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Double Black had struck again, destroying the base of a small group trying to cause riots in the territory the Port Mafia controlled. A few members who had survived were refusing to give in, relentlessly chasing them throughout the remains of the building. Chuuya hadn’t seen Dazai in a few minutes, when they’d had to briefly split in an attempt to evade capture. A simple use of his ability, hiding on the ceiling above the doorway, had allowed him to quickly take his chasers out. If being knocked out by a kick aided by a monstrous force of gravity didn’t stop them, manipulating a metal beam to keep the door closed certainly would.
Chuuya jogged down the path, towards the forest the base had been near. In the heat of the moment, he and Dazai hadn’t had a chance to agree on a place to meet up once more, but they had discussed the potential of staying at a nearby safehouse Dazai owned for the night, so he figured if they didn’t meet up now, they could make their way there separately. He settled down in a crevice between a bush and a fallen tree, watching and waiting. He could at least give Dazai the benefit of waiting before leaving him to make his own way back.
A short time later, he heard two gunshots, and a figure emerged from the shadows. Dazai’s hands were shoved in his pockets, and he was pouting at Chuuya. ‘You left me all alone, how could you?’ he wailed.
Chuuya scoffed and rolled his eyes as he joined Dazai on the path. Though the dim light from the moon was hidden by the dense foliage, following the path wouldn’t be a problem. Dazai had recently made a trip there himself, and Chuuya had been once or twice. The path had a few bits of tricky terrain and steep hills to climb but it wouldn’t take too long to reach from here, Chuuya judged. ‘Let’s go.’
At first, Dazai didn’t think anything was wrong. Sure, he had hit his head and landed badly after jumping two flights down a stairwell, but he had dealt with worse. A walk with fresh air would help clear his head, and he was confident the slight twinge in his ankle could be easily walked off.
He didn’t think much when Chuuya went first, clambering up steep paths, over rocks and across a small stream. Chuuya was always up for a challenge, and surprisingly, was a fan of spending time outdoors. One of his favourite pastimes on his days off was to drive out to a remote area and take in the natural world around him. Dazai couldn’t quite get his head around Chuuya’s love for the outdoors, but seeing him happy and relaxed without the need for drinking and cigarettes made it worth it.
It wasn’t until they were forty minutes into their trek to the safehouse that Chuuya turned to check on Dazai - he had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout their walk. While Chuuya was never one to turn down a chance at peace and quiet, Dazai was too quiet. ‘Oi, you okay?’ Dazai glanced up, his cheeks and nose tinged pink. He was breathing heavily. Chuuya narrowed his eyes. ‘You didn’t get shot or anything, did you?’
Dazai smiled blandly, waving his hand as he resumed walking. ‘I’m fine, Chuuya. No gunshots, no knives. Just tired.’
That set off alarm bells. Dazai never openly admitted to being tired.
Chuuya hesitated. He could tell Dazai was holding back from something, but if he insisted he was fine, sometimes it was better to let Dazai open up in his own time. He tried to lighten the mood, ‘You did a good job tonight, Osamu.’
Above, Dazai paused, turning quizzically to face Chuuya. ‘Um…’
Chuuya walked past, taking the lead once more down the path. It was wide enough for them to walk beside one another, but they usually only did that if one of them was injured and needed help walking.
‘Thanks, I guess. You did well, too.’
A tense silence fell between them. They approached the final portion of the journey - up the steep hill, and down in a hidden valley lay a small cottage Dazai had bought as yet another safehouse. Between them, they had at least ten - arguably far too many, but they didn’t have much else to spend their money on besides wine and bandages, and it came in handy at times.
Halfway up the hill, Dazai was beginning to think he had made a severe miscalculation. His head was feeling better, but the pain in his ankle had only grown. At most, he guessed he had twisted or sprained it. Just put some ice on when they arrive, he told himself. Just a bit longer.
Then he stumbled.
Pain shot up his leg, his arms extended before him to stop him falling face-first into the grass. Ahead, Chuuya paused. ‘You okay?’ When Dazai didn’t reply, he repeated the question. Dazai leant on his forearms, pushing himself up onto his knees. That, he could manage. But getting from his knees to standing without making Chuuya worry? That might be a challenge.
Dazai nodded assuringly at him. Instead, it had the opposite effect. Chuuya’s expression became laced with worry. ‘If you need to catch your breath we can stop--’
Dazai pushed himself up, his leg screaming in protest. ‘I’m fine, Chuuya, really. Just tripped on something, you know how uneven the ground here is.’
He didn’t look convinced, but Chuuya turned around and resumed walking, albeit at a slower pace than before.
Dazai took a step and immediately took in a sharp breath. He grit his teeth. He was fine. It was just a small stumble. There would be ice and painkillers waiting at the safehouse. Just a bit longer.
He managed four steps before he stumbled again and a whimper escaped. ‘...Chuuya?’
Chuuya didn’t turn around, just paused in his position far ahead of Dazai. Had he been that far ahead of Dazai the whole time?
‘...IthinkIbrokesomething.’
Chuuya frowned, turning around to face Dazai. ‘Speak up, you--’ The insult died in his throat. Dazai was on the ground again, his face pale, his breathing significantly worse than it had been before. He wouldn’t meet Chuuya’s gaze. ‘What did you say?’ Chuuya asked in a gentler tone.
‘...I think I broke something.’
Chuuya walked down the hill towards Dazai. ‘You think ?’ Dazai nodded. Chuuya pinched the bridge of his nose. He was frustrated to say the least, but he tried to stay calm. Getting annoyed wouldn’t help anyone right now. ‘What did you break?’
Dazai pointed down. ‘Ankle. It might just be badly sprained though, it wasn’t that bad until just now.’
Kneeling down beside him, Chuuya carefully removed his shoe and rolled up the pant leg, slowly unravelling the bandages covering his body to get easier access to the injury. His ankle was twice the size it should have been, violent purple bruises covering the skin. When Chuuya applied pressure, Dazai winced slightly. He knew he was hiding some of the pain out of habit, but Chuuya didn’t say anything about it.
‘Yep, broken.’ He tugged the pant leg back down, not bothering with the shoes and bandages. ‘Definitely broken. But we don’t have much further to go.’ Within seconds, Dazai found himself being pulled onto Chuuya’s back, his legs supported by Chuuya’s arms.
He flailed around until he was guided to grasp Chuuya’s jacket. ‘Why are you--’
‘Because it’s easier to carry you than to get you to walk on that, you idiot.’ Despite the gruffness in his voice, Chuuya didn’t mind carrying him. He didn’t weigh much to begin with, and it was easier than having Dazai continue to stumble and make it worse. He gently squeezed Dazai’s leg. ‘Relax. I’ve got you. Just rest for once.’
Resting his head on Chuuya’s shoulder, Dazai gave in. He could tell it was a fight he wouldn’t win. He smiled against Chuuya’s warm jacket. Despite the pain and the biting wind, he felt warm and safe and relaxed. Chuuya was taking care of him. He was in good hands, he thought, as he drifted off to sleep.