Setting: Canon
Rating: T
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Characters: Ryouta, Imposter
Warnings: suicidal thoughts
Word Count: 868
A/N: How could I, in good conscience, not write something for Valentine's?
Also, happy new year, guys.
we all get to someday
i.
The door creaked open, and Ryouta knew who it was without even looking up from his work. No one else comes into his room, after all.
"Have you gotten out of that chair since I saw you yesterday?" Sagishi asked as he cleared a table of junk and placed a bag of groceries on top of it.
Ryouta stopped scribbling. "Uhm…"
Sagishi sighed. "Let's go out."
"W–What?" Ryouta said, blinking. "Why?"
"Because I said so?" Sagishi said as he leaned over to turn off the computer monitor, earning a surprised squeak from Ryouta. "Just for dinner. We'll be back before you know it. And you haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"N–No…" Ryouta admitted sheepishly, trying to avoid making eye contact with Sagishi.
"Then get up from that chair and let's go," Sagishi said, placing a light kiss on Ryouta's cheek as Ryouta blushed.
ii.
Ryouta woke up with a start, gasping for air again and shivering as he looked around him. He's still in the alley he snuck inside of to hide from the rioters. He must have passed out again. Running away and slowly dying, that's all he's been good for these days.
He's so tired of running, but right now he had no other choice. If he stopped now, the rioters would just catch up to him, and who knew what they'd do to him if they found out he's from Hope's Peak? Or worse, if they found out he's the reason this started in the first place.
Ryouta deserved it, of course. But he can't die now, not yet, not until he knew what happened to Sagishi.
(Please, just let Sagishi be safe and Ryouta would accept whatever punishment he had to face.)
There's footsteps coming his way, but Ryouta knew he's too ill to put up a fight.
And then—
There were dress shoes blocking his line of sight.
Ryouta knew those shoes.
He looked up slowly at the person in front of him, not daring to hope.
It was him.
"S–Sa…" Ryouta breathed out, voice hoarse from being unused for so long.
Sagishi looked down at Ryouta. It's him, but not as Ryouta remembered him. It was as if he was looking straight through Ryouta, without a hint of recognition. And his eyes… why were his eyes so cold?
Ryouta's heart stuttered in his chest. "I—"
(What did Enoshima do to you?)
Sagishi turned to leave.
"Don't—"
Don't leave me, Ryouta wanted to say, weakly stretching out an arm towards Sagishi's retreating form, but he was gone almost as quickly as he showed up. Was he ever there at all?
Ryouta wept until he had no tears left, succumbing to the darkness once again.
iii.
The sea felt so inviting. It was so calm and peaceful, without a trace of the storms that have been constantly plaguing it for so long, as if it knew that the Tragedy's over.
Has Ryouta ever felt as calm? He doubted it.
He stared at the waters gently lapping at the sides of the ship as it reflected the sky, still shining with stars in the early hours before dawn broke out. It called to him like a siren's song.
And he never really belonged here with the rest of his class, did he? Not after he helped Enoshima ruin their lives.
It would be so easy, Ryouta thought, to go up the railings and let himself slip off the deck, swallowed by the waves. It's not as if anyone would notice he was gone.
"Ryouta? What are you doing?"
Ryouta nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden question, turning to see Sagishi looking at him, worry etched on his brow.
"N–Nothing. I–I just—"
"You're not thinking about that again, are you?" Sagishi said, walking towards Ryouta as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'm sorry," Ryouta whispered, bowing his head before Sagishi could see his tears fall. "You should— You should just drop me off at the next port. I shouldn't be here."
"Don't talk like this," Sagishi said, pulling Ryouta closer to him. "I was worried when I woke up and you weren't in the cabin."
"Sorry…" Ryouta said, choking on a sob and still not daring to look up. "I won't— I won't do it again, I promise."
"Better not," Sagishi said, wiping away Ryouta's tears with a finger before planting a kiss on his brow. "I can't lose you. Not again."
"I— I missed you. I thought I'd never see you again," Ryouta admitted. "But it's still my fault. It's all my fault, everything. I— You shouldn't forgive me!"
"Not yours," Sagishi shook his head. "Enoshima's."
"I'm sorry," Ryouta continued to sob in Sagishi's arms. "I'm so, so sorry…"
Sagishi rubbed Ryouta's back in circles, shushing him. "It's over now. It's all over."
The sun rose up from the horizon, slow and steady, until it bathed them in first light.