Chapter Text
Sakusa Kiyoomi was tired. He sat in the airport, surrounded by other people who, like him, were sick and tired of their flight getting delayed again. He had already been in the airport for five hours, which was not what he expected, given that the layover was only supposed to be one hour. He had been keeping tabs on why the flights were getting delayed. Weather. There was a huge blizzard that was rolling through the mountainous region he was travelling to.
Kiyoomi loved the mountains. He had always liked them as a kid, and was forever the one kid who would pick mountains instead of beach when playing “would you rather” back in grade school. He was excited for this vacation, although you definitely couldn’t see it on his face. He had a beautiful cabin in the woods that he had reserved for a whole week, Sunday-Sunday, and he couldn’t wait. Even though the blizzard was stopping him from getting there, he was still grateful that he could go on this trip.
Kiyoomi really needed a vacation. His nine to five job was killing him more and more each day, and he felt like he was losing a year off of his life every single time he clocked in. His boss was rude, his coworkers were pricks, and he honestly didn’t even like the job he was doing. After going to college for finance, this really was what he set himself up for. At least it paid for his vacations like this.
He looked around the desolate airport. It only had one terminal, and ten gates total. He was in the middle of nowhere. There was only one coffee shop and a convenience store inside the airport. All of the other people in the airport looked dejected, until there was an announcement over the intercom.
“Flight 283, we can begin boarding now.” The voice said, and Kiyoomi could’ve jumped up and down in joy. The people who were also on his flight stood up in their seats, ready to get out of there as soon as possible.
Kiyoomi searched on his phone to see the forecast. There was a small opening between two huge waves of the blizzard. He assumed that was why they were flying, to prevent an overnight layover. He moseyed to where people were lining up, standing in his correct spot and looking out the window at the airplane and the sky behind it. The sun had just set, and the sky was a beautiful shade of orange. It felt heavenly, like his flight had just been graced by the heavens.
“Lines A 1-30 may begin boarding.” The flight attendant said over the intercom. Almost immediately the line started moving, Kiyoomi included. He scanned his pass and walked onto the passenger boarding bridge, then eventually the plane. He found a seat close to the middle, and prayed no one would sit next to him. As much as he loved the mountains, he hated planes. They were uncomfortably dry, sticky, and had people everywhere. He was not a fan of any of those three things.
To his surprise, no one sat in the seat next to him, as it was a smaller, less crowded flight. He let out a breath of relief, and pulled out his phone to sign into the airport wifi. His phone was pretty low on power, so he decided to just read a book instead.
The book he was reading was about two people who met by chance, each from completely different backgrounds, sharing their stories. He thought it was pretty boring, but since he had no other option he continued reading. The flight attendants came around, showing them how to use the safety mechanisms. While no one else listened, Kiyoomi paid close attention. Thinking about using those safety mechanisms and the situation that they’d be used in made Kiyoomi uncomfortable, and after they finished their monologue he shifted in his seat, trying to grasp whatever calmness he had in him.
The plane started moving, and slowly but surely made its way onto the tarmac. He looked out the window at the colorful sunset again, and felt the airplane pick up his speed. Then he closed his eyes and prayed to whatever god was out there for their takeoff.
Once he felt his stomach shift, he knew that everything was fine, and he could keep reading that book for the next hour or so. Thankfully the flight was short, because he was so sick of travelling.
~
Other than a crying baby for the entire second half of the flight, it was pretty smooth compared to some other flights Kiyoomi had experienced. As the doors opened and people started filing out, Kiyoomi yawned, and was anything but excited to get to the car rental facility.
When he got out of the plane, the first thing he saw was snow. Everywhere. They’d been lucky that they made it safely. There was currently no snow falling, and Kiyoomi was really hoping that it would hold out until he got to his cabin. He got on the escalator to the car rental facility, and found the right provider. He talked to the tired worker behind the desk, and was given the keys after giving his information.
He got in the car, and sighed heavily before starting the car, blasting the heat, and turning on GPS to get to his cabin. Interestingly enough, it was only twenty minutes from the airport.
The car was silent except for the humming of the gas, because Kiyoomi didn’t have the energy to turn on music. He followed the directions, and ended up on an incredibly windy road in the mountains. It was especially hard to see, because it was pitch black outside and the sky was clouded over with a blizzard waiting to happen.
Thankfully, he finally pulled onto a snowy, unpaved road and after driving on it for ten minutes he was finally at the cabin.
“They were not joking when they said secluded.” He pulled the car into the garage, and got out, shivering at the freezing temperature outside. He looked around. All he could see was the woods around him. No other cabins, and honestly no civilization. It was amazing. The only drawback was that there was no service, only connection to cable TV and radio as described by the landlord.
He got inside the house, and felt the warmth come in. The people before had left the heat on. Thank god. He looked around the cabin, feeling a strong sense of relaxation that he hadn’t felt in a long time.
The cabin’s walls were mainly composed of wooden planks, with a door to the bedroom as well as a door to the bathroom on the right. On the left was a small kitchen with just enough space for one, and a living area with a nice big couch as well as a reclining chair. There was a fireplace that had some wood already in it, which Kiyoomi was thankful for.
He walked to the kitchen to check the cabinets for things that the owners or last visitors left, and only found salt, pepper, canned soup, and some orange juice. Then, he checked the liquor cabinet, and was surprised to see that there was a bottle of something in the back.
He reached in, and grabbed the bottle, which was incredibly dusty. It looked ancient, like it had been left there for fifty years. He brushed a thick layer of dust off the label, and read it.
“Absinthe.” He noted, checking the ABV on the back. It didn’t say. He assumed it was around 50%. He put it on the counter next to his water bottle and sat on the couch, turning on the news. The only thing on any news website was a warning about an incoming blizzard.
He grabbed the remote off of the end table and turned the volume up. “Make sure to stock up on firewood and make sure everything is storm-proof! There is a huge storm coming in. It is projected to pick up to a full on blizzard in about half an hour.” The reporter said, and Kiyoomi looked outside. It was already snowing so hard outside he could barely see, so he ignored the recommendation to get more firewood. He had brought a jacket, but not a large enough one to shield himself from the unforgiving weather. Instead, Kiyoomi checked every single window and door and made sure they were locked, as if the snow could unlock them if it was strong enough.
Then, he hopped in the shower and took a steamy, refreshing shower with the hottest water setting possible. When he was out of the shower and clean as can be, he got dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and plopped himself right on the couch, turning on a movie. It was only 10PM, so he could stay up a little longer.
He selected a movie and as the beginning credits played, he lit up the firewood that was already inside the house, creating a nice warm fire to accompany his movie. This was amazing.
It was amazing until someone banged on his door. He looked outside at the pitch-black, blizzard-ridden forest, and was unsettled when he heard the banging again. He looked through the peephole, and saw a random man standing outside of the cabin. He was obviously young, and did not look like he was in any condition to be standing in that weather.
Against his better judgement, Kiyoomi opened the door, and a gust of wind and snow blew right into the previously peaceful cabin. The man stumbled inside, and Kiyoomi got a better look at him. He had sandy blonde hair and was wearing what looked like ski gear, except he’d lost his skis, his hat, and his goggles.
The man collapsed on the ground, and Kiyoomi was even more alarmed now. He closed the door and walked up to him.
“Hello?” He asked, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. He turned the man over. He was gorgeous. His face was dotted with freckles, and he had a perfectly chiseled jawline as well as a ruggedly handsome face. Kiyoomi tore his gaze away and realized that his lips were blue. He also had a gash on his right cheek, which was bleeding and had dried blood surrounding it. The man opened his eyes, and his brown eyes met Kiyoomi’s.
He seemed confused. He shivered, and finally said something. “I… think… I’m… hypoth” He paused, shivering more, “hypothermic.” He had a thick southern accent that Kiyoomi was definitely not prepared for. It made his stomach turn. Ignoring that, he thought about the ways to treat hypothermia. Warm, dry environments, and warm liquids. Okay. he could do this.
“Okay.” He sat up on his knees, and reached his hands under the man’s shoulders, hoisting him onto the floor next to the fire. “I’m gonna have to take at least some of these jackets off.” He said cautiously, again meeting the warm brown eyes of this mystery man. God, was he hot.
“‘S fine. Do… whatcha… gotta do.” He said in between shivers. Kiyoomi unzipped his biggest jacket, and took it off, revealing another one underneath. This one was really wet, which was not a good sign. He peeled the second one off, and underneath was a hoodie, which was damp. Sighing, he took the hoodie off too, and underneath that was a blue t-shirt–the last layer–which was dry. He thanked the heavens for that, as he was not prepared to see this man’s bare chest.
“I’m also taking off these snow pants.” He said, moving down to where his pants were. The man hummed, and Kiyoomi cautiously took the snowpants off, which under them was a pair of completely dry sweatpants. Interesting. He put a hand on the man’s leg to support himself in standing up to get some warm water.
The man let out a cry of pain, and Kiyoomi snapped his attention to him. “Jesus, that hurt!” He cried.
“Sorry.” He took his hand off of the man’s leg, and instead rolled up the sweatpants to investigate what was happening. He knew as soon as he saw the skin. His entire lower shin was swollen and red. This couldn’t be good. “What happened?” He asked, mostly to himself.
“I got attacked by a bear.” The man said matter-of-factly, his shivering subsided.
“Oh.” Kiyoomi couldn’t believe it. He honestly just couldn’t believe this situation. Being in a secluded cabin in the woods in the middle of the night with this handsome, hypothermic man was not on his bucket list.
“I’m just kiddin’. I don’t really remember what happened.” He said, and Kiyoomi sighed.
“What’s your name?” He asked, a warm feeling spreading through his face.
“Atsumu.” the man answered. “What’s yer name?”
“Kiyoomi.”