ceo | bokuaka

[24] press conference

akaashi sat in his room. there was nothing to do except count the hours, but even that he couldn't do because of the lack of a clock. the only thing that indicated a change of time was the sun leaking in through the bolted shut window.

he hadn't left the room in what felt like forever (though logically it had probably only been about 14 hours from when he first arrived). a loud knock cracked on the door. the person on the other side opened the door not waiting for an answer.

"your father wants to see you," one of the men called.

"well i don't want to see him," he huffed childishly. he knew it was petty but after being trapped in a room for so long it felt nice to get some pent up anger out.

the man ignored him, "follow me."

akaashi hesitantly got up not wanting to follow the man to wherever he was taking him, but also wanting to leave the confined space he was in. two men walked on both sides of him probably so that he wouldn't try to make a run for it. he had thought about it multiple times while he sat quietly in the room. he made countless scenarios of his escape and somehow sneaking out. but akaashi knew better. these men were much stronger than him and could catch up to him in an instant.

they walked him through the long corridors of the akaashi family household, eventually stopping him at a big set of black detailed doors. he internally scowled at the sight of them. he knew them all too well—the doors to his father's office.

the same man knocked on the door. this time he waited for a response. akaashi heard his father yell a "come in" from the other side. the man opened the door letting akaashi through first and leading him towards the desk where his father sat.

"keiji," he smiled, "how'd you sleep?"

"awful. i woke up with a splitting headache because someones keeps having me knocked out," he spat.

"it is just a preventive measure," his father shrugged like it was no big deal. "it'll stop once you comply."

"i'll comply once you're rolling in your grave."

he sighed, "you're much snappier than i remember. i miss my quiet and kind son that i used to know."

"and who's fault is it that he's gone?" akaashi quirked an eyebrow.

his father ignored the comment. "i have something very big planned for today. i would like to get the ball rolling on restarting up the company as soon as possible. as i'm sure you remember, the first step to always get your name out there is the press."

akaashi narrowed his eyes.

"i scheduled a press conference for friday at 6pm. it'll be broadcasted all over japan, even some other foreign countries will be able to view it," he paused for a second. "i want you to be there and make a few statements about how you're going to be taking over the company in a few years."

"there's no way i'm doing that," he stated bluntly.

"it wasn't a request, you're doing it," his father spoke evenly.

akaashi shifted in his seat for a second, "what's going to stop me from speaking out at the press conference about the truth? what's stopping me from jumping off the stage and causing a scene?"

his father shook his head, "why do you insist on making things so difficult? this is a great thing for you. by taking over the family company, you'll be making millions."

"i could care less about the money, i'm not like you."

"i figured you'd say that," the man hummed. "i didn't want to have to bring this up but if you keep on insisting on not wanting to do this...we found out something interesting about you. the past year you've been working for bokuto fashions, is that right?"

akaashi felt himself tense up but he didn't say anything.

"imagine how i felt knowing that my son, who had been missing for 9 years, was working for my fucking competitor," his voice increasing with intensity as he spoke. "i wanted to go over to the company and drag you out myself!" he shouted, practically standing out of his chair leaning over the desk to peer down at his son.

he took a breath recomposing himself and sitting back down in the chair. "but as my luck would have it, you willingly brought yourself back to osaka. i didn't have to make a scene to get you back."

"what does this have to do with the press conference?" akaashi asked, a shakiness to his voice as he awaited his father's answer.

"it seems you weren't just the CEO's secretary, were you?" his dark eyes scanning over akaashi's green ones, "you two were something akin to...boyfriends?" his face scrunched as if the word itself caused him pain.

"that's not true," akaashi muttered.

"that's not what my sources say," he spoke darkly, "and i trust them more than i would my own homo son," he spat. he took another breath, "what i'm getting at is that you're doing this press conference because i said so, end of that discussion. and if you try anything funny, just know not only will you be in for a world of trouble, but so will your friend bokuto koutarou."

akaashi sat unmoving. everything inside of him wanted to scream or run, but he stayed glued to the chair until the two men practically picked him off of it and led him back to his room where he had the door slammed shut on him.

he sat on the bed stiffly. how was he going to make an escape now? he had promised himself that he was going to get himself out of this place even if it meant almost killing him. but now that bokuto was involved, he felt powerless. akaashi didn't want to put bokuto's life at risk, he didn't deserve it.

all he wanted was to escape and pretend like none of this ever happened. he wanted to pretend like his father wasn't an estranged, senile man. he wanted to pretend like his mom was still alive and he was 14 again just waiting in his room for dinner to be called. instead his childhood room now acted like a jail cell.

he wanted to go back to tokyo and see his friends and bokuto again. he wanted to run into the older's arms and feel the warm embrace of the other's strong build. instead, those hopes came crashing down as akaashi realized his plans of escaping became more and more futile as his father's blackmailing ways began to show.

'what the fuck am i going to do now?'