sunlight breaking patterns through the leaves on the forest floor and wondered how long it had been since he felt the sun on his cheeks as he and Bokuto parried well into the evening. He just wanted more time with Bokuto, more time to feel his fingertips, more time to laugh at his terrible jokes, more time to learn about the things he enjoyed, the stories he had to tell. To only have two weeks was cruel.

“Akaashi!” Akaashi entered a clearing near the entrance of the forest, close to Kenma’s house. He watched as Bokuto paced around the area, looking completely hopeless. It was strange, Bokuto wasn’t supposed to be here he was supposed to be with Yukie, they were supposed to be together now. Yukie was supposed to replace Akaashi. Right now, she should be feeling Bokuto’s fingers linger on hers as he taught her the proper way to hold a sword, or keep tally as he and Kuroo sparred. Her fiance shouldn’t be here, wearing down a path in the grass as he circled the trees.

“Akaashi…” He watched as Bokuto finally stopped his pacing, only to sit with his back against a tree. Akaashi’s stomach twisted at the sight of a dejected Bokuto; he had promised himself the first time he saw that face that he’d never wanted to be the source of it. He had never wanted to be the reason Bokuto’s brows creased together, cuts worried into his lips by anxious teeth. He desperately wanted to comfort Bokuto, to ease the lines from his face and make him smile again, Please let me see you smile again.

Before he could take action, a young owl flew down into Bokuto’s lap instead. It was for the best, Akaashi knew he shouldn’t involve himself with Bokuto any more than he already had, and he was grateful for the baby for doing what he didn’t have the courage to.

“Hey hey hey, little buddy…” Bokuto crooned, reaching up to gently stroke the owl’s feathers. “Have you seen a guy named Akaashi around? He’s the most beautiful person ever, impossible to miss.” The owl squeaked at Bokuto, of course he knew who Akaashi was. They sat together in silence for several minutes while Akaashi watched, crouched on an upper branch with his arms wrapped tight around his legs. He couldn’t bring himself to go to Bokuto; he knew he couldn’t have him and any contact now would be too painful. Bokuto was in love with Yukie, Akaashi could tell by the way they smiled at each other. He needed to remember that.

When the sun started to set Bokuto heaved a heavy, strangled sigh and shifted the owl so he could get up. “Akaashi…” Bokuto’s call was quiet, more like a whine, before turning to walk back the way he came. Akaashi watched his back for a moment before dashing off in the opposite direction, fleeing deeper into the forest in hopes of sparing himself from more heartbreak. He found a cool, mossy spot behind some rocks and curled up, allowing fresh sobs to rip from his chest.

--------

After that encounter, Akaashi refused to follow Bokuto’s voice when he heard him calling; he couldn’t subject himself to that again. He didn’t even leave his alcove until he heard Kenma’s cool voice on the wind, asking him to visit. It was rare for Kenma to expend magic just for an invitation, and Akaashi couldn’t ignore it. As Akaashi walked he realized just how quiet the forest was, and just how alone he’d been. The owls stayed with him, but he hadn’t sought out Koushi or Tooru in ages. He was too embarrassed, he knew they’d heard of how he’d been acting and he didn’t want to face them in his shame. It was the same with Kenma, he realized when he found himself outside the witch’s door and suddenly he wasn’t sure he wanted to answer this call. As if Kenma could sense Akaashi’s hesitation, the door swung open and Akaashi was met face to face with said witch anyway.

“Keiji.” Kenma said and Akaashi bowed his head, he avoided greeting with formalities, choosing instead to enter the house quietly. He knew from Kenma’s tone that he was in trouble and it would be smarter to let Kenma talk first. “Please talk to Koutarou.” Kenma was looking at him, directly, and it was startling. His gaze was even more intense than Bokuto’s, but in a different way. When Kenma looked at him directly like that Akaashi felt as if Kenma knew everything that ever was, and ever would be, about Akaashi Keiji.

“Talk to him?” Akaashi was taken aback by the request. Hadn’t Kenma been the one who warned him against the whole idea?

“He’s getting very annoying.” Kenma said, finally tearing his gaze away from Akaashi and back to the herbs he was preparing for storage. “He seems to think I know you and won’t leave me alone.” Akaashi didn’t know how Bokuto knew he knew Kenma, though it was likely that he was only assuming because they both lived in the forest.

“Wait, he’s been here?” Kenma’s words finally caught up to Akaashi and he was startled. He knew Bokuto sometimes came to the forest looking for him, but to seek out Kenma was more extreme than he thought.

“Every day. I’ve tried to ask Kuro to tell him to leave, but it’s not working.” Kenma sounded exasperated and Akaashi felt guilty. Bokuto moved like a hurricane, loud and destructive, even if he didn’t mean to be. Kenma valued the quiet and peace, having Bokuto in his house must take a lot of patience Kenma didn’t want to spend.

“What would I say? Why is he visiting you?” Akaashi asked, kicking himself for thinking about what he hoped Kenma would say. That Bokuto missed him, wanted him to come back, was hurt that he left, wasn’t happy with Yukie. They were ugly thoughts and Akaashi hated them. He was so wrapped up in his own ruminations he almost missed Kenma’s reply.

“He misses you and wants to know why you left.” Oh. The silence was heavy on Akaashi as Kenma let him take time to compose himself.

“He does?” Akaashi eventually said, lamely. He hated that he was suddenly so ineloquent and unable to process his own thoughts and emotions.

“The potion should be wearing off by now, right? You should be able to talk to him. Please, before he breaks anything else.” Kenma said, stacking some jars on top of each other.

“The spell wore off the night I came back.” Akaashi said slowly, taking some jars from Kenma. Was there something he’d missed before?

“The glamour wore off the night you came back.” Kenma replied, completely unphased by Akaashi’s sudden confusion. “But, you did experience things as a human for a while. That takes longer to go away.” Suddenly Akaashi’s inability to do much more than feel foggy, painful emotions made sense. He felt embarrassed for the way he’d been acting and it was true that lately it had been getting easier, but he thought that meant he was simply getting over Bokuto.

“I’ve still been under the effects of the potion this whole time?” Akaashi asked.

“Probably. I did warn you you were setting yourself up for hurt.” Kenma said and Akaashi blanched.

“I didn’t know that’s what you meant!” Akaashi almost shouted, reeling himself in at the last moment. What a terrible side effect of something, to feel like you’re living in a fog for so long.

“Well. You’re sad about Koutarou, that’s not the potion. But it likely amplified it. It would have amplified everything.” Akaashi finished stacking the jars for Kenma and thought on that. If it amplified anything had it also amplified his love? He still felt a lot of attachment and fondness for Bokuto, that hadn’t gone away even if his loathing and pain had.

“It doesn’t mean you don’t love him.” Kenma supplied, as if he could read Akaashi’s thoughts. “But whatever you think, please talk to him.” That was Akaashi’s signal that their conversation was over. Kenma was tired from expelling energy to protect his house from Gale Force Bokuto, and needed quiet to relax in. Akaashi bowed and left, retreating back into the forest with a lot more to think about. He wished Kenma had told him about the residual side effects of masking yourself as a human, and not in the strange roundabout way witches sometimes spoke.

--------

Akaashi gave himself a day to recover. His conversation with Kenma broke the spell of grief and self pity that hung over him and he was able to think about his situation much more clearly. Akaashi was never one for such dramatics before, that had always been Tooru’s territory. He was the one who would grow restless with boredom, exaggerating every movement until he received what he wanted. Akaashi prided himself on being even, level headed, observant, and he was shocked at himself for so easily losing sight of that.

He realized that the proper thing to do would have been to talk to Bokuto, before the spell faded, but he was done beating himself up now. He would talk to Bokuto the next time he visited the forest. Right now he needed a game plan, and he needed the help of his siblings. Akaashi steeled himself for the conversation to come.

“Well, well, well!” A voice crooned from the trees as Akaashi approached the shore to Koushi’s lake. “Finally done wallowing?” Tooru dropped from the trees to land gracefully in front of Akaashi, pulling him into a crushing hug. Akaashi allowed it to happen, grateful for the comfort his sibling offered him.

“I wish I could refute that.” Akaashi said, his own way of admitting that he realized now what he had been doing was ridiculous. He wouldn’t bother explaining the after effects of the potion to Tooru, there was no point. Tooru had either already figured it out, or had asked Kenma directly. Behind them the water rippled and Koushi emerged, fluffing his hair with his hands.

“Glad you’re back, because your boyfriend is scaring all the animals. The fish refuse to come out from the bottom of the lake.” He said said, smiling at Akaashi. Koushi was teasing and it worked, Akaashi blushed and toyed with his fingers out of embarrassment.

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s getting married to someone else.” He admitted, and Tooru clicked his tongue.

“Well he’s pretty bad at it. He comes here yelling for you every day, Keiji!” Tooru huffed, taking a seat on a stone near Koushi.

“He doesn’t seem to like whoever he’s marrying as much as he likes you.” Koushi agreed, motioning for Akaashi to come sit with them at the water’s edge. When he did Koushi began gently cleaning his face using the water from the lake, wiping away any residual dirt and salt.

“She’s nice…” Akaashi closed his eyes and let Koushi work, already feeling his face grow less puffy and raw. “But he always went to me first. I felt mean for it, taking him away. I still do. It’s not my place.”

“You’re right, it’s his.” Tooru said. “It’s not up to you or her to make the choice of who he likes for him. If he likes you more that’s not your fault. Or her fault. You don’t get to make a choice for others just because you think it’s right.” Tooru was always good at delivering harsh advice, and Akaashi knew he was right. Everything was ultimately up to Bokuto to decide. It wasn’t a competition between Yukie or Akaashi, and it wasn’t Akaashi’s place to decide for the prince and sacrifice himself.

“You need to talk to him.” Koushi said.

“Kenma already asked me to. Bokuto-san has been bothering him in his house.” Koushi and Tooru both laughed and Akaashi couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto his face. It was the first time he’d smiled since he left, and it felt good.

“Well if Kenma has asked you to then you definitely have to. Next time he comes, give him your blessing and let him see you.” Koushi dried Akaashi’s face and he felt much better. He knew he should have sought out his siblings mucher sooner than he did, but he was grateful now that they were patient with him.

“I will.”

--------

Akaashi swallowed hard. Kenma had said he’d stopped by every day since the potion wore off, what if Bokuto needed something important? Bokuto never mentioned anything terrible to the owls, and he wasn’t one to keep a secret easily. He waiting for Bokuto to come the next day, looking just as despondent has he had the last time Akaashi answered his call. With Koushi and Tooru’s pep talk fresh in his mind Akaashi dropped into the clearing, landing in front of Bokuto. Bokuto froze, hearing the moss and grass shift under Akaashi’s feet as he landed. He couldn’t see anything, but he knew something was there.

“Hello? Hey?” His eyes were wide with alarm, and Akaashi tried to resist the urge to laugh at the owlish way Bokuto spun his head around, searching for the source of the noise. Akaashi took another deep, unheard breath to prepare himself. With a sudden burst of determination he quickly licked his thumbs and swiped them over Bokuto’s eyes, ears, and lips, desperately hoping that there was enough wonder in him for the magic to take hold.

“What the hell was that!” As soon as Akaashi touched him Bokuto jerked and flailed as if he’d walked into a spider web. He desperately rubbed at his face and slowly looked around, blinking as if he were truly seeing the space for the first time. He was briefly dumbstruck and Akaashi, overcome with emotion, laughed. Bokuto’s eyes immediately snapped to him and his face lit up like a thousand stars dotting the night sky.

“Akaashi!” Bokuto immediately started towards Akaashi, and then hesitated. “Wait. Akaashi.” Despite what his brain was telling him, how awful of an idea this was, how he couldn’t ever be yours, Akaashi’s heart flew as Bokuto said his name, rolling and halting on the double a.

“Yes, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi said, bringing his hands in front of him to toy with his fingers. Bokuto’s gaze was intense and Akaashi knew it was because he was really seeing Akaashi for the first time. Akaashi as a nymph, not dimmed by human glamour but ethereal in his natural state.

“Fuck...you’re beautiful, Akaashi.” Any rebuttal Akaashi had was cut off by Bokuto’s mouth on his, warm and heavy. Akaashi’s body froze, he felt Bokuto’s fingers curl around his waist and his mind and heart beat out of sync as he tried to process. Finally his eyes slipped closed and he melted into Bokuto’s touch, his fingers slowly sliding up Bokuto’s neck and tangling in his hair to keep their bodies as close together as possible. Akaashi drank in every detail about the kiss, Bokuto’s rough, chapped lips scraping against his own and the way his teeth would just barely catch his bottom lip. When their lungs started to burn Bokuto pulled away for a breath, pressing his forehead against Akaashi’s. All Akaashi could see was the vibrant gold of Bokuto’s eyes, boring into him with a raw intensity that made Akaashi’s very being quiver.

“Wait...Akaashi, did you just speak?” Bokuto jerked back, his brain finally catching up to everything that had just happened.

“Yes, Bokuto-san. I’m glad you still have your hearing.” Akaashi said, trying to hide the smallest of smiles.

“You can speak!” Bokuto reached up and ran his thumb across Akaashi’s lips. “How? Why? Why are you so beautiful? No, wait! You were beautiful before, I didn’t mean-- !”

“Bokuto-san, it’s fine. I understood what you meant.” Akaashi smoothed bits of Bokuto’s hair back into place from where his fingers pulled it down. He allowed himself to be enveloped in Bokuto’s warmth, his palm heavy on Akaashi’s hip.

“Okay, so how? You definitely couldn’t talk before. Any you weren’t so. Soft. Glowy.” Bokuto chewed his lip searching for the right word and Akaashi resisted the urge to kiss him again.

“Magical.” He offered instead, pulling his eyes away from Bokuto’s mouth.

“Yeah! That. You’re magical.” Bokuto watched him, waiting for an explanation as his eyes pierced every inch of Akaashi, still amazed by the other’s very existence.

“I’m a nymph. A guardian of the forest.” Akaashi said, distracting himself from Bokuto’s gaze by trailing his fingers over Bokuto’s shoulder.

“A nymph.” Bokuto processed that, but he’d never been one to delve into myths so he was only barely familiar with the concept. Akaashi read the confusion on Bokuto’s face and sighed. He recounted their first meeting before Akaashi even knew his name, omitting the infatuation he’d felt almost immediately, and told Bokuto the story of how he came to meet Bokuto. Unfortunately, Bokuto must have picked up on at least a little, based on the shit-eating grin Akaashi swore Kuroo taught him.

“So you were drawn in by my stunning good looks, huh!” He boasted, and if he were an owl Akaashi knew he would be preening.

“Something like that.” Akaashi admitted, he’d spent too much of the past few weeks lamenting Bokuto that he didn’t have it in him to lie anymore.

“So why’d you run away? I get it, with the potion or whatever, but. You wrote a note to Kiyoko.” And not me, Bokuto left unsaid, hurt evident in his voice. It cut Akaashi, and he shifted against Bokuto.

“I’m sorry. You’re marrying Yukie, it was better to leave without a fuss.” Akaashi said, finally bringing his attention back to Bokuto’s face in time to see an odd expression.

“No I’m not.” Bokuto said and Akaashi’s brow furrowed.

“I saw you two at the ball, before I left. You both looked very happy.” He was confused, that was the whole point of the ball wasn’t it? To announce their engagement?

“Yeah, we were! We are. We’re both happy we’re not getting married.” Bokuto said, grinning at the confused look growing on Akaashi’s face. “Turns out neither of us were that excited to be engaged. When we met that morning Yukie admitted she’s not even into guys. Can you imagine? At least I like girls!” Bokuto laughed and Akaashi desperately wanted to laugh with him, but he was having a hard time following this development.

“And you just...decided you weren’t going to marry each other.” That didn’t make sense, if that had always been the case then surely they wouldn’t have been engaged to begin with.

“Well...no, it’s not that simple.” Bokuto visibly drooped. “It was a political thing, you know. So they’re still working out the agreements. And my dad is really pissed it got called off and that I’ve been gone so much.”

“I’m not following you, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi’s grasp on the human world was tenuous at best, all the time he’d spent there he’d spent focusing on Bokuto, rather than everything in general.

“Like. Me an’ Yukie were supposed to get married as part of some trade deal. But the morning of the ball she just. Told me she didn’t like guys and didn’t want to marry me. It kinda stung at first, not because I was all about marrying her but! Rejected, ouch!” Bokuto laughed and rubbed his hair with a hand. “Then she told my parents the same thing. Dad’s convinced I fucked it up somehow.” Akaashi thought back to his one sided conversation with Yukie the night before he’d left. You’re sweet on him too. At the time Akaashi was too ashamed to look at her face when she’d said that, but now he wished he had.

Silence hung as Akaashi processed what that meant. What this meant. Bokuto had come, every day for two weeks, looking for him. Bokuto sought him out, told the owls all about him as if they didn’t know already. If he had any more tears left to cry he would have spilled them there, mentally kicking himself for all the anguish he caused, trying to do what he thought was right. He’d spent so long telling himself that Bokuto was off limits, an unattainable dream from the moment he saw him, that he never even let himself consider what if it wasn’t. What if, as they stood here with Bokuto’s arms wrapped around his waist, Bokuto was just as charmed by Akaashi as Akaashi was by him.

He’d wasted so much time feeling sorry for himself. Akaashi ran his hands down Bokuto’s arms, allowing himself to take his time and enjoy the way Bokuto’s muscle rippled under his fingertips. Bokuto was unusually quiet and Akaashi’s pulled his eyes up to meet the sharp gold gaze. The air was heavy with everything their actions had said but their mouths hadn’t.

“Bokuto-san.” Akaashi broke the silence.

“Koutarou.” Bokuto corrected in a whisper, as if he wanted to preserve the spells of the forest.

“Koutarou.” Akaashi repeated, rolling his name in his mouth. “I want to show you something.” Akaashi finally, regretfully, pulled away from Bokuto’s arms and took his hand, leading him deeper into the forest than he’d ever been before. Bokuto was loud behind him, asking rhetorical questions and making obvious statements that didn’t merit any replies. Bokuto had opened up and shared his whole world with Akaashi, without really knowing who he was. It was only fair that Akaashi did the same.

They reached a clearing hidden by brush, lush green and untouched by any outside forces. Trees clustered close together covered in moss, masking the area in a soft quiet. Akaashi pursed his lips and hooted softly, immediately drawing the attention of Bokuto and several owls.

“Akaashi?” Bokuto questioned, fixing his eyes back on the nymph in front of him.

“Keiji.” This time it was Akaashi’s turn to correct. “My name isn’t Akaashi. Some call me Akaashi, but my name is Keiji.” Several owls had begun to appear, aroused from their sleep by Akaashi’s voice and curious about who he’d brought with him. Bokuto was torn between looking at the owls and looking at Akaashi, and Akaashi tightened his grip on Bokuto’s hand. He wasn’t ready to let go yet, so please don’t. Fortunately he didn’t have to, as the owl who had been Bokuto’s companion wiggled its way out of a hollow in a tree and flew to Bokuto.

“You! You knew the whole time!!” Bokuto said accusingly, causing Akaashi to laugh.

“He’s just a baby.” Akaashi said, holding out his arm for the owl to land on.

“What is this place?” Bokuto asked as he moved closer to Akaashi and the owl.

“My home. You shared yours with me, so I’ll share mine with you.” Akaashi did not share just how intimate this offering was. Not even Tooru, his closest forest sibling, entered this area. Nymphs were very close with each other, relying on each other for support and protection, but to go into someone else’s space was akin to entering their soul, it was finding yourself at the very center of their being and viewing them in their utmost raw, vulnerable form. By bringing Bokuto here Akaashi was laying himself at Bokuto’s feet, exposing himself down to the very core.

Akaashi had wanted to trust Bokuto from the day he laid eyes on him in the forest clearing and now, watching him ruffle the feathers of the small owl hooting on Akaashi’s arm, he felt that he could. Akaashi let the atmosphere hang heavily over them as Bokuto met the owls Akaashi watched over for as long as he could, until it became obvious Bokuto was getting restless staying in one place for so long.

“Let me show you the forest, Koutarou.” Akaashi took Bokuto’s hand and led him away from the mossy clearing.

“Can I see it the way you see the garden?” Bokuto asked and it caught Akaashi off guard. There were many beautiful flowers in the garden, most of them probably from this very forest, but Akaashi didn’t understand what he meant. “You know. You’d squat down in ‘em and the sun would set behind you and it’d outline you in this...light, and you just. Always looked so serene and beautiful.” Bokuto trailed off. If he’d had more self awareness he would have been embarrassed, Akaashi certainly was.

“Ah, that’s...we can watch the sunset, of course. But for now, let me show you everything else first.” Akaashi took him around to meet all the animals of the forest: deer, foxes, rabbits. Some were wary at first, remembering the anguish Akaashi had been in when he returned. But Bokuto easily won them over with his smile so bright that Akaashi was sure he would never need to leave the forest to see the sun again. Why would he, when he had something so much brighter and warmer than any star could ever dream of. When Bokuto expressed dismay at having eaten them, Akaashi laughed and assured him that this deep into the trees, they were not likely actual animals but rather spirits and fae manifesting as such, and it was unlikely that Bokuto had ever eaten one before.

That prompted Bokuto to want to meet the fae, and Akaashi called them out; the ones who chose not to take animal forms and instead appeared as wisps or strange creatures. They liked Bokuto a lot, he was boisterous and easily tricked, but good natured about their pranks. He found them funny, and Akaashi found himself more and more drawn to Bokuto as he watched the fae dart around with Bokuto clumsily following. Akaashi had never seen the forest so alive and so welcoming before. It was likely because he had brought Bokuto to them, but he wondered if it wasn’t also the way Bokuto was so naturally charming and charismatic. He drew happiness to him like a beacon, and returned in twice in full when he smiled.

Akaashi was so in love it hurt. But this time, instead of a painful crushing ache in his chest it was warm light, spread throughout his body to the very tips of his fingers. If Akaashi were going to cry now it would be for an entirely different reason. He kept an eye on the sky through the trees, and when it was time he tapped Bokuto on the arm to get his attention before transforming into his owl shape. Bokuto gasped and his eyes flew wide, but all he could do was follow as Akaashi soared up through the trees, landing on the very top branch. Bokuto’s head appeared moments later and he immediately reached out to stroke Akaashi’s back.

“Keiji you’re amazing.” This time it was Akaashi’s turn to preen. He allowed himself to bask in Bokuto’s admiring gaze before shifting back into his human form, just as the sun began to touch the tops of the trees. Bokuto was quiet but it was comfortable, they watched in silence as the sunlight feathered out over the leaves before sinking below the horizon, bringing a carpet of stars in its wake. Akaashi looked at them and smiled to himself because he knew that, try as they might, they could never match the power of the star sitting right next to him.

“Keiji, I love you.” Bokuto said, as he wrapped his arms around Akaashi and pulled himself closer to the nymph.

“I love you too, Koutarou.”

--------

In time, Bokuto had a smaller house built just along the edge of the forest. If anyone asked he told them it was because he loved the pattern the leaves made when the sun streamed through the trees, but anyone with a little more perception, a little more sensitivity to magic, would see the feathers scattered on his clothes and tucked into his hair, and they would know.