Work Text:
The walls are closing in on him
This isn't true. Most people have that logical part of their brain that will tell them, no, the walls are not closing in on you. However, Kota is not 'most people.' And his brain is broken. Split open and rewired so many times that even though any logical person would be able to look around themself and know that the walls they were enclosed in, were not, and likely would not move- Kota can't.
So, to reiterate, the walls are closing in on him, and he has no way of getting out of them.
Kota was completely trapped and entirely alone.
He's- he's fine. At least, he'll be fine. He just… has to wait. 'Cause if he waits, then Wight will come find him. It's what he's supposed to do when they're separated, after all. He's supposed to wait for Wight to come find him. And- and he always has in the past, after all. Kota just has to wait.
…he's been waiting an awful long time, though.
He doesn't know how long. He'd try to count but after a while the numbers- he'd lose track of them. He'd stumble or mess up and just like that he was back to holding his breath, hugging his legs to his chest. He's sure it's been a while though. Or- maybe it hasn't? Maybe it's just felt like a while? He doesn't know. He's not good at knowing things. Wight did that for him. Told him what to know, what to do, which direction to run in and who to attack.
Wight wasn't here though. He would be- eventually… but right now Kota had to- just had to wait. If he waited, then Wight would find him. And it would all be fine.
Every gasping inhale before he holds his breath again, the walls get a little bit closer. Every once in a while, a bit of rubble will crumble down, a single pebble falling, and Kota's gaze will suddenly snap to it. He hasn't moved, not since he got trapped, other than to curl in tighter on himself.
It's familiar. The feel of- of being trapped. Of being stuck with no way out. Of just having to sit there, waiting, anticipating.
Wight would find him. Wight would find him and he would be safe again. Wight would- he would save Kota. He just had to wait.
Kota doesn't like waiting.
He thinks he's starting drawing blood, his nails digging into his arms as he hugs himself, tighter and tighter with each passing moment. He had to make himself as small as possible. If he didn't, the walls would close in, and they'd crush him, and Wight would never find him.
Another big gasp of air in. He might be getting lightheaded. He has to hold his breath. If he gets crushed, Wight can't find him. He just has to wait for Wight. Wight will find him, then he'll be safe.
It's dark. He doesn't like the dark. And it's damp. It clings to his skin. He thinks he's bleeding.
Kota doesn't move.
Just wait. Wait here. Wait here and Wight will find him.
He doesn't like this.
He misses Wight.
He doesn't like this.
The walls are- they're closing in, and it's dark, and he's alone, and- and he's misses Wight and he- he doesn't wanna be here, and he's trapped- he's trapped and he can't get out, and the walls are closing in, and they're gonna crush him, and Wight's not gonna find him.
He takes another breath in. He doesn't like this.
He just… has to wait…
Wight will find him.
Wight will find him.
Kota doesn't know how long he waits. It feels like a long time.
It's- it's his fault for getting trapped. If he hadn't been so reckless, if everything around him hadn't crumbled down, if he had just been anywhere else when the building started falling- it's his fault. He hoped Wight wouldn't be upset. He wasn't normally, when Kota messed up. He was… patient. Very patient. So… so Kota could be patient too. Because it's his fault for getting trapped, and he just has to wait for Wight.
He can hear… shouting somewhere. A larger chunk of the rubble falls.
Kota curls closer in on himself.
He doesn't wanna be here anymore.
It smells horrible, too. He doesn't normally mind the lingering smell of blood, but being so entirely surrounded by it, it's- it's just a lot. And it's damp, and dark, and he's alone.
More and more around him is falling and oh God what did he do wrong he's going to be crushed.
He couldn't- didn't want to- had to- had to wait, had to survive, Wight would find him-
Suddenly, light.
"Over here!" A voice- Virion's voice. Kota stares up at him, wide eyed, unmoving.
He quickly shove out of the way by Wight.
Oh God, thank god- Kota doesn't move, not yet, he couldn't yet- but he think he might let out a sob, shaking slightly. Has he been shaking the whole time?
"What are you waiting for? Fucking- lift faster!" Wight urges Virion, who, for some reason, makes no protest. Which is weird. He didn't normally like when Wight talked to him like that.
Kota watches as the hole of light grows wider, large enough he could probably crawl out- and then larger again as Virion leverages a large piece out of way with his sword.
Within a second, before Kota could even think about getting up himself, Wight is trying his hardest to pick him up. He goes willingly, stumbling to a stand and then- then clinging on, nails digging into Wight's back because of God, he was actually here, Kota had spent so long waiting-
"Is he okay?" Kota hadn't noticed the ringing in his ear until he had something to contrast it against, Virion's voice sounding much more distant than normal.
Wight holds him tight, arm wrapped firmly around Kota. "What does it look like?"
"I meant physically."
Kota burrows further into Wight as the other tries to pull him away. He's not- he's supposed to just go but he can't, doesn't want to- oh God, please don't make him-
And he doesn't.
If anything, Wight just holds him tighter.
"I don't know." Kota can hear the way he grits his teeth as he says it. Wight didn't like not knowing things. He feels a panicky guilt but it's subsumed by the terror of having Wight taken away from him again. "Give it… give it time."
Kota isn't really sure what they're talking about.
There's a soort of vignette around his vision.
"Sure." The word is clipped, a tone Kota's not quite equipped to identify front and center. "…how are we getting back?"
Their voices are getting more distant.
The ringing was so damn loud.
But- but Kota can feel Wight's arms wrapped around him, smell something he's faintly sure is smoke, feel the way his flesh gives way to Kota's nails as he clings on too tightly.
He was…
safe?
Kota was safe.
And-
And Virion was here, too.
Virion could protect Wight, right?
Kota could-
He could relax.
(He'd been fucking terrified. Part of him was sure he'd been thrown away, that they wouldn't come find him because he messed up. Messed up and got himself trapped. But they were here. Kota could- could feel Wight, right there.
And now he was just…
exhausted.)
The last thing Kota hears before he passes out is Wight, sighing softly, replying something he doesn't hear to Virion.
He was safe.
(For once.)