#sskkbb2019

                                           Stay - Chapter One

It’s here!! Part of @sskk-bigbang! I’m so excited to be part of the project and even more excited that @hero-of-hell-no​ (check out their DeviantArt, too!) did such amazing, beautiful, breathtaking art for it (support it here ❤️)! I’m hardly worthy, but I can’t contain my excitement anyway. Send both Hero and the other writers and artists for this event all the love in the world. They deserve it and so much more! 

Summary: Atsushi Nakajima is a prince with death threats hanging over his head. Ryuunosuke Akutagawa is a knight who loathes him. For some reason, though, Atsushi is determined to gain Akutagawa's trust and the knight's heart can't seem to resist. Among all the stress and pressures of palace life—between befriending assassins and learning to duel—the two might accidentally fall in love.

Excerpt: The knight wasn’t even looking the prince’s way, but seeing him completely stole Atsushi’s ability to breathe. He wasn’t handsome by any particular standard, including Atsushi’s own, but somehow Atsushi found himself drawn to him. The way the knight held himself—his slight, yet powerful frame… Atsushi’s heart had infuriatingly stopped dead in his chest. Only the Gods knew why such a plain-looking man had gotten his complete attention, but Atsushi couldn’t tear his gaze away.

Dazai had a knowing twinkle in his eye as he motioned to the first knight. “This is Gin,” he said, then paused for an infuriatingly long time before pointing to the other, “and Ryuunosuke Akutagawa.”

Finally, finally, Akutagawa looked up from his book and towards Atsushi. For a moment, Atsushi got a look at his eyes, gray and eerily empty. They didn’t stay that way for long. Horror flashed through those dark eyes, then anger, and suddenly Atsushi was pinned to a wall, a hand around his throat. 

“You.”

The single word that left Akutagawa’s mouth dripped with so much hatred and malice that Atsushi could feel it in his bones. It flowed through Atsushi like blood, filling him with questions he was afraid he’d never know the answer to. ‘You’? He had no idea who this man was other than a knight for the king. They hadn’t met.