Work Text:
The air of the medbay reeked of antiseptic and dried blood. Hirose had long since stepped out, leaving Tei with a simple instruction: “Keep him from tearing his stitches. You’re both cuffed together, anyway.”
And so, two brooding boys were stranded alone to fend for themselves. All they had was each other’s presence to gripe at. Steel links clinked whenever Tei shifted in the wooden chair pulled up beside the infirmary bed, his wrist bound to Ikeda’s limp one.
He hadn’t stirred out of consciousness when Hirose cleaned the wound on his cheek, nor when his dislocated shoulder was forced back into place, nor even when his back was stitched shut using suture needles. Tei had seen it all, and frankly, he’d lost his appetite for the day. Now that Ikeda had actually woken up, the boy hadn't been talkative either.
Tei hated it. He hated the silence, hated how broken Ikeda looked lying in complete misery. Bandages covered his arm and cheek, with an arm sling draped like some permanent accessory. His dull gray-rose eyes remained open, staring daggers at the ceiling as if it might collapse on him the second he blinked.
Throughout the day, Tei kept track of the few people strolling in and out of their sight. Ogura and Akiba were supposed to be the other duo staying in the medbay, but the girl had insisted on staying in her room. Ninomiya dropped by around 3 o’clock, fetching Pepto-Bismol for a certain Belgian fellow. The moment he realized how tense the atmosphere was, he bolted out. During dinnertime, Denden had brought some food from the storage room for both Tei and Ikeda. She’d muttered something about “Eating is the key to keeping your strength up!” and “I’m so sorry, I’ll take responsibility once this is all over.” before kneeling on the ground and crying her eyes out. It was a good thing she didn't make her handcuffed partner tag along; Tei wouldn't want to see Kumada's face right now, let alone Ikeda.
Then, it was just the two of them again.
The clock read 7:45 PM; Almost half a day had passed since the morning accident. The events had left the group under a suffocating weight. If cracks had only started to show during the previous game, this one had split the walls wide open. This was only their second game, too.. how much worse would it be for tomorrow? Would Ikeda be excused due to his condition? And going by that logic.. would Tei be excused as well because they were stuck together?
Tei tried to push the negative thoughts away, as intrusive as they were. Hirose entrusted him to focus on the art forger’s recovery, but how could he easily forget the cruel punishment the others had inflicted on Ikeda? The images scarred into his mind wouldn’t fade away—the violent punishments, the pleas for help, the vote tallies that condemned one scapegoat to suffer again and again. Even if everyone got out of this hellhole alive, Tei would find it difficult to forgive the way some of his peers had voted. Especially those two. Whatever their motives were, it left a rancid taste in his mouth.
For now, all he could do was make use of the meal Denden had left them. It was. cup of instant ramen and a box of junk snacks. Nothing fancy. Ikeda remained stubborn and difficult. He refused to so much as pay a glance, even if Tei offered to feed him himself. He kept his body stiff as a rock, head turned to the wall to avoid eye contact with his caretaker.
Tei clenched his teeth and kept prying. “Come on, Ikeda-” His voice cracked in the middle of his usual sharp edge. “I’d rather you just be mad at me than stay silent like this.”
For a long, awful moment, there was nothing. Until
“..Why.. are you even here?”
A whisper. The whisper was so thin it could’ve been mistaken for a ghost’s.
“Just fucking leave me be..” Ikeda’s lips finally moved, dry and cracked. “You’re better off than rotting with me here..”
Tei’s throat tightened until it hurt. He slammed the ramen cup against the nightstand; the sound echoed sharply in the sterile room. “What? I’m not leaving you! That’s just inhumane!” His voice shook with outrage. He couldn’t believe he was coming to someone’s defense as much as this, let alone someone like him. “You’ve already suffered enough!”
Ikeda's reaction was valid in Tei's eyes; he would've acted similarly if he were unfairly put in the same predicament. Ikeda still refused to look at him. Didn’t move at all, except for the faint tremor in his cuffed fingers. Most people would've missed it, Tei chose not to.
“Listen.” Tei leaned forward, collecting his words rationally even though his chest felt ready to split in two from the tension. “I don’t know what you’re feeling right now. Sad, angry, or whatever—and you’ve got EVERY right to it!” His breath hitched. He continued. “I know I used to say I hate your guts, but that doesn’t mean I’ll turn a blind eye when a person gets treated like shit!”
It seemed like Tei's words were starting to reach the other side, as the redhead's trembling had steadily eased.
“I don’t care how many times you'll tell me to drop the act,” Tei’s words tumbled faster, a bit raw this time. “I’m doing this on my own terms! My morals!”
Silence.
Then-
A sound. Fragile, hushed, broken.
“…I-Ikeda?”
A crack. A sob.
Ikeda was crying.
The boy’s face, usually composed in smug little smirks, was crumpling. Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes, dripping down his patched-up cheeks before seeping into the white pillow on his lap. His mouth opened, but only a cracked, shaky breath escaped before it pulverized into sobs.
“F-Fuck…” Ikeda’s voice shattered, along with his facade. “..It’s all my fault.”
Tei’s chest seized. It physically pained him to hear. Without thinking, he tugged their cuffed hands together, pressing his palm against Ikeda’s. “Don’t. Don’t even say that. None of this is your fault, you hear me?” Tei swallowed hard, biting down on the fury that threatened to claw its way out of his throat. God, could he be even more pitiful? “You didn’t deserve ANY of it. Nobody deserves that, no matter how awful they are!"
Ikeda didn’t answer. He kept crying, silently and weakly, as his shoulders shook against the bandages that dug into his skin. He must've held the tears for so long in front of Tei, and Hirose, and the others. He, out of everyone here, would rather die than show even an ounce of vulnerability.
From their very first interaction, Tei knew how much Ikeda hated physical touch, or any form of endearment at all. Whenever Tei did so much as offer him a perfectly cooked meal, Ikeda always reacted like he’d seen a ghost. They were always at each other's throats, for no apparent reason too. And yet here he was, gripping their hands tighter as time passed, almost desperate for some reaction. Something. He could never kick someone while they were already down. Sure, Tei was one of the few who targeted him during the earlier rounds. But he at least tried to flip the script by offering himself to be branded. He was serious as hell, too. Too bad he wasn't deemed 'unlikable' enough by the students. Nevertheless, there was no point in rubbing salt into wounds now.
“You can hate me if you want, Ikeda. Call me annoying, call me a bastard, whatever.” Tei’s voice cracked again. It seemed like it was his turn to cry a river. “But I’m not leaving you here alone. I.. I would never do that to anyone.”
For the first time since he was bedridden, Ikeda turned his head to face Tei—just enough that his tear-streaked eyes caught the faint pink blur of his partner’s hair. His lips parted, as if to say something more, but the exhaustion dragged him back down into ambivalence before he could.
Tei sat there waiting, separated only by the railing of the bed. His free hand was gripping Ikeda’s tightly, his jaw set hard.
For once, there was no sarcasm in Ikeda's voice, no sharp bite.
There was only a whispered vow meant for sleeping ears. Delicate ears such as Tei's.
“..Please, don’t go.”
Silence wrapped around the two men like a warm blanket on a winter night. As Ikeda lay pale and fragile on the mattress, chest rising and falling beneath bloodied bandages, Tei would be the only person to care for him. Just him. Tei's eyes almost burned red—not from exhaustion, but from the raw ache in his chest.
'What the hell is this feeling? Why does it hurt.. to watch Ikeda hurting?'
He couldn’t bear it anymore. All of a sudden, Tei leaned forward despite the clinking handcuff chain that bound them. He placed his free hand against Ikeda’s nape and gently pulled him close. Really close. Their movements were bound to be awkward, limited; careful as to not injure his bruised body further. Ikeda tensed briefly. The pain was sharper than he'd expected, yet he didn’t pull away. He had every reason to do so though, right? So.. why? Why did he just let Tei close the last inches between them, arms wrapping around his frail frame in such a gentle hug?
Ikeda pressed his face against the crook of Tei’s shoulder. Fuck it, he didn't care anymore. He needed this. His composure cracked, and he wept in pained sobs that seemed like they could fracture him entirely. Tei held him, of course, stroking his red hair with quivering digits. He didn’t try to talk him down. Sometimes solace wasn’t in the form of words, just simply the act of being present.
Ikeda’s eyelashes fluttered as though he were fighting the heaviness of sleep. He was tired of the tough-guy act, tired of walls, tired of bleeding dignity. They’d only been trapped here for four days. How much longer could he endure before the police arrived eventually? Can't the authorities do anything right?
The redhead was starting to calm down at least, thanks to Tei. He could never admit it, but the pink-haired guy provided warmth in a way he hadn't experienced in his seventeen years of living. He had accidentally fallen asleep on the man's fluffy hair one time, and it was one of the nights he slept soundly. Honest.
Ikeda collected his breath, seemingly having something to say.
“Don’t..” His voice slurred, so faint it seemed like breath. “Don’t leave.” He winced, a quiet tremor undulating through him. He kept repeating the same words like a mantra.
Tei leaned in closer, resting his forehead lightly on Ikeda’s head. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m serious,” he whispered gently.
Eventually, the sobs ebbed into quiet sniffles, then a deep inhale. Ikeda shifted against Tei’s hold, wriggling like a restless stray cat. They stayed that way for a little longer, handcuffs forgotten—until Ikeda’s cries dulled into quiet exhaustion.
Just when Tei thought nothing could break the fragile calm, Ikeda snorted. The sound was wet and pitiful, but there was a spark of his usual bite in it.
“..Alright, that’s enough. Before someone here pops a boner from hugging me too long.”
Tei jerked back just enough to glare at him. “..Are you serious right now?”
“Dead serious,” Ikeda croaked, smirking weakly through his hazy eyes. “You’re way too into this, dude.”
Tei’s jaw dropped. “You were literally sobbing into my shirt two seconds ago!”
“Yeah, well.. Don’t flatter yourself.” Ikeda tugged at their cuffed hands and looked away, ears red.
Ikeda’s voice came then, much more audible after their 'let it all out' session. He thanked Tei again for not leaving his side, and for volunteering to take his place.
The taller man almost laughed at the irony. Just less than 24 hours ago, he’d relentlessly reminded Ikeda to assume the handcuffs would be gone the second they got the chance. Now, Ikeda was the one asking him to stay. Neither of them practiced what they preached, huh?
He offered a lop-sided grin. “Where else would I be anyway? Besides, rotting alone doesn’t suit either of us.”
A shuddered chuckle escaped Ikeda's mouth. “You’re still talking funny.. whatever.”
“Shut up and eat,” Tei murmured, this time with a faint smile.
For the first time since the nightmare of the [Voter Game], there was a moment of contentment between them: a fragile peace in the silence of two people refusing to let each other go.
END.
NAH CUZ WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT EPISODE??! I DONT EVEN RIDE FOR IKEDA LIKE THAT BUT CMON MY BOY WAS LITERALLY BEGGING FOR HIS LIFE 😭 but i gotta say tei and hirose shocked me a bit i didn't think they'd defend him like that, but tbh the rest was just borderline psychopathic letting a torture fest happening in front of them. this group is definitely a lot more brutal than pink