VIII (Aoi Kurashiki x Reader)

VIII

Looking for something to distract herself, (Y/N) set her eyes on the only untouched door. It was bolted shut and no one had bothered to attempt to open it yet. Experimentally, tugging at the bolt, it squeaked back. Rusted to hell. Junpei and June re-emerged from the pantry, joining (Y/N). "I got this." Junpei popped the cap off the green bottle in his hand and slathered its ingredients all over the remaining door's bolt.

Giving the metal bolt another pull, it eased open with a squeal. Opening the heavy door a cold blast of air slapped the three in the face. That was right around the time Santa sidled over. Instinctively, Junpei folded his arms and followed June into the freezer. "Coming?" Santa questioned, his teeth beginning to chatter. Hardly surprising, given the amount of clothes he was wearing.

"I don't know." (Y/N) whined. "I don't do well with cold."

Santa only frowned, turning to watch as June entered instead. "Wow. It's cold in here." White puffs of steam hovered in front of her face as she spoke, already beginning to shiver.

"Hey!" Junpei protested almost instantly. "You had a fever just a bit ago. You should stay outside. We got this."

June furrowed her brows and belligerently shook her head. "No. I'm fine. My fever's gone now so-"

(Y/N) had only turned to look behind herself for a split second before the thunderous sound of metal on metal had her jumping out of her skin. Before her, the door the three had just entered through. was sealed closed. But how?

Footsteps sounded from the other side of the door, eventually reaching it. One of the boys grunted, the door creaking with his weight. "Ow!" The pressure disappeared and the boy, Junpei, reeled back in pain.

"What!? What's wrong? What happened?" (Y/N) pleaded, rapping her fist against the cold metal.

"I'm okay. Just cold as hell. The door's frozen shut." He paused. "I think one of the pipes burst.

Shuffling from the other side, then another loud bang. "Vi! Open the damn door!" That was unmistakably Santa. "Try opening it from your side, please!" His voice quivered presumably from the cold. Not wasting a second, (Y/N) tugged the handle as hard as she could.

After a few strenuous seconds, she gave up. "Sorry, it won't budge. Look for a way out from there. I'll look for a crowbar or something." The faint noise of their agreement was all she needed before setting off on her search. What kitchen appliance could be used to pry open something? She glanced back at the door. Could anything even fit in between the crack?

No way to know without trying. Padding around the kitchen she found nada, nothing thin enough. "Dammit..." She muttered, hopefully, the three were doing better than she was. Figuring she'd never been in the pantry before, she entered to be met with a weird smell.

Gross, but also strangely appetizing. Working late nights she didn't have time for dinner, so that left breakfast and lunch sitting in her stomach. Still, not the time. Probably only food, she concluded and left. After all, Junpei and June wouldn't leave anything behind.

Something in the trash maybe? Yeah, she was stooping low but desperate times called for desperate measures. Rolling up her sleeves and wrinkling her nose in disgust, she dug in. Nothing but actual garbage, thankfully no rotting food.

Nothing. She returned to the freezer door empty-handed. Beating the door, she sighed, waiting for a response. "What?" Santa was the first to acknowledge her.

"There's nothing out here to use. Find anything in there?"

"Yeah, we've got this. Don't worry." He sounded calm but his teeth were comically chattering.