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God was a cruel, cruel man.
He had been prepared to die alone.
The blood from his wounds was crusted over, but it was still painfully raw, the bullet still lodged in there somewhere. Still, it wasn’t as bad as what Sakamoto seemed to be going through. Although he was injured (his leg was definitely not in its natural position) that didn’t seem to be the thing that was bothering him, his gaze locked onto the floor, the flames surrounding them reflecting in his eyes.
Hauntingly beautiful.
Smiling softly, he shuffled closer, wincing when his wound reopened, blood leaving a path behind him. Sakamoto opened his mouth and then closed it, returning to his examination of the floor. Goro took a deep breath. “At least we can say that we’re not dying alone, hm?” When he didn’t get a response, he sighed. “Sorry. It’ll be less painful if I make it funny.”
“Not doing a good job,” Sakamoto snapped back, his face twisting into a pained expression.
“I know,” Goro answered, seemingly taking him by surprise as any anger present left Sakamoto entirely. “You have so much more to live for than I do.” Letting out a harsh laugh, he looked up at the night sky. “I’ve accepted death.”
“You…man, that makes me feel even worse.”
Goro scoffed, turning to look at him. “You know what I’ve done. Sakamoto-”
“Ryuji.”
“-Ryuji, you saw it yourself. You could say death is my atonement for my crimes.”
“I saw you in that engine room.” Ryuji gazed into his eyes and Goro couldn’t bring himself to look away, some external force keeping him there. “You didn’t want to-life was shit for you, and it was shit for me too. I literally said that I might’ve ended up like you if I didn’t meet the Phantom Thieves!”
“Doesn’t change what I’ve done.”
“No, but it shows that you could’ve become better if it didn’t end up like this!” Ryuji’s voice cracked and he turned away abruptly, a hand coming up to wipe his eyes. Surprised, Goro remained still, something preventing him from reaching out and attempting to help. It was painful to watch someone be so…good.
Blinking away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, he shook his head. “You really are too good for the world, Ryuji.”
“Nah,” Ryuji replied, the carefree tone somewhat dampened by the sniffling. “I’m not all that.” From his extensive police training, Goro knew that silence was the best way to obtain information, so he didn’t reply. Ryuji sighed. “I’m just…dumb, you know? I just take shit cause I can. Not cause I’m good.”
“Might not be a compliment from someone evil, but you are good. You even sacrificed yourself for your friends.”
“Dumb move from me.” Ryuji suddenly lurched forward, arms wrapped around his stomach, violent laughs almost being forced out of him. They didn’t sound amused at all, just like he was being punched repeatedly in the stomach, but he seemingly couldn’t stop, tears starting to flow freely. “This…isn’t…funny…” He choked out, attempting to take normal breaths.
Gently, like he was dealing with a scared animal, Goro took Ryuji’s hand in his own, rubbing comforting circles in the skin. “I’m here. You won’t be alone.” Ryuji let out a quiet sob, finally relaxing and leaning back.
The water was finally starting to appear on the deck, slithering closer and lapping excitedly at the edges, almost like it was excited to swallow them. Looking to his side, he saw that Ryuji had screwed his eyes shut. He didn’t blame him for doing so. Goro moved until their sides were touching, squeezing Ryuji’s hand even harder as a reminder that he was still there.
The tears had stopped.
Cold and unwelcoming, the sea finally started to submerge their feet, the cold managing to pierce through their boots. It was the beginning of the end. Goro, noticing that Ryuji had tensed up again, used his other arm to reach over and push it onto his shoulder, fingers clumsily playing with blond hair.
“I think we could’ve been friends,” Ryuji whispered, his voice strained. The water was already up to their chests, their lungs constricting due to the cold. “You know, if shit didn’t happen.”
“Yeah…” he answered, smiling. “That would’ve been nice.”
Maybe in a different universe, they were happy. Maybe they could’ve had normal lives.
Maybe…