Work Text:
It had been a week.
Kimizuki's feet crunched through the snow, listening to the hollow sound of the wind seeping through the cold air, snowflakes flicking onto his glasses and beginning to distort the world around him.
He used to love the snow, how hauntingly quiet it made the world. How it had once made the world feel at peace, for once.
Now, it was a painful reminder of how lonely they had become.
He turned behind him to check he was being followed by those that he expected. Sure enough, four figures followed slowly behind, dying the pale, blanket in green as they glanced cautiously around them. Miles of running had made their legs weary and ache, their minds hazed with exhaustion, but still, they managed to keep their wits about them.
All apart from one, who's skin rivalled the colour of the snowflakes mingling with his ragged locks of hair. Instead, he kept his gaze firmly locked onto the ground, causing locks of fair hair obscure his beautiful face that so often had Kimizuki captivated. Crimson blotched his white uniform, a stark contrast to their own, a painful reminder as to what he was. A reminder to Kimizuki that he hadn't eaten since...
Kimzuki's mind flickered with unwanted memories, holding the screaming young vampire back as light flashed too brightly and black, inky wings disappeared, a body plunging to the ground, bloodied and torn and -
"Shinoa, do you have any idea if there's any shelter nearby?" Kimizuki asked, his trembling voice shattering the calm so suddenly he almost felt guilty.
"There should be an abandoned army base around here somewhere," Shinoa replied, her voice quivering from the cold.
He looked worriedly to Mika, who trudged next to her, his gaze still locked onto the ground. Eventually, Kimizuki carried on forwards.
-
Fire crackled and the wind continued to howl. It sounded distant, now, as they were inside the army base underground, the amber light from the flames illuminating the small box of a room with stray boxes filled with food and weaponry. Mitsuba and Yoichi were exploring through the maze of corridors to check there were no unwanted visitors.
Shinoa sorted through the cans of food, trying to find some that were edible for them tonight. Kimizuki watched Mika find a corner, curling up and drawing his knees to his chest. His eyes showed a darkness, stricken with fear, reliving the past events a week ago, no doubt.
Failing to keep a grip on the screaming vampire, running behind him to the figure lying on the ground, so broken, skin blossomed with bruises, lying as deathly pale as the cold tiles around him, trying to drag the vampire away as gunshots fired and weapons were drawn, bringing out Kiseki-o's coffin and dragging the unconscious vampire out of the JIDA base, him and the remains of the squad vowing to never return again-
"Mika," Kimizuki spoke, and Mika flinched, blood-red eyes looking to Kimizuki. Despite knowing that this was his friend, his beautiful friend, he still shuddered at the scarlet irises and slitted pupils. "Do you need to..."
There was no doubt that the answer was yes, but Kimizuki watched as Mika hesitated, gloved hands clenching into fists as leather squeaked and his brow creased. His jaw clenched, and Kimizuki had first thought that Mika was going to refuse.
But he nodded, barely distinguishable from such a distance away. Kimizuki noticed, though, and got to his feet, stepping over to the young vampire, who had not yet moved. Kimizuki held out a hand.
Mika didn't take it, and simply stood, a little wobbly on his feet, before steadying himself.
"Mika and I are going to find somewhere he can feed. Don't set fire to anything while I'm gone."
Shinoa's eyes flashed with a ghost of a smirk, but she could not bring herself to make a joke. She instead gave a nod, and went back to sorting through the crate of food.
Kimizuki lead Mika out the room, being hit with a sudden chill as they walked down the darkened halls. With no torch, Kimizuki pulled out one of his duel blades, letting the eerie green light of the demons power light up the hall. His other hand wove into Mika's. Expecting the vampire to pull away from the gesture, Kimizuki was pleasantly surprised when he felt Mika give his hand a squeeze.
Mika shivered as another draft of cold rushed through the base, and followed obediently, until Kimizuki found a room for them to hide in. It appeared to have once been a bedroom, with two bunk beds on each side, chalk drawings of trees and stars and what had once been littering the bare brick walls. Kimiuki took a seat on the lumpy mattress of one of the bunks. Mika stood nervously in the centre of the room, shifting from foot to foot. In the dull light, Kimizuki could see flecks of light catch at Mika's cheeks.
Was he crying?
Kimizuki instantly got to his feet, and Mika flinched back like a scared animal.
"K-Kimizuki," Mika mumbled. "I'm...actually I'm not hungry."
"Bullshit," Kimizuki muttered, stepping in front of the door to stop Mika from fleeing. "Mika, you've not eaten since before-"
"Don't say it!" Tears overflowed from Mika's beautiful eyes, his lips parting as he tries to find the words to speak, only coming out as a sob.
"Hey," Kimizuki reached to place a hand on his shoulder, but Mika flinched away. "Talk to me, Mika."
"I wasn't...I wasn't strong enough," Mika placed his head in his hands, muffling his words. "I'm never strong enough...I feel so weak all the time I...I don't have any control over anything and I just..." Mika's voice broke, his eyes darting around the room as though he was searching the darkness for words, for a way to explain the torment inside his weathered mind. "I miss him, Kimizuki."
Kimizuki immediately pulled Mika into a hug, resting his head on the blond's hair as he sobbed into his chest. He could comfort Mika, tell him that they all missed him too, but what good was it to tell him something he already knew? So, instead he settled on: "it wasn't your fault, Mika."
"I said I'd protect him," came the muffled voice.
"Sometimes you make promises that are impossible to keep. And that's okay, Mika. You tried but...but you could have never saved him from that. You can't have protected him from himself. How could you have saved him when he didn't want to be saved?"
Mika began to shake, tremors running through his deathly thin body. "He lied, he said he'd keep on living, for me - for us! But he...instead he..."
"He died for us," Kimizuki finished the sentence, his own throat clenching sorrowfully around its words, as though it too didn't want to face the truth, to speak it out into the open. "And you used to tell me I was wrong when I called him an idiot."
He ran a hand through Mika's hair, feeling him relax a little.
"He left me alone," Mika whimpered.
"No, he didn't leave you alone," Kimizuki pulled away, clasping Mika's tear-drenched cheeks in his hands gently, forcing them to meet eyes. "You have us. Shinoa, Yoichi, Mitsuba, and me."
"Are you sure you're okay with someone like me sticking around?"
"That's not even a proper question," Kimizuki muttered. "Of course we're okay with you sticking around! You're part of our family as well as Yuu's." He looked to Mika's trembling lips, tugging into a small smile at Kimizuki's words. Kimizuki swallowed, before letting go. "Now, are you gonna feed or what? We need to hurry before Shinoa and Mitsuba eat all the food."
Mika let out a breathy chuckle, sniffling as Kimizuki wiped under his eyes with his thumb.
"No more tears, okay? Yuu doesn't want to see you crying over him, now."
Mika managed to put on a brave face. Though it was cracked at the edges, Kimizuki was proud of him for managing to do as much.
Kimizuki took a seat back onto the bed, pulling Mika onto his lap. Mika watched Kimizuki unbutton the collar of his jacket and shirt, tugging the fabric aside to produce his neck and collarbone, watching Mika's hungry eyes gaze at his skin. Kimizuki felt his heart pound.
Kimizuki could see the pain flicker across his eyes as he managed to restrain himself. "It's okay, you can drink," Kimizuki muttered.
Gently, Mika's cold hands pressed against Kimizuki's cheek, craning his neck to the side. His chilling breath, like the subtle breeze of the winter wind, graced his neck, causing his heart to hammer against his chest, and a shudder to ripple through him. Mika's breathing ragged, and Kimizuki watched as his crimson eyes fluttered closed, a pinprick of pain ebbing its way through his neck as Mika slowly (as though trying to minimize the amount of pain he inflicted) sank his fangs into his flesh.
He held Mika as he drank, the subtle sound of Mika swallowing and his gentle, yet heavy breaths filling the silence. His hand clutched tightly onto Kimizuki's, the other wrapped around his back, as though scared he might knock Kimizuki backwards.
Kimizuki held onto Mika just as tightly, weaving his fingers lazily through the soft, blonde locks.
Just as Kimizuki was beginning to lean into Mika's supportive arm, and his vision was beginning to blur ever so slightly, Mika lifted his head, still breathing heavily. He looked away shyly as his tongue flickered over his lips, catching the stray droplets of Kimizuki's blood. Kimizuki watched with the same expression Mika had once held when he watched him present his neck to him.
"Was that enough?" Kimizuki asked, his voice a mere whisper, so as not to disturb the blanket of calm that had fallen over them both.
Mika nodded. "Thanks," he mumbled, just as quietly. His arm retreated from around Kimizuki, but Kimizuki only tightened his grip onto Mika, catching a spot of blood that Mika had missed on his chin.
Mika didn't lick it off, as Kimizuki had hoped, somewhere distant in his mind. He instead continued to look shyly elsewhere.
Kimizuki decided to take the plunge. Thinking a quiet apology to Yuu, as though he was watching the scene somewhere from above, vaguely remembering the boy figuring out Kimizuki's feelings towards Mika ages ago, and threatening to kill him if he hurt him (oh, how his threat still haunted Kimizuki despite Yuu not being able to do much now), he wove his fingers into Mika's hair and pushed him forwards, gently bringing their lips together.
Mika made a soft, muffled sound in shock, but quickly began to kiss back, his lips tugging into a small smile. He moved his hand to be placed against Kimizuki's cheek, caressing it with his thumb.
Eventually they pulled away, and Kimizuki rested his forehead against Mika's. He looked into Mika's eyes, the beautiful pools of scarlet, all traces of tears and sorrow had since faded (Kimizuki was sure it would never entirely disappear), the ghost of a smile tugging at his smooth, pale lips.
His cold breath tickled Kimizuki's skin. Both of them sat in a calm silence, neither sure what to say.
Just as Mika parted his lips to speak, the door crashed open with a tremendous thunk! "GUYS! GET IN HERE BEFORE WE EAT YOUR SHA-" Mitsuba cut off halfway through her sentence, making an odd choking sound, her eyes blown and lips parted, her cheeks darkening a deep red with every second that passed. "Uh...sorry!" She squeaked, and the door slammed shut again behind her.
Mika laughed, and Kimizuki was sure he had never heard a sound so sweet.