Work Text:
It was late when Kira left the hospital. His phone had died hours ago, so he wasn’t sure of the exact time, but from the position of the moon and the empty streets, it must have been around two in the morning.
Kira dragged his feet slowly. His apartment was a fifteen minute walk away. Fifteen minutes until he could collapse headfirst into bed, and fall into a blissful sleep. That was, for only three hours or so.
The thought of getting up again only made Kira more exhausted, but any sleep was better than none, he supposed.
A distant grunt pulled Kira out of his thoughts. He paid no mind to it at first — it was late, there were drunkards everywhere. They increased in the more recent years, Kira thought. It seemed that everyone was tempted to drink their woes away, lately.
Though, the closer Kira came to the sound, the more clear it became.
He frowned. He knew that voice well; one of the few friends he ever had.
Kira shook his head the moment the thought came to him. It must have been his imagination. It was late, after all. Far too late for a high schooler to be wandering around the streets. Nagisa’s house was two stops away from here, even.
But the fear, the small, yet loud part of his brain that worried about what-ifs guided his feet towards the sound. Down a narrow alleyway, solely lightened by an old, flickering lamp. He pressed his lips together. It couldn’t have been Nagisa — it was just a coincidence. A stranger who oddly sounded just like him. A teenager wouldn’t have been hiding out here, alone.
All his hopes dashed away as bright, red strands came into view.
Kira blinked. He rubbed his eyes twice. It must have been a trick of the light.
But the view in front of him never changed. Nagisa sat there, leaning against the wall with his legs sprawled in front of him. Alone, as he feared. He clutched his arm and furrowed his brow as though he was in pain. His eyes were open, and they soon met Kira’s.
“Kira.”
A cough followed, scratchy and rough. Kira felt his stomach drop.
Before Kira knew it, he found himself scrambling over to Nagisa’s side, all exhaustion forgotten. “Let me see the injury.”
“Why are you here?” Nagisa asked, ignoring his statement. “It’s late.”
“‘Late’ is correct. Too late for teenagers to be out and about,” Kira agreed. “Let me see the injury.”
He pulled on Nagisa’s wrist, trying to move him away from his arm. It took about three gentle tugs for Nagisa’s hand to relax, allowing Kira to see his arm. Not that he could see properly, with the flickering light giving out every two seconds. Kira clucked his tongue as he fished his pockets for a flashlight.
“It’s fine,” Nagisa mumbled. “Small nick. I was careless. It’ll heal with sleep.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Kira replied, clicking the flashlight on. He grimaced as the wound came to light. Blood oozed out from a clean cut — far too clean for any accident. It came from a blade; a small knife, perhaps. Kira gritted his teeth together.
Nagisa inhaled sharply. Then, he grabbed Kira’s arm, pointing his flashlight away. “It’s fine. I’ve had worse.”
Kira’s eye twitched. “If that was an attempt to reassure me, then you failed. What do you mean, you’ve had worse?”
Nagisa closed his mouth and looked away.
“Who attacked you?” Kira pressed, pointing the flashback back on the wound. “And don’t tell me you slipped and fell. I’m not an idiot — this is from a blade.”
Nagisa held his breath. He drummed his fingers against his knee as his eyes darted from Kira to the floor. His lips remained tightly sealed.
Kira pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming in. “I’m calling an ambulance.”
“Don’t.” Nagisa grabbed his arm.
“Why not?” Kira lowered his voice. “Don’t tell me you’re involved with the Yakaza, or something.”
It was a joke, mainly. But Kira couldn’t help but be skeptical: a teenager out by himself in the street in the middle of the night, far from home, and bleeding from a stabbing. A stabbing that didn’t seem to faze him, even.
Nagisa turned pale at that, and shook his head. “No, it’s not like that. It’s—” he swallowed.
“It’s…?” Kira urged him.
Nagisa pressed his lips together. “It’s nothing illegal. I didn’t know the man, he nicked me and ran off.”
Kira hummed slowly. He supposed those kinds of stories weren’t unheard of. He saw his fair share of stabbing in the hospital, after all. Many of them were mugged as well. Though he was still skeptical, he wanted to believe Nagisa wasn’t involved in anything dangerous — it was easier that way.
At this hour, anything could happen.
He pulled his phone out, only to frown at the black screen. His phone had died hours ago; he had forgotten in the panic.
With a click of the tongue, Kira stood up. “The hospital isn’t far. I’ll take you there.”
“No.” Nagisa shook his head again. “No hospital.”
Kira sighed. “Nagisa—”
“Please,” Nagisa begged. A hand clung to his coat. “I’m still a minor. If I go to the hospital, they’ll contact my parents.”
Kira narrowed his eyes. Nagisa spoke about his family situation — that was, he told him how his parents were away on vacation. A long needed vacation, Nagisa insisted. Perhaps Nagisa thought that their vacation meant more than their son’s health, but Kira had to disagree.
Kira adjusted himself back down to Nagisa’s eye level. “Nagisa, you’re bleeding.”
“I know that—”
“Not only are you bleeding, but you’ve been attacked,” Kira continued. “This isn’t something that you can sleep off. You need medical treatment.”
Nagisa scowled. “Then I’ll patch it myself when I get home. I’ve done it before.”
Something in Kira’s stomach twisted. He knew that Nagisa was prone to getting into fights — he had seen it with his own eyes. Countless times where Nagisa would see something he claimed was unjust, and throw himself in the situation, regardless of his own health. Kira tried to step in if he sensed any danger, but who knew what happened when he wasn’t there.
“No,” Kira found himself saying. “If you insist on avoiding the hospital, then I’ll do it. My degree is still worth something, even off the clock,”
He paused to scoff, and fish out a handkerchief from his pocket. In a swift motion, he tied it around Nagisa’s arm. Nagisa winced, but made no movements to pull away. It wasn’t much, but it was the best he could do until they arrived at his place.
“Come on.” He tugged on Nagisa’s uninjuried arm. “My apartment isn’t far.”
Nagisa made no movements to stand up, blinking at Kira instead. His eyes gleamed with curiosity, as though Kira had told him that they were traveling to another country.
“What?” Kira frowned.
“You never let me in your house before,” Nagisa said, speaking slowly.
Kira supposed that was true. His apartment was less than ready to receive guests — in fact, he was sure the place was still a mess. Everyday it looked as though a hurricane passed through, and everyday Kira found himself having no time to clean it up, no matter how catastrophic it became. Occasionally, he would come home to a clean apartment, with a note from his sister.
While he wasn’t fond of her meddling, he hoped that she had passed through today, for Nagisa’s sake.
“Special occasion, then,” Kira replied, his lips tugging into a small grin. “I know it’s exciting, but you won’t be getting the tour until I stitch up that wound, so don’t run off.”
Nagisa scowled. “I know. You don’t have to treat me like I’m a kid.”
Nagisa was a kid, regardless of what he thought. Seventeen was far too young to be living alone. Too young to be picking fights on the streets, and patching wounds by himself. If Kira hadn’t found him, what would Nagisa have done? The thought made him sick.
He shook his head. “Let’s go.”
With that, he tugged on Nagisa’s arm. This time, he followed.
-
Kira’s apartment was a mess when he came back, which meant that his sister decided she had better things to do with her time. Kira preferred it that way, really.
Though it was embarrassing to show Nagisa the state of his kitchen, the younger one didn’t seem to mind. He kept his eyes on the ground as Kira pulled him along. Drops of blood dripped to the floor, the bright red glaring against white tiles. Kira’s frown deepened.
“Come on.” Kira gestured with his head. “Bathroom’s this way. Try to keep the blood off the floor — it’s expensive.”
Guilt flashed in Nagisa’s eyes.
“I’m joking,” Kira said. “It’s a cheap apartment, and I don’t care about the floor. Blood wouldn’t stain on the tile, anyway.”
Nagisa relaxed his shoulders. “Oh.”
Kira led Nagisa into the bathroom, maneuvering through the piles of books he hadn’t bothered to put away with ease. Nagisa was less graceful, slowly placing one foot in front of the other, careful not to fall. A drop of blood hit one of the covers of Kira’s books, and he froze.
“Sorry,” he blurted out, eyes darting from the book to Kira. “Was that important?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Kira responded, not bothering to check which book got stained. “Hurry up before you bleed to death.”
Nagisa pressed his lips together, and followed without another word.
Kira flicked the bathroom lights on, and without giving Nagisa time to adjust to the sudden change of lighting, he pushed the younger man to sit on the toilet lid. Nagisa swayed for a moment, but quickly steady himself.
Kira frowned at the movement. He wasn’t sure how long Nagisa had been sitting in that alleyway alone. For all he knew, he could have been bleeding for hours.
The thought made him nervous. There was only so much that Kira’s first aid kit had — in no way was he equipped for blood loss. He gritted his teeth together. “Don’t pass out on me.”
“I won’t.” Nagisa blinked slowly. “I’m fine.”
Kira scoffed. He didn’t waste any more time, yanking open the cabinets in search of the first aid kit. At times like these, Kira wished his apartment wasn’t a disaster. He paid no mind to it until it bit him in the ass — just as his sister always said it would. Once again, she was right; though knowing himself, Kira wouldn’t learn a thing.
Perhaps out of consideration, Nagisa didn’t say anything about Kira’s digging and grunting. No jokes or teasing. The more Kira thought of it, the more worry set in. But when he turned to check if Nagisa had passed out, he found him holding a familiar, orange pill bottle — Kira didn’t need to read the label to know which one — with his eyes wide in curiosity.
Kira frowned. “Don’t take those. They’re not pain killers.”
“What are they?”
Kira finally spotted the white of the first aid kit, immediately yanking it from the cabinet. Several old pill bottles clattered to the ground with the movement, but Kira made no effort to pick them up. “Obviously, they’re antipsychotics. If I don’t take them, I start to see ghosts.”
Nagisa paled.
“Just kidding.” Kira set the first aid kit on the counter next to Nagisa. “It’s prednisone. Steroids.”
“Steroids?” Nagisa furrowed his brow. “Like the thing that makes athletes buff? Why would you need those?”
Kira let out a breathy laugh. “Good one. Unfortunately, these are for something else. Remember when I told you about my hospital stay as a child?”
“Oh.” Nagisa’s eyes softened, all humor leaving his expression. Before he could let out any words of sympathy, Kira pulled his handkerchief off his arm, causing him to let out a low, pained hiss.
“Sorry,” Kira said. “I’m going to clean the wound now. Unfortunately, since you refused to go to the hospital like a normal person, we’ll be doing this without sedatives.”
He expected Nagisa to react to that. A flinch, a twitch of the expression, anything to show discomfort, really. But instead, Nagisa hummed, and nodded. “It’s fine. Do what you need to do. I’ve done this before.”
Kira felt his eye twitch. Really, once this was all done and through, he needed to thoroughly lecture Nagisa on taking care of his own safety. Being young and reckless was one thing, but being unfazed by blood and stitches was something entirely different — something that twisted at Kira’s stomach until he felt an emotion he could only describe as nausea.
He tried to be gentle. Thankfully for him, Nagisa didn’t squirm or struggle. Occasionally, he would let out a slow hiss, before apologizing. Really, he seemed almost too comfortable, not even flinching as Kira pulled out the thread. He wasn’t lying — Nagisa was accustomed to stitches, or even, he was accustomed to pain.
It wasn’t normal. Nothing about the whole situation was. The deep pit in his stomach grew, and thousands of questions sat on the tip of his tongue.
“…Where’s your bird?” Kira found himself settling for an easier topic. “The one you always keep in your bag.”
Nagisa jolted at that. “You noticed?”
“An owl that big?” Kira scoffed. “Of course I’ve noticed. I’m sure many people noticed. Personally, I find it amusing. Although, I won’t question your reasons.”
Nagisa pressed his lips together. He let out another soft hiss as Kira brought the needle back to his skin, before sighing. “His name is Lufel. He’s probably… at home. I don’t know. He does whatever he wants.”
“Odd pet.”
“He’s more like a roommate,” Nagisa agreed.
Kira let out another laugh. “Ah, I see. The pet who cleans your house. How much should I pay him to clean my place?”
Nagisa shook his head. “He probably won’t accept any payment coming from you. I don’t think he likes you very much.”
“Oh?” Kira hummed in amusement. He carefully tied the ends. “There, that’s the worst of it. I’ll bandage the wound and dig around for some pain killers to help you sleep.”
Nagisa blinked in surprise. “Already? That was fast.”
“I certainly hope I would be faster at stitching a wound than a high schooler would be.” Kira scoffed. “If I wasn’t, then my eight years of med school were for nothing.”
Nagisa let out a soft laugh. “You’re right.”
Kira’s eyes traced down Nagisa’s arm. “He didn’t get you anywhere else, did he?”
“No,” Nagisa confirmed. “He just sliced me once and left.”
Cautiously, Kira scanned what he could see of Nagisa, just to be sure. He wouldn’t put it past the younger man to lie and hide things, but from what he could see, it was the truth.
“Fine,” Kira said, unrolling the bandages. “But if you’re lying to me, I will hunt you down.”
Nagisa stiffened and grimaced. “I’m not—”
“Relax, it was a joke.” Kira wrapped his arm. “Sort of. You shouldn’t get in the habit of lying to doctors. I don’t care how responsible you are. In the end, you are still an average person. A child, no less.”
Kira felt the tension leave Nagisa’s arm. He stayed silent though, not peeping a word as Kira finished bandaging the wound.
“I’m not lying,” Nagisa breathed out.
“Then, you have nothing to worry about.” Kira stood up, slipping one hand in his pocket. “How does it feel?”
“Hurts like hell,” Nagisa admitted, although his face didn’t show it. “I’m tired. And I’m hungry.”
Kira shook his head. “Is there ever a time you aren’t hungry? Fine. Come to the kitchen — I might have something microwavable. After that, it’s off to bed.”
Nagisa frowned. “I can eat back at my place.”
“You think I would send an injured child out in the streets alone?” Kira laughed. “I’m not cruel. You can stay the night and leave tomorrow when it’s daylight.”
“But, do you even have enough space?” Nagisa hesitated. “I mean, you don’t have more than one bedroom, do you?”
Kira shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ll sleep on the couch. I’ve spent more nights sleeping at my desk than my bed. A couch is much more comfortable compared to that.”
Nagisa still seemed unsure, his eyes flickering to the ground and back up at Kira. “But you seem exhausted.”
“And you almost bleed to death,” Kira resorted. “Of course, if you feel more comfortable in your own home, I’ll guide you back. It’s an understandable response, to be hesitant about spending the night with a stranger.”
“You’re not a stranger,” Nagisa spoke slowly. “You’re my friend. Of course I trust you.”
Kira stiffened.
Nagisa sighed. “Okay, I’ll take the bed tonight. But get some sleep tomorrow.” He kicked at the ground. “You always look so tired. Like you’re going to pass out any minute. You need to rest, too.”
I’d lose less sleep if you weren’t so reckless, Kira thought, but he swallowed those words. Instead, he scoffed. “Worry about yourself, for a change. I’ll be fine. But if it helps you sleep at night, I promise I’ll take it easy tomorrow.”
All uncertainty washed off Nagisa’s face, replaced by a small smile. “If you break that promise, then I’ll be with one to hunt you down.”
Kira grunted.
“Just kidding,” Nagisa laughed, mimicking Kira’s favorite phrase.
“Very funny.” Kira shook his head. “Come on, we’re wasting time. I’d like you to be in bed within the next hour or so.”
“I’m too old to have a bed time,” Nagisa replied.
“My house, my rules.” Kira stated. “And my rules say that children should be in bed by ten.”
“Too early.”
“You’d say otherwise if you took lessons on how lack of sleep can affect the adolescent brain,” Kira pointed out. Then, he gestured his head towards the kitchen. “Let’s go.”
Nagisa followed.
-
Kira woke up to the sun in his eyes.
He groaned as he turned away, covering his eyes with his elbow in hopes to get a few more minutes of sleep. Fingers lightly tapped his shoulder, in an attempt to wake him up. Kira squeezed his eyes shut. If he ignored them, maybe they would leave.
He got no such grace, as they continued persistently.
“Go away, Nee-san.” Kira growled, waving the hand away. “I’m off duty today.”
“I’m not your sister.”
At that, Kira opened his eyes. He turned around, coming face to face with familiar, red eyes, amusement reflected on them.
“You must really be tired if you mistaken me for her,” Nagisa smiled. “That’s why I told you to take the bed.”
Kira blinked slowly. “Nagisa. What are you doing here?”
Nagisa pointed to his left arm. Near his shoulder, Kira could see the white of the bandage. The events from last night clicked together, one by one.
“Sorry,” Kira said, running a hand through his face. “I’m not a morning person.”
“I figured.” Nagisa stood up, dusting off his pants. There was still blood on them from last night. “I tried to find ingredients in your kitchen for breakfast, but your fridge is empty.”
“You looked through my stuff?” Kira asked, exasperated. “What kind of guest are you?”
Nagisa froze. “That’s… uh…”
“Ease up. I don’t mind.” Kira shook his head. “You’re correct — I don’t cook. My sister does when she visits, but I have no time. If I’m hungry, I eat at the restaurant across the street.”
The displeasure in Nagisa’s face was clear: he could have seen it from a mile away. “You should really work on your eating habits.”
Kira waved him off. “Don’t concern yourself about my health. You’re still the patient here. How’s your arm doing?”
Nagisa rubbed his left arm, right under the bandage. “It’s fine. I think the pain killers from last night helped.”
“I see,” Kira said, kicking his blanket to the side. “I’ll give you more after breakfast, then. What time is it?”
“10AM.”
Kira winced. He had a horrible habit of oversleeping on his off days, but he was usually up by nine. The events from last night must have taken him out of it.
“I’ll change your bandage and check to see if the wound is healing well.” Kira stood up, stretching his arms. “After that, we can discuss breakfast. No junk food.”
“Yes doctor,” Nagisa drawled. Then, his lips curled into a smile. “Hey, Kira.”
“Hmm?”
“Thanks,” Nagisa said, rubbing at his bandage. “It was… easier with you here. I appreciate it.”
Kira paused. Of course it felt easier. He could only picture what it would look like if he hadn’t come: Nagisa alone in his bathroom, a sink covered in blood. Holding back grunts as his clumsy hands tried to stitch the wound.
Kira’s stomach turned.
“Of course,” he replied, his throat feeling numb. “It’s the least I can do. Next time you get hurt, send me a message immediately. I’ll come find you.”
Nagisa hesitated for a moment. Then, he nodded slowly.
“Okay. Thanks, Kira.”