Chapter Text
They should’ve known better. Kojiro knew firsthand what it was like growing up in an abusive home, and Kaoru had watched him endure it all, and provided a safe place for him to hide and heal whenever he could. They should have seen what was going on with Reki before it got this far. They had both known something was wrong, that Reki was carrying something on his own, and they had both tried to get him to open up on more than one occasion, but he always smiled and insisted they didn’t need to worry about him.
They should have known better.
But they didn’t, and their past experiences did nothing to prepare them for one of the boys they had come to consider family showing up at their door beaten, bloodied, and dead on his feet.
“Sorry,” Reki breathed out when Kojiro opened the door, just before he tipped forward into Kojiro’s arms. “Didn’ knowherelse t’go,” he mumbled as he went fully limp.
“Don’t- Don’t be sorry, kid, you–” Kojiro’s voice, uncharacteristically weak in his shock, broke and he had to take a moment to collect himself. The older skater took a deep, steadying breath before starting again, his voice stronger this time. “Don’t be sorry, Reki. You did good getting help. Now we’ll take care of the rest.” He turned, ready to call for Kaoru over his shoulder, and found his partner already behind him. “Get some towels, and the first aid kit, and– Hell, Kaoru, just get everything,” Kojiro said softly. He was careful as he shifted the boy in his arms so he could scoop him up and bring him inside. He kicked the door shut, then made his way to the living room. Their couch was wide and comfortable, and the closest place he could lay Reki down, so he eased the boy onto it. They might be cleaning blood out of the cushions later, but that wasn’t something he cared about just then. They could get a new couch; they couldn’t get a new Reki, cheesy as the sentiment was.
Kojiro kept the boy upright as he removed his hoodie. Reki whimpered and flinched at the movement, and Kojiro was quick to soothe him. “I know, I know, but I gotta get a look at ya, kid.” He then carefully peeled off the t-shirt so he could start assessing the damage. It was somehow both not as bad and worse than he’d expected. If only because it looked so goddamn familiar. The kid’s whole torso was covered in bruises. Kojiro found even more when he eased Reki forward to get a look at his back. The blood that had ruined both hoodie and shirt seemed to have come exclusively from a head wound. He felt sick thinking that was lucky, but it was true. Head wounds bled heavily, but healed quickly. “Reki. . . Who did this to you?” Because there was no mistaking the injuries for anything other than intentional. This wasn’t the result of bailing out; this was the result of a thorough and violent beating.
“‘S’my fault. ‘S’always my fault,” Reki whispered. “. . .pissed’im off.” It was only then that Kojiro noticed the bruising around the teenager’s throat. Bruising in the shape of a–
A picture was beginning to form in Kojiro’s mind, and he hoped to God it was the wrong one. But that hope didn’t stop his hands from shaking as he leaned Reki back against the couch.
“–jiro, look at me.” Kaoru’s sharp voice broke through a fog Kojiro hadn’t even felt creeping in on him, and had his head snapping up to meet his boyfriend’s eyes. He got the feeling from the concerned expression Kaoru wore that it wasn’t the first time his name had been called. “Let me take care of this.”
After a false start, Kojiro found his voice. “I can–”
“I know,” Kaoru cut him off, firm, but not unkind. “I know you can. But you don’t have to. I can handle it.” He gently moved Kojiro out of the way so he could get at Reki. Kojiro stood there, useless, while Kaoru got to work. He had to keep himself together; this wasn’t the time to lose it. They didn’t even know for sure–
Don’t be an idiot, Kojiro chided himself. You know. You always did. But Reki said he was fine, and you wanted to believe him, so you ignored what was right in front of you. And now look at him. This is all your fault.
“Kojiro.” Once again, Kaoru’s voice brought him back to himself, and he didn’t think he’d ever been more grateful for his best friend and partner than in this moment. “Can you grab a wrist and an ankle brace? I was prepared for blood, not sprains.”
Kojiro nodded numbly and went to retrieve what was asked for. It took longer than he should have, because he took a few minutes just to breathe and ground himself, so Kaoru had the blood cleaned off of Reki’s face by the time he got back. He didn’t realize that was intentional on his boyfriend’s part, or that the task was more about giving him something to do than it was about any immediate need. He didn’t realize Kaoru was trying to take care of him, too, while he tended to Reki.
Kaoru put butterfly bandages on Reki’s forehead before turning his attention to Kojiro. “Look at that. A task so simple, even a big gorilla like you couldn’t mess it up,” he teased fondly as he took the braces from Kojiro’s hands.
“Yeah, well. . .” He didn’t have it in him to provide his side of their usual banter, and Kaoru noticed immediately.
“Why don’t you grab the ice packs while I finish patching him up? The boy’s almost got as many bruises as he has skin.” Kaoru didn’t wait for an answer before returning his attention to his patient. “Putting these on is probably going to hurt at first, Reki, but I promise it will feel better in the long run.”
Seeing Kaoru talking Reki through what he was doing, despite the boy not seeming to track much of what he was saying, made Kojiro equally fond and nauseous. Fond, because he loved seeing his boyfriend’s gentler side, and nauseous. . .because he’d been on the receiving end of that soft voice and those steady hands so many times, after receiving beatings of his own, and this whole thing was affecting Kojiro more than he wanted to admit. He quickly left the room for the kitchen to grab the plethora of ice packs stored in their freezer; with two professional skaters in the house, the ice packs got plenty of use. Once again, he found himself taking a few slow, deep breaths, as he fought back dark memories that were doing their damnedest to overwhelm him. “Not now,” he muttered through clenched teeth. By the time he came back, ice packs stacked in his arms, Kaoru had Reki laying down with the injured ankle propped up on a throw pillow.
If Kaoru knew how close he was to breaking–and he surely did–he was kind enough not to comment on it. They worked together quietly, packing the ice packs around the bruised boy, both shushing him gently whenever he winced or whined at the cold. Kaoru grabbed a blanket from the basket by the couch and spread it over Reki before standing back, seemingly satisfied for the moment. “He’s as comfortable as we can make him,” he said quietly. “Carla, set an alarm for two hours.” The AI confirmed the alarm. Kaoru saw Kojiro’s confused frown and answered what he hadn’t asked. “To change out the ice packs. I want to make sure he has fresh ones before going to bed. Speaking of which. Let’s get you to bed before you pass out in the middle of the living room, because there’s no way I’m picking you up off the floor.”
Kojiro’s lips twitched up in a brief moment of amusement at the thought of his boyfriend even attempting such a thing. “. .love to see you try, princess,” he replied tiredly.
“Another time,” Kaoru promised airily. “For tonight, you’ll do me the favor of getting into bed on your own.” Kojiro could only nod. With the immediate matter of Reki’s injuries taken care of, and no other tasks to accomplish, he felt himself drifting again, dissociating before he could properly register the feelings his mind was protecting itself from. He felt hands at his waist, undoing first his belt, then his jeans, before easing both down his hips. “Sit,” Kaoru said gently while hands on his shoulders pressed him down. “Arms up.” There were already hands pulling up the hem of his shirt, so it only made sense that he raise his arms to help the process.
“Kaoru.” Kojiro blinked slowly as lithe fingers combed through his hair. “His dad. . .” He trailed off, unable or unwilling to finish the thought.
Kaoru made a face that Kojiro couldn’t place, and nodded. “Yes, Kojiro. His father did that to him. Reki was barely coherent while I cleaned him up, but he confirmed that much. . . And from what little I could make out, I don’t think this was the first time, either.”
“Oh.” Kojiro felt something wet on his cheeks and Kaoru made another face that he didn’t understand. “I didn’t see it,” he whispered.
Suddenly, his face was flush with Kaoru’s chest and there were arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders. “Neither of us saw it,” Kaoru said firmly. “He didn’t want us to see it. . . This isn’t your fault, Kojiro. It’s no one’s fault, but that monster’s.” The arms around him tightened when his shoulders started to shake. “This isn’t your fault.”