Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shoyo Hinata was proud of his work. He took the privilege of his position seriously and strove to do all he could to be a credit to his nation. Perhaps it was an idyllic way for a crown prince to think, but he’d learned it from his father, and the prosperity of the kingdom was already a credit to King Yosuke’s leadership.

But gods, the paperwork.

“Is it really that terrible?” Yamaguchi asked with a soft, sympathetic laugh.

Shoyo groaned into his papers. “They’re just so stubborn,” he said, voice muffled by the desk. If only he could soak in all of the terms of the agreement from the papers by laying on top of them. It wouldn’t change how pleasantly obstinate King Shinsuke and his most trusted advisor were, but at least Shoyo could waste less time trying to make sense of the dense script.

“Would some tea help refresh you?”

Shoyo heaved himself upright with a sigh, dragging his fingers through his mussed hair. “It’s worth a try. Unless dinner will be served soon?”

“I can ask the kitchen staff. If I return empty-handed, then that will be your answer.”

Shoyo returned Yamaguchi’s cheeky smile. “Thank you.”

He waited for his friend to close the door behind him before bracing his elbows on his desk and burying his face into his hands. There was no need to push himself when he was already exhausted. Inarizaki wouldn’t be expecting a response for at least another week, not to mention the time for a courier to travel.

But Shoyo had plans, dammit, and he would really rather enjoy them without this agreement looming over his head. It would be a good chance to impress his father with his initiative as well, though King Yosuke insisted he was already plenty proud of Shoyo’s motivation to be a hands-on leader.

The door clicked open, and Shoyo immediately straightened—even his best friend didn’t need to see him acting like a whiny child while working. “That was fast—”

“Yes, we were.”

That was not Yamaguchi’s voice.

“Tobio!”

Unadulterated joy chased Shoyo’s weariness out of his veins and sent him flying to his feet. There, looking travel-worn but still so beautiful, stood his husband. His luggage was nowhere to be seen, nor was Tsukishima. Just as well. Shoyo didn’t want an audience to the way he dashed across the room and lept into Tobio’s arms.

Tobio was ready for him, chuckling as he caught Shoyo and swept him into a spin before carefully setting him back on his feet. “Hello to you, too.”

“How are you here? You weren’t due until the morning!”

“I sent word to your parents that we would be arriving earlier than anticipated.” Mischief glinted in his eyes. “I may have asked them to hide it from you.”

Shoyo pouted, the effect undercut by his fingers sliding into Tobio’s hair and urging him closer. “Since when have you been so sly?”

“My husband has been a bad influence.”

Shoyo’s snicker was smothered by Tobio’s lips. The kiss was a welcome distraction, one Shoyo hummed into as he parted his lips for Tobio’s tongue. Pure contentment eased the remaining tension from his shoulders until he was left molten where he stood. It had barely been a month since they’d last been together, but that never mattered. Any time without Tobio felt like an eternity to Shoyo.

“I missed you,” he mumbled between kisses, earning a soft hum in response. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.” Tobio raised his brows at Shoyo’s disappointed huff. “Really? You’re upset about dinner? You?”

“I’m upset about a public dinner.” Shoyo slid his arms around Tobio’s waist and nuzzled into his throat, head fitting perfectly under his chin. A small thrill still zipped through him at all the ways their bodies fit together like perfectly-cut puzzle pieces. “I was hoping to have you all to myself tonight.”

“Greedy,” Tobio said with a snort, as though his arms weren’t wrapping tight around Shoyo’s shoulders. “I’m sure you simply wish to ensure I have a good night’s rest after my travels.”

The prick of guilt couldn’t overpower the love and desire coursing through Shoyo. Sleep was the last thing he cared about. But a blithe grin still pulled at his lips as he fluttered his lashes at Tobio. “Oh, of course.”

“You little ass.”

“I think you’ll find I have a very generous ass, thank you.”

Tobio raised a single eyebrow, before Shoyo squeaked from large hands grabbing his ass and hauling him closer. “You are insufferable.”

“I love you, too,” Shoyo hummed, earning rolled eyes and a sweet kiss. “Oh, and Tobi?”

“Hm?”

“Happy anniversary.”

Even after a year of marriage, giddy joy surged through Shoyo when he earned such an earnest, beautiful smile from Tobio. “Happy anniversary.”

☀

Their time alone was a little too close to dinnertime to warrant a cup of tea, so the couple wrapped around each other on the settee and told each other about their time apart. Tobio was a comforting weight on Shoyo, head settled on his chest while his arms were tight around his waist. Shoyo was content to drag his fingers through dark hair, grinning when every stroke of his fingers melted Tobio down until all of his weight settled on his husband.

“Gods, you’re heavy,” Shoyo huffed. “What did Miwa-nee feed you?”

Tobio’s answer rumbled through Shoyo. “Quiet. I ate normally. Nee-san was a bit preoccupied with making sure Mitsumi didn’t wander to her demise somehow.”

“She’s really taken after her brother and uncle,” Shoyo snickered. “Poor Miwa-nee.” Once the little princess was able to walk by herself, it was all her parents and nanny could do to make sure she didn’t wander off to a hidden set of stairs or into a pond. Where Ryuji had explored the palace for quiet hiding places, Mitsumi seemed more interested in seeking out adventure, much to her parents’ chagrin.

For all the worry Princess Mitsumi caused, Tobio’s voice was still warm with affection as he told Shoyo about his niece and her antics with her older brother. Love flowed from every word he uttered about his family and friends, even Tsukishima. And while his face was hidden when it was Shoyo’s turn to talk about his month, his hums and quiet questions told Shoyo he was paying attention to his stories.

“It sounds like you’re making a difference,” he murmured when Shoyo finished ranting about the latest dealings with Inarizaki. “I’m sure your father appreciates all you’ve done.”

“I hope so,” Shoyo groaned, letting his head loll back against the settee. “I just wish it wouldn’t take so long. I was supposed to be done before tomorrow.”

“You’re allowed to have a day to yourself,” Tobio said in an uncharacteristically gentle reminder. “Besides, when have you ever backed down from a challenge?”

“Hey.” The only warning Shoyo gave Tobio when he looked up was a frown, before he pinched his cheeks. “Stop being right.”

“Ow, let go, dumbass!” Shoyo released him when he yanked his head back, revealing two red spots on his cheeks. “Do you want your parents to see me looking like a nutcracker?” The image of Tobio as a nutcracker reduced Shoyo to sputtering giggles. “Stop laughing!”

“Gods, Tobi, my parents will not be bothered by the state of your cheeks!”

“Perhaps. But Kazuyo-san won’t appreciate seeing me like this.”

“Kazuyo-san is here?” Shoyo gasped. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Tobio’s eyes narrowed. “He wanted to rest after the trip. And I thought you might want to see your husband first.”

Shoyo snickered. “Don’t be jealous of your grandfather, silly.”

When they eventually emerged from their quarters to head to dinner and Shoyo’s eyes landed on the crooked form of Kazuyo Kageyama, he did, regrettably, leave Tobio behind as he hurried down the stairs with a delighted gasp. “Kazuyo-san!”

The old man looked away from the family portrait he’d been admiring and matched Shoyo’s bright smile. “Hello, dear boy,” he chuckled, holding out his hands for Shoyo to take.

Brushing a kiss to each of his soft, wrinkled cheeks didn’t feel sufficient for all of the eager joy rushing through Shoyo, but it was enough for Kazuyo’s fragile body. “How are you, Your Highness? I hope the travels didn’t tire you too badly?”

“It was nothing some rest couldn’t fix. And what did I tell you about all that formality, hm?”

“One would think you were the one he hasn’t seen in over a month.”

Shoyo flashed a sheepish grin at Tobio, who leaned against the banister with a playful frown while his grandfather laughed. “Oh, dear. I’m afraid jealousy doesn’t quite suit you, my boy.”

“I would never be jealous of you, Grandfather,” Tobio said with a scoff. When he reached Kazuyo’s side, he guided his grandfather’s hand to rest inside his elbow for support. “I’m more annoyed that Shoyo is doing exactly what he said he wouldn’t.”

“I’ve never known you to dislike being proven right.”

“Well…he does have a special talent for finding new ways to vex me.” The words were warm, matching the glimmer in Tobio’s eyes when he looked at Shoyo. “Shall we?”

They entered the dining room together, and Shoyo lingered at his seat as Tobio helped Kazuyo ease into the chair across the table from him. Amusement and adoration always bloomed in his chest when he watched his husband during their first meal after a reunion. A year of marriage hadn’t changed Tobio’s somewhat-stiff manners, and Shoyo wouldn’t want it to. He didn’t think he would ever tire of watching his nervous stiffness melt under the king and queen’s sunny smiles and earnest questions about the Kageyama family.

“Go on and sit,” King Yosuke finally chuckled, gesturing to Tobio’s seat next to Shoyo. “The queen would keep you standing and talking for the entire meal if she had the opportunity.”

“Oh, hush,” Queen Sumire said with a playful click of her tongue. “Pardon me for wishing to hear about his time away before Shoyo whisks him away for himself.”

Shoyo’s cheeks warmed under his parents’ teasing grins, but before he could defend himself, Kazuyo spoke up. “From what dear Miwa-chan has written to me, our Tobio is not much more charitable with your son when he visits Karasuno.”

“Grandfather, please!”

Shoyo snickered, unabashed by Tobio’s small frown as he sat. “Kazuyo-san doesn’t lie, Tobio.”

“Would an untruth or two truly be so terrible?” Tobio muttered, low enough for only their ears.

“It is nothing we did not hear from Natsu,” Sumire laughed, exchanging a knowing look with her husband. “Before their marriage, Takeru was very precious with his time away from her side, or so she wrote us.”

“And I was much the same with you, my love.”

“Ugh, please, Papa,” Shoyo groaned. “Not at dinnertime!”

The warm laughter around the table eased Shoyo’s exaggerated embarrassment. Sometimes he couldn’t believe how close he’d gotten to missing a life full of moments like this. He was married to the man he loved, uniting two families with even more love to share with each other. And now Natsu could enjoy the marriage full of romance that she’d always dreamed of.

If Shoyo or Tobio had kept listening to their pride, they would’ve lost not just each other, but this: a table full of laughter, with none of the formality expected of royalty.

“You’re awfully quiet.”

Shoyo looked up from his plate to find Tobio watching him, concern creasing his brow. “I’m only thinking, Tobio, no need to worry.”

“Thinking? That is cause for concern.”

“Quiet!” Shoyo hissed, grinning despite himself. He couldn’t smack Tobio in the arm at dinner, so he settled for poking his thigh beneath the table. “Don’t you ever wonder about how we nearly lost this? All of this?”

Tobio’s eyes flickered across the table at his grandfather and Shoyo’s parents laughing amongst themselves. “Not really. Why do I need to worry about that? I’d rather enjoy what we do have.”

Shoyo’s heart ached, too big for the space in his chest. “How romantic, Your Highness.”

“No, it’s not,” Tobio said with a soft snort. He turned back to his plate, giving Shoyo a perfect view of his pink ear. “I’m saving ‘romance’ for the bedchamber.”

Shoyo’s fingers twitched against the urge to loosen his cravat—he was terribly hot under the collar, and the feeling only worsened when Tobio cut a side glance and a smirk at him.

It took everything in Shoyo not to scarf down the rest of his dinner and drag Tobio upstairs. The meal was already an informal affair, with no expectation to linger for drinks afterwards. Trying to rush any more would simply be rude, not to mention the teasing disapproval he would earn from the transparent attempt to get Tobio in bed.

Shoyo’s knee bounced when the servants picked up their empty dessert dishes, finally freeing them to—

“Dear boy, might I bother you for some assistance to my chambers?”

Tobio’s hand shot out and pinned Shoyo’s leg still. “Of course, Grandfather. I’ll see you upstairs, Sho.”

“Oh, dear, I was hoping to bother you as well, Shoyo-kun.”

Surprise swept away Shoyo’s impatience. “Me?” Tobio pinched him. “I mean, of course, sir!”

For once, he was the quiet one between himself and Tobio as he led the way to Kazuyo’s chambers. Tobio led his grandfather by the arm, asking him about his new life on the seaside and listening to the old man’s childlike excitement over the seagulls and the tiny crabs he sometimes found when he collected shells from the sand.

“Grandfather, are you sure you should be walking in the sand? Is it not difficult to stay balanced on such unsteady ground?”

“Nonsense, it keeps me young!” Kazuyo chuckled. “Why live near the ocean if I cannot enjoy its unique thrills?”

“Our healer has told us that the salt water is soothing for aching bodies,” Shoyo piped in, looking over his shoulder with a grin as he opened the door to Kazuyo’s chambers. “Mother used to wade in the water when she was pregnant.”

“There you are!” Kazuyo patted his grandson’s arm, ignoring his defeated frown. “How lucky am I that Tobio married someone with such good sense?”

“Good sense?!” Shoyo had never before heard anything so close to a squawk leave Tobio’s lips. “Him?”

“Hush, Tobio,” Shoyo said with a tut. “The sensible adults are speaking.”

Tobio carefully helped lower Kazuyo to the edge of his bed before whirling around and grabbing Shoyo’s head, pulling a true squawk from him. “Keep talking that way, and I’ll call your healer to make sure you haven’t lost your head somewhere between here and the dining room.”

“Ooooh, what a terrifying threat!”

“Try me, dumbass.”

“Tobi! Not in front of Kazuyo-san!”

“I have heard far worse be exchanged between him and his sister,” Kazuyo chuckled. “Though I would have expected him to be a bit more loving with his husband.”

“Me, too,” Shoyo sniffed, wincing when Tobio gave his head one last jostle before letting go. His pout fell away at the feeling of fingers twining between his own, and he couldn’t help smiling sweetly at his husband, who diverted his eyes with flushed cheeks.

“Do you need anything else, Grandfather?”

“Not just this moment, no. Tomomi-kun will help me turn in for the night.” Kazuyo watched the couple with sharp but not unkind eyes. “I do have one more question for you two, however.”

“Oh.” Shoyo blinked up at Tobio before looking back at Kazuyo. “Of course, sir.”

“How does one year feel?”

It was a surprising question, if only because Kazuyo looked so serious when he asked it. He still wore a gentle smile, but there was something sharp about his gaze that promised to cut through any pretenses Shoyo or Tobio might have tried to set up. It wasn’t anything to worry about, really. Shoyo had nothing to hide. “Wonderful! It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year!”

“And you, Tobio?”

Shoyo looked up at Tobio and was startled to see him chew at his lip instead of responding. “Oh, dear…is His Highness feeling some regrets? After just one year?”

“Quiet.” Tobio caught a curl before Shoyo could duck away, grinning at the yelp his tug earned. “The only thing I regret is not having spent more of that year together.”

Empathy panged in Shoyo’s chest. “Me, too. But the time we did have together was perfect. And we still have the rest of our lives to spend together! Perhaps we can find a way to be at each other’s side more in the future?”

Tobio’s lips tilted into a rueful grin. “Perhaps. Though it’d be nice to have more time together now.”

“Oh, dear,” Shoyo tutted playfully, shaking his head as he shared a commiserating look with Kazuyo. “Forgive me, Your Grace. It appears my greed has spread to your grandson.”

“Nonsense,” Kazuyo chuckled. “Wanting more time at your lover’s side is not a sign of greed.” His eyes warmed with kind understanding. “Only a sign of being human.”

The ability to render Shoyo speechless seemed to be a trait shared between the Kageyamas. He might have been annoyed by it, if he wasn’t overwhelmed by love and gratitude.

“Shall I call for Tomomi-san?” Shoyo asked when his throat loosened.

“Not yet. I’d like a moment alone with Tobio, if you wouldn’t mind, dear boy.”

“Of course.” Shoyo brushed a kiss to Kazuyo’s cheek before brushing past Tobio to leave the room. Curious apprehension tightened the corners of Tobio’s eyes, only easing when Shoyo paused to squeeze his hand. “See you soon?” Shoyo murmured, offering a small smile when Tobio’s gaze flickered to him.

“Yeah. See you.”

Shoyo really had planned to leave for his chambers after he closed the door behind himself. But Kazuyo’s voice filtered out just before the door’s “click,” and Shoyo couldn’t resist lingering by the door for a few extra breaths. “Tobio.”

“Yes, Grandfather?”

“I’ve always been so proud of you. I hope you know that. I hope I’ve told you as much.” The love in Kazuyo’s voice rang loud and clear, even through the closed door.

“Of course, I know.”

“Good. Then you’ll know that I do not mean it lightly when I tell you: marrying Prince Shoyo? I believe it may be the best decision you ever made.”

Shoyo pressed his mouth over his lips, smothering his quiet gasp. He’d never doubted Kazuyo’s care for him, let alone his approval of Shoyo marrying Tobio. But feeling that love and approval in his actions was different from hearing it said so plainly. He swallowed hard around the lump of gratitude lodged in his throat and focused on the conversation. “I did not know if I would live to see you fall so deeply in love with someone, just the way I saw your father fall for your mother. I count myself as very, very lucky to be given that opportunity.”

There were a few beats of silence before Tobio croaked, “I—” He coughed and cleared his throat. Shoyo could imagine how pink his ears must have flushed. “I’m the lucky one. Sometimes I think about how close we came to letting each other go, and I…” There was a helpless laugh, and when Tobio spoke again, his voice lowered, forcing Shoyo to strain his ears. “He’s so stubborn, Grandfather. You wouldn’t believe the things we have disagreed on within one year of marriage. He’s stubborn, and loud, and he always knows the most precise ways to vex me. And I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with him. I’m still terrified of losing him, but I know he’s worth the pain of grief. This past year alone has already been worth it. I…I really…”

“Oh, Tobio…come here.”

Quiet, shuffling steps moved away from the door, and Shoyo took that as his cue to leave. Just as well. It was becoming difficult to breathe quietly when he was on the edge of grateful tears.

When he slipped into his and Tobio’s quarters, he was met by an unimpressed Yamaguchi. “You took your time.”

“Kazuyo-san wished to speak to Tobio and me,” Shoyo tried to defend himself. “I would never deny him a simple conversation!”

Yamaguchi’s eyes narrowed, as though he could see through Shoyo’s flimsy defense to the truth of his eavesdropping, but he didn’t press the matter. “I imagine you’ll want to wash up before bed?”

Blood rushed to Shoyo’s face, and he scowled at his friend’s knowing smirk. “Yes, I would.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I spent your dawdling time heating some water.”

Shoyo had wanted to clean himself in case Tobio had any energy left after his travels, but when he slipped under the covers clad in only a thin nightshirt, he found his eyes sliding shut against his will.

The next thing he knew, he was jolting awake, though the only sounds in their quarters were quiet murmurs that he recognized as Tobio and Tsukishima. Gods. Had he missed Tobio so much that the distant sound of his voice could rouse Shoyo from his sleep?

The thought brought a wry grin to his lips that lingered when Tobio opened the door. Shoyo blinked at him, smile widening at Tobio’s pause. “You’re awake,” Tobio muttered, padding to the bed.

Shoyo hummed, stretching luxuriously and relaxing when Tobio reached the bed. “I wanted to wait for you.” Never mind that he’d drifted off.

Even in the dim light, he could see Tobio’s eyes narrow. “Are you hoping I’ll tell you what Kazuyo-san and I spoke about?”

There was nothing in his expression that said he knew Shoyo had lingered after his supposed exit, but guilt still needled at him. He hid it with a sweet smile. “Do you want to tell me?”

Tobio was quiet as he shrugged out of his dressing gown and draped it over the chair at Shoyo’s desk. “Soon,” he eventually answered. “But not right this moment.” His yawn was all the explanation Shoyo needed.

“Alright.” Shoyo held his arms out to Tobio, grabbing at air like a child begging for a toy. His husband scoffed as he slid into bed, but he still wrapped himself around Shoyo and pulled him to his chest as he laid back. “Gods,” Shoyo grunted, wriggling against Tobio’s hold while still burrowing into his warmth. “I’m not a stuffed bear.”

“Mm-hm.” Tobio’s arms loosened just enough to let Shoyo settle in with his head on his chest and arms around his waist.

Despite his complaints, a pleased hum slipped from Shoyo’s throat as Tobio traced patterns along his back and waist. “Kazuyo-san seems well.”

“Mm…the seaside suits him.”

“He does miss Karasuno. He’s told us as much.”

“He can miss us whilst still enjoying his new home.” Tobio trailed his fingers up to sink into Shoyo’s hair, rubbing soothing circles into his scalp that eased all of his lingering tension. “I of all people can understand that.”

“Me, too.” He lifted his head to smile at Tobio and was rewarded by dark eyes softened with sleepy adoration, before he was pulled into a kiss.

It started sweetly enough, but it didn’t take long for Shoyo to moan against Tobio’s teeth nipping at his lips and tongue licking into his mouth. “I thought you were tired from the trip,” he protested between kisses, as though he weren’t sliding over Tobio to straddle his hips and deepen the kiss even more.

“I am,” Tobio said, voice low and hungry. “But I missed you more.”

Shoyo smiled against Tobio’s lips. “Really? How much?” He rocked his hips, letting Tobio feel his blooming arousal.

“Gods,” Tobio groaned, reaching down to grab at Shoyo’s ass, “you’re insatiable.”

“You started it,” Shoyo laughed. “What did you think would happen when you kiss me like that?”

“I thought I would enjoy some kisses with my husband before finally getting a good night’s rest.”

“Then I’m afraid you don’t know your husband very well.” Shoyo pressed a kiss to Tobio’s frown. “We’ve been separated for so long, Tobio. Shouldn’t we take advantage of our reunion?”

“Are you truly so desperate for my cock?”

“I’m just mindful of our marital duties.”

Tobio raised a brow. “I’m unsure how relevant those ‘duties’ are when heirs are not our concern.”

“And what of the ever-important bond between a future king and his consort?”

Tobio’s surprised laughter broke into a moan at another rock of Shoyo’s hips. Shoyo shuddered at the slow swelling against his ass, already eager to get that cock inside him. “Come on, Tobio,” he murmured, sitting up to pull his nightshirt over his head. “Make up for lost time with me, hm?”

“How exactly can I do that when I’m not hard?”

Shoyo raised a brow as he tossed his shirt away. “You’re already getting there.”

“Yes, but shouldn’t you be a good husband and help me?”

Shoyo’s eyes narrowed, but he couldn’t find anything in Tobio’s expression that suggested any ulterior motive. Besides, he wanted what Tobio was asking for.

He started to shift down Tobio’s body to help him along with his mouth, only to be caught by large hands squeezing his ass. “Ah, what—?”

“Don’t go,” Tobio murmured, stealing another kiss from Shoyo. “Just turn around.”

It took a beat too long for Shoyo to understand the suggestion, leaving him blinking down at Tobio’s growing smirk. Then realization washed over him in a burning wave, sending blood to his cheeks and between his legs. “...Oh.”

“Mm.” This time, the rock of Shoyo’s hips was encouraged by Tobio’s hold at his hips, and his smirk sharpened when Shoyo chirped a helpless moan. “Well?”

“Are you sure?”

“Try me.”

Shoyo was still unsure, but he obliged nonetheless, carefully turning himself until he faced Tobio’s half-erect cock curved against his thigh. He reached to take Tobio’s cock in his hand, only to fall forward onto both hands when his hips were suddenly pulled back. “Tobi?!”

“Come here.” There was another tug at his hips, this time punctuated by a light bite to Shoyo’s ass. “Come sit.”

“I— I don’t—” His words trembled into silence when hot breaths gusted over his puckered hole. “O-Oh…”

“You don’t want to?”

“I do, I just— are you sure?”

He didn’t get an answer. Instead, he got a broad tongue licking a path from his balls all the way up to his hole. Shoyo almost toppled head-first onto Tobio’s growing erection; he barely caught himself, and he was helpless to the persistent hands pulling his hips back. He could only follow their lead, shifting backwards until he hovered over Tobio’s face. His breaths beaded over Shoyo’s skin, and when Shoyo glanced over his shoulder, he nearly went dizzy at the focus of Tobio’s eyes on his ass.

That look, more than anything, convinced Shoyo that Tobio actually did want to be borderline-suffocated by him. And so, on the next pull, Shoyo let himself be guided down until Tobio could bite and lick at him without craning up.

It wasn’t the first time Tobio had eaten him out, but Shoyo wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the filthy bliss of Tobio’s mouth on his hole. And it was the first time he’d urged Shoyo to sit on his face. His tongue was a precise, slippery thing against his skin, skillfully teasing Shoyo with licks and sucks on his rim. Shoyo’s legs weakened beneath him, lowering his chest to Tobio’s abs and settling his weight even more firmly on his tongue. “F-Fuck, Tobio— ah!”

Tobio groaned, whether from Shoyo’s whimpering or from his weight, Shoyo couldn’t tell. All he knew was that the vibrations of the groan rumbled up his spine, and strong fingers pillowed into his asscheeks and pulled them apart. The filthy, wet sounds of Tobio’s work were audible even over the sound of his own moans, and his cock drooled onto Tobio, precome pooling between the loose laces of his nightshirt.

Shoyo felt exposed, devoured, depraved, and gods, he couldn’t get enough. The hands on his ass couldn’t keep him from rocking against Tobio’s tongue, but he still wasn’t ready for that firm muscle to suddenly spear into him and reach as far as possible.

He slapped a hand over his mouth just in time to catch the wail that tore out of him. “Shh,” Tobio hushed, amusement clear in his rough voice. “Everyone will hear.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Shoyo retorted, the bite of his words dulled by how breathless he was. “You want everyone to know how well you take care of me? How much you love the taste of me?”

“Mm…” For once, Tobio wasn’t interested in bickering with Shoyo. He was too busy licking into him and circling a fingertip around his wet rim.

This time, Shoyo was braced for the uncanny reach of his tongue, but moans still trembled from his throat when a finger slowly pressed in alongside Tobio’s tongue. “Tobio.”

“Mmh?”

“It’s good, so good,” Shoyo gasped, easily guessing at the mumbled question. And it was good. Tobio knew his body intimately, knew exactly where to press his finger, knew precisely where to brace his free hand to keep Shoyo’s hips up when he wilted even more. Shoyo didn’t have to spare any thought for his own body, not when Tobio did it so well for him.

That meant he could soak in the lightning sparking through him with every lick while focusing on taking Tobio’s erection in his hand. He was hard, straining against Shoyo’s palm, and the thought of him being so aroused just from eating him out was dizzying. Shoyo’s mouth watered at Tobio’s musky scent, and when he parted his lips, saliva dripped from his outstretched tongue to slide down the swollen flesh. Tobio’s thighs flexed in front of him, encouraging Shoyo to lower down and finally drag his tongue up his length.

Gods, he was delicious. Shoyo moaned as he suckled at Tobio’s cockhead and licked away his precome, and trembled with the groan that shook through him from behind. He knew Tobio’s body as well as Tobio knew his, knew exactly how to swallow him, knew just how messy he liked his mouth.

Shoyo liked his husband messy, too, and crooned in approval when he could hear as much as feel the squelch of a second finger pressing into him. There was so much spit being licked into him, and Tobio’s tongue slid so deep, Shoyo had the delirious thought that they might not even need lube anymore.

He wasn’t sure he’d make it that far, anyway. Tobio’s fingers were devastating in their precision, digging into his prostate with every scissored stretch, while his tongue licked obscenely at Shoyo’s rim to keep the muscle wet. Shoyo was completely sprawled on top of Tobio, and every rock of Shoyo’s hips dragged the tip of his cock through the mess of precome it had left on Tobio’s sternum. It was all Shoyo could do to focus on his own work, sloppily mouthing and licking at Tobio’s length.

Then a third finger stretched his walls, and Tobio’s cock fell from Shoyo’s mouth as a strangled cry tore from his lips. “Tobio, ah, Tobio, I—!”

His hand dragged clumsy strokes over Tobio’s spit-slick cock as his lashes fluttered at the full stretch of Tobio’s fingers and the slick pressure of his tongue fitting itself inside him. It was all so wet, so much, and still nothing compared to the thick length Shoyo held.

And then, suddenly the fingers and tongue slid out of Shoyo, leaving him empty and cold. “Tobi–? Ooh…”

Oil drizzled into him, cool and slick, urged along by three of Tobio’s fingers burrowing in all at once. “Are you close?” he asked, his low voice thrumming through Shoyo.

“Mmh…”

“Really? But we’ve barely started,” he cooed, pressing insistent fingers against Shoyo’s prostate. “Are you going to finish before I can get my cock in you?”

“N-No,” Shoyo gasped, but his drooling cock said otherwise. It was a bit embarrassing, how quickly he was unraveling under Tobio’s touch. He hadn’t even touched Shoyo’s cock, yet it throbbed with an impending orgasm. No amount of resistance, attempting to finish Tobio off first, nor diverted focus could hold Shoyo away from the precipice that he desperately clung to. “Tobio, please— I can’t—!”

“Yes, you can. Come on, Sho, come for me.” Tobio’s fingers sped up inside him, every thrust fitting perfectly between every rock of Shoyo’s hips. It was too much, too good, too fast, leaving Shoyo dazed with Tobio’s cock neglected in his limp grasp.

Then Tobio wrapped his other hand around Shoyo’s ignored cock and gave one firm jerk around his sensitive tip just as he pressed into his prostate, and it was over.

With a strangled cry, Shoyo spilled all over Tobio’s fingers and chest, painting his muscles white as fireworks burst through his body. His first orgasm after a reunion always surprised him, no matter how much it was led up to. It was as though his body forgot how well Tobio knew it, how relentless he was in drawing pleasure from Shoyo, inside and out.

Time blurred, lost somewhere in the space between Tobio’s fingers inside him and his hand pumping his cock. Shoyo felt trapped in his own pleasure, caught in its ebb and flow, until the fireworks died down into sparks of too-much. Only then did he fumble at Tobio’s hand, batting at it enough to make Tobio understand.

The moment Tobio’s hands left him, Shoyo’s trembling arms gave out, sending him collapsing to the bed by Tobio’s legs. He shivered with the aftershocks of his orgasm and from the chill of his wet, stretched rim. Somewhere behind him, he could hear Tobio pushing off of the bed, stripping off his shirt, and pouring out some water into a washing-bowl, no doubt to wipe himself clean of Shoyo’s cum and spit. How he was doing all that with an erection still standing heavy against his stomach was beyond Shoyo.

Not that he cared all that much at that moment. He was happy to lay there, feeling a modicum of control return to his limbs as he waited for Tobio to return to him.

Eventually the bed dipped with his weight, sending anticipation thrumming through Shoyo. He could sense Tobio looming over him without opening his eyes, but he still felt a thrill when soft lips ghosted along his shoulder to his ear. “Are you awake?”

“No. I’ve perished,” Shoyo mumbled into the sheets. “Murdered by my husband.”

“It’s terribly selfish of you to pass before I could finish.”

Shoyo couldn’t help snorting at the absurd lamentation. “I knew you only wanted me for my body.”

“It’s a very nice body.” A broad hand stroked along Shoyo’s spine and came to a rest on the swell of his ass. “Even if it does belong to a little brat of a man.”

Shoyo’s foot kicked out, bumping into Tobio’s thigh and earning him a soft laugh. The last notes of the laugh danced over his skin before lips pressed into the curve of his neck. So began a trail of kisses along Shoyo’s shoulders, his neck, behind his ear, and snuffled into his hair while Tobio situated himself over his thighs. There was no brush of his nightshirt against Shoyo’s skin, only the steady warmth of his body.

“Can you give me another?” he groaned into Shoyo’s ear. His cock, still thick with arousal, was heavy enough to press between Shoyo’s cheeks without any guidance. Shoyo shuddered at the weight settling against his rim, which was just wet and loose enough that he could imagine effortlessly welcoming that bulbous cockhead inside. “Hm, Shoyo? Give me one more, make up for lost time?”

“I should say no,” Shoyo grumbled, despite his hips instinctively rocking into Tobio’s weight. “You’re the reason I came so early. It won’t be my fault if you can’t come inside me.”

“Can you blame me? I couldn’t wait any longer to hear you sing for me.”

Gods, it wasn’t fair, the way Tobio’s usually-brusque words warmed into poetry just to bend Shoyo to his will. His words smelled of cinnamon bark and honey, and Shoyo realized, with a hidden smile, that Tobio had cleaned his mouth before returning to bed. Ever the gentleman, even when he was goading Shoyo.

“Alright, you wordsmith,” Shoyo sighed, tilting his hips up. “Just give me a moment.”

Tobio’s hum of agreement was practically a purr. The bed dipped beneath Shoyo as his husband settled down, half on top of Shoyo and half on the sheets. He seemed incapable of not touching and kissing Shoyo—his hand dragged broad strokes along his back and side, and every breath was punctuated with brushed lips against whatever Tobio could reach without shifting too much. Soft giggles chirped from Shoyo when a ticklish spot was kissed, but he was all-too-happy to relish every touch.

Still, he couldn’t resist muttering, “Did you forget how I feel?”

“Of course not. But this month felt as though it would never end.” Tobio pressed his nose into the curve of Shoyo’s neck, breathing deep as his fingers traced ticklish paths up his inner thighs. Arousal prickled through Shoyo’s body from those light touches, sluggishly filling his cock. His stretched rim clenched around nothing. “I’ve half a mind to keep you in here all day tomorrow.”

“Only if you wish to see my mother become violent,” Shoyo snorted. He turned his head to look at Tobio, just to watch his sleepy arousal twist into fear. “It’s our first anniversary, love. We can’t cancel a ball in our honor.”

“I wouldn’t ask to cancel,” Tobio mumbled. His grumpiness couldn’t stop him from brushing adoring fingers through Shoyo’s fringe. “Surely a delay would be alright?”

“Not when the ball is tomorrow night.” Shoyo grinned at Tobio’s pout. “Is celebrating our love with the world so terrible?”

“No.” The vehemence in Tobio’s answer warmed Shoyo all the way to his fingertips. “But ever since we returned from our honeymoon, it’s felt as though our relationship has been more for the enjoyment of the public than ourselves.”

The sentiment wasn’t new to Shoyo. It had crossed his mind with every day that passed without his love at his side. But hearing it directly from Tobio’s lips squeezed at his heart ever-so-bittersweetly. “I know. I’ve felt the same.” He nestled in close enough to nudge his nose against Tobio’s. “Perhaps…” For once, his words came slow, forming on his tongue as a haphazard plan formed in his mind. “Perhaps we can steal some more time for ourselves in the morning? Before Natchan and Takeru get here?”

Shoyo felt a frown on Tobio’s lips before they brushed his in a whisper of a kiss. “Tsukishima and Yamaguchi won’t wake us. We’ll be able to have some more time alone.”

“Outside of this room, Tobio,” Shoyo tutted. “We could wake early and slip out. Perhaps we can break our fast on the beach! You didn’t get the chance to visit it yesterday.”

Tobio’s frown melted as he thought, until his lips were soft around a thoughtful pout. “Oh. That…that would be nice.” His brows furrowed at Shoyo’s quiet snort. “How early will we need to rise?”

“Let me worry about that. I’m sure I’ll wake before you, anyway.” Before Tobio could complain, Shoyo distracted him with a kiss. “But for now…enjoy me, Tobio.”

“Oh, I am,” Tobio murmured with a grin. “You’re the only one stopping me.” The hand drawing patterns into Shoyo’s skin trailed down to dip between his cheeks and trace his rim. “Are you ready for me?”

Shoyo’s breath stuttered at the ghostly touch. Most of the oil had already soaked into his skin, but his hole was still soft and pliant, easily welcoming a single finger even without fresh lubrication. His cock dragged against the sheets when his hips canted into Tobio’s touch, the texture rough on his still-sensitive length. “Where’s the oil?”

“Right here. Open up for me.”

One day Shoyo would be king of Yukigaoka, a position that would require unquestionable authority and command. But here, alone in his bedchambers with his husband, he relished the push and pull, the shift of power.

So he only grumbled a little as he shoved a folded towel beneath his hips and spread his knees. His grumbles broke into a whimper when his tender, half-hard cock dragged against the silken material.

“Are you alright?”

“Just. Hurts a bit.”

He expected a sympathetic hum and instead got a low groan. “Gods, if only you could see yourself.” The bed shifted with Tobio’s weight before warmth settled over Shoyo’s thighs. Shoyo still wasn’t prepared for a light bite at his asscheek. “Perhaps I should spend the night with my face between your legs.”

Shoyo’s dick throbbed sluggishly at the thought, but he pouted over his shoulder and wiggled his ass. “You promised you would fill me up.”

“Did I?”

“It was implied.”

“You should know better than to bargain on implications, Your Highness.” Tobio punctuated his playfully formal words with a bite at Shoyo’s other cheek as he slid two slippery fingers into him at once, smirking into his skin when Shoyo bit back a whimper.

“Gods, Tobio, are you going to fuck me or not?”

Tobio answered his breathless question with a third finger. All three fingers pressed in too easily, and if Shoyo weren’t so lost in the overwhelming, overstimulating pleasure, he might have been embarrassed at how stretched and ready he still was.

As it was, though— “Ah, oh, gods,” he cried when Tobio scissored four fingers inside him. “I’m ready, I’m ready, hurry, Tobio!”

His husband hushed him, brushing soothing kisses along his spine. “Wait for me, my love.”

Shoyo dropped his head to the bed as a moan shivered past his bitten lips. Every nerve in his body was no more than kindling for the sparks in his veins, waiting for one strong strike to set him alight.

Then the heavy, blunt weight of Tobio’s cock began pressing in, and Shoyo was aflame. “Yes,” he sighed, almost sobbed.

“Satisfied?”

“Not until I’ve got all of you. Stuff me full, Tobio.”

A groan was smothered in his neck as Tobio obeyed, steadily pressing inside to the rhythm of Shoyo’s moans and sighs. By the time his hips met Shoyo’s ass, he’d looped an arm around Shoyo’s waist to hold his hips up while the rest of Shoyo sagged into the bed, arms shuddering beneath him. “Sho?”

Shoyo didn’t answer at first, too focused on adjusting to the stretched ache. He was familiar with Tobio’s size, but when he was already tender from orgasm, his husband was almost too much, too far-reaching, too consuming. “Shoyo, speak to me.”

“Wait,” Shoyo gasped, slowly letting out a shaky breath. “Gods, why are you so big?”

Tobio stroked his free hand up Shoyo’s back, calloused fingertips bumping along his spine. “If it’s too much, we can stop.”

The words were sweet, but Shoyo knew better. There was no mistaking the challenge underlining Tobio’s soft words. “Don’t you dare,” Shoyo growled. A low chuckle slid sweetly to his ear from behind him. His lips twitched around a smile, but he focused on keeping his breaths slow and steady as he relaxed around Tobio, until finally, finally he could say, “Move.”

“Are you sure?” The words had barely left Tobio’s lips before a strangled grunt escaped him and his hands scrambled on Shoyo’s hips, trying in vain to keep him from rocking back again. “Fuck, Sho—”

“I said,” Shoyo snarled, flashing a sharp grin over his shoulder, “move.”

Tobio’s eyes darkened a breath before he slid out and thrust back in, filling Shoyo so abruptly and thoroughly, his arms nearly gave out beneath him. But Tobio didn’t start driving into him, rough and relentless. No, he just pulled out, making Shoyo feel every thick inch of him and the way his own hole clung to him, then thrust in all at once and ground his cock into Shoyo’s prostate with devastating accuracy. And there wasn’t anything Shoyo could do but take it. Tobio’s hands on his hips were unyielding to his attempts to push back, and his own arms could barely hold him up.

Even when his arms gave out and sent him collapsing chest-down to the bed, his greed still swelled, a stubborn thing that made him gasp into the damp sheets, “More, give me more, I need— Tobi—”

“Greedy,” Tobio hissed with a harsh grind inside him. “I’m only doing this much and you already can’t hold yourself up.”

“I don’t care, just— ah, yes, that way!”

Tobio kept one hand squeezing Shoyo’s hip, holding him in place as his thrusts sped up and filled the room with the sound of their skin meeting over and over again. His other hand roamed to his stomach, cradling the space beneath his belly button and pressing in just as he thrust in again. Shoyo choked—it wasn’t possible, it shouldn’t have been possible, but he could have sworn he felt the press of Tobio’s finger ever-so-slightly touch his cock, as though he were fucking him so well, so deeply, that his imprint could be felt from his stomach. “Gods…you take me so well,” Tobio hissed, feathering kisses over Shoyo’s back. “Almost as though you were made for me.”

“Almost?” Shoyo repeated breathlessly. “I am made for you. You’ve—mmh—made me this way, Your Highness.”

Tobio groaned, pressing harder at Shoyo’s stomach. “That’s right…I’ve carved myself into you.” His fingertips pillowed into Shoyo, right over where his cock drove into his prostate. A wail pressed between Shoyo’s clenched teeth at the overwhelming squeeze. “How far do you think I can go?” Tobio asked, his smirk audible. “Shall I carve even deeper tonight?”

“Yes, please, gods, fuck me, fuck me, fuck me—ahhn!” Shoyo smothered his babbling into the sheets as Tobio’s hand drifted from his stomach and twisted his nipple, playing with his body while his impeccably-aimed fucking kept Shoyo helpless.

Shoyo couldn’t move, not with his focus impossibly divided between Tobio’s cock pressing at his prostate, his hand pressing bruises into his hip, and his other hand playing with his nipples. This was different from Tobio’s single-minded focus when he ate out Shoyo. Now pleasure and pain zipped from too many parts of Shoyo’s body, and he was defenseless against all of it. He couldn’t choose what to arch into, though he barely had the strength to move at all.

Then Tobio’s hand settled like a necklace over his collarbones and pulled him up, pressing ever-so-slightly at Shoyo’s windpipe as he was lifted from the bed. “Ah— Tobio, what— nnh—”

“You were too far from me,” Tobio groaned into his ear. His body covered Shoyo like a blanket, but his hips didn’t stutter. Shoyo’s fingers scrambled at the covers, desperate to hold himself up somehow, until Tobio said, “Let go. I’ve got you.”

His arms still shook with the effort of holding some of his weight, but he sagged into Tobio’s hand, robbing himself of some air in favor of being held close. Tobio’s breath was hot at his ear, and when Shoyo turned his head, his cheek bumped into Tobio’s nose. A shaky laugh fell from his lips despite how ruined he felt.

Tobio’s huff of laughter beaded against his skin before he nipped at his ear. “Gods, Shoyo, I—nngh—”

“Me, too,” Shoyo breathed. His second orgasm of the night loomed like a tsunami’s wave over a beach, impossible and terrifying in its strength. “Tobio, please—”

“Will you come again? Without touching yourself?” Tobio’s hand moved up to grasp Shoyo’s jaw, turning his face so he could murmur into his cheek. “Will you give me another one?”

“I— I can’t—”

“Yes, you can. I won’t finish without feeling your squeeze.”

He really wouldn’t. Shoyo harbored no doubt of that. His hips were relentless in their speed, impossible in their consistent aim while Shoyo’s heavy cock bobbed uselessly beneath him. Shoyo’s moans climbed, growing reedy with need as his pleasure coiled tighter and tighter.

Without warning, Tobio sat upright on his knees without letting Shoyo go, making him cry out as Tobio’s cock ground into his prostate without missing a beat. Tobio was the only reason Shoyo didn’t collapse back onto the bed, but even with the support of his strong body at his back, his legs trembled with his own weight. “Tobio—”

“Hold onto me.”

Shoyo’s arms felt as weak as his legs, but they lifted to obey the grunted order. One hand slid fingers into Tobio’s hair while the other clung to the hand on his chest. It helped, but not much. Shoyo couldn’t focus on holding himself up, not when all of his focus was narrowed into the relentless press of Tobio’s cock inside him. It was so good, too good, brought Shoyo to the very peak of his pleasure and held him there, dangling from the cliffside, incapable of falling…

Then the hand at Shoyo’s hip drifted around to the space above his bobbing cock and pressed in, right over where Tobio was carving into him, and Shoyo broke.

His moans cracked into what would have been a scream if he had enough air in his lungs. As it was, his voice trembled around broken cries, all of his strength dedicated to pushing out ropes of come that splattered on his stomach and dribbled down his throbbing length.

Tobio’s groans barely broke through the blood rushing through Shoyo’s ears. When his orgasm abated, he was content to let Tobio use his body to chase his own release, sagging against his strong chest and craning his neck for Tobio to nip at as his hips grew frantic in their rhythm. A mortifying whine slipped from Shoyo’s lips when Tobio suddenly pulled out of him. His hole gaped and fluttered around nothing while Tobio spilled onto the small of Shoyo’s back with a hoarse gasp of his name.

“Why?” he whimpered as Tobio rested his forehead on his shoulder. “Why not inside?”

“As much as I relish the thought of you dripping with me at our ball,” Tobio muttered, “I don’t believe that would increase our favor with any of your nobility.”

“Oh,” Shoyo giggled, a bit delirious.

A soft scoff puffed into his shoulder before Tobio pressed a kiss to his sweaty skin and pulled away to reach for the messy towel. “At least we didn’t make too much of a mess.”

Shoyo could only hum in response as Tobio wiped him clean and let him wilt to the bed. It was rare for him to get so cockdumb, and he always relished how quiet his mind got and how fluid his body felt. Words didn’t come to him until the bed shifted from Tobio standing. “Don’t leave.”

Tobio didn’t respond. He didn’t need to, not when he slid back under the covers in a matter of seconds. “Oi, Sho.”

“Mmh?” Shoyo shifted towards Tobio’s warmth like a flower reaching for the sun.

“Gods, I thought I was the one exhausted with my travels,” Tobio grumbled, though his arms still opened for Shoyo to snuggle into him.

“You didn’t seem all that exhausted when you pulled two orgasms from me,” Shoyo mumbled, earning a low chuckle that jostled his head where it was resting on Tobio’s pec.

“Fair enough,” Tobio sighed.

“Thank you,” Shoyo added, “for taking such good care of me. I know you’re tired.”

Tobio’s fingers began drawing idle patterns into his back. Shoyo melted under his soothing fingertips. “It’s not a chore or favor to bring you pleasure. Gods, Shoyo, you have no idea…”

“Mm, what?”

“How much I missed you. How much I looked forward to feeling your warmth again.”

A lump lodged itself in Shoyo’s throat, the way it always did when Tobio spoke so vulnerably. “Me, too,” he whispered into his skin. He couldn’t look him in the eye or he would burst into tears. “Honestly, Tobi, did you think I missed you any less?”

“Oh, of course. I already consider it a victory in my favor.”

“Hey!” Shoyo laughed, leaning up to nip at Tobio’s jaw. “Ugh, don’t start an argument now. I cannot argue when you’ve worn me out, and you’ll only count it as another win, you cheat.”

“Oi, don’t call your husband a cheat!”

Shoyo just giggled and settled back down, head pillowed on Tobio’s chest and a strong arm holding him close.

He was on the edge of sleep when Tobio suddenly murmured, “I’ve been thinking…”

“Careful, you’ll hurt yourself.” The answer rose to Shoyo’s lips easily, even when he was a breath away from unconsciousness. Just as easily came the light pinch by his armpit. Shoyo expected it, but he still whined, “Ow, Tobio.”

“Hush,” Tobio grumbled, already rubbing soothing circles into the pinched skin. “I’ve been thinking, what if I came to Yukigaoka…permanently?”

Disbelief swept Shoyo’s drowsiness away, and he shot up to his elbow to gape at Tobio. “What?”

“My biggest responsibility in Karasuno is as Royal Commander,” Tobio said. His voice was casual, but nerves tightened the corners of his eyes. “It’s a position that was always meant to go to the Prince Consort. But Akihiko-nii said he didn’t want to step in when I was still unmarried and loved the role. Now, though…” He brushed his fingers through Shoyo’s fringe, the touch well-worn and adoring. “We’ve spent as much time apart as we have together. I wouldn’t have minded if this were just an arranged marriage, but it’s not. And I miss you.”

“Me, too,” Shoyo whispered. The very idea of Tobio always being at his side felt delicate, as though raising his voice even a bit would burst the possibility like a bubble. “But are you certain? I do not wish to pull you from work you love so much.”

“Do you want me to be here?”

“Of course, but—”

“Then I’m sure.” Tobio dragged his hand from Shoyo’s hair down his body, trailing a familiar path that still kindled arousal beneath Shoyo’s skin. “Perhaps I might assist in training your army, teach them something a little new.”

A mix of amusement and giddiness pulled at Shoyo’s lips. “You’ll have to learn the basics of Yukigaoka’s combat styles before you can do any teaching of your own.”

“How lucky, then,” Tobio growled, wrapping an arm around Shoyo’s waist to flip him to the bed and loom over him, “that I’ve had so much practice.”

He smothered Shoyo’s laughter of surprised delight with playful kisses, each peck ending just before Shoyo could properly return them. “Let me kiss you!” he finally demanded, holding Tobio’s shoulders and pulling him down. “It’s quite uncouth to play hard-to-get with your husband.”

“‘Uncouth’? Have you visited the library recently?” Tobio muttered, kissing Shoyo’s snickers from his lips. “And I seem to recall you doing most of the running.”

“I had to make sure you could keep up,” Shoyo hummed. "I'm not an easy quarry to catch."

"No, you're not." The edges of Tobio's words were dulled by his subdued tone, which he couldn't quite muffle against Shoyo's neck. "Even after a year of marriage, it feels as though I'm still chasing you."

"But you're not." Shoyo nudged Tobio away to look him in the eye, one hand cupping his cheek and brushing a thumb between his brows. "You have me, Tobio. I'm yours and you're mine. Did you ever doubt that?"

Some tension eased from around Tobio's eyes. "Of course not. But every time we part ways, I always find myself wishing we had more time." He pulled Shoyo's hand from his cheek to weave their fingers together. "I still want to have our races and spars. If anything, those will be easier to have when we're at each other's side everyday."

"You don't have to convince me," Shoyo chuckled. "I just don't want you to feel as though you were losing something."

"It will be a change," Tobio conceded. "But I will have you. You're worth all of it and more."

Joy, tremulous and fragile, bubbled in Shoyo's heart. "As long as you're sure. Once I get used to enjoying you every day, I'm not likely to give you up again."

A smile, small and wonderful, warmed Tobio’s face. “Don’t you worry. I’m well-versed in my husband’s greed.”

Shoyo opened his mouth to give a cheeky response, but the words died on his tongue as he gazed up at Tobio, at all the love and happiness lining his features until they wrinkled in confusion. “What is it?”

“I really love you.”

Tobio’s face went slack with surprise, before turning a sweet pink. “We still have an hour before it’s our anniversary. Isn’t it a bit early to be so sentimental?”

“It’s never too early to be in love with my husband!” Shoyo said with a mock gasp. “It’s not my fault I love you more!”

Tobio arched a brow, the only warning he gave Shoyo before he pulled Shoyo’s arms from around his shoulders and pinned his wrists to the pillow. “Is that any way to speak to the man who traveled a week to be here?”

“I did the same last month!”

“To the man who just gave you two orgasms?”

“You were the one who decided to be greedy.”

“And who do you think I learned that from?”

A flush warmed Shoyo’s cheeks when Tobio’s smirking lips parted around a low purr. It wasn’t fair. He should’ve been more immune to his sudden charms after a year of marriage.

Shoyo strained against the hands around his wrists to no avail, leaving him slumped into his pillow with a pout. “Be quiet and tell me you love me, you bully.”

“I don’t believe I can do both, Your Highness.”

“Tobio!”

A soft chuckle brushed Shoyo’s lips. “I love you, too. You vexing little menace.”

Tobio didn’t give Shoyo a chance to respond. Not that Shoyo minded. He was more than content to be kissed good night, over and over and over.

☀

The room was dim, illuminated only by stripes of the sunrise slipping in between the heavy curtains. Shoyo awoke slowly, stretching all the way to his fingertips and toes before he opened his eyes. As much as he hated being apart from Tobio, he always loved the mornings after their reunions. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima knew to let them emerge from the room on their own, letting them sleep in and enjoy each other without any rush.

Or, well…they would, if they hadn’t schemed up a half-baked plan for more time alone.

He sagged out of his stretch and looked at his sleeping husband. Tobio always looked so sweet in sleep with his pouting lips, relaxed brows, and possessive arm slung over Shoyo’s waist. It would be impossible to guess his strength and skill with a sword, nor his sadistic streak in bed.

The memories of last night raised goosebumps over his skin with a pleased shiver. Shoyo would become king one day, but sometimes Tobio wielded a lethal confidence that made him seem better suited to the title. The thought didn’t lend itself to any insecurity for Shoyo. Why would it? He was the one with Tobio wound around his finger.

“Tobio,” Shoyo whispered, trailing featherlight fingers along Tobio’s arm. Goosebumps rose in his wake, and when Tobio’s arm tightened around Shoyo, he wasn’t sure if it was out of clinginess or a ticklish response. “Tobioooo.”

Tobio groaned and pressed his face further into his pillow. “No.”

“Wake up.”

“The sun’s barely risen.”

“Exactly! We need to hurry if we want to avoid being seen.”

Tobio pinned Shoyo under one narrowed eye, the other still hidden by his pillow. “And breakfast?”

“I’m sure we can swipe something from the table before the others arrive.”

He didn’t get a response beyond a muffled grumble, but when he tried to reach the edge of the bed, the arm at his waist pinned him down. “Tobio!”

“Don’t go.”

“One of us ought to get ready!”

There was another mumble before the arm fell away, freeing Shoyo with one last pinch at his waist. Shoyo indulged in a pinch at Tobio’s cheek in retaliation and zipped from bed before Tobio could do more than swat at him.

“I was thinking we could go to the little island,” he said as he dressed himself. He had to dress simply without Yamaguchi’s help, but that was fine for his plans. “The tide is low this time of year, so we could ride over the sand bar. Uwahhh, it’ll be perfect. No one will find us there except Yamaguchi, and we’ll be all alone! Ms Kamisato will help us pack a basket in secret, and we can get our horses ready without any help. Perhaps we’ll need an old blanket, and dishes? Though I would prefer just sharing from the basket and lessening the load.”

He bustled about as he planned out loud, tugging on some old riding boots and plucking out some clothes for Tobio. It wasn’t until he laid the clothes out at the foot of the bed that he noticed Tobio staring at him, one arm bent behind his head and a tiny smile dancing on his lips. “…What?”

“Nothing. I’ve missed your chattering.” Tobio’s smile broadened. “You sound like the chickadees in the morning.”

Heat flooded Shoyo’s cheeks, a strange complement to his pout. “Using pretty words doesn’t hide the fact that you called me vexing.”

“I said no such thing.”

“And a chickadee?” Shoyo rounded the bed to poke Tobio in his chest. His bare, strong, plush chest. Focus. “You cannot tell a future king that his voice sounds like a tiny bird!”

“Perhaps not. But what about my husband?” Tobio caught his hand and tugged him into his lap, muffling Shoyo’s shout of surprise with a kiss. “Surely I can tell my husband how quiet my mornings are without him?”

“You can tell your husband whatever you like after we leave!” Shoyo tried to insist, only for his laughter to be smothered by more kisses.

It was a miracle that they were still able to slip away before the rest of the palace awoke. To Shoyo’s surprise and mild suspicion, Tobio volunteered to retrieve the food. “I thought you’d argue to be on horse duty,” Shoyo muttered, squinting up at his husband.

Tobio scoffed. “Consider it an anniversary gift.”

Suspicion nudged at Shoyo when they parted ways, but he wasn’t interested in looking a gift horse in the mouth. Not when he had two horses to saddle up.

Any suspicion was wonderfully swept away when he and Tobio rode out onto the beach. Who could bother with suspicion whilst on a horseback ride at sunrise? How could Shoyo feel anything but undiluted bliss with the salty ocean air stinging at his face and his husband shouting at his early start in their race?

“Shoyo, you cheat!” Tobio hollered. They were far enough down the beach that his raised voice wouldn’t rouse anyone in the palace, nor would Shoyo’s delighted laughter as he urged his horse even faster.

“Come on, Rei,” Shoyo murmured. “Let’s show him and Ame what the sand does for us.”

His bay nickered and surged forward, kicking up sand clouds in their wake. The sunrise washed orange and beautiful over the beach, and Shoyo welcomed the burn of sunlight in his eyes when he turned onto the narrow sandbar. The palace sat over a small slip of Yukigaoka’s coast, one that Shoyo knew like the back of his hand. It was surreal, how much a year of marriage could change the way he saw his home. Now the beach felt incomplete if he couldn’t look over his shoulder and see Tobio chasing him, dark eyes flashing and bright smile gleaming.

Rei was at home on the beach, used to the shifting sands and capable of carrying Shoyo down the narrow sandbar to the tiny island. In the time between their arrival and Tobio’s, Shoyo was able to spread out a blanket and begin to untack Rei. “Ah, Tobio,” he greeted his husband with mock aplomb when he arrived with a glower. “How good of you to join us!”

Tobio dismounted and, to Shoyo’s surprise, began to yank his jacket off before taking down the picnic basket nor untacking Ame. “You,” he growled, tossing his jacket to the blanket and loosening the ties of his collar, “are the most insufferable ass.”

“Yes, but we’ve established that you— mmf!”

Tobio had stalked up to Shoyo and backed him into a tree before kissing him. Except it felt less like a kiss and more like he was devouring him. Rei’s bridle fell to the sand, forgotten in favor of clinging to Tobio and trying to get some leverage in the kiss.

Then Tobio pulled away as abruptly as he’d pushed in, leaving Shoyo blinking bleary eyes. “Did you bring any oil?” Tobio asked, his rough voice sparking through Shoyo.

“No. I wasn’t feeling so optimistic about how much time we would have.”

“Mm, a shame.” Tobio cupped Shoyo’s cheek and traced a thumb over his kiss-swollen lips. “I would have fucked some good sportsmanship back into you.”

“Oh, is that what you’re showing?” Shoyo snorted, ignoring his own shiver of anticipation as he stole a kiss. “Good sportsmanship? Are you sure?”

“I believe I’m allowed to be a surly loser under these conditions.”

“Perhaps,” Shoyo conceded with another kiss. “But I don’t believe Ame should pay the price. Untack the poor thing!” He laughed at Tobio’s abashed grimace and shoved his husband towards his horse.

Once their horses were untacked and relaxed, Shoyo began undressing, earning a confused frown from his husband. “What?”

“Are you not hungry?”

“A bit.” Shoyo grinned when Tobio’s eyes followed his hands as they shoved his pants off. “But food always tastes better after a swim.”

He tossed his shirt, the last bit of clothing to remove, into Tobio’s face before running naked into the waves. He didn’t go too far, just enough for the water to reach his shoulders. As much as he longed to take a proper swim, he couldn’t attend his own ball with sandy hair that crunched with dried saltwater.

No matter. Simply wading in the water eased the tension from his shoulders and spread contentment through him, and the sun had risen enough to warm the water. When he glanced back at the island, he saw Tobio finish laying out their breakfast picnic and begin to snack on some grapes as he looked over the water. Their eyes met, and a wide smile broke across Shoyo’s face. “Tobi, come in! The water is lovely!”

“The water is cold!” Tobio called back, though not without a grin that was visible from the waves.

Shoyo huffed and turned back to the ocean, tilting his face to the bright, warm sunlight. He had come to love Karasuno’s mountains, but nothing would ever compare to the sea whose waves washed through Shoyo’s entire childhood. There were only a few weeks when the tide was low enough for the sandbar to be traversable, and it had worn on every bit of Shoyo’s patience to wait until Tobio returned to Yukigaoka so that they could share their first visit of the year to the island. Their time that day would be brief, but it was already proving to be worth it, even if his husband wouldn’t get into the water.

He jolted when large hands suddenly slid around his waist until he was wrapped in strong arms and relaxed against a tall, warm, naked body. “You’re going to get burnt.”

“I haven’t been burned in years,” he sniffed, not bothering to open his eyes nor bite back his smile. “I’ll know when to return to the shade.”

“What about when to return to our food?”

“The food will keep for a few more minutes.”

“Mm…” Tobio began tracing kisses along Shoyo’s shoulder as one hand drifted down Shoyo’s stomach and tilted his hips back. His breath caught at the press of Tobio’s slowly-hardening length. “And what about me?”

“You could have called me back.”

“You wouldn’t have listened.”

Shoyo snickered, turning and draping his arms around Tobio’s shoulders. “No, I wouldn’t have.”

Tobio sighed, fond and exasperated, and kissed Shoyo. His lips were slow, his tongue gentle, and Shoyo melted into him, arousal spreading slow and syrupy through his veins. A surprised moan clipped out of him when a hand carefully grasped his rising dick and began slowly pumping, the saltwater easing the slide. “What happened to eating?” he stammered, though he did nothing to stop Tobio.

“Forgive me if I’d rather enjoy having my husband naked in my arms.”

“Charmer,” Shoyo scoffed. “And what about you?”

His lips pressed thin against giggles when Tobio looked down at their unaligned cocks and frowned, the coastal sun apparently muddling his mind. Shoyo let him ponder for a second before mercy had him batting away Tobio’s stalled hand, hooking a leg around his hips, and murmuring, “Pick me up.”

Tobio blinked, but obeyed easily enough. The water easing most of Shoyo’s weight didn’t keep him from enjoying the flex of Tobio’s arms beneath him as he was lifted just enough for him to wrap a hand around their cocks. “Ah,” he hissed, rocking into his own touch. His fingers couldn’t quite wrap all the way around both erections, but it was enough for them to drag groans out of their throats and tighten Tobio’s arms around him.

“Gods, Sho.” Tobio bit at his throat right over his collarbone, quickly soothing it with a lick and kiss.

“Good?” Shoyo asked breathlessly.

Tobio answered with a kiss, nipping his approval into Shoyo’s lips as he tried to shift his hips. “Mmn, Shoyo, move your hips. I can’t— ah, just like that.”

The water made it easier for Tobio to hold him up, but it also felt thick around Shoyo, slowing the desperate rock of his hips and his pumping hand. It burrowed between his fingers, creating a strange type of slide in his fist that Shoyo wasn’t sure helped or impeded his pleasure.

The climb was syrupy slow, spreading through Shoyo like the warmth of the sun on his bare skin. Maybe Tobio was right. Maybe he would be burned, but not by the sun. No, he would be burned by the wet kisses Tobio pressed to his throat and his hands holding him close. He would be burned by the flickering sparks easing through his body with every pump of his hand.

“Shoyo—?”

“M’close,” he breathed, his head falling to Tobio’s shoulder. “I’m close, but I can’t—”

“Don’t you dare quit now,” Tobio growled, his voice rumbling through Shoyo’s body. “I’m close, too.”

“Then kiss me.” He dragged his free fingers through Tobio’s hair. “Kiss me, Tobio.”

He barely needed to pull before Tobio’s lips met his, just as slow and obscene as Shoyo’s hips and sparking through him just as well. The burst of passion from his kisses sped Shoyo’s hand, urged him to reach that elusive peak, until he was gasping against Tobio’s lips instead of kissing them. Every breath broke on a soft moan, a quiet plea of, “Tobio, Tobio, ah—”

“Don’t stop, Sho, don’t—nngh!” Tobio gasped his orgasm against Shoyo’s lips, and the feeling of his cock jerking in his hand was enough to send Shoyo falling after him.

His orgasm washed over him like warm bathwater, soothing and energizing at once, and left a buzz of satisfaction lingering under his skin. The ocean washed the mess away, leaving the couple flushed and clean beneath Yukigaoka’s sun.

This…this was how Shoyo wished to celebrate a year of marriage. Only him and his beloved husband in the most private, tranquil place in the world, bathing in the water and warmed by the sun that had raised him. And when he met Tobio’s eyes, he found his own contentment mirrored in that beautiful blue gaze, as deep and dark as the ocean that protected his home.

“Now,” he breathed, a sly smirk pulling at his lips, “I’m ready for breakfast.”

Their morning passed with the same languid, lazy pleasure as it began. They sipped crisp, light wine straight from the bottle and fed each other cubes of the most savory cheeses and ripe grapes that burst sweetly in their mouths, all whilst wearing only their underclothes. The sun crept up the beach until it kissed the edge of their picnic blanket. Shoyo was reclined with his arm bent behind his head and his eyes shut against the sun when he heard a quiet, “Sho.”

“Mm?”

“We must return. The sun is high in the sky.”

Shoyo whined. “Already?”

“Already?” Tobio echoed, disbelief clear in his voice. “We’ve already spent half the day out here and enjoyed our food.”

He was right. Only crumbs and stems remained of their makeshift breakfast, and their small bottle of wine sat empty between them. But Shoyo dreaded breaking the island’s warm, intimate bubble.

His eyes remained stubbornly closed, but the persistent sunlight was shadowed by a familiar warmth. “We will have other days together,” Tobio murmured, feathering kisses over Shoyo’s cheeks. “We can always spend one of those days here, and truly lose ourselves to each other.” He punctuated his promise with a slow, lingering kiss that finally coaxed Shoyo’s eyes open.

A devastating smirk awaited his gaze, framed so beautifully by ebony hair and midnight eyes. Shoyo was defenseless against his husband’s beauty, and he knew Tobio knew it. “Do you promise?” he whispered, just to have the last word in some way.

“I promise. Now, come on.”

☀

To Shoyo’s deep dismay, Tobio was right. Between heating water for their baths, washing the salt and sand from their skin, and changing into their clothes, they found themselves scrambling to be ready before Natsu’s arrival.

“I told you you’d need more time to clean up.”

Shoyo sneered at Tobio, refusing to acknowledge how dashing he was in his newly-tailored waistcoat. “Yes, Father.”

“Ugh, do you mind?” Tsukishima groaned, looking up from Tobio’s cufflinks to frown at Shoyo. “Save your kinks for when you’re alone, please.”

“Tsukki…”

“...Please, Your Highness.”

“Oh, that’s much better, thank you, Tsukishima,” Shoyo said, rolling his eyes. “I still don’t know what you see in him, Yamaguchi.”

Yamaguchi grinned as he buttoned Shoyo’s waistcoat. “I’m afraid that’s a shared sentiment, Shoyo-san.”

“I’m not sure I appreciate what you’re implying.” Tobio narrowed his eyes at Yamaguchi over his shoulder, but the corner of his lips quivered against a grin.

One of his many favorite parts of being back at Tobio’s side were times like this, when they and their closest attendants could bicker and banter like the oldest of friends. Titles were used as taunts more than signs of respect, and for all of Tsukishima’s grumbling over Shoyo and Tobio’s flirting, he and Yamaguchi were just as insufferable, with their secretive smiles and mouthed words when they thought the princes weren’t looking.

Shoyo couldn’t bring himself to mind all that much. There was something gratifying and relieving about his and Tobio’s love allowing another romance to flourish as well. Still, when Yamaguchi finished smoothing down Shoyo’s jacket and slipped out of the room with Tsukishima, relief and mischief snaked through Shoyo at being left alone with his husband.

He was quiet as he stepped behind Tobio and slid his arms around his waist, burying his face between his shoulder blades. When Tobio spoke, Shoyo felt his voice rumble through his body. “What?”

“Are you going to do your hair?”

“Perhaps for the ball.”

“Good.” Shoyo grinned when Tobio frowned over his shoulder. “You look so dashing with your hair styled.” He slid adoring fingers through Tobio’s fringe, combing it back in a poor imitation of the style it was always brushed into for formal occasions. He was always handsome, a picture perfect prince who Shoyo still couldn’t believe was his. But seeing his face with his hair swept out of his eyes and a few stray strands falling perfectly to his forehead…it was a good reminder that Shoyo would forever and always be made breathless by his lover.

Now he simply earned raised, unimpressed brows. “So do you. But asking Yamaguchi to wrangle your hair seems like cruel and unusual punishment.”

“Harsh words from someone who can’t keep his hands off my hair.”

Tobio hummed and twisted in Shoyo’s arms to drag his fingers through his curls and along his scalp. Shoyo melted from his touch, leaning into him as Tobio rested his arm around his shoulders. “You like me touching your hair.”

“Mm…I like you touching other things, too.”

“Hush.” Shoyo squeaked from the pinch at his cheek. “Natsu and Takeru will be here soon.”

“What about a kiss?”

Tobio frowned but still let Shoyo kiss the pout from his lips. Shoyo was quick to take advantage of the chance to lean into his husband and slide his arms around his shoulders, trapping him into his kisses and resisting when Tobio’s hands at his waist tried to tug him away. “Mm, Sho—”

“One more.”

“Takeru—”

“Yamaguchi will get us when they arrive.”

“We can’t be late.”

“We won’t be!”

“Yes, we will!” Tobio managed to get his hands onto Shoyo’s cheeks, using his grip to hold him away. “You can have your way with me after the ball. Right now, we have to act like proper royals.”

Shoyo scoffed. “You didn’t seem to care about being proper this morning.”

Despite his flush, Tobio arched a brow at Shoyo. “You were just as uninterested in being ‘proper,’ if I recall correctly.”

“And I’m uninterested now.”

“You little—”

“Your Highnesses?” The couple froze at Tsukishima’s call. “Are you decent?”

“Of course we are!” Shoyo said, affronted at the idea as though he weren’t just suggesting some indecency.

“Good. Their retinue is nearly here.”

“We’ll be out in a moment,” Tobio called, smirking at Shoyo’s pout. When he spoke again, his voice was a low murmur that sent a shiver down Shoyo’s spine. “Well?”

Shoyo didn’t say anything, didn’t give Tobio any sort of warning before he grabbed his lapels and pulled him into a hungry kiss. As soon as Tobio’s lips parted in defeat, Shoyo dragged his fingers through his hair, doing his best to get it as messy as possible while arching his body against Tobio. He hummed in delight at Tobio’s low groan, grinning like the cat that got the cream when he pulled away. “There,” he chirped, giving Tobio’s hair one last muss for good measure. “Now I’m ready.”

He made it all of two steps before he was pulled into a strong body, trapped in a warm embrace as teeth descended on his neck. “Ow, what—?”

His indignant question broke into a soft moan when lips began sucking at his throat. “Not there,” he tried to protest. “People will see.”

“I know.” With one last nibble, Tobio released him, smirking when Shoyo scowled at him. “Better keep that collar up.”

Shoyo’s irritated response was interrupted by the door swinging open, revealing an unimpressed Tsukishima and an abashed Yamaguchi. “Your sister is here,” Yamaguchi told them. “Your parents are already out to greet her, and the queen was not pleased with your absence.”

“Damn…alright, let’s go,” Shoyo huffed, grabbing Tobio’s hand and dragging him to the main courtyard. They couldn’t get away before Tsukishima added, “What happened to your hair?”

“Never you mind.”

“Hm. Revolting.”

“I can’t believe you let him talk to you like that,” Shoyo scoffed under his breath as they headed outside, their attendants trailing behind them.

“I don’t ‘let’ him do anything,” Tobio said with a snort. “He just decides to do things. That’s the price of having grown up with him: my authority means nothing to him.”

Shoyo hummed. “Yamaguchi’s the same, but at least he doesn’t speak to me like an absolute ass. Hello, Natchan!”

Much to Shoyo’s chagrin, Natsu and Takeru Oikawa had already disembarked from their carriage and were embracing the king and queen, the latter of whom frowned over her shoulder at her son’s tardy arrival. “And where have you been?”

“Are we not allowed some time to ourselves?” Shoyo muttered.

“Not when Mama already has the whole day planned,” Natsu snickered as she embraced Shoyo. “How kind of you to greet us, Nii-chan.”

“Oh, hush. We made it, did we not?” When they separated, Shoyo grinned. “Why shouldn’t we find some time to celebrate our anniversary all alone?”

Her face wrinkled into an impressive grimace. “Takeru, I’m afraid we must take our leave immediately!”

“Oh, dear,” Takeru chuckled, rubbing a sympathetic hand down her back. Natsu leaned into her husband with a playful pout. “Have you grown so unaccustomed to your brother after so much time apart?”

“Marriage has weakened you, Natchan.”

“Not everyone needs to compete over every little thing in their marriage.” She smiled innocently at Shoyo’s sneer before turning her attention to Tobio. “How are you, Tobio-nii?”

“I’m well, Natchan.” He wrapped Natsu into a warm hug. “I trust you enjoyed a smooth journey?”

“Longer than usual, but smoother than if we’d gone through Karasuno.” Natsu meets Tobio’s raised brows with an abashed smile. “I don’t imagine Miwa-nee was very pleased when we wrote her regarding our changed route.”

“Which was why we left before we could receive a response,” Takeru said, laughing. “I can always blame my uncle’s bad influence if she does voice any complaints.”

Tobio did a poor job of suppressing his grimace at the mention of Prince Tooru, and Shoyo had to bite back his own laughter when he announced, “Well then! Shall we head inside?”

Lunch was a simple fare, thanks to the kitchens being dedicated to refreshments for the ball, but Natsu insisted that was all she and Takeru needed. “It’s taking everything in me to resist the temptation of simply crawling into bed without eating at all,” Natsu admitted with a sheepish giggle.

“Were you not just telling us about sleeping in the carriage here?” Shoyo asked, unimpressed.

Natsu sighed like a weary governess. “Nii-chan, don’t be facetious. You know as well as anyone that sleeping in the carriage is not the same as a bed.”

“Facetious?” Shoyo echoed. “You’ve been speaking with Tooru-san too much.”

“You aren’t entirely wrong,” Takeru said, ignoring Natsu’s betrayed gasp. “Sometimes I fear my uncle prefers her company to mine.”

“That’s not true!” Natsu insisted, apparently missing the joking tone of Takeru’s words. “He loves seeing you, Keru! He only wishes to speak with everyone when he visits Aoba Johsai. Heavens know he doesn’t get to visit as often as he’d like.”

Takeru listened to his wife’s passionate reassurance with a small smile, and when he spoke, his voice was sugary with adoration. “Dearest, I would not begrudge my uncle if he did prefer your company. He’d be a fool not to wish for more time with you.”

Natsu’s cheeks grew pink with the realization of her over-vehemence. “Yes, well…I could say the same of you.” They shared a secret smile before Natsu looked at the rest of the table, as though suddenly remembering everyone’s presence. “In any case! We need to be well-rested for tonight’s festivities!”

“Gods,” Shoyo groaned. “I still don’t understand why Mama insisted on such a large affair for an anniversary.”

Sumire had been watching her daughter with a tender expression wavering between bittersweet nostalgia and glowing pride, but at Shoyo’s words, she was quick to pin him under unimpressed eyes. “You know very well why,” she sniffed. “Do not blame me for your short memory, little sun.”

Shoyo grimaced, but he couldn’t argue. He’d heard the rationale several times in the past few months—something about Yukigaoka’s nobility needing to see their future king and his consort as a united force. She wasn’t wrong. Splitting their time between kingdoms also meant splitting their time between two bodies of nobility, which in turn meant that they had not attended nearly as many social functions as a couple as most royal couples would have in their first year of marriage.

Sumire’s disapproval softened into sympathy. “I am sorry to deprive you two of a more private first anniversary. I hope you’ll be able to make up for it in the coming days.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Sumire-san,” Tobio said in a low, soothing voice. “We’ve already been able to celebrate on our own, and as you say, we will have plenty of time whilst I’m in Yukigaoka.”

He looked to Shoyo as though searching for agreement, but Shoyo caught the conspiratory glint in his eyes. He bit back his own smile. It would be a while yet before they would share Tobio’s plans to stay in Yukigaoka for good. Shoyo didn’t mind. He was satisfied with the thrill that zipped through him every time he remembered.

For now, he contented himself with teasing Natsu and urging her to have a bit more to eat before they parted ways after the meal. She and Takeru ended up taking their leave from the table first, but when Shoyo and Tobio walked past Natsu’s quarters on their way back to theirs, her very-awake voice still filtered to them through a crack in the door.

“Takkun?”

“Yes, dear?”

“Have you seen my comb?”

Silence fell for a few breaths, only broken by Takeru’s sheepish, “...Ah.”

“You dolt!” Natsu laughed. “Give that here!”

“Hold on, I’m not finished—”

“Then get your own comb! I know you packed it!”

“But now I’ve already started with this one!”

“For gods’ sake—!”

Her words broke into a cry, then a low thud. They must have fallen, but a low snort from Takeru grew into shared laughter and reassured Shoyo that they were uninjured.

With that, he urged Tobio down the hallway, pointedly ignoring his husband’s unimpressed raised brows. “Quiet,” he muttered. “I only wished to make sure they are truly happy together.”

“Natsu is a young woman of many talents,” Tobio said with a snort, “but even she cannot perform a loving marriage so thoroughly.” His smirk softened into a gentle smile. “I’m glad their happiness continues. They’re lucky to have found love in an advantageous marriage.”

Shoyo hummed as he slid his fingers between Tobio’s and squeezed his hand. “They’re not the only lucky ones.”

“Sap,” Tobio scoffed, but not without a quick kiss.

☀

There wasn’t any particular dress code for the ball, but the princes had new suits prepared—a fair indulgence for the stars of the evening. They were dressed in snowy white, with red sashes and detailing paired with embroidery that shifted between gold and silver. The red presented them as a united front, while the shifting metallic threads still allowed Tobio to wear a bit of his home.

“You almost look like newlyweds,” Tsukishima chuckled.

“Handsome newlyweds, at least,” Yamaguchi added with a good-natured smile. “The tailors did wonderful work.”

Tobio narrowed his eyes a touch, enough to let the attendants know that he could hear the teasing tones in their voices. “I’ll be sure to send your compliments to Asahi-san.”

Shoyo snickered, doing his best to hold still as Yamaguchi finished wrangling his hair into a more controlled mop of curls. “Yamaguchi, you’re a miracle worker.”

Pleased pink rose to freckled cheeks, belied by Yamaguchi rolling his eyes. “You exaggerate, Shoyo-san.”

“I do not!” Shoyo insisted with a laugh.

Yamaguchi didn’t respond beyond a fond shake of his head as he reached for Shoyo’s cufflinks.

“Let me,” Tobio suddenly interrupted. Yamaguchi froze in the middle of opening the cufflinks box, a sharp contrast to Tsukishima’s tiny smirk. “I, ah…I can take care of that for him.”

“Are you quite sure, Your Highness?”

“I do know how to attach cufflinks, Yamaguchi.”

The attendant let out a good-natured snort as he set the box aside. “Suit yourself.”

“Ah, Tobio, too!” Shoyo piped up when he saw a similar box in Tsukishima’s hand. “I can do that for him.”

He expected the attendants to look confused. Instead, they exchanged a knowing look before Tsukishima drawled, “Alright then. We’ll leave you two to your cufflinks debauchery, then. Do try to finish up on time; the queen really will have our heads if you show up late to your own ball.”

“Are you quite certain you aren’t our mother?” Shoyo sighed, grinning in triumph at the disgust that creased Tsukishima’s face. “You’re certainly nagging us like one.”

“We were already on our way out,” Tsukishima grumbled as he followed a snickering Yamaguchi to the door. “No need to hasten anything.”

As soon as the door clicked shut, Tobio turned a raised brow on Shoyo. Even his suspicion looked dashing with his hair parted and combed back, allowing a few perfect strands to escape. “What on earth are you scheming?”

“I should be asking you that!” Shoyo snapped without any venom. “Why the sudden fixation on my cufflinks, hm?”

Tobio frowned. “Our anniversary is nearly over, and I still haven’t given you your present.”

“Present?” Shoyo’s lips pursed in a confused pout. “But…I thought the picnic…”

“You idiot,” Tobio scoffed, a fond smile tugging at his lips. “You suggested that just last night. I am capable of planning ahead.”

“I never said you weren’t!”

Tobio didn’t respond beyond rolling his eyes, then plucked something from behind the vase on the fireplace mantle. It was another cufflinks box, though this one was covered in a lovely red velvet. “I know we’ve just decided that I will stay in Yukigaoka eventually,” he said slowly, as though he were carefully choosing each word, “but I had these made long before we came to that decision, and it will take some time before those plans can fully come to fruition.”

Shoyo’s brows furrowed, but he pressed his lips thin to avoid interrupting.

“So I thought that, while we are apart…you could wear these and think of me.” He knelt by Shoyo’s stool and opened the box to reveal two beautiful cufflinks. The gold was sculpted into suns with intricate rays flaring from the center, where a tiny sapphire sat, the perfect match to Karasuno’s deep blue. “I wanted it to still complement your gold accessories, but I thought, with the sapphires…”

“Oh, Tobio,” Shoyo gasped, tracing a careful finger over the delicate design. “It’s beautiful…”

When he looked up at his husband, he was met with skeptical eyes. “Why do I hear a ‘but’ at the end of that?”

Shoyo snickered and kissed the tiny frown from Tobio’s lips. “But…we are so like-minded.”

“I don’t understand.”

He opened the drawer in his dressing table and pulled out his own cufflinks box covered in dark blue velvet. Inside sat two round, silver cufflinks. The silver was intricately twisted and woven together like the rose window of a cathedral, all coming together around the centerpiece: a tiny ruby.

Tobio was silent for several breaths, barely even blinked. Then, in a voice so low, Shoyo almost didn’t hear him: “Ah.”

A snort escaped Shoyo, earning him a half-hearted glare. Furrowed brows couldn’t hide the adoration shining from Tobio’s eyes. “Do you like them?” Shoyo asked. He already knew the answer. He simply wanted to hear it out loud.

“Of course I do, dumbass,” Tobio huffed.

His hand slid around the back of Shoyo’s neck and pulled him into a sweet, lingering kiss. Shoyo’s fingers curled into his lapels, keeping him close when their lips parted and nudging their foreheads together. “Shall we debut our new cufflinks tonight?” he whispered.

“Was that not the plan?”

It was. That didn’t keep a bright, excited smile from splitting across Shoyo’s face as they fastened each other’s cufflinks. He insisted on putting Tobio’s cufflinks on first, just so that he could admire their sparkle when Tobio carefully fastened Shoyo’s cufflinks.

The sight of those long fingers doing anything so delicately always sent a flush through Shoyo, especially paired with the tiny divot of concentration between Tobio’s brows. A year of marriage couldn’t take away the pure bliss that he only ever felt under Tobio’s undivided attention. In a strange way, marriage had only nurtured the greed he felt for his husband. Who wouldn’t want to be treated with such delicate care and focus by the most handsome prince in the world? Why shouldn’t he indulge the smug satisfaction that came with the knowledge that he was the only one in the world who could call him his own Prince Charming?

“There,” Tobio declared, holding Shoyo’s hands to admire the glint of the cufflinks before pressing a quick kiss to each hand. “Now you’re ready.”

He moved to stand, but Shoyo kept him in place with a tug at his hands. “Wait.”

“What is it?”

Shoyo dipped in for a lingering kiss. “Thank you,” he whispered when their lips parted, slow like honey.

“For what?”

“For everything. For coming all this way. For deciding to stay. For loving me.”

Tobio’s brows furrowed, but not in frustration. No, concern was etched over his face. “Shoyo, there’s no need to thank me for the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

Shoyo’s heart leapt, sending blood rushing to his cheeks. “And,” he added, relieved when his voice was steady, “for the cufflinks. They’re very pretty.”

Tobio raised a brow, clearly seeing through Shoyo’s flustered attempt at a diversion, but didn’t say anything besides, “You’re welcome, dumbass. You, too.”

“Your Highnesses?” They looked up in unison to see Yamaguchi peering in with a small smile. “It’s time.”

Gloves were an expectation at a ball like this, but Shoyo hated sliding them on, and he especially hated reaching for Tobio’s hand as they walked to the ballroom and being met with silk instead of comforting, familiar callouses. Tobio looked at him just as his lips twisted in frustration and flashed a knowing grin in response. “Are you nervous, Your Highness? For your own ball?”

“Hush,” Shoyo grouched, half-hearted in his grumpiness. “I’m not nervous, I simply feel…” He pulled in a deep breath, trying to steady his stuttering heart. “It’s still exciting, don’t you think? Being seen together? As one?”

The amusement in Tobio’s eyes softened to something sweet. “It still excites you? Even after a year?”

Warmth rose to Shoyo’s cheeks, but he lifted his chin at Tobio’s grin. “Of course!”

The line of Tobio’s mouth wobbled, as though it couldn’t decide whether to smile or frown. Tobio came to a decision on his own, just as they reached the closed ballroom doors: he lifted their joined hands, slid Shoyo’s sleeve down just enough to reveal a slip of his wrist, and pressed his lips right where his pulse leapt beneath fragile skin.

It was technically more appropriate than a public kiss on the lips, but it was intimate in a way that stripped Shoyo down and left him achingly vulnerable—an entirely inappropriate response to have right outside of a ballroom. Every nerve in Shoyo’s body cried out for him to kiss Tobio for it.

Instead, all of his air shuddered out of him, earning him another smirk as Tobio glanced at his through lowered lashes. “Me, too,” he murmured, squeezing Shoyo’s hand as he lowered it. “Happy anniversary, Sho.”

It should not have been possible for so much joy and love to fit into one person. “Happy anniversary, Tobi.”

He nearly leaned up for a kiss out of instinct, only to be brought up short by a soft cough from the footman in charge of announcing their arrival. Tobio grinned. “There’s our cue. Are you ready?”

“With you?” Shoyo squeezed Tobio’s hand and beamed at him, soaking in the adoration in those dark eyes. “Always.”

The doors opened with a low groan, then a bellowed, “His Royal Highness, Prince Shoyo, and His Royal Highness, Prince Tobio!”

The squeeze of Tobio’s fingers was an anchor as they stepped through the crowded ballroom. Faces, both familiar and not, swam around them, all waiting for their chance to speak with the heir to the throne and his consort. But first, Shoyo led Tobio to the waiting dance floor, taking their places for the first dance of the night.

And when Shoyo looked at his husband, the rest of the world fell away. His white suit deepened his dark eyes, and when they met Shoyo’s, he could have sworn he was looking up at the sparkling night sky.

“Well, Your Highness,” Tobio murmured as the strings quivered to life around them, “may I have this dance?” His cufflinks glinted under the chandeliers when he held his hand out, and Shoyo could see the ever-so-slight bump of his wedding band beneath his glove.

This whole ball was for them, to celebrate their first year of marriage and completely cement their place as the next leaders of Yukigaoka, together. But it wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough until Shoyo could stand at the highest parapet of the palace and shout the words crowding up from his heart to his tongue.

This is my husband. This man is my husband. Look at him. Look at how beautiful he is. Listen to his gruff voice and see how his gentle hands reveal his true caring nature. Watch how fiercely protective he is, how easily he would give up his own happiness for his family.

Look at him now. Look at how happy he is, how happy I make him and how happy he makes me. Watch how much happier we will be at every anniversary from now on.

For now, though, he would be satisfied with sliding his hand into Tobio’s and feeling the nudge of their wedding bands against each other.

“Of course you may,” Shoyo said, a giddy smile stretching across his face despite himself, “Your Highness.”