I've been into BL since I was 15. I'm almost 33 now. It seems that almost every BL story is set in highschool & the romance is the only plot there is. & if there is a real plot, the manga always ends up being a One Shot.

I need something much longer than one volume, the longer the better, where the romance is a mere subplot & the setting is not in a school. I'll even take a really strongly suggestive Bromance, like GetBackers & Hunter x Hunter.

Let me start you off with Fake. It's more plot-heavy than most BL, and even has a het side couple.

Some longer titles that are frequently recommended:
Silver Diamond
Koori no Mamono no Monogatari
Yami no Matsuei
Eroica yori Ai o Komete
Banana Fish
These are all shounen-ai.

We have been here before. Try some of the suggestions in these posts:
Shounen-ai/Yaoi like this?
Recommendations 😕

This post under the heading Manga then the subhead Multiple volumes will direct you to more threads:
Before you start a new thread...

This old thread has a lot of good suggestions for Bromance type stories:
Pure Subtext

I think it's odd that you haven't been able to find anything not set in a high school in all the years you've been reading yaoi. There's actually quite a lot. You've had some bad luck!

Zankoku na Kami ga Shihaisuru
Honoo no Mirage (Novel)
Yami no Kodou
Yarouze! - The MC's are high school students, but this is a sports manga, so most of the story is on the race track.
Golden Days, in the "strongly suggestive" category.
Wild Adapter -- Suggestive.
Kiss Me Princess
Uragiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru - Again, only suggestive.
I-Ren
Saiyaku wa Boku o Suki Sugiru -- It's a school setting, but the plot isn't about that. Ditto for Eerie Queerie!
A Night of a Thousand Dreams
Acid Town
MW, sort of. It isn't BL, though: it just features a M/M main couple.
Adekan -- Suggestive
Loveless
Luo Xue Cheng Bai

Will add more if I recall.

It's way late to post a reply and you probably know this manga by now, but the manga, novel, and anime No. 6 doesn't center mainly around the romance, although it is there.

I like the point of this thread. Please keep the suggestions coming thank you

My favorite one is the novel mirage of blaze (honoo no mirage?). It isn't just about romance, but my god it's beautifully crafted. Will forever be memorable for me

try Cold Sands

it's just too good ;-; & i still can't get over it.

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