Bokuto watched as the twins ran around and played, smiling. He looked over and Sara was messing with her hands, something Akaashi often did when he was thinking. Bokuto tapped her arm. "Hey sweetie, what's wrong?"
Sara looked up and made grabby hands. Bokuto lifted her into his arms. Sara laid against him, her eyes stuck on Akaashi looking over paperwork in the corner. Satoru was with him, glaring at Bokuto. Bokuto just waved.
"You tired?"
"Lil bit."
Bokuto hummed. "You guys get a nap soon, don't worry."
Sara nodded. Akaashi looked up and stretched. He sighed and Satoru looked over. "Are you done now?"
"Yes."
"Good. We need to talk."
Akaashi shook his head. "No. We don't need to talk. You are only here because of my father."
Bokuto frowned. Something about that was unnerving. "Keiji?"
Akaashi looked over. "What?"
"Why don't you go talk with him? I've got the girls."
Akaashi got up, glaring at Bokuto. Bokuto sighed. That was going to wait. Sara started to hunker down as Satoru got closer and Bokuto looked down.
"Relax, relax. You're okay there little miss."
Satoru left and Sara relaxed again. Also something unnerving. What was going on? First Akaashi denied affection towards one of his sisters. Then, he interrupted his father and Bokuto. He'd even flipped Satoru onto the floor. Bokuto had not at all taught him how to push properly so that he could pick on anyone.
It didn't matter that he didn't like Satoru, he was being a jerk. Plain and simple.
Bokuto put the girls to bed and noticed Amaya roaming around.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
Amaya startled. "Hi? Where's Keiji?"
"Talking with Satoru. Also, I have some questions."
Amaya shrugged. "Ask away."
"Has Keiji been in like a bad mood recently?"
Amaya nodded. "You noticed that too?"
"Yeah. He's never acted like that before. I don't want to be around that negative energy if he's dealing it out. What even happened at breakfast today? That was uncalled for."
"As we warned, Keiji has a temper. He rarely gets mad but when he does it boils."
Bokuto paused. "When did this start?"
"The first time father found him a suitor. Around the same time he was starting to get hit."
Bokuto's heart sank. "Amaya, that's not normal. What he is doing is not normal."
"I know. He is extremely similar to my father. He builds his anger until it gets out of control. He broke a window once by hitting it in frustration. I would have warned you sooner but nothing was happening quite yet."
Bokuto looked around. "Can you lead me to his room? This place is huge."
"Of course." Amaya led him there and both of them stared at the door in worry. There was a crash and Bokuto opened the door. Satoru had Akaashi on the ground, holding him by his hair.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hands off! What are you doing?!"
Akaashi looked away. Satoru eased up. "That is the last time he raises his voice at me."
Bokuto looked at Akaashi, who was just sitting on the floor. His stare stuck to the floor, his body still. "Keiji. Why are you raising your voice at people?"
Akaashi cleared his throat. He stood shakily. "I um... may I... please... may I please..." He reached for Satoru's arm since he was the only thing or person nearby.
Satoru caught him. "What the hell?!"
Amaya sighed. "He's going to faint. This happens when his brain becomes too much for him. Just ease him on the floor and let it happen."
Satoru set Akaashi on the floor and he blacked out, on his side. Bokuto noted yet another not normal thing. Akashi had explained to him in detail that he only blacked out when sick or when he was so anxious his body couldn't control what he was doing. He wasn't sick either so Satoru had to have said something while they were walking the halls.
Satoru rolled his eyes. "That's fucking pathetic."
"Stop with the negativity. Seriously man. Keiji can't control it." Bokuto leaned down and eased Akaashi up. Akaashi clung to Bokuto, praying he would be okay. "You okay? Anything hurt?"
"I'm okay, I'm sorry. I'm very sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry for. Why were you two arguing?"
"It doesn't matter."
"It really does if you fainted."
Akaashi looked to Satoru, who just chuckled. Akaashi looked away. He dropped his voice to barely a whisper. "Wait."
Bokuto stood and left the room with Satoru. Amaya was gone. Satori disappeared down another hall and Bokuto hurried into Akaashi's room where he was just fiddling. "Keiji what the hell did he do?"
"He said some awful things."
"Such as?"
"He said he's planning on sleeping with me tonight."
"That's not so bad."
"I mean sex. He said that even if I say no he won't care. The most I can do is disarm and push. I can't get him off of me if he tries something."
"Wait, wait, wait. Has he said this before?"
"Yes."
"Is that why you've been so off?"
"Do you even care? I just told you he has been planning on raping me and you brushed it off." Akaashi looked back, hurt.
Bokuto shook his head. "I care. A lot. I just don't get angry easy. This makes me angry but you won't see that anger."
Akaashi shook slightly, getting a bit overwhelmed. "He's going to hurt me! He's going to take advantage of me and I can't stop it!"
Bokuto took Akaashi's hands into his own. "I am right here. Nothing is going to happen."
Akaashi shook his head, shaking. "He's going to do that and my dad will be mad because I won't feel well and my mom is going to die and my poor little sisters are going to have to deal with him. I won't even be able to do my job! I'm going to get beat more and-"
"Hey!" Bokuto held his face in his hands. "Nothing is going to happen. He's not going to do anything. Your mom is okay. Relax."
"There was blood on the seat and she didn't look well and she can't stand up to my father even though she's the only thing keeping him somewhat sane and she can't help anymore. My sisters cry so much because of that. I hate it. I hate being here."
Bokuto grabbed him before he started going unconscious. "You're overwhelming yourself. Easy Keiji. Easy. Slow breaths. In and out."
Akaashi tried to breathe but couldn't manage it and started to sob, holding himself. "I don't know what's wrong with me!"
Bokuto hugged him tightly. "There is nothing wrong with you Keiji."
"I'm so mean! And so amgry! I hate it!"
"I can help with that. Do you want to go apologize for hurting Satoru this morning?"
"No!"
"Why?"
"Because he wants to rape me!"
Bokuto tried to reach out and hold Akaashi but Akaashi pushed him away. "Keiji..."
"You don't believe me! Why?! I thave been trying so hard and nothing is happening still! No one believes that he says these awful things to me and just tries to brush me off!"
Bokuto nodded. Akaashi looked about ready to have a breakdown, pulling at his hair slightly. "Hey hun, how about you use your hands to be nice? Hug yourself instead of pulling your hair."
Akaashi moved his hands down.
"Good job. Gently." He eased forward and kissed Akaashi's forehead. "Nothing is going to happen to you as long as I can help it. It's okay Keiji."
Akaashi held himself tighter. "Why does everyone hate me?"
"I don't hate you. How could I? You are so loving and so kind to everyone. It's just that lately you've been so mean and people are concerned. People love you Keiji. Very much. And if you don't feel that way we need to fix it."
Akaashi clung to Bokuto's hand. "I feel awful."
"About?"
"Myself. I'm so mean but I'm not trying to be."
"Keiji you're defending yourself but not going about it the right way. I hate Satoru so much and I wish he wasn't here but that does not mean I am going to push him over and knock the wind out of him when he is just trying to eat."
"But..."
"No buts Keiji, it's not okay."
Akaashi stopped himself from explaining that Satoru was touching him under the table. What was the use anyways? Somehow his family had turned Bokuto against him anyways so he wasn't going to believe anything.
Bokuto rocked Akaashi slowly, touching his hair. "What do you need from me to make this better?"
"I'm okay... I just need to be alone for a while."
"I don't think that's the best idea."
Akaashi huffed softly. He turned towards Bokuto. "Are you trying to get me to have sex with you again?"
"No?"
Akaashi nodded.
Bokuto turned him so they were facing each other. "What are you not saying?"
"It's nothing. I'd really like to be alone tonight."
"You said he would hurt you tonight. I don't want to risk it."
Akaashi covered his ears, absolutely done with listening to anyone. His head hurt and he didn't feel good. Bokuto closed the curtains and led Akaashi to bed.
"I'll be right here."
Akaashi nodded and Bokuto sat in the darker part of that side of the room. He dozed off as he heard Akaashi snore. The door opened and he startled back awake. He shrank back into the shadows and watched as Satoru went to Akaashi's bed.
"Keiji."
Akaashi shifted slightly, turning over. "Mm?"
"Your little friend is gone. He's a sad excuse of a guard too."
Akaashi huffed. "Get out of my bed."
"No. If I can't come here at night I'll just take what I want now and go."
"What do you want? I have nothing here to give you."
"You is what I want."
Bokuto leaned forward and reached under the chair where there was a hidden dagger. Akaashi had shown him where all of his hidden weapons were just in case. Akaashi started to genuinely struggle, squirming out of Satoru's touch only to be slapped. Bokuto jumped on the bed and tackled Satoru, pinning him to the floor. "Keep your hands off of Keiji or so help me God you will have no fingers to touch him with!"
Akaashi held his face for a moment before getting up, seething. "Get out of my room Satoru."
Satoru punched Bokuto and Bokuto picked him up by his collar. "How fucking dare you! You think you're tough, yeah? Show me tough then! Tough certainly isn't what you just tried with Keiji!"
"Are you fucking crazy?!"
Bokuto threw him to the floor and took out the knife. "You haven't seen crazy. What are you doing in here? You aren't allowed back here."
"Like Hell I'm not!"
Bokuto slapped him. "How does that feel? Huh? It doesn't feel nice to be slapped around, does it?"
"Keiji get him off of me now!"
Akaashi touched Bokuto's shoulder. "Kotarou."
Bokuto looked back at him. "Either you kick him out of your room now or I kill him."
Akaashi hesitated.
"Keiji im serious. No one gets to lay their hands on you and get away with it."
Satoru started to laugh. "Oh I see what's going on here."
Bokuto looked back at Satoru. "Yeah?"
"You're the one he's sneaking behind my back."
Bokuto and Akaashi both cringed internally. Bokuto could be seriously punished if this was found out.
"You chose some commoner scum over me. Over someone who knows how to read and write and actually has manners. I bet his father isn't even alive at this point and he has to live with his whore of a mother."
Bokuto punched Satoru square in the nose. "Shut up! Shut the fuck up right now!"
Akaashi pulled Bokuto back. Bokuto panted heavily, fists clenched. "Kotarou. You can't just hit someone because they hit me-"
"And just because you're a prince doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do. This man hurt you."
Satoru sat up, wiping blood from his nose. "Keiji."
Akaashi looked at Satoru, terrified. "Yes?"
"I'm going to give you an hour to go to your mother and father and tell them exactly what you have been doing behind their backs this whole time. Whoring yourself out won't look good on your father's name."
Akaashi gulped. "Or what?"
"Or I tell them and you will be executed along with your fling."