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“Kuroo! Hurry up with those boxes, boy!”
“Yes, sir!” Tetsurou shifted the weight of the stacked boxes as his legs took him faster across the yard and over to the stairs to the wooden door which led into the kitchen. His feet made soft pattering sounds with each step as they hit the stones, which Tetsurou rushed up to get inside.
For as long as Tetsurou could remember, he had been apart of the staff for the Akaashi family. When he was six, he worked inside the house, but as soon as he could lift a bag of potatoes, he had worked all over the estate. Although he wasn't completely sure how old he was now, he could guess he was about eleven. The youngest son, Prince Keiji, was only about a year younger than Tetsurou and he had just turned ten a few days ago. There was a huge event with people who had huge stones hanging on their necks or clinging to their fingers.
Tetsurou didn't think it was fair that those crusty, old men could buy those things by sitting on their asses all day, but whenever he brought it up to the older workers, they would just look at each other before saying 'That's not how it works, Kuroo,” and leave it at that. Every time they said the memorized statement, Tetsurou got a bit more angry.
Setting down the wooden cartons, Tetsurou groaned quietly, squeezing his eyes shut as he rubbed his lower back. I'm too young to have these types of problems, he thought bitterly, bending backwards until his back cracked. Sighing blissfully at the release of pressure, Tetsurou opened his eyes to see a small figure in the doorway, clutching a book to his chest. Quickly, Tetsurou sat up straight and turned around as the boy cowered back.
He was gorgeous, Tetsurou had never seen anyone so beautiful in his entire time here. The boy had a feminine face, the gentle angles and long eyelashes that many girls would die for, and sharp eyes that scoured for any information they could take in. He was small, delicate, his skin unblemished and pale, untouched by any form of hard labor. There was only one person this could be: Prince Keiji.
“U-um,” Tetsurou stuttered, his eyes wide as he watched the young prince. Keiji pulled the book closer to himself, his gaze holding the other boy's, steady and emotionless. “I-”
“Kuroo!” Both boys jumped at the booming voice. “What's taking you so long? We still have stuff to do out here!”
“Coming!” Tetsurou called over his shoulder, taking one last look at the prince. He wanted to say more, but he knew if he waited any longer, he might not get any dinner that night. Turning on his heels, Tetsurou ran out the kitchen door and back out towards the other handymen
“There you are! Come on, we only don't have much time. There are still other things to do,” the older worker said, throwing a sack over his shoulder.
“I know,” Tetsurou grumbled, picking up his feet to walk towards his elder.
For the rest of the day, as he sweat under the hot sun, Tetsurou couldn't get the image of the boy out of his head. It must have been because of how feminine he was, yeah, that made sense. That's why Tetsurou could not stop seeing the gentle curls of his hair that framed his face, or the flat line of his lips that turned down ever so slightly.
Yeah, of course.
It was early the next morning when Tetsurou thought about the youngest Akaashi again. He had gone out before the sun started to beat down too heavily to tend to the horses which, if he could add, were rarely used anymore. His hands gathered up large amounts of hay before tossing it over to the stallion, grunting softly at the exertion. As he picked up any fallen clumps, Tetsurou heard the soft creek of the wood from the front opening of the stables.
Just as the day before, Keiji was standing in the doorway, a book clutched to his chest, although this one had different binding on the side. There was also an unreadable expression across the prince's face. Once again, Tetsurou was about to call it emotionless, but he would have been wrong. There was something there, but there was no deciphering it, not yet.
“Um,” Tetsurou began softly, watching as the prince remained unmoving, “do you need something?”
Ah, a great way to address a prince. Good job, Tetsurou.
The younger boy shook his head, but he didn't walk away. There was something on the tip of his tongue, Tetsurou could tell, but he couldn't force the kid. Instead, he shrugged and went back to his duties for the morning. Whenever he moved, he could feel the watchful eyes of the prince, which was unnerving. Throughout his years here, Tetsurou had never been the one to be watched, rather he would be the one watching.
As Tetsurou started to brush the horse's mane, he heard a voice pipe up from the front. “Why do they call you Kuroo?”
The question took him aback a bit, but he answered anyways. “Because that's my name.”
There was a beat of silence before Keiji spoke again. “That's a weird name to have.”
Tetsurou stopped what he was doing to turn and look at the prince again. He had yet to move, his eyes searching over the taller boy, but he wasn't looking like he was expecting anything further. After everything Tetsurou had heard about him, he wouldn't have expected someone so...so...
Rude.
He bristled, moving the brush once again. “It's my last name,” he explained, not bothering to look at Keiji again, “my first name is Tetsurou.”
“Oh,” Keiji said simply. He took a small step into the stable. “That's not as strange.”
Tetsurou snorted. “Gee, thanks.”
“You're welcome,” Tetsurou got a quick glance over to the other boy and saw the large grin, smirk, across his lips. There was no way that that little shit didn't know what he was doing. “So did you only come to make fun of my name, or is there something else?”
Keiji shifted to the side, looking slightly more uncomfortable than before. “I didn't come here for that,” he explained, gripping onto the book tightly. “I wanted you to read with me.”
He had to be joking. Out of all things, why would Tetsurou want to read with him? Turning to face him completely, the older boy looked over the young prince. He was dressed nicely, certainly not good for riding, or being outside at all, but now that Keiji had taken some daring steps forward, Tetsurou could see what was over the seemingly emotionless face.
Loneliness.
“Sorry,” Tetsurou shrugged, returning to brush the mare, “I can't read.”
“Then I'll teach you.” Keiji had answered simply. “Well, if you want. I could teach you to read, and then you can teach me how to take care of horses. I tried once...and only once.”
Tetsurou snorted, but quickly covered his mouth to control himself. Trying to disguise his outburst, he coughed into his hand before turning his head to look over to the boy. “So you want me to read with you AND teach you how to care for the horses?”
“Precisely,” Keiji said casually, his book still in his hand. “And you learn to read, which can get you a better place in the manor.”
“Tempting. I'll think about it,” Tetsurou shrugged. When he was done with the brush, he pat the side of the horse and turned to do the next one. In the archway, Keiji was still standing with his book, his lips pursed to one side. “Are you pouting?”
“No.”
“You're going to stand there until I agree, aren't you?”
“Yes.”
Tetsurou laughed under his breath and scratched behind his neck. “I guess I have no other choice. I'll be done around eight tonight, you can come by here around then.”
“How am I supposed to get out by then?”
“I don't know,” he shrugged, before giving him a sly, challenging grin, “I mean, you can always back out.”
Keiji puffed out his chest, “I'll be there,” he nodded, giving Tetsurou one last look before shuffling out of the barn and out of sight.
Sighing softly, Tetsurou pulled out the brush and moved onto the next awaiting horse.
–
Tetsurou heard the clock ring eight times as he walked towards the barn again. The leaves crunched against his feet as he took each step. Autumn must be coming, he thought absentmindedly. Yawning into this hand, Tetsurou turned the corner into the barn, his eyes widening once he saw the figure on the floor.
Sitting there, Keiji leaned against one of the stalls, his legs stretched out in front of him. There was a simple lantern next to him, illuminating the pages of the open book and the soft angles of his face. Tetsurou stood for a moment, watching as Keiji turned the page of the book, his expression unwavering, revealing nothing. He really was kind of cute. Well, for a guy.
A really, really, adorable guy.
“Are you going to stand there, or are we going to read?”
Tetsurou startled out of his thoughts, shaking his head before making his way over to the prince. “Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming.” He stopped in front of Keiji's feet, looking to the spot next to him. “You're probably sitting in poop right now, you know that, right?”
Keiji shrugged. “I had the brain to check before I sat down.” He looked up. “Will you?”
That little...Tetsurou huffed out a breath before moving his foot across the ground, checking for anything that might be hidden, and then sat down. “Alright, let's read.”
Keiji raised an eyebrow. “It's hard enough learning how to read normally, can you really do it upside down?”
“Well what do you expect me to do? Sit next to you?”
“Yes, exactly.”
He had to be joking. There was no way he actually meant that, right? But by the unamused face he was pulling, Tetsurou could tell that, yes, he did mean it. “Why? Aren't you supposed to like..” he trailed off.
“I have no idea what you're going on about, but I don't think it's relevant. Just sit next to me, it'll be easier.”
Tetsurou gulped softly, carefully maneuvering so that he could sit next to the prince. Sitting next to the prince, yeah, the royals would definitely have his head if they found out about this. Instead of protesting any further, Tetsurou sat stiffly as Keiji moved his finger across the page as he read.
This book seemed...difficult. It wasn't exactly a lie that Tetsurou couldn't read, but he did have basic knowledge on the subject. Simple words, he caught, but there were some other ones that seemed much harder than they should have been. Yet, Keiji pronounced everything with ease. Better than ease, really, he almost sounded excited.
As his finger dragged over the page, Keiji was starting to speak faster, his voice showing more than just his usual sarcastic, mono-toned tone he usually had. The boy actually began to show inflection and movement in his voice. Tetsurou was entranced. When Keiji spoke, there was nothing to do but pay attention. It was nice, relaxing, it was-
“Tetsurou? Are you falling asleep?”
Tetsurou shook himself to sit up properly. “No, I'm fine. Keep going.”
Keiji gave him a skeptical look, but then nodded and continued on the page.
What happened in the book, Tetsurou couldn't say. Somewhere around when the hero set off on an adventure, he fell had been knocked out cold. When he awoke, the clock was chiming ten times, and his neck was starting to ache due to the strange angle. Groaning, Tetsurou went to snuggle down deeper into the softness of his pillow, then was horrified.
He had not gone to bed.
Tetsurou shot up quickly and looked over at the younger boy, his eyes wide. “Oh, um,”
“Why did you move? I didn't mind,” said Keiji, looking up towards Tetsurou.
“I fell asleep on your shoulder.”
“So?”
“I can't do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you're a prince.”
“Does that make a difference?”
“Of course it makes a difference!”
Keiji shifted. “So, if it makes a difference, should you be yelling at me?”
Pausing, Tetsurou mulled it over, trying to come up with an excuse. When words failed him, he remained silent. Keiji, obviously done with the conversation, stood up and dusted off his pants. As he folded the book under his arm, he looked down at Tetsurou, and after a moment of silence, he said, “I'll see you tomorrow at the same time?”
Before he could stop himself, Tetsurou nodded and said “Yeah, okay.”
Keiji gave a soft smile, which made Tetsurou's eyes widen in surprise, and left the barn once again. Tetsurou was left alone. A soft grunt passed his lips, and he stood up and brushed himself off, stretching out his stiff and over worked muscles. His feet began moving out of the barn before he could stop himself. In the moonlight, Tetsurou could see Keiji move quickly towards the castle, leaving him with the strange feeling of excitement bubbling in his stomach.
–
“Tetsurou, pay attention,” Keiji chided, jabbing the older boy in the side.
“Hey, I am paying attention! The boy just saved the princess, right?” He rubbed his side, looking over the page to try to pinpoint where they were. Keiji sighed and shook his head.
“That was last chapter.”
For the past two months, Keiji and Tetsurou had been meeting in secret to help Tetsurou to learn how to read. He had been a fast learner, keeping up with Keiji's crazy speed that he picked up from his own teacher. They went through book after book after book, starting with the basics and building their way up. During that time, the two boys had grown closer, their titles becoming nothing but words. Tetsurou still had to be polite to him during the day time or during certain events, but once they were alone, the jibes and jabs coming from both ends would start.
Today, around three o'clock, the two of them were hiding in one of the many rooms of the palace, sat side by side while Keiji read aloud. Tetsurou could have read it instead, but he still loved the way Keiji's face would light up whenever he read from the page, which explained why he had no idea what was happening. He was too distracted.
“Okay, if you're paying attention, you read.”
Stretching his arms over his head, Tetsurou groaned quietly before tugging the book into his lap. Keiji raised an eyebrow at him just as Tetsurou cleared his throat and began. “As the heat blazed down on the party, the skin under the knight's armor began to burn...”
Keiji leaned in closer to look at the book, resting his head on Tetsurou's shoulder. That was another thing that Tetsurou noticed about Keiji; he was surprisingly affectionate, in his own way. When it first happened, Tetsurou thought that the prince had fallen ill with some disease that left him delirious, but that had not been the case. Instead, he ended up with Keiji on his shoulder, and a pain from agile fingers pinching his lower arm.
Tetsurou didn't really mind, though.
Every so often, he would stumble over a word and Keiji would say it for him, and then let him continue. It only began to happen more frequently as they approached the end of the book. The main knight had finally come home and the princess was talking to him as her final goodbye. That's what it looked like, at least. Instead, the moment took a romantic, intimate turn, making Tetsurou stumble over his words.
“That's luscious,” Keiji said, sounding much more calm than Tetsurou felt.
“I know!” Tetsurou squeaked out, the tips of his ears turning pink. He did know the word, he just didn't know it could be used to describe a girl's lips. A little cheesy, and very uncomfortable. Tetsurou tried to finish the rest of the scene, but the heat spreading over his cheeks became too much to bear. Quickly, he shut the book and set it off to the side before looking over at Keiji to tell him that they were finished with that book for the day. But, as their eyes met, Tetsurou drew in a sharp breath.
He had been expecting a smirk, or teasing for being flustered over the words, but he got none of that. Instead, Keiji was looking up at him with a calm expression, his eyes trained on him, searching over his face. It was strange. Tetsurou gave him a look before starting, “Keiji, what are you-”
But he never got the chance to finish. Keiji moved up and let his lips connect with Tetsurou's, causing Tetsurou to freeze completely for a full ten seconds, even though it felt much longer than that. Once it registered in Tetsurou's head what was going on, he pulled back, his eyes wide. “What was that for!” he questioned, his voice almost a full octive higher.
“What do you mean? It was a kiss,” Keiji answered simply, as if it was completely normal to randomly kiss people.
“But why did you kiss me?” Keiji had to be messing with him. It was all apart of some weird teaching method.
“Why not?” He tilted his head to the side. “Do you not kiss people you care about?”
Tetsurou shook his head, turning to face the prince fully. “Kissing is for other, like, I don't know, adults who like each other.” That's what he gathered, at least.
Keiji gave him an incredulous look. “Family members kiss each other.”
“That's different.”
“How so?”
“Because that's family.”
“That doesn't make sense, Tetsurou.”
“That's just how it works. You kiss family members and people you like.”
“Do you not like me?” Keiji gave him a flat voice, but Tetsurou could tell that he was hurt, even if it was just a little bit.
“No, no, I do, I do! I just, um, I just like you as much as a guy could like another guy.”
“Is there a difference between liking a guy and a girl?”
“Of course there is...I think.”
Keiji hummed. “Whatever you say, Tetsurou. Can you hand the book over? I still want to read it.”
Tetsurou blinked in surprise. “Um, sure,” he said, his hand fumbling to find the book next to him, all while keeping his eyes on the boy. When he finally got a hold on it, Tetsurou passed it over and Keiji searched for the page where they left off.
“Ah, here we go,” he smiled softly, triumphant that he could find the page.
As Keiji read, Tetsurou faded in and out of focus. What had just happened? Why did Keiji kiss him just then and then drop it? He shouldn't care. It was one kiss. It wasn't as if he wouldn't get another kiss again. As Keiji continued to read aloud, Tetsurou touched his bottom lip. He may get more kisses in life, but would they ever come close to the feeling that Keiji left? The one that he felt down in his bones, that still left his lips buzzing?
When Tetsurou looked over at Keiji, noting how the waves curled behind his ear, or how, after months of being along side him, his lips had started to turn up naturally, the answer became obvious.
No, he thought as Keiji breathed out a laugh after he had read over something funny that Tetsurou didn't catch, he wouldn't ever find that.
And it terrified him.