Broken Wings - BokuAka

Chapter 12

- Akaashi

Two weeks after the night in the cave, and I officially moved in with Bokuto and his family. As they said they would, they welcomed me with open arms, making sure I was never uncomfortable. Bokuto told Kuroo that we were dating, and he hasn't stopped teasing us since, but that was to be expected. In return Bokuto has tried getting him and Kenma together, but so far all of his attempts have failed.

Bokuto's family, mostly his grandmother, didn't mind taking care of me at all, making sure I had food, clothes, and a bath every day. Bokuto also monitored how much food I was eating, since I have a bad habit of overeating. I developed this habit after I met Bokuto, and food suddenly wasn't something I had to treasure anymore. Once I became aware of that habit, I developed another habit in which I don't eat nearly enough food in fear that I'll overeat, resulting in my food intake to be severely messed up. While I was staying with my grandparents, I hadn't nearly enough to eat because Bokuto wasn't there to monitor me, resulting in me becoming afraid and not eating enough food. Because of this, I lost an alarmingly large amount of weight.

"Keiji, try to eat a little more, please," Bokuto tried coaxing me, but I shook my head, pushing my plate away. I had eaten too much earlier already, and if it was up to me, I would've skipped dinner altogether. But of course Bokuto had forced me to eat a little, being the overprotective person he was.

Bokuto sighed. "Alright, I know I can't force you. C'mon, let's get ready for bed," he suggested, smiling softly at me before slipping his hand in mine and leading me back to his bedroom. A pang of guilt slithered through me as I stared at Bokuto's back. I knew how much Bokuto worried over me, with my anxiety and eating disorders combined. I wanted to tell him everyday that he didn't need to take care of me, but I knew he would just ignore me and continue doing so. Have I mentioned how stubborn he is?

"Keiji," Bokuto called out, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hm?" I hummed, looking over to him. Bokuto chuckled slightly.

"I said that you can use the bathroom now," Bokuto repeated, untying the front of his kimono and letting it slip off his warm skin to the floor below.

"Oh," I said and flushed slightly, earning me another laugh. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Bokuto reassured me, hanging up his kimono before flopping down on his bed with a heavy sigh, wearing nothing but boxers. Watching him, I couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips, and I turned away to walk to the bathroom, grabbing my toothbrush once inside. Running the brush over the smooth enamel of my teeth, I let my mind wander. What if Bokuto doesn't actually love me, and he's just with me out of pity? What would I do if he left? What would he do it I left? I contemplated, but shook my head to rid it of those kinds of thoughts as I rinsed out my mouth.

Stepping out of the bathroom, I took off my kimono and hung it next to Bokuto's, leaving me in only my boxers as well. I crept as silently as I could to the bed Bokuto and I now shared, not wanting to wake him if he was already asleep. I pulled back the covers a bit, sliding underneath them and next to Bokuto, who was basically a living heater. It happened more than once when I woke up sweating.

Bokuto grunted a bit in his sleep as I made myself comfortable next to him, and he slipped an arm around my waist, pulling me close to him. I raised my head just a bit to kiss his forehead, making the owl-like man smile in his slumber. I snuggled closer to Bokuto's chest, Bokuto resting his chin on the top of my head. I relaxed my wings and closed my eyes, ready for the sleep that welcomed me.

~~~

When I woke up, everything felt different. Bokuto didn't have me safely wrapped in his arms, there were no blankets over me, and I definitely didn't remember the mattress being this hard. I slowly opened my eyes, but they snapped open once I realized where I was. It was my old house, and of course there was no warmth around me, I was on the floor in the coldest corner, the place where I always slept.

I sat up immediately, and looked down to see my old kimono on me, torn up and filthy. Panic began to swell in me, but I swallowed it back down as I looked behind me to see the state of my wings. To my horror, they were covered in dirt, multiple feathers missing and grease plastered to the feathers still attached.

My breath hitched in my throat as a sharp pain suddenly came from my side, and I peaked inside my kimono to see a nasty bruise forming on my side. It took everything I had not to scream, and I scrambled back, as if the momentum would make the bruise fall off. I may have gone back a little too quickly, because my back slammed into something hard, and I heard a startled grunt. Wait, I knew that voice.

I froze, eyes wide with fear and my breathing seemed to stop, because I knew who that voice belonged to.

"What the hell?" my father snarled, and slowly, I turned around at the waist to meet my father's rage-filled gaze. A small yelp escaped me, and I tried to move away, but my father grabbed my collar, keeping me in place.

"I said, what the hell?" my father breathed quietly, and I began to tremble. Everything had been a dream. Meeting Bokuto, escaping, finally getting out of the hell that had been my old life. Everything. . . everything had been a dream.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" my father yelled, and I flinched at the familiar sound. "What the hell do you think you're doing, just running into me like that?!"

"I-I'm sorry," I stuttered, tears filling my eyes as I recognized where this was going - a beating.

"What was that?!" my father roared, and by now, my entire body was shaking with fear.

"I-I'm sorry, sir!" I cried. Mistake. My father's face contorted in rage, and the grip on my collar tightened.

"How dare you raise you voice at me, you ungrateful little shit!" my father screeched, and it came. As my father's fist connected with my stomach, the familiar pain shot through me, making me gag. I fell to the floor, my tears dampening the dirt floor.

"Boy, I'm going to make you regret the day you were born," my father seethed, and I closed my eyes as I grit my teeth, a small sob of despair escaping me. This was it. This was my fate. To live under my father's wrath forever, watching my mother suffer knowing I couldn't do anything to stop it. This was it, this was it, this was-

I bolted upright in Bokuto's bed, shaking like someone left out in the cold for a long time, breaths coming too heavily and too ragged. I looked around at the familiar room, and finally glanced down at Bokuto who was still sleeping soundly, soft snores being emitted from him.

"It was. . . a dream?" I asked, more to myself than anyone else, and I slowly brought one hand to feel my stomach and side. No pain. Real tears stung the back of my eyes, and I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my wings around my small frame, letting out shaking breaths.

It didn't take long for the tears to come, and soon I was sobbing quietly into my knees, desperately trying to control myself so I wouldn't wake up Bokuto.

A soft groan. "Keiji?"

Too late.

"Hey, Keiji, what's wrong?!" Bokuto asked, panic stricken, quickly sitting up beside me. I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it when all that came out was another sob and shook my head, pulling my wings further around me.

"Hey, hey, hey, Keiji. . ." Bokuto started, rubbing small circles on my back. "It's alright. Whatever happened, it can't hurt you here."

I slowly retracted one of my wings to look at Bokuto, whose face was etched with worry. Seeing Bokuto worry over me just made the tears fall faster, and I pulled back my wings as Bokuto spread his arms, silently inviting me into them. I gladly took the invitation, and Bokuto wrapped his arms around me as I buried my face into his chest, no questions asked.

"I-I had a-a dream that I was b-back," I choked out, and Bokuto nodded, understanding. His grip around me seemed to tighten, and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly safe. My breathing began to even out, my heartbeat returning to normal. The tension in my shoulders disappeared, and exhaustion suddenly washed over me, my eyes already starting to close.

"Sleep, Keiji," Bokuto murmured. "I promise that I'll protect you, no matter what happens. It's the least I can do for you."

I didn't answer, closing my eyes fully as Bokuto's warmth slowly lulled me back to sleep once again. For the rest of the night, no more nightmares plagued my mind.