Prequel: Daring Dog Daichi (OHSHC)

12. Kyoya Has To Adapt

It had only been a day since Kyoya vowed to get Daichi away from that madman.

With Daichi's safety at stake, he couldn't act rashly. Kyoya did all the research he could and even managed to get actual advice from his older brother Akito. He was debating talking to his father, but he knew he needed more information before he even bothered bringing it up to that old man. Kyoya's father wasn't Yukio, but he wasn't that far off.

Until he knew exactly what was going to happen, Kyoya kept everything to himself. He didn't need to worry Daichi more than he already was. That wouldn't help anyone.

So it was life as usual.

Daichi was walking with Kyoya through the halls as the day was almost coming to a close. They'd just finished up with the club for the day and were supposed to go home. Daichi, in an attempt to postpone his going home, asked to visit the football field. Kyoya, in an attempt at keeping Daichi away from his bastard of a dad for as long as possible, was happy to oblige.

They just made it to the edge of the field when the team of players noticed Daichi. Immediately they were shouting and hollering, clamoring over to see their captain.

Kyoya stepped back and watched them all as boys younger and older ogled over Daichi like he was a golden ticket. He saw the wide smile Daichi had at seeing them again and wondered how Yukio could take away that kind of happiness.

One of the boys Kyoya recognized walked to the front of the group. He had the biggest smile of them all.

"Oh, man, Daichi!" he said. "You have no idea how glad I am to have you back on the team."

Daichi's face fell. The other boy's brows knit together in confusion, his lips curving downward.

"Vincent," Daichi said quietly. "'M not back."

Vincent shook his head. "No, you have to be! The championship game is this Friday. We barely beat them in the season play!"

Kyoya had to do something. He could see the gears turning slower and slower in Daichi's head. The poor boy couldn't think of what to do without hurting the team — his friends.

Kyoya returned to his spot by Daichi now, putting his arm around his waist. He leaned over and whispered into his ear,  "I'm close to solving everything. You help them, and I'll help you."

He leaned back, and Daichi smiled at Vincent. "'Kay, 'm back now."

Daichi wasn't able to do much for them and it killed him. He met with the team during lunch and free period and with individual teammates between classes. From Tuesday to Thursday, he worked them hard and worked himself even harder.

The only time he saw Kyoya was during club period. Even then, both of them were equally distracted that they didn't seem to enjoy their time much.

Daichi came home Thursday afternoon sweatier than he realized. It was the final day before the championship, and he had to make sure Vincent was ready to lead the team tomorrow.

He planned to go straight to the bathroom and clean up, but his father had other plans.

The butler led him to Yukio's study, where the man was standing impatiently in front of his desk.

"Where were you?" Yukio spat. "You missed the meeting."

Daichi swallowed thickly. "I-In school, s-sir."

He flinched away when Yukio's hand struck him across the face.

The ring hurt. Funny how the wedding ring never used to hurt, but this company CEO ring hurt like hell.

Daichi didn't remember a whole lot of things making sense after that. There were definitely more slaps and punches and... strangling, maybe? He started crying at some point.

All he knew was that the butler gave him a strong look of pity in the morning — so did the maids and the chef and the driver.

When Daichi made it to school, he looked a sight. His collar was on too tight; his tie was all wrong; his white hair was messy beyond belief. Not to mention, his face was pale, and his eyes were red from a long night of crying.

A grumpy morning Kyoya saw him from across the hall.

In an instant, Daichi was in his arms, sniffling and trying to hold in his tears.

"I'm so sorry," Kyoya muttered, running his hands through Daichi's hair. He pressed his lips to the top of his head, cradling it gently. "I'm so sorry, puppy."

Utterly confused as to why Kyoya would feel the need to apologize, Daichi was able to reign in his sniffing.

Kyoya took him to the third music room. No one was there yet. Kyoya used the quiet space to fix up Daichi. He cleaned and bandaged cuts and scrapes, noting the sizes and shapes of bruises as he went. The whole time he kept up the mantra, "I'm so sorry, Daichi. I'm sorry, puppy."

When he was finally done, he pulled Daichi into a warm hug. He kissed his forehead, and Daichi hummed in response.

"You're not going back, Daichi," Kyoya said quietly. His voice was firm but comforting, and Daichi found himself melting into the words. Kyoya didn't care that this was accelerating his plans. He could adapt. He had to adapt for Daichi's sake. "I promise you. You're never going back to that place. The only time you'll ever see that man again is in court. Do you understand that?"

Daichi nodded, reaching up and pecking Kyoya's cheek. "Thank you, Kyoya."

"You're welcome, puppy. You're welcome..."