Work Text:
Ichijou walked away from him, and Godai paused. His head was fuzzy and his body ached. He didn’t know how long he was out, there'd been no time to check. It was an emergency.
He'd opened his eyes in a hospital room and reached for the pile of clothes folded neatly next to him. Desperate to get out of the gown that smelled of death, he'd been halfway through changing when the radio left at his bedside crackled with a message about an attack.
There'd been no time to think after that. His body went on autopilot, and somehow he ended up exactly where he needed to be, just in time.
But now his head was clear, and he felt like he was missing something.
Ichijou raised his arm, his fist turned into a thumbs up, and Godai relaxed. It was fine. Just Ichijou being Ichijou. Stubborn, guarded, but soft under it all.
Godai chased after the man, feeling the stiffness in his joints. It'd been years since he felt this sore. Since the belt, he never felt sore. The poison must have done a real number on him.
Ichijou reached the police car and pulled out his radio. There was a smile on his face as he spoke into it.
In no rush to interrupt Ichijou's report, Godai slowed his pace, taking a moment to enjoy the warmth of the sun and feel of the wind. It was a beautiful day.
As he neared the car, he could make out some of Ichijou's words.
"Yes... alive... he's okay... yes... " Ichijou's eyes met Godai's, and he beamed. "Me too."
Warmth blossomed on Godai's face. Unusual for Ichijou to be so forward. Even if it was only eye contact, it felt like more. There was intent, weight, in the look. Godai kept walking, drawn in by the policeman.
"No no, I broke the news the first time I should... but... It's no trouble, I can..."
Godai was close enough to hear the radio now.
"Rest," Tsubaki's voice crackled over the radio. Other voices overlapped with his, and Godai could tell the man was wrestling for control of the radio. "Both of you need to rest. Do it tomorrow after you've rested."
Ichijou looked at Godai again with the same intense look. He paused. "Copy that," Ichijou said.
There was an audible gasp from the radio, and Godai laughed. He'd missed something, that much was obvious. Something major if Tsubaki was so insistent on rest. Major enough that Ichijou actually listened.
Ichijou glared at the radio, and Godai plucked it out of his hand. "Let it go," he said, beaming at Ichijou.
His body felt like it'd been put through a meat grinder, but his chest felt light, and he couldn't stop smiling.
Ichijou let him put the radio back in his spot without compliant.
"How long was I-"
Godai's question was cut off by Ichijou's lips slamming into his. Ichijou's hands were in his hair, grip so strong it was nearly painful. Their mouth crashed together messily, teeth clacking together painfully, but Ichijou didn't relent.
He mumbled something unintelligible that Godai instinctively recognized as his name. It stirred his blood, lighting a fire in his heart. All that dancing around he'd been doing for months had finally come to an end in the most surprising way. He'd barely entertained the thought that Ichijou might be the one to make the first move.
Godai's heart hammered in his chest as he wrapped his arms around Ichijou. The man gasped and whispered, "Godai Yuusuke," against his mouth.
"I'm here," Godai responded.
Ichijou shuddered and Godai felt tears against his face. Not his own, Ichijou's.
"You're here, Godai Yuusuke," Ichijou whispered, kissing him more. The fingers in Godai's hair shook as Ichijou pressed their bodies together.
"Yes, Mr. Ichijou I'm here." Godai laughed as he said it. The formality was so very pointless now with their bodies so close it felt as if they were about to merge.
"Alive," Ichijou breathed into Godai's mouth.
The single word, said with the reverence of a prayer, stopped Godai in his tracks. He pushed Ichijou back. Not out of the embrace, but far enough that they could speak properly. "Was I... not?"
More tears welled in Ichijou's already bloodshot eyes. He nodded.
"How?"
Ichijou swallowed painfully. More tears fell down his face as he closed his eyes. "I don't know. Poison. It's... I don't know. It all happened so fast, but so slow, without you, it all went so slow."
Godai gripped Ichijou tight, one arm around his waist, the other pressed between his shoulders.
"Godai Yuusuke." Ichijou's voice caught in his throat. Tears welled in his eyes and he buried his face in Godai's shoulder.
"I'm here." Godai ran his fingers through Ichijou's hair as sobs shook Ichijou's body. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm alive."
The word felt weird in his mouth. He never had to tell someone that before. Well, that wasn't true. He'd reassured his sister, his uncle, and his friends many times that he was okay, that he was alive. But that was different. Those were conversations that happened after a trip that went too long. They were worried that he might be dead. That something happened to him on his travels and no one contacted them.
Ichijou knew exactly what happened to him. He knew Godai had been dead. He'd contacted people to tell them.
"I'm so sorry." Godai squeezed Ichijou as tight as he dared.
"Godai Yuusuke,” Ichijou sobbed into Godai‘s shoulder. “I… I... when you died... I... I realized...”
“Tsubaki said we should rest.” Godai cut off Ichijou as the man struggled for words. Not because he didn't want to hear, but because he knew exactly what Ichijou wanted to tell him. And because he saw how hard it was for Ichijou to say it out loud. Reaching behind Ichijou, Godai opened the car door. “It’s a long drive home. Let’s get a hotel room.”
Ichijou lifted his face from Godai’s shoulder. Rubbing his already puffy eyes, he cleared his throat and smiled. “That’s... a good idea.”