Hey please excuse any misspellings or grammar mistakes in this. I am not doing so well with this situation in America.

Bokuto looked over from going through Akaashi's books, confused by the silence. "Keiji?"

Akaashi opened his eyes, confused. "Mm?"

Bokuto chuckled. "Were you sleeping?"

Akaashi shook his head, rubbing his eyes.

"You don't have to lie. You want me to go so you can nap?"

Akaashi's eyes closed as he sat in his chair. Bokuto got up and gently lifted him. Akaashi whined. "Mm not sleeping..."

"You keep telling yourself that." He gently set Akaashi into bed and took his boots off of him. They were set by the bed and Bokuto covered him up with a comforter. "Hey, put your head up."

Akaashi lifted his head and Bokuto out a pillow under it.

"Goodness you have so many pillows."

"Mhmm..." Akaashi lifted an arm. "I don't have a guard."

"Is that bad...?"

"Mhmm."

"Do you want me to ring that bell thing?"

"Just uh... stay close. Don't wanna get one." Akaashi closed his eyes and Bokuto awkwardly stood there.

"Keiji?"

Akaashi huddled into his blankets, getting comfortable.

"Oh my God. I'm guarding. Great. I'm guarding." Bokuto looked around. He closed the window and fixed the fire and sat down. "How the hell am I gonna guard?"

Akaashi whined softly, turning over. Bokuto watched him closely, curious. Akaashi stilled and got comfortable. Bokuto looked back and smiled. This was so odd to him.

First he accidentally kidnapped the prince. Then he ate breakfast with the prince's family. The prince gave him gifts. He played chess? And liked it? And now he was guarding.

This was fun.

Bokuto sat at the end of the bed, just waiting. It was hours before Akaashi woke back up. He was whiny and confused as to why Bokuto was looking at the children's stories on his shelves.

Bokuto got up hurriedly and handed Akaashi the book he was holding, eyes lit up. "Can you read?"

Akaashi rubbed his eyes. "Mhmm."

"Can you read this to me please?"

Akaashi yawned. "Mm? Why? It's just a book."

Bokuto pointed to the picture on the cover of animals. "It's so pretty. It has to be good."

Akaashi leaned into Bokuto with the book. "Do you know how to read?"

"No, I don't," he whispered back.

Akaashi moved his blankets. "Alright." He opened the book, reading the title out loud for Bokuto. The excitement was practically radiating off of him as he sat there and listened.

Akaashi eventually felt the tenseness in the other male release and looked up from his book.

"Kotarou? Are you okay?"

Bokuto slumped slightly before startling awake. Akaashi sat up and put his hands behind Bokuto's head, easing him down onto the bed. Bokuto turned away and rested on his side. Akaashi covered him and double checked that Bokuto had taken off his shoes. He hated getting his bed dirty so he thanked Bokuto in his head for taking off the dirty boots he wore. Akaashi then stretched and set the book on his side table.

"Mm..." He blew out the candle next to the bed and laid down, not even bothering to close the curtains. They were only cracked open now. Bokuto must have closed them so he could sleep. How kind.

Bokuto turned back over and Akaashi scooted away just in case Bokuto kicked him. Within the next few minutes he discovered that Bokuto was strangely calm while he slept and that he was weirdly silent. Not a snore nor a whine escaped him.

Akaashi had been told that he had an awful habit of whining in his sleep along with being told of his snoring. When he laid on his back to sleep he snored louder than ever, which had always been annoying to his siblings when napping. He didn't care though, just laying on his side and going to sleep.

He did end up rolling onto his back and his snoring started up. Bokuto huffed softly and huddled into Akaashi's side. Akaashi got louder and Bokuto woke up a bit, flipping Akaashi to his side and holding him. Akaashi whined loudly and grabbed onto Bokuto's arms around his waist. Bokuto hummed into his back and got comfortable.

In the morning Akaashi woke up to his bed empty besides himself. He was thoroughly confused as he felt for Bokuto, knowing he hadn't dreamt of Bokuto sleeping just behind him. The book next to the bed was there. The curtains were slightly open too. He got up, worried that Bokuto was roaming.

Akaashi walked into the hallway, still in the loose clothing from the day before. He walked up and down the halls before heading around the upper floor. He ran into Amaya, who was still in her night dress and drowsy. "Keiji? I thought you were in trouble still?"

"I'm looking for Ko- something."

Amaya stared at him. "Huh?"

"I saw someone walking down the hall."

"Yeah everyone walks around. You're acting weird."

Akaashi looked around. "Have you seen someone with white hair?"

"No? The only person I know with white hair is my maid. Are you talking about Kotarou?"

"What? No!"

Amaya raised a brow. "Why was he here?"

Akaashi crossed his arms. "We were reading."

"We?"

"Yes."

"Kotarou is illiterate Keiji. Try again."

Akaashi's eyes widened. "But he seemed so interested in me reading to him."

"Because he's illiterate."

Keiji furrowed his brow. "He fell asleep in my bed and now he's gone. I'm worried he's wandering."

Amaya laughed. She shook her head. "No one told me anything."

Akaashi hummed. He turned to go back down the hall but his arm was grabbed. He looked up and his heart sank. "Father..."

Akaashi's father tugged him along to his room. "I told you a week. Are you so stupid that you can't even count?!"

Akaashi shielded his face as his father went to slap him. "Please I was trying to talk to my sister!"

"Your mother was able to live with her! She didn't with you! You are making excuses to be near the better of you two!"

Akaashi cried out as his father kicked his arm and forced his head into the hardwood. "Father, stop!"

"Don't tell me what to do! You will never tell into what to do!"

Akaashi tried to stay quiet as he was hit with his father's hands, boots, and even hit in the back with a metal rod for the fours. It was not warm but the iron hurt against his back. At some point his father left the room and Akaashi stayed huddled into himself on the floor. He could feel his busted lip and bruises forming all over his body but didn't want to move.

The door opened and he closed his eyes, praying he wouldn't be hurt if he faked sleeping.

"Keiji! Oh God what did he do to you?!"

Akaashi felt his mother's arms wrap around him and a lump formed in his throat. He opened his eyes and they started to water. "Mama..."

"Oh baby... let's get you cleaned up, okay? You've got blood all over you."

Akaashi started to cry. "Kotarou slept in my bed last night and I woke up and he wasn't there so I thought he was wandering and he wasn't but I got in trouble and I just wanted to make sure he was okay!"

Akaashi's mother hummed. "And that's something very important to you?"

"Yes ma'am. It is."

She eased him up slowly and he limped a bit. One of his ankles was swelling and bruised. He noticed the pain and tried not to cry any louder. His mother noticed and set him on a chair. "Hang on." She left the room and got a guard. He lifted Akaashi and took him to a nurse, who cleaned Akaashi and tried to reduce the swelling on his ankle.

Akaashi just asked to go back to his room and from there he waited. He waited until the sky darkened a bit and managed his way down his tree. He went out the gate and followed the trail to Bokuto's home as best as he could. He wanted to just lay with him again and be told those nice things again. He hated being so lonely. 

Akaashi got to the house and Bokuto answered, very obviously not expecting the mess at his doorstep. "Sir!"

Akaashi grabbed onto his arm. "Please, please just call me Keiji. I need help."

Bokuto brought him inside. "Good God man what happened to you?!"

"It was my father again. Is there snow outside? I wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, yeah there's a bit. What's wrong?"

"My ankle was hurt badly and it's swollen quite a bit."

Bokuto hurried to get snow and a rag. He held it against Akaashi's ankle and watched Akaashi closely. "Keiji?"

Akaashi looked down.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No, it just hurts because of how bad it is. Don't worry yourself."

Bokuto nodded. He looked to the fire and then back at Akaashi. "Where's your coat? Aren't you cold?"

"No."

"Okay. Let me know if you do get cold. I know I get cold easily so I don't want to risk you being too cold. Is this okay?"

"Mhmm."

Bokuto nodded. "I'll get your face in a minute."

"My face?" Akaashi questioned.

"You have a black eye."

Akaashi sighed. He touched Bokuto's hand. "You can stop now."

Bokuto smiled at him. "Your hands are cold."

Akaashi nodded. He was silent as Bokuto held his face in his hands. The cold of the snow helped a lot with the pain on his eye and around his mouth where his lip had cracked back open. Bokuto hugged Akaashi close and held the snow against his face, just wanting him to rest.

"Have you ate?"

"No."

"Do you want to?"

"Not really. I just really need a good hug."

Bokuto set down the rag and held Akaashi close. " I can do that. Just relax."

Akaashi relaxed into Bokuto's arms and felt him rub his hair. He whined softly, too tired to use his words as he had been taught.

"You don't like it?"

Akaashi shook his head. "I love it."

Bokuto smiled and kept rubbing his hair. "You don't really get head scratches, do you? You know, they feel great when you're sleepy."

Akaashi hummed, burrowing into Bokuto's neck.

Bokuto leaned into the wall slowly and grabbed a blanket. He noticed Akaashi's still bloody clothes and just tried to ignore the rage for the reason of the blood. Akaashi's father was a king. Bokuto was in no way going to say or do anything against a man who could and would kill him. Akaashi whined softly, holding on tighter. "Shhhh, shhhh."

Akaashi settled down just enough to stop whining but did wiggle so that his head was under Bokuto's chin. Bokuto laid down and covered them both. Some time later his parents walked in and sort of stared at the situation. They didn't say a word and went straight to bed. Bokuto ignored them and just closed his eyes again. Akaashi whined softly a few more times but came around eventually and was silent. Even while sleeping he wasn't very calm.