Chapter Text
A soft knock echoed through the break room. Three taps.
Dazai and Chuuya exchanged a glance.
“...Come in?” Chuuya called wondering who it was.
The door slid open only a crack. Ranpo peeked inside.
“There you two are.”
Dazai walked over and opened the door the rest of the way.
“Finished eavesdropping?”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping.” Ranpo smiled smugly. “The door wasn’t even fully closed.”
“...Fair.” Chuuya replied.
Then, Ranpo’s smile gradually faded, “Kunikida’s awake.”
The two other men straightened their backs instinctively.
“Can we see him?” Chuuya asked, worriedly.
“Not yet.” Ranpo shook his head. “Yosano’s checking him over again, and the President wants to speak with him first.”
Dazai frowned, “How is he then?”
“He’s doing fairly okay…” The detective’s brown eyes met theirs, “But his time’s almost up. He looked so exhausted from coughing out flowers so much.”
“...”
“...”
Ranpo folded his arms.
“When Yosano and the Boss leave the infirmary…” He paused deliberately. “...that’s your chance. I want you three to actually talk.”
Ranpo looked between them.
“No running away.”
His gaze shifted to Dazai.
“No joking.”
Then, at Chuuya.
“No yelling.”
“And,” Ranpo continued, “most importantly…”
He smiled gently,
“... let Kunikida speak.”
Dazai gave a small nod, “... We will.”
Chuuya nodded as well, “Of course.”
Satisfied, Ranpo turned towards the door.
“I’ll make sure nobody interrupts.” He said. Then, just before stepping out, he turned to look at the two one last time.
“Don’t waste anymore time.” He said before the door was quietly slid shut.
—
Nearly twenty minutes later,
The hallway outside the infirmary had never felt so long.
Neither Dazai nor Chuuya had spoken much.
Dazai leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, and was being unusually still.
On the other hand, Chuuya stood opposite him. His arms crossed tightly over his chest as one foot tapped impatiently against the floor.
From behind the infirmary door came muffled voices.
Yosano’s, Fukuzawa’s, and occasionally, Kunikida’s quieter replies.
—
A minute later, the handle turned. This immediately caught the attention of the two men waiting in the hallway.
The door opened. Yosano stepped out first as she removed her gloves with practiced movements.
The moment her eyes landed on Dazai and Chuuya, she fixed her eyes on them with an unmistakably sharp glare.
“If either of you makes his condition worse…” She motions slicing her neck then points at the two of them before walking away.
“Understood.” Dazai answered quietly while Chuuya just nodded.
Behind her was the Armed Detective Agency President, Fukuzawa. His expression remained as composed as ever. He looked at Dazai first. Then, at Chuuya. No words were spoken. None were needed. The slight inclination of his head carried a single message: “Do what you have to do.”
This time, they both nodded.
Fukuzawa stepped aside as he silently granted them permission to enter the infirmary, before continuing after Yosano.
The hallway fell quiet once more.
Only the infirmary door remained between them and Kunikida.
For a brief second, neither moved.
Then, Dazai reached for the handle.
“Ready?”
Chuuya just sighed. “Just go.” He said as he pushed the other lightly on the back.
The door opened.
The scent of antiseptic drifted into the hallway. Sunlight filtered through the windows, casting soft golden rectangles across the polished floor.
Kunikida was awake. He sat propped up against the headboard, a blanket covering his entire lower half.
His glasses rested on his face once more, though the exhaustion beneath his eyes hadn’t disappeared. His complexion remained pale, and a faint bandage wrapped around one hand where the IV had recently been removed.
At the sound of the door opening, he lifted his head.
Green eyes met brown and blue.
The room fell into a complete silence.