Chapter Text
Where… where am I?
Sigma felt… weird. Everything felt heavy, his eyelids felt like they weighed more, and he was the exhausted kind of sore where everywhere across his body was fatigued. His mind felt foggy, too. Like he was trying to think through a cloud.
Odd. He didn’t remember doing anything all that physical before waking up.
He reached a hand up to rub his eyes open-
His hand hit something before making it more than an inch off the ground.
He felt his heart rate spike through his throat.
He quickly ran through his entire body, trying to feel out his surroundings and what was stopping him from moving.
He felt the cold floor beneath him. It felt like he was laying in a puddle.
He realized was restrained by his wrists and elbows.
Then, he realized he was restrained by metal.
Then, he realized it was more than just his arms.
His neck, wrists, ribcage, ankles, and just below his hips were all restrained the same way.
He was tied down. Tight.
He was…
Trapped.
His eyes opened as he started hyperventilating.
Pushing back against the tight metal binds did nothing. He had barely - if any - room to move. The room was bright when he first opened his eyes, one lamp-like one shining down on him directly.
He scanned his surroundings as quickly as he could with his minimal neck movement.
He was in a large glass container. Almost like a big fish tank? It was rectangular, and opened at the top a decent way above his head right now.
There were spouts on the side of the tank slowly trickling in water.
It wasn’t very full right now, but they were running quite slow. It was just like laying in a puddle, basically.
The water was cold, though. He could feel his soaked long hair and clothes, and it was anything but comfortable.
He tried to get a glance around the room the tank was in, but he couldn’t gather much. Just that the tank was against a wall with a light above it, it was suspended on top of something akin to a table with nothing else on it, and there were two other lights in the otherwise pretty empty room.
He could see a door, though.
It looked wooden, and pretty much just like any other door you’d see in… well, anywhere.
There was no glass to see through it, though. Damnit.
Was now a good time to believe in miracles…? Because, being totally honest, at this rate he might need one.
What was he supposed to do…?
He couldn’t move. He couldn’t hear anything other than the slow trickle of water, couldn’t feel anything other than the cold metal and slight wave to the water, couldn’t see anything other than the empty looking room around him and the bright light that stared into his soul, and… he couldn’t do anything, could he?
Was he just waiting for a savior to come? Aimlessly hoping someone would have his sorry soul?
No one had ever done it before… Why would they now? Did anyone even know where he was or what had happened?
How did he even get here..?
-|-- —--------- ☆ —---☆------ ☆ —--------- –|-
The water didn’t get any warmer. His skin and hair didn’t get any less wet. His breathing only started to slow down as the dread kicked in. The dread that miracles don’t exist, let alone for him.
The water was about halfway up his neck, now.
He was shivering, but only slightly. It was manageable, he thinks. If anything even needed to be manageable right now. If the end was inevitable, why’d he have to wake up so early just to experience the agony of waiting for it? Was that what this cruel torture was?
So many questions he may never ask…
That sinking feeling in his chest was his only friend- well, other than the buzzing of the lights overhead and the endless weird fuzzy sound of the water swimming in.
The idea of his death was something he was used to thinking about, his life as a whole being no more important than a tool in a box and all, but… something still screamed inside of him.
Not like this.
Not like this…
Not like this…
-|-- —--------- ☆ —---☆------ ☆ —--------- –|-
He tried to rack his brain to remember what had even happened to get him here. How he woke up screwed down to a fish tank and didn’t notice as that nail in his soon to be coffin was hammered in.
He couldn’t remember.
Assumedly, that meant he was drugged.
With what? He hadn’t the slightest clue. He doubted he’d ever learn about any of that stuff in-depth.
All he last remembered was waking up after the whole Fyodor memory thing. Then Nikolai found him, and took him back to where the Decay of Angels headquarters were.
Did Nikolai do this?
No… No, no, there was no way. He was chaotic and a bit crazy, but he wouldn’t have left Sigma alone. He would have made a whole game out of it, probably for his own entertainment if nothing else. He’d at least want to watch Sigma suffer.
Did Fyodor do this..?
Maybe he didn’t want Sigma telling anyone about what he now knew after the whole memory sharing thing…
But why even keep Sigma alive if he just needed to not let his ability be known..?
Fyodor was a terrifying someone to think about. His motives couldn’t be known, and now Sigma was more than just a pawn in his game. He was quite literally bound from head to toe, his fate to be determined by however long the water took to rise.
He was a hostage with important information. Something Fyodor didn’t want to be known.
How foolish of him to hope to be anything more than a punching bag or a tool for someone else's use. That’s what he was made for, afterall.
One can’t simply defy their maker.
He had hoped he might have a chance at something more… A chance at a life. When Dazai told him about the agency, he thought… maybe… maybe he could chase something for himself, for once. Maybe he belonged somewhere. Somewhere that wanted him for more than just what he was written into this world to be.
He had hoped for connection.
For friends.
For… family.
maybe he was destined to always be nothing more than a piece in someone else's game.
“Born a pawn, always a pawn.”
“One cannot simply defy their maker.”
-|-- —--------- ☆ —---☆------ ☆ —--------- –|-
Maybe this wasn’t the worst way to go out.
Maybe there was worse than being drugged, kidnapped, and put in a slowly filling fish tank of water. Not to mention, he’d figured out a little while ago that it was the same ‘thick water’ they used at the prison. He could twist his neck and reach his tongue down to taste its unique and odd texture.
He’d felt the feeling of nearly drowning in it not that long ago. He remembered that taste.
At least he wasn’t alone that time.
Sure, he didn’t really know Dazai. Sure, Dazai strung him along for his antics. Sure, he had no plans of doing any of that in the first place. Sure, he nearly died. Sure, he asked some stupid questions and got some stupider answers.
But dancing with a maniac was better than sitting in a buzzing quiet for god knows how long, just waiting to be swallowed whole.
It’s why Sigma tolerated Nikolai more than he did anyone else.
He was just better than the alternatives.
-|-- —--------- ☆ —---☆------ ☆ —--------- –|-
Being alone with his thoughts was almost worse than the water creeping up his chin.
He’d tried shouting, yelling, calling for help, but he clearly hadn’t gotten an answer. Otherwise he’d have heard footsteps or be anywhere closer to getting out rather than being swallowed by the water that was back for revenge.
He just wished it’d be over by now.
The sweet nothing that people described as death seemed better than waiting for his lips and mouth to be inevitably covered by the water he dreaded the taste of.
Alone.
He’d already tried to pull his wrists out, but everything was cuffed down tight enough to stop him from budging, even if he half dislocated his thumb to make his hand smaller.
He just wished it’d be over already. The anxiety was creeping faster than the cold shivers.
The thought and reminder of what drowning - especially in this water - felt like was fresh on his mind, and he loathed it.
He’d rather be shot dead than go through that again.
-|-- —--------- ☆ —---☆------ ☆ —--------- –|-
His body felt numb from lying in the same place for… however long it’d been. It felt like… just- too long. Maybe it was an hour or two. Maybe it was over a day. He had no idea. There was no clock, and the buzzing lights and slight wave to the water was enough to drive him insane.
All the sudden, his brain picked up on a different noise, though. One he couldn’t quite recognize.
The flicker of hope in his heart felt the same as a burned hole through his chest should.
Hope hurts.
Forget miracles.
No one is coming to save you.
But… if he really believed that, then why was he shouting for help?
“Huh?”
“Is anyone there?!?” Sigma shouted, his voice pained and a bit scratchy from the earlier attempts to call out to no avail. His body thrashed against his restraints almost uncontrollably. He just wanted out. He had no idea how long he’d been stuck here in the same position for, and it hurt not being able to move like that.
“Sigma?” The voice called out from outside the door. Sigma couldn’t tell exactly who it was, but they seemed to know him. “Where are you?”
“In-” he cut himself off as a bit of the water skipped into his mouth from his body lashing out. Fuck- “Here!!” He shouted as loud as he could, trying his best not to cough or physically freak out too much.
Sigma heard something happen over by the door, and a muttered “damnit” from whoever it was outside.
Then, shortly after, he heard a click.
And the door swung open.
Dazai swept his gaze around the room quickly, before it landed on Sigma in the slowly filling tank. He waited no time rushing over.
Sigma’s eyes were wide, pointed directly at Dazai as he leaned over the edge of the tank. He was trying to slow his breathing down while keeping his mouth shut as the waves from the water swept over his lips occasionally.
“The hell..?” Dazai muttered to himself as he assessed the tank and Sigma’s bindings without reaching into the water. When he saw the way Sigma’s eyes stared at him, partly in panic and partly in fear. Dazai read him like an open book.
“Hey- okay, whatever the fuck is going on here, I'm here to help,” he reassured. “How long have you been here..?” he trailed off in question as his mind ran on and on about what to do.
“I… I don’t know…” Sigma’s voice shook with… well, a lot of emotions. Mostly adrenaline. Also like everything else. Coping skills were not his forte, but at least he tried.
“Nevermind that, then,” Dazai waved a hand and moved on. Breaking eye contact, he moved around the tank to look at the spouts slowly trickling the water in. “Anything I should know…?” He honestly couldn’t think of what else to say or ask, but wanted to keep some kind of dialogue going. Mostly to try and help distract Mr.Waterlogged over here.
It took Sigma a moment to reply, waiting until he felt safe enough with the water level to open his mouth. “It’s the same water they used at the prison,” Sigma informed him, almost apologetically. Dazai ignored how stupid it was to be sorry for getting kidnapped and tortured in whatever way this was.
“Ugh” Dazai responded, a look on his face Sigma couldn’t see, but he knew what it'd probably look like. He seemed to have a similar feeling about not wanting anything to do with the water that almost drowned the both of them back at the prison.
“And it’s cold.” Sigma only really started to notice how freezing he was after he’d tried in vain to push against the metal bindings again a minute ago. His body had almost gone numb from lying in the same position for so long. That can't be good…
Dazai's internal thoughts raced a bit faster. The spouts didn't have an off switch anywhere, and clearly seemed to be coming from a reservoir Dazai wouldn't be able to find quickly. The only issue? He needed to be quick with just how close that water was getting to muting Sigma.
If Sigma went under and started panicking, that would be bad bad.
Dazai climbed to kneel on the table to reach his hand into the water. He was going to try to plug the spout with his hand, but the force the water was being pushed out with was deceptive. He quickly gave up on that idea. It was probably due to the fact that the water was that weird thick texture that stuck to your skin a little too long and took just a bit more effort to move around in.
God Dazai hated being reminded of what that felt like.
Sigma's thoughts only grew darker and darker as he lay there, completely unable to do anything or be of any use.
It just made him feel that much more trapped.
He hated sitting here, waiting on someone else to be his savior. Even if he usually was the one being tossed around like his life didn’t matter, people would always complain about the aftermath of having to deal with him almost dying.
Was he even worth saving..?
Dazai turned away while muttering to himself something Sigma couldn't hear, and his heart damn near did a front flip.
“Wait!-”
“I'm going to see if I can break the glass,” Dazai said, turning his neck briefly to look back at Sigma. Sigma didn't fail to notice the look of sympathy on Dazai's face when he saw how freaked out Sigma got over him just turning away to look for a tool.
“I'm not leaving you here.”
Thank you is how Sigma wanted to respond, but the words died in his throat as another wave of water came over his lips.
The wave didn't go down quickly, this time.
The water was still rising, and it was getting closer and closer to the point where Sigma wouldn't be able to avoid having to hold his breath occasionally. Sigma tried to push the thought down as far as he could while the water in his ears became a far more familiar sensation.
Dazai came back over with a hammer he'd found in a drawer somewhere in the room. He flashed a look at Sigma, and quickly put his brain into gear. This shit was rising faster than he'd thought. He really needed a plan now.
He pulled the hammer back, using the motion of his arms as well as just the force he could put into it to swing the thing as hard as he could.
It hit the glass with a loud thunk.
The glass didn't even dent.
He had one option left: get Sigma out via the cuffs.
AKA: cut metal underwater like a dozen times.
“Shit-...”
The scramble began as Dazai looked for a tool or something to use that'd be better than whatever multi-tool he kept in his pocket. Speaking of which, he took his signature tan coat off and threw it atop a desk nearby. He didn't want to get it soaked if he was going to be putting his arms under the water.
Sigma noticed the change in Dazai's demeanor, but he didn't - or, couldn't because he wasn't going to try and talk with the water covering his mouth - comment on it.
Dazai found a small wire saw thing that'd have to work. Hopefully it'd work fast enough, though. That was his only concern.
Without verbal warning, he got up on the table and climbed into the tank, getting his shoes and part of his pants wet.
Sigma shot him a confused look.
“I'm going from the top down,” Dazai stated as he threaded the wire saw through the binding on Sigma's neck. “Cutting through it at one point and hopefully it'll bend open.”
Hopefully.
The sound it made as Dazai pulled on it and ran it back and forth was awful, but Dazai didn't give a shit and Sigma was more focused on trying to keep breathing through his nose when he felt like he could. The friction it created was hot, but it wasn't directly touching Sigma's neck so he tried to just ignore it for the most part.
Dazai's heart was beating fast, but he had no time to slow down.
When the final snap of the metal on that binding came off, three things happened:
One - Dazai grabbed it and yanked the metal with all of his force to pull the now disconnected pieces apart so Sigma could get his neck fully out of the thing. It was a bit more malleable than he thought it'd be, at least.
Two - The water started coming out faster. Dazai felt it against his legs, and Sigma felt his heart jump out of his chest. What if he still drowned? What if someone came to save him… and they were still too late..?
Three - Sigma's heat shot up and out of the binding once the two edges were pulled away from each other. He immediately started nearly hyperventilating with his head fully above water, but not for long.
Dazai had already started on the binding locking Sigma's shoulders down.
Dazai tried to keep his expression as schooled and focused as possible. The last thing Sigma needed right now was more panic.
The water was rising fast. By the time the second binding came loose and Dazai pulled the metal apart, Sigma's chin was almost touching the surface of the water.
Is it a sensor? Dazai thought. He'd noticed the water coming out a bit faster after the second one broke, too. Maybe the metal connected a circuit of some kind..? There was nothing but solid metal inside the bindings, so that suggested there were no other wires or something.
Either way, that was irrelevant right now. What mattered was pushing through how tired his arms were getting to pull this wrist cuff off and get to the other one.
He had no time to lose, because he definitely wasn't losing Sigma.
That wasn't an option.
Don't even think about it.
Sigma felt the water rise up to his chin.
His arms flailed almost against his will, like he was trying to float with them. He tried to push against the metal but it did nothing.
His arms were loose. His hips were free. His neck wasn't choked. All that's left were the ones on his ankles.
Just two.
He could hear the water rushing into the tank around himself and Dazai.
He could hear Dazai's heavy breathing.
He could hear his own heartbeat and stuttered breathing as he tried his absolute best to not get any of the waves of the water into his mouth.
One of the bindings came free.
The water only rushed faster.
Dazai dove his head into the water to thread the wire saw through the other one.
Sigma couldn't hear.
He felt the waves crash against his skull as he took in a breath he hoped could last him however long he needed.
His eyes shut as the water fell over his eyes. Over his forehead. Over his whole head.
His arms pushed against the water, but with it being that damn consistency, they just couldn't keep him afloat at all.
He couldn't feel anything. It all just felt like chaos and motion, the taste of the thick water the only thing on his tongue and the horrible sensation of water filling his sinuses all he could focus on other than one thing.
He needed air.
He needed to breathe.
He needed out.
He needed freedom.
What he got was a world that felt cold and numb. A darkness that drew closer and closer, even though his closed eyes. A world with no chaos, not water, no panic, no cold, no pain…
A feeling that couldn't be described other than… peace.
Calm.
Slow.
Peace.
Sigma did not get that pleasure for longer than a few seconds.
He felt himself get grabbed and dragged as his arms fell limp from trying to push against nothing to keep his head as high as it could be.
The next thing he knew was coughing on his side on the floor, the ringing in his ears the loudest thing he swore he'd ever heard.
He'd been here before. Here, on similar tile floors, coughing up the same thick water that stuck to his hair and clothes and lungs like they owed it money.
He was coughing.
He was on the floor.
He was out of the bindings.
He was…
alive.
“Sigma!?” Dazai yelled, trying to cut though the fog inside the waterlogged man's brain.
Sigma moved an arm to try and better support himself against the tile before he half threw up.
Dazai stayed right by his side on the floor, and once he was able to feel more than pain and suffocation, Sigma realized he was rubbing circles against his back.
It felt nice. Helped with the whole coughing up a wet lung thing a bit.
Eventually, Sigma was able to take a breath in that felt both like the fires of hell and the gates of heaven at the same time. He was still coughing, but slowly yet surely it spaced itself out enough to allow him to catch his breath a bit.
That's when he noticed how cold he was and how much he was shaking. Also, how his hair felt like it weighed twice as much and how his whole body felt like it was being dragged to the ground.
It was a horrible feeling to remember. It’s why he hated that thick water so much.
Dazai took a long deep breath in, and attempted to exhale it non-shakily.
His hand stayed on Sigma's back until his breathing calmed down enough for Dazai to feel comfortable nudging his shoulders to ask him to sit instead of leaning over onto the floor.
Sigma silently obliged, twisting himself as to avoid sitting in the awful mix of water and stomach bile he’d let out onto the floor.
It took a long moment for anyone to speak. In all honesty, they were both reeling from the experience and thinking about what was going to happen now.
“You okay?” Dazai broke the silence quietly.
“... I think so.” Sigma responded, a weak cough following the stir of movement in his throat.
Dazai stood himself up. “Take off as much clothing as you can,” he said as he walked over and grabbed his own coat. “You’re shivering. Being wet only makes it worse.”
Sigma kind of just sat there for a moment. Everything around him felt like a lot. The lights were too bright, the feeling of the air hitting him was too cold, his teeth chattered together uncomfortably, and every bone in his body felt like it was weighted down by lead.
He hurt, too. The kind of ache across his whole body plus pain from pushing against the bindings.
Dazai took the initiative and crouched down in front of him to start unbuttoning his waistcoat.
Eventually, Sigma was sitting against a wall shivering with Dazai’s coat around him. Sigma had stayed pretty quiet, but Dazai didn’t say much either. Sigma just kind of silently watched him, trying to tell what he was thinking about.
Dazai stood over a section of the tile floor that seemed to be a bit lower since any water that was on the floor slowly ran to gather over here. He was trying to wring as much water out of Sigma’s top as he could, but god that water was stubborn. Eventually he decided it was as good as he was going to get it, and he came back over next to Sigma.
He was honestly glad Sigma didn’t ask a million questions. It was easier for him to get his thoughts in order when he didn’t have to explain them out loud.
He set the still damp undershirt and waistcoat to the side. In all honesty, Dazai didn’t care about his own clothes being wet. He wasn’t the one shivering his ass off. He gently moved Sigma’s head so he could gather his hair and gently ring it out so it’d stop dripping.
Sigma still just silently watched Dazai as his brain tried to run through and process everything going on and everything that’d happened.
“Wait here,” Dazai said as he stood up and started walking towards the door.
“I have a call to make.”