Work Text:
There was not really a point in looking outside the window when the only thing one could see was snow falling in tons, however there was nothing else to do. Suzuki just stood there watching at nothing while the other white suits rested and Washizu slept.
Washizu had protested about having to stay stuck in a hotel room due to the snowstorm, all the white suits knew Washizu would fight god if he had the chance if that meant stopping the storm. They understood why he didn’t want to stay, staying too long in a place meant less chances of finding Akagi, a man that if they hadn’t met already would think does not exist.
There was not a single soul on the street, not that Suzuki expected to see one. He would be surprised if he were to see one.
“Hey,” Yoshioka joined him at looking outside the window, their room was on the second floor, “is that a person outside?” He pointed to the other side of the street, very far on the left.
“Huh?” There was a person out in a fucking snowstorm. The person walked more and more into their range of vision, “wait… isn’t he?”
“Akagi!?”
Yes. Suzuki had wished Yoshioka didn’t yell the name in his ear though. The scream got the attention of everyone and even woke up Washizu.
“What did you say?” Washizu asked, slowly sitting on the bed. As the days turned into months his age showed more and more, his legs were weak, barely supporting him for more than a few minutes. He was probably alive just because his soul refused to die without seeing Akagi one last time.
“Washizu-sama…” Yoshioka looked at the window and then over at Washizu, “I think I found Akagi,” he pointed at the window again.
“Then what are you doing here?” Washizu yelled at him, “go get him!” Yoshioka knew he would have been hit with the cane if he was close to Washizu.
“B-but… it is snowing.”
“Since when does a little snow kill?”
There was in fact not a little snow outside. It was fucking snowstorm thay barely allowed to see a silhouette slowly walking by.
“But what if he isn’t Akagi?”
“Then let him there!” He couldn’t say no to Washizu so he just looked around the room, “come with me, Sakai.”
Sakai, probably the one with less presence in the room cursed his luck, he was bad with the cold but just sighed and walked towards the door and outside the room. All for Washizu-sama! He would give his balls and life for him!
Suzuki continued to look outside the window, the person they assumed to be Akagi had collapsed on the ground. It was good to know Akagi was human and had a human reaction to a fucking storm. Had the cold killed his brain or something that he thought being on the street was a good idea? It didn’t take long for Yoshioka and Sakai to approach the man now lying on the snow, they struggled to lift him but soon they were hurrying back inside.
The man was in fact Akagi, he was barely breathing, not that anyone was surprised considering the damn weather, completely pale and unconscious.
“Put him in the bed,” Washizu ordered. There was only one bed and it was the one Washizu himself was using so Sakai and Yoshioka hesitated a moment, it would be bad to have Akagi die on the bed Washizu was using, “hurry!”
They couldn’t say no to Washizu though.
They had to hurry and find whatever they could to cover Akagi so the young man could get some warmth, all of it if possible. If they had found Akagi in a different circumstance Washizu would have been laughing with a big smile on his face instead the man looked worried and even mad.
“Akagi…” the white suits said nothing as Washizu passed a hand over Akagi’s face, “are you really going to die because of some stupid snow?” He moved his hand down, to the neck, “if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to die under my hand?”
“Kuku,” Washizu removed his hand in a second, he was definitely not expecting Akagi to laugh at him, “is this how hell greets me?”
“How are you alive?” Suzuki couldn’t help himself and screamed. He could see Yoshioka still trembling because of the few minutes he was outside, Sakai was even worse. How was Akagi awake and talking? He wasn’t even wearing a damn sweater!
“All of you!” Washizu turned to face them, “out!”
“B-”
“Out I said. Now!”
The white suits didn’t want to leave Washizu and Akagi alone however this is what Washizu had wanted for years now, a chance to face Akagi once again and continue their mahjong game, they knew Washizu was going to call them inside in minutes so they all left the room.
“How dare you almost die of nothing?” Washizu screamed at Akagi once the two were alone, “I have searched for you ever since that day and I was never able to find you and when I did… you were almost dead!”
Akagi didn’t reply, he was still lying on the bed covered in sheets and even towels. He was still cold. What did Washizu mean by searching for him? Hadn’t he died? Did that mean Akagi himself was still alive? Man, hell didn’t want him at all.
“What? Did you die already?” Washizu sounded offended, “what were you even doing out there dressed like that?”
For dressed like that he meant just a pair of pants and a white formal shirt with long sleeves, it had gray lines as a design.
“Who knows,” was all Akagi said, making Washizu angry.
Akagi got hit.
“I was looking for a place to stay as the storm started, next thing I know a fat man dressed in all red kidnapped me, he tossed me inside a sack, drugged me and then I woke up around the corner.”
Washizu was too stunned to speak. Security was becoming a thing of the past if things like this were happening. Either that or the letter Suzuki had forced him to write to some mister Claus really worked… he decided to blame the security as it was more plausible.
Akagi slowly sat down, he was still cold but he didn’t like feeling like a damn caterpillar with so many layers on him, his eyes set on the wheelchair next to the bed, “hmmm, I guess even the greatest man can’t avoid growing weak.”
“Ha! Don’t underestimate me just because my legs have become weak.” Washizu said in an offended tone, “I am still going to kill you.”
“I could simply run away from you, not like you could run after me.”
“You’re not a coward.”
Akagi did not say anything to that, “do you have a cigarette?”
“I don’t smoke that kind of stuff, I have cigars in case you want.”
“Alright, where?”
There weren’t many places for Washizu to keep them. The hotel room wasn’t exactly big, just one bed, a table and a closet, there was enough space to lie down futons and then a door connecting to what Akagi assumed to be a bathroom. Not a place he would imagine Washizu being happy being in.
“In the closet.” He heard Washizu say. He slowly stood from the bed and walked to get to cigars but there was only one left. The box the cigar was in looked fancy, not something one could imagine being in a hotel room that had seen better days.
“You’re poor now, aren’t you?”
“I still have money, I needed to make sure I had enough to continue looking for you until my last breath. Things like cigars or wine weren’t a necessity,” he couldn’t even remember the last time he drank or smoked. His mind was always on Akagi no matter what, wine did not taste good in a gloomy state.
“Hmmm,” was all Akagi said, he lit the cigar and walked towards the bed, sitting next to Washizu, “I thought you planned on leaving the country after our game. The investigation about the death you caused is still ongoing.”
“Our game is yet to end and the investigation is cold.” Akagi handed the cigar to Washizu, “you were the one who wanted it, why are you giving it to me?”
“It’s the last,” Akagi explained, “just take a blow and give it back.”
“Like I would put my mouth in something you already touched!”
Akagi laughed at his answer, “is that so?”
“Just finish it so we can continue our match! So I can kill you.”
“If you share this with me,” Akagi moved the cigar once again towards Washizu, leaving it just a few inches away from his mouth, “then I’ll play with you again, so you can finally go to hell.”
Akagi was holding the cigar for Washizu to simply open his mouth, the two looked at each other. Without breaking eye contact, Washizu opened his mouth and got closer to the cigar, he moved one hand to grab it.
He blew the smoke right on Akagi’s face.
One of the two was going to die.
The snow was still falling.
They shared the cigar in silence. Both hoping it would last longer than it did