Somewhere Only We Know [Bokuto x Akaashi Fantasy AU]

Fourteen

Two weeks after the battle, a peace agreement had finally been made. The war ended, and the enemy kingdom would be paying reparations for many years to come.

A month after that, Bokuto had been deemed well enough to continue his duties as a guard. The month and a half wait had been treacherous for him, much to everyone's amusement. It couldn't be denied, watching him pout while he was basically being treated as royalty was quite the site.

Now that Bokuto's back to his duties and moving around, Akaashi followed his guard through a forest, riding on a black horse that compliments Bokuto's white horse.

"Bokuto, where are we going?"

"I made a promise, didn't I?" Bokuto looked over his shoulder at Akaashi. "I said we'd find an even better place than that stuffy old room. And I know exactly where to find it."

Akaashi smiled. It had taken awhile, but Bokuto was finally back to his normal self. When they'd first gotten back to the palace, he'd been so quiet, and he couldn't even laugh without feeling a lot of pain.

But now here he was, grinning and joking around the way he always had.

"Alright! We're here!" Bokuto swung off his horse and winked at Akaashi. When the prince got off his horse, he noticed a small clearing with a rundown cottage in the middle.

"What is this?"

Bokuto crossed his arms. "This is where the old gamekeeper lived. She took care of the animals in the area to make sure it wasn't too crowded, but also made sure there were enough for your father and grandfather to hunt. She died seventeen years ago, though. And since the king was never that interested in hunting, a new one was never hired."

Akaashi looked around. The area is quite beautiful, with a small pond and many different overgrown flowers.

"What are we doing here?" Akaashi questioned.

"Since no one lives here anymore, we're taking it over. I'm gonna fix up this house, and it can be our place to get away."

Smiling, Akaashi nodded at Bokuto. "Wow, you've really thought this through."

"What else was I supposed to do in my bedridden state?"

Akaashi sighed. "So dramatic."

"Yeah,  yeah." Bokuto held out his hand to Akaashi. His yellow eyes sparkled, making the prince's heart pound. "Shall we?"

Akaashi grabbed Bokuto's hand and smiled. "We shall."

~

Akaashi rushed over to Bokuto's room when he heard the guard yell. What scared the prince was that it wasn't loud or strong. It was weak, and scared.

When he entered the room, Akaashi saw his guard lying in bed, twitching.

Dammit. Akaashi rushed over to him and grabbed his hand. After his near death experience, Bokuto had started having nightmares. But... They'd stopped. So why is it happening again?

"Hey... Hey Bokuto I'm right here," Akaashi whispered. He wiped the hair out of Bokuto's faced and ran a hand over his cheek. "Wake up, Bokuto."

A tear fell down Bokuto's face as he shook. And slowly, he opened his eyes. He looked over Akaashi frantically, his breathing heavy.

"Hey. It's okay. I'm right here." Akaashi ran a hand through Bokuto's hair and kissed his forehead. "See? It's me."

Bokuto calmed himself and took a shaky breath. "... Sorry."

Akaashi slid onto the bed next to Bokuto and took his face in his hands. "Don't apologize." He looked Bokuto over with concern. "I thought the nightmares stopped... Are you okay?"

Running a hand through his hair, Bokuto smiled sadly. "So did I." He looked away from Akaashi. "I'm fine. This one was just different. Worse, actually."

Akaashi's brows furrowed. "What was it about?"

Bokuto's eyes flashed as he looked back at the prince. "You." He gulped. "I didn't stop it in time."

The bedsheets rustled as Akaashi pulled Bokuto into a hug.

"I watched you die," Bokuto's voice broke as he whispered. Tears fell from his face onto Akaashi's shirt. "You... You we're in so much pain. And I couldn't stop it. And then you died, and-"

"Shh. Don't cry." Akaashi hugged Bokuto tighter. "I'm not dead, because you saved me. Okay?"

Bokuto nodded. "Okay."

"Hey, you finished fixing up that cottage right?" Akaashi needed to change the subject.

Bokuto pulled back slightly. "Yeah."

Akaashi smiled. "Meet me there just before sunset tomorrow."