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Chuuya’s eyes were blank when they finally opened. A tidal wave of relief flooded through his veins as Dazai squeezed Chuuya’s skeletal hand, a soft smile appearing. Dazai whispered to him, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes.
He had waited far too long to see Chuuya again after he disappeared almost two years prior, not long after they had joined the Armed Detective Agency together. It wasn’t as though they had given up looking, but there was only so much time they could dedicate to searching for someone who had seemingly disappeared in the blink of an eye.
For two years, Dazai had spent his evenings pouring over any evidence he could get his hands on. The disappearance had bothered the other detectives, of course, but they needed funding from other clients, and Chuuya’s case had been put aside - temporarily, originally, but after two years, a man who had vanished three months into the job wasn’t mentioned to the newer detectives. Not when the odds of finding him diminished with each passing day.
But they had. Against all odds, they had found him.
Dazai spoke in a quiet voice, one Yosano had never heard him use before, reassuring Chuuya he was in a hospital, he was safe, he was warm, he was being taken care of. But Chuuya’s eyes didn’t move from their spot, staring vaguely at nothing.
Yosano busied herself with jotting down his vitals, not saying a word. She had made it explicitly clear that only herself and Dazai would be allowed in the hospital room, which had been left quiet and calm - no big flower bouquets, no brightly coloured cards scattered about. Nothing that would overwhelm him. He’d been kept in almost complete darkness, presumably without communicating with another person for two years. They couldn’t be sure how much he could handle at once.
As such, the lights remained mostly turned off, the curtains drawn. Only a small, dimly lit lamp was allowed on at first. Chuuya had squinted when anything brighter had been used. It made making notes on his charts difficult, but Yosano insisted it was fine - it was for the benefit of a patient. She didn’t mind straining her eyes for a few minutes a day if it helped Chuuya in the long run.
Physically, there hadn’t been too much wrong with him. No signs of torture, no injuries. Malnutrition, starvation and muscle atrophy were his biggest challenges. Physically, that was.
As for his mental health…
Chuuya was unresponsive. He ignored any interaction from either Yosano or Dazai. He had yet to say a word or convey any emotion. The only reaction he had shown was an instinctive squinting towards bright lights. Otherwise, he was empty. Dazai had tried showing him familiar objects - an old pair of leather gloves, a choker, a hat - but Chuuya remained indifferent.
That was until a plate of food was placed in front of him. It was nothing fancy - plain rice, for the time being, to test what he could stomach. His eyes widened, but still lacked their natural shine. He didn’t bother using chopsticks, eating with his hands until the bowl was empty. Chuuya relaxed into his pillows, asleep in seconds.
While Dazai had fussed over cleaning his hands, Yosano was making several observations. They couldn’t ask Chuuya what he’d been fed during his isolation, though the fact he had been fed at all suggested someone was keeping an eye on him, at least. Why he had been kept in that condition for so long, Yosano couldn’t hazard a guess herself.
She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
He hadn’t seemed concerned about eating too much, too quickly. Whether that would have consequences or not, they would have to wait and see. Yosano knew Dazai would hate being patient, but they would have to be slow and steady with him.
A month passed with little improvement. Chuuya put on weight - not as much as he ideally should have, but it was a small step. He still seemed eager to eat, though his diet was still very much limited, but didn’t resist the daily checkups. He had a pattern of falling asleep soon after eating. Dazai confirmed that hadn’t been a routine he’d had from before - it was something he had developed during his isolation. As had, it seemed, his tendency to shiver in the cold. Dazai brought in a blanket that had belonged to Chuuya. He had never been able to throw it away. Chuuya had had it since he was a child, his oldest possession. Dazai hoped it might stir some familiarity and refresh his memories.
The weather was warmer today. The windows had been opened to let some fresh air in, though the curtains remained closed. Chuuya could manage some lights for longer periods of time, no longer flinching whenever one turned on. Dazai had seemed particularly pleased with that. He said it was because the lights made it easier to read, not wanting to admit the light allowed him to see the blue of Chuuya’s eyes, a sight he had sorely missed, once more.
No significant developments occurred until Yosano was finishing her checkup of the day. His vitals were fine and stable, as they had been since he was admitted. The only difference now was his eyes followed the movements of her hands. Yosano paused, freezing in place. His eyes did the same. She leaned over the bed to tug at Dazai’s sleeve, trying to wake him from his nap. Chuuya followed her until she reached Dazai, refusing to turn any more.
Yosano spoke his name. He slowly raised his head - his eyes didn’t quite reach hers, instead looking slightly to the side of her head. She asked if he remembered her from his time at the agency.
Chuuya faintly nodded. If she hadn’t been watching, she likely wouldn’t have noticed it.
When she told Dazai, he was elated. But Chuuya never seemed to notice him. Even when Yosano drew his gaze towards Dazai, he always drifted over him.
Dazai insisted he was fine. But Yosano could hear the sobbing as soon as she left for the night.
Three weeks later, the cherry blossoms were in bloom. Chuuya’s hospital room had a private garden attached - away from prying eyes of anyone trying to recapture him. Dazai suggested taking Chuuya out in a wheelchair for some fresh air. He had confessed to Chuuya under a cherry blossom tree, once. Now Chuuya wouldn’t even look at him.
Dazai wheeled Chuuya over to a small bench under a large tree, the petals floating around in a swirling spiral before gently descending to the ground. Chuuya’s shoulders relaxed, the tension leaving them. Despite the sunshine, he still had the blanket tossed over his shoulders, his hands clutching the soft blanket like it was a lifeline.
Though he remained oblivious to Dazai’s existence, a childlike wonder appeared at the sight of the petals floating down. He stared up at the trees, watching as they scattered with the wind. A few landed in his hair. Yosano had helped Chuuya wash and comb it for the first time recently, his hair now shining in the sunlight. To Dazai, he looked like a fairy or a nymph, with his blue eyes wide and curious, his cheeks a healthy pink, no longer a ghastly pale hue. A single petal landed on Chuuya’s nose, and Dazai absent-mindedly brushed it away.
Chuuya flinched, startled by the touch. He froze in place. Dazai immediately withdrew his hands, pushing them far into his pockets, panic building in his chest. Had he triggered a bad memory from Chuuya’s isolation? Had he caused him to be overwhelmed in a new environment? Had he caused Chuuya to panic, touching him without making his intentions clear beforehand? Not that Chuuya even noticed Dazai anyway, he should have called Yosano out. Or just left it. Or just asked Yosano to sit with Chuuya instead of him. Or-
A tentative hand reached out, hovering in front of Dazai’s face. It was Dazai’s turn to freeze, afraid to move an inch in case he scared Chuuya. Chuuya’s hand hovered before poking Dazai’s nose, quickly retracting in shock. His shock turned to curiousness, placing his cool hand on Dazai’s cheek. Dazai didn’t dare to breath. In the corner of his eye, he could see Chuuya staring. Not to his side. Not at the petals swirling around them.
At him.
‘You’re real, aren’t you?’ A small voice asked. It was so softly spoken it could have been mistaken for the wind, but to Dazai, the voice was like music to his ears.
Dazai nodded. He could feel a wave of emotion rise up and he forced it down, biting his lip. After a few seconds of no response, Dazai dared to turn his head to face Chuuya.
A smile he would have waited a thousand years for greeted him, tears rolling down Chuuya’s face. His mouth moved, trying to form more words, likely the first ones he had said in two years, but only a sob escaped. A pair of arms quickly wrapped around Dazai, and this time he didn’t hesitate in reciprocating the gesture.
They still had a long way to go until Chuuya would be fully recovered. But he was still there. He just needed a bit of help finding his way.