Sea Traitor - BokuAka

17. Freezing

Akaashi gasped for air, holding Bokuto to his chest. He wasn't breathing or moving and he was so ungodly pale.

Both of them were covered in blood and ocean water, something that Akaashi hated smelling. The salt was home but Bokuto's blood meant danger. That was all this was.

Akaashi had dealt with the danger but he couldn't grasp what he had done. He knew those creatures were cousins. One of them was his aunt.

He just killed his family.

Akaashi started to cry, cradling Bokuto's limp body. "Oh Kotarou... Kotarou!"

He lifted Bokuto onto the beach and hurried to get his shirt from the dock and held it to his head. He needed medical attention. Where was he supposed to go? What was the procedure for this?

Akaashi looked around, frantic. Someone was walking on the sidewalk close by. "HELP! HELP ME, PLEASE!"

The man stopped and paused, confused. "What do you need son?!"

"MY- MY FRIEND- HE SLIPPED OFF THE DOCK AND HIT HIS HEAD! PLEASE!"

The man on the sidewalk ran to them. "Son where are your clothes?! You're going to get hypothermia!"

Akaashi held Bokuto tighter. "He was in the water longer and he needs help. He hit his head and is ice cold!"

The man set Bokuto out flat and handed Akaashi his phone. "Call an ambulance."

Akaashi nodded and did so. The man helping him started on CPR, going as fast as he could without hurting him. Bokuto was still for three whole minutes, which felt like hours to Akaashi.

Not a single breath escaped him and he was seemingly just no longer there.

"Don't panic, okay? His pulse is here but it's weak."

Akaashi nodded.

The man kept doing compressions, trying to get Bokuto's heart to keep going. Water started to leak from his mouth and he was hurriedly turned on his left. Water kept pouring from his mouth, some blood mixed in. "There we go! I can see his abdomen moving under the shirt. He's throwing up."

Akaashi laughed loudly, sobbing. "Oh thank God!"

Bokuto shivered. The man felt of his skin and looked around. "Do you have blankets?"

"In our car! The keys are in his pocket!" Akaashi grabbed the keys and ran. He popped the trunk and grabbed every blanket and sheet in the space. They covered Bokuto in them and he couldn't stop shivering, staring at the sand. "Why won't he respond? What's going on?"

"He's likely going into shock."

Akaashi stared. He set a hand on Bokuto's cheek, focusing his energy there. Bokuto slowed a bit and huffed. Akaashi leaned over, worried that it hadn't worked. "Kotarou?"

Bokuto stayed silent and staring. His eyes closed and he just laid on the sand, his breathing more shallow than the water touching his feet. Sirens wailed in the distance as Akaashi held his now blood red sweater to Bokuto's head. He must have hit a rock or a piece of wood on the way down.

Akaashi looked around and noticed the blood in the sand and closed his eyes, and willingly put away any negative thoughts for the back of his mind. He could feel the nails of his cousins against his arms and took some deep breaths.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure."

"That's alright, just stay focused on keeping him warm."

Akaashi nodded. He looked up and noticed the ambulance getting up to the parking lot. His heart slowed a bit and he stood. Gently, he moved Bokuto's head and noticed his eyes closed again. "Shit!"

"It's okay. Leave him be. They'll take good care of him."

Akaashi took more breaths. A paramedic hurried down to them. "What happened to him?"

"I went to go look for a blanket and forgot the keys. When I went back here to get the keys, he was leaning over the water and slipped and-" Akaashi's eyes watered. "He hit his head on a rock in the water."

The sweater Akaashi had been holding was moved and Akaashi gasped at the gash in his head. It was three or four inches long, still pouring blood. His white hair was matted red and knotted around the wound.

"I tried so hard to get him on shore it's just that he's so heavy and it was so cold-"

"Come with one of us."

Akaashi was carefully led up the sand and was wrapped in a towel and a blanket. "Is he going to be alright?"

"He should be just fine."

Akaashi nodded. Over the next ten minutes Bokuto was put into an ambulance and Akaashi was taken to the hospital as well to get him dressed and warmed up since he was also extremely cold.

Which was odd seeing as far as he knew, sirens were cold blooded and absorbed the heat around them.

There was no way they should have been alive.

Akaashi drew his blanket tighter around himself and looked to Bokuto, who's nose and mouth were covered in an oxygen mask. They were making sure he was able to breathe and could hear fluid on his chest.

****

It had been two hours since Akaashi had been put in a hospital room by himself. He was half asleep and freezing, laying on his side and listening to the idle chatter around him. Nobody had come into his room besides doctors so that was relieving.

For now he needed to sleep or at least halfway get there.

"Keiji?"

Akaashi opened his eyes and hummed.

Bokuto's mother hurried to hug him. "Are you alright?"

"Mhmm."

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No ma'am." Akaashi eased into sitting up. "Is Kotarou okay?"

"He has a pretty bad concussion. He did have hypothermia but he was taken inside and warmed just in time. It's a miracle you were there."

Akaashi relaxed. "Thank God."

"He is going to be so pissed that he can't dye his hair while he heals."

"You cussed!"

She sighed. "I have been slipping."

"It's okay! Is anything else wrong with him?"

"He broke one of his fingers. It's so odd."

Akaashi nodded. "That's it?"

"Well his skull fractured. It's not very bad but he needs to stay in the hospital for a few days."

"A skull fracture? Will he die? Is he okay?"

"He's going to be okay. He's being taken care of." She sat on his bed and held his hand. "You need to lay down, okay?"

Akaashi nodded. He laid down and lifted his blanket up higher.

"Are you cold?"

"Mhmm."

She grabbed another blanket and covered him up. "Does your body feel okay?"

"I just feel sore."

"That's reasonable. I'm gonna let you sleep now, okay? Do you want the lights off?"

"Yes please." Akaashi hid his face in his pillow and blankets. The lights were shut off and he relaxed. He just prayed that he would be able to sleep tonight and wake up and walk to Bokuto's room tomorrow and check on him.