Chapter Text
Uncomfortable, Tadashi's breathing had grown erratic, sweat beading along his forehead, his heart thumping heavily in his chest. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the searing pain in his legs, cramped from remaining in the same position for a little too long.
He had hidden himself behind a large dustbin, his body tightly curled up into a tense, agonising crouch.
"Come out, come out, Tadashi-chan," a teasing voice drawled slowly, "come out so we can play~"
Shivers ran down his spine and it took every ounce of his will power to stay as still as possible. One move, and they'd find him. One move, and it would all be over - everything. His dreams would all be for nothing. Everything that he and Kei and had ever worked for would be for nothing.
Shit, Tadashi thought. Kei, he needed to warn Kei.
Taking a shaky breath in, he closed his eyes and began a countdown from ten. He'd been doing this since he was a child - inspired by a speech his mother had given him on finding ways to conquer his anxiousness in desperate times, and counting down from ten had always been the most successful.
Right now, Tadashi was incredibly thankful for it.
Ten.
Glancing around him, Tadashi tried to weigh his options, attempting to take in his surroundings: closely packed walls, darkness, bags of rubbish...
What would Kei do? Tadashi wracked his brain for answers, thinking and thinking and thinking, only to find his mind blank. Amidst the fog of fear, his mind was bare - blind, he could see no way out.
Nine.
Tadashi squeezed his eyes shuts. He could stay where he was and hope his pursuers moved on, risking being found...
Eight.
...Or he could make a break for it, risking everything, but nevertheless, having a chance of escape if the devastating pair were to continue their search.
Seven.
With an unconscious squeeze of his fists, his nails indenting the skin of his palms, Tadashi's reached his decision. Staying put would only lead to his capture.
Slowly, Tadashi opened his eyes, staring straight into the dimming light before him.
Six.
"Tadashi-chan~" the voice called again, drawing out each vowel in a patronising manner, making Tadashi feel a little nauseous. Normally being looked down upon would fire him up and make him strive to prove whoever doubted him wrong, but the way the tall, dark outline of his main pursuer loomed, suffocating him with his endless ream of taunts and bittersweet words put an unsettling, sickening feeling in his stomach.
If Tadashi was going to escape, he was going to need to overcome this.
Five.
No matter his mental state, having decided that he was going to run, Tadashi was now going to have to decide exactly how he was going to do so.
He put his head in his hands, kneading his tense forehead with his knuckles. He had to think. Yes, he had to think - think like Tsukishima. What would Kei do in a situation like this? What approach would he make? What would he be thinking?
Four.
Tadashi knew that his precious time was running out.
All he'd wanted to do was watch the fireworks with Kei - watch the colour explode across the night sky, hearing the cheers and the laughter of the around him as he rested his head upon the blonde's shoulder as they spent their evening calmly watching...
Three.
Fireworks...
Two.
Now too late for a change of plan, Tadashi shifted his position, slowly and quietly - his silence was essential - repositioning his legs beneath his body, enabling him to form a better position for a far better push off.
One.
Fireworks exploded overhead, filling the night sky with colour and light - at least, that's what Tadashi hoped it would look like. In any other situation Tadashi would've of smiled contently, resting his head on Kei's shoulder just like he had imagined. It would've been perfect.
But for Tadashi, life had never been perfect. He had only been able to make do with the best he had - and even if his holiday with Kei had been cut short, he had enjoyed himself immensely, because quite frankly, Tadashi wanted to go home right there and then. Yes - that's what he wanted. Home.
With a trembling exhale of breath, Tadashi slowly stood up, albeit shakily and not at all confidence filled, but he stood nevertheless.
Defend your mind, he advised himself.
You win if you don't let them in.
He repeated the words over and over in his mind like a panicked mantra as he stepped out from where he'd been hiding.
Thanks to his hesitant, careful footsteps, Tadashi had not gained their attention yet, but that didn't matter. He still felt his pursuers presence whether they saw him or not. Even if they were turned away from him, he was not safe - not yet.
As if having heard Tadashi's own thoughts, the tall figure whirled around in the darkness - a flash within seconds - and if Tadashi squinted he was so, so sure a sadistic grin was stretching across their features. Blocking the already lacking sunlight, more shadow curled in behind this figure, residing behind him. It had to be his other pursuer.
Swallowing, Tadashi decided to try and think realistically: if he managed to outrun the first man, he'd have to outrun his partner too.
In front of these men, Tadashi felt naked - they saw right through his false courage, pinpointing his fears with their sharp eyes.
Running his tongue across his dry lips, Tadashi glanced behind him. If he squinted he could just make out a lamppost at the other end of the alley. Kei would surely be worrying about him by now - perhaps even on his way to him now... But then again, what if Kei wasn't looking for him?
Tadashi wanted to cry.
He'd been so convinced when the others back home had ensured him they'd be safe - that their trip would be safe. He'd been so happy to get away from it all, to stop hiding for once. Constantly concealing himself, even from his own family, had made him almost claustrophobic - just the idea of going back into hiding again gave him that all too familiar ache at the pit of his stomach.
Despite wanting to go home, there was some part of him which was honestly devastated that his friends had been wrong.
Faced with a reality harsher than he had even anticipated himself, Tadashi felt crushed: the authorities weren't to be stopped, even outside their own country. There was no where in this earth where he could find his escape.
The image of Kei, smiling down with soft, genuine features appeared in his mind, his glasses steaming up a little in the cold of winter after stepping outside onto their small balcony back at home.
They would have no escape - unless they fought.
Shaking his head, Tadashi decided that the only way he could even start fighting would be by concentrating. Focus, Tadashi, focus, he reprimanded himself, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. Distraction would get him nowhere - only concentration could aid him in his escape.
Stepping forwards, the tall figure gained closer proximity to Tadashi, looking as if he were menacingly rising above him in the shadow of the evening.
Swallowing heavily, he stepped wide from his original shaking position, attempting the defensive stance that Kei had taught him, bringing his hands out in front of him. Tadashi had never thought he would use it in a genuine situation - he had never imagined that this would happen - and now he was wishing that he had practiced more often.
"Now, now, Tadashi-chan, no need to be difficult~" the man crooned, and Tadashi felt as if just by those few words, he knew everything.
Trying desperately not to cringe away from his pursuer, he gathered energy at his fingertips.
"Stay back!" He ordered, slowly stepping away. He felt that odd, addictive electrical buzzing at his fingers, soft pinpricks against his skin.
The man chuckled darkly, as if knowing of Tadashi's plan, yet uncaring. He simply did not care - and why would he? Even Tadashi knew that this man was stronger than him.
"Little tricks like that don't scare me Tadashi-chan," his pursuer taunted, cocking his head to the side as if were observing his trembling victim. "For instance, if I were to do this-"
Tadashi gasped as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his skull, his hands rushing to feel the centre of the pain only to find himself scrambling for nothing - everywhere, the agony sent him stumbling forwards heavily onto his knees.
"-You'd submit to us in an instance," the man finished, his voice mockingly bittersweet as he stepped forward out of the shadows. Tadashi could barely restrain his shock when he recognised who he was - but his pursuer only seemed to ignore this. "Face it, you're a lot weaker than us. We're on a different level entirely."
Tadashi could hear the smugness seeping through the words, sinking through his skin and penetrating his very bones - consuming him.
With a step back, Tadashi held his hands up, palms facing the figure. "I'm not giving in to you!"
And following his verbal outburst, Tadashi finally released all of his energy at the man.
Exploding near his pursuer's feet, sparks closely resembling the fireworks overhead ignited from Tadashi's fingertips and palms, shards of energy bouncing off the floor and directly onto his enemy.
Taking the slight hesitation of the men, Tadashi spun on his heel, sprinting out of the alleyway as fast as he could manage - and judging by the adrenaline pounding within his veins, this was fast.
"Kei!" he shouted, his voice cracking in desperation. "Kei, where are you?"
The blonde had seemingly left his original position near the bench. Where had he gone?
Tadashi's head snapped from left to right, looking everywhere around him. Kei should be easy to find, considering his outrageous height - but he was nowhere in sight.
Alone, Tadashi had to find his own way out - or so he thought.
"Tadashi!"
Tadashi whirled around, almost breaking down when he saw a familiar figure a few metres away from him, waving him over hurriedly.
"Kei!" He called, so relieved he'd found him. Quickly he scurried over, engulfing Kei in a tight hug.
"Thank goodness you're alright," he heard Kei murmur, and Tadashi was suddenly aware of the situation again - because he certainly didn't feel alright.
Pulling back from the embrace, Tadashi placed his hands on Kei's shoulders, looking him in the eye.
Kei was smart. He would find their way out of this mess safely because that's the type of person Kei was - Kei planned and Kei got things right.
Suddenly, Tadashi felt the disturbing urge to cry. If he remained silent, overwhelmed by the safety he felt just by being in Kei's presence, both of them would surely be caught.
"Kei," Tadashi grabbed his hand, ignoring any protests from the blonde as he pulled him along. "We have to get out of here."
Kei was quite obviously confused. "What-"
"We've got to get off of the streets," Tadashi said, ploughing ahead. They'd now fallen into a slow run, dragged down by the tall blonde digging his heels in behind. "Before they find us."
"And who are they?!"
"No time to explain," Tadashi answered, before breaking into a sprint, hurrying desperately across the street with Kei stumbling after him.
Time was running out, and they needed an escape plan - fast.
Tadashi had no idea whether they were still being pursued, but he couldn't accept the idea that his followers had simply given up. No, they had not seemed to give up before - what would be stopping them now?
"Hurry," Tadashi urged, dragging Kei towards a set of concrete stairs. Taking two steps at a time, Tadashi turned his head to the side as they climbed the stairs, trying not to be too affected by Kei's startled face. "I need you to activate your shield - protect us both-"
And that's when it hit him, an excruciating pain, slicing through his skull, piercing the centre of his brain.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as Tadashi's hands moved to hold his head. The stairs beneath no longer seemed to be there - he was floating as he simply lost his footing, tipping backwards into empty air.
It was like he was dreaming. He no longer needed oxygen. He no longer needed anything. Tadashi was flying.
With a sickening crack, Tadashi's back smashed against the cold, hard stairs - thrown back into reality.
Reality, however, was spinning - each and every cycle he made only introduced new pain to his body until he felt numb. His world was a blur of colour. Distorted, he might as well be blind.
Very suddenly, everything came to a grinding halt.
Unsure of where he was, Tadashi tried to focus his vision, his breath coming in short pants. His ears were ringing. He couldn't breathe. He could barely see. What was happening? Where was Kei?
In the far distance, he could hear someone calling his name desperately, "Tadashi, Tadashi, Tadashi!"
But Tadashi couldn't find the energy to answer. Nothing in his body was working anymore. His mind was simply not obeying him.
Paralysed, all Tadashi could do was watch as the blurred light of the evening faded around him - a mess of colour and sparks in the night sky - as two daunting, looming shadows stood above him, getting closer by the second.
Very soon, all Tadashi could see was black, listening to the beats of his slowing, slowing heart.