I drifted, waking up long enough to pop a few pills when the pain became excruciating, but never long enough to make the call I needed to. At some point, I managed to get a mirror app on my phone and examined the visible damage.
Colors bloomed across my face, brighter than any makeup would ever cover. Abandoning any thought of going to school, a couple days passed, but I didn’t care. Every place on my body screamed in agony. I slept mostly since doing anything else hurt. The painkillers wore off for the millionth time as voices filtered through my haze of misery.
“This is her room?” The male voice sounded familiar, but in my mostly sleeping state it took a few moments to put a name to it. JJ.
I turned my head away as the door creaked open. My eyes remained closed. I didn’t want to witness the guys’ reactions to my injuries. Light flared, and a swift, indrawn breath almost made me open my eyes.
“Fuck, JJ,” Souta muttered. “Look at her.”
“Believe me Sou, I am.” His voice held rage, but his fingers grazed my cheek gently. His hands slipped under me, and I couldn’t hold back the cry of pain. My eyes flew open, meeting his worried ones and then darted to Souta and Brooks.
“Don’t think of arguing,” Brooks rumbled. “You know damn well we aren’t about to leave you here.”
Pain made protesting impossible, and I allowed JJ to curl me into his chest. Souta pressed his phone to his ear as we walked out, but the haze in my brain didn’t allow me to listen in. When they headed to the school, I let out a squeak of protest. They ignored me. I felt eyes on me as we walked down the hall, and my cheeks heated in embarrassment. Whispers followed us. JJ murmured soft reassurances in my ear.
When we made it out the front doors, a black sedan idled by the curb. I whimpered as JJ shifted us to settle into the back with Souta, Brooks sitting in the front with a uniformed driver. A large, red patch with a golden bird and an ornate K decorated his black jacket, and the jaunty little cap rested at an angle on his head. As the car rolled along, I drifted off again, still curled into JJ and one hand clutching tight to the one Souta offered.
The sharp jabs of pains from being shifted brought me awake again. My eyes went wide, and a shocked squeak escaped me as I took in our location. Beautifully manicured lawns spread out in an emerald expanse. A curved, stone drive surrounded a small, simple, yet elegant fountain ringed in roses. The house before me stood proud and strong, like someone took it out of the English countryside and dropped it in the middle of Washington. The glass fronted door opened as we ascended the steps and an older, Asian man lifted an eyebrow at us. The same red and gold patch rested on his coat.
“I take it, Master Souta, you need me to call your mother.” His voice held a heavy accent, telling me English was not his first language.
“Yes, please, Shiro,” Souta said absently as JJ carried me down the hall.
The boys’ extreme focus on me seemed wrong. They needed to worry about school and finding their Ignis, not me. JJ slid me onto a plush, red sofa, his hand brushing back some of the hair matted to my forehead.
“You’re okay now, firefly,” JJ murmured. “We’re going to take care of you.”
I wanted to protest, to tell them not to be like this but the words stuck in my throat. Souta and Brooks settled on the floor with JJ whispering reassurances of their own. My aching body refused to allow my mind to settle. I knew I would be intimidated by the obvious wealth around me once I could focus again, but for now, I rested.
The four of us sat in silence for some time before Souta’s mom walked in. Her appearance closely resembled Souta’s own. Her dark hair, pulled into a simple twist, framed delicate features. A pair of gold, wire framed glasses perched on her nose, and an easy, confident smile spread over her face. Her low-heeled, black pumps clicked over the floor and echoed throughout the house. Her gaze swept over me, taking in my bruises and obvious injuries before finding Souta.
“Is this her?” she asked, her voice musical and clear as a bell.
Souta’s grin lit up his face. “Yeah.”
She shooed the boys, who backed up and took seats around the room, then kneeled next to me.
“Hello, sweetheart, you’ve caused quite a stir among our boys. You’re not looking good today. I’m going to do a quick examination, okay?” Her voice held confidence and comfort, putting me at ease right away. “It might hurt a little, but I’ll try to prevent it as much as I can.”
Her hands ran over me, quick and efficient, assessing the damage to my body. With the stethoscope cold against my abused flesh, she listened to my breathing and my heartbeat.
Her expressive face showed her findings as she went. “I’d say you’re a lucky girl with lots of bruises. These burns aren’t pleasant but they could be worse. I’m assuming they were caused by a Heater?”
I nodded at her question.
“I believe your ribs are bruised or cracked, but not broken. You need x-rays to be sure, and you need them for your wrist. I’d like to know how you ended up in this condition.”
Though she made it a statement, her tone held a question. I bit my lip and shot a nervous glance at the guys.
She smiled in understanding when I did not respond, then turned to her son. “Souta why don’t you settle her in the room by yours? She needs rest. I’ll call the clinic and see if we can get her in for those x-rays today.”
Standing, she looked kindly down at me. “My name’s Akiko, or you can call me mom. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of you.” I stared, gape mouthed at her statement. Why would she want me to call her Mom?
This time Brooks lifted me and held me close. I winced, a tiny whimper escaping, as we made our way upstairs, and Brooks laid me down on a soft, pillowy mattress. I shifted, gritting my teeth against the agony.
“Why?” I asked them when they settled on the bed around me. I couldn’t make heads or tails of things anymore, like I missed half the story.
“Why, what?” Souta cocked his head as he propped himself on his elbow. His other hand found my thigh and began stroking little circles on it. Frustration poured through me, at myself for enjoying the little display of affection and them for being deliberately obtuse.
“Why everything?” I tossed the words out. “What was all that with your mother? Why did you bring me here? Why do you give a damn?”
Confusion fell on JJ and Brooks’ faces, but Souta laughed. “Because. My mom knows how much we like you. You needed help, and we sure as fuck weren’t leaving you there.” He sat up then, scooting up the bed and gripping my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. His thumb ran over my jawline, and his eyes shone with affection. “Because you're worth giving a damn for, even if you don’t think so.”
I tried to yank my chin from his grasp unsuccessfully.
“You keep trying to push us away, hot stuff, but you need to realize we aren’t going anywhere. And be prepared. We came for you today because we were worried sick, but you were coming here either way. Tomorrow, you’re getting your Ad Aetatem. Don’t argue. Everything is done and set already. Now get some rest. We’ll see you after your x-rays.” He dropped a kiss on the only place that didn’t hurt, my forehead. followed by Brooks and JJ.
They left before I could give voice to my protest. I knew I should fight harder, but my own embarrassment at needing rescuing combined with my sheer exhaustion from holding my emotions back from the guys weakened my resolve.
I tried to rest but sleep wouldn’t come. My brain and my heart wanted to keep going over the last two weeks. So much happened, and what I knew I should do warred with what I wanted to do.
Eventually, I went to the clinic and the bruised ribs and sprained wrist were confirmed.
Upon my return to Souta’s, I found the boys waiting for me. They decided on a quiet evening of movies and munchies, and my heart melted a little. Fighting them exhausted me, instead I gave in and opted to worry about the consequences when the time came.