Chapter Text
For once, he had no plans on where he was going. He was blindly letting his feet wander on their own as he tried to sort through the typhoon in his head.
Everything was hurting on the inside. He wouldn’t be surprised to see a knife sheathed into his chest where his heart would be, because what else could be causing such a sharp pain?
Osamu Dazai never mixed with emotions like this.
His whole world had just shattered and reformed in a few moments with those final words he was given, and his head was still spinning from it all because his closest friend just died in his arms and if he hadn’t failed to get there sooner--
Okay, stop. He needed to sort this out. But doing that would take some time, so he needed to find the right place to do that-
The right place.
Where would that even be?
....
After taking in his surroundings for a brief moment, recognizing just where he was subconsciously headed... He might have an idea.
The door was unlocked.
What was usually a bad sign for most people had turned into just one meaning for Chuuya. He had an uninvited Mackerel waiting for him inside, and he honestly didn’t know why he expected to be left alone today.
Ignoring the brief recollection of Dazai walking away, clearly much more happy to be talking with the older man he had befriended recently.
Letting out a defeated sigh and bracing himself for whatever the hell that wannabe mummy had planned, he opened the door and…
… whatever snide greeting he had been planning melted away.
A mess of a person that somehow resembled Dazai was huddled on his couch, eerily still and completely silent, and there was blood on his hand and his gut was telling him it wasn’t his own this time. Judging by the color, it wasn’t recent, but that alone was pretty telling since he knew the other, for some reason, was very particular about keeping clean bandages on when he could help it. He used the few moments it took for him to kick off his shoes to plan his approach before padding over to his partner.
“Dazai…” He called the other’s name in the softest voice he could manage, the one he reserved for the few moments where they allowed themselves to be vulnerable with each other.
Trying to ignore the intrusive thought of when they last shared a moment like that anyways.
He lightly set his hand on the other male’s shoulder as he slowly settled beside him, noting the way the brunette instinctively stiffened, seeming to consider the situation briefly before apparently deciding fuck it and leaning his full weight into his companion.
Well that was new.
Chuuya repositioned his arm to rest across Dazai’s shoulders, moving his hand up to gently comb his fingers through his hair. He watched how his partner’s eyes fluttered shut and his breath hitched at the gesture, but it seemed like it was enough to help his mind start to settle. They sat in surprisingly comfortable silence for a while in their intimate bubble, giving each other time to think and collect their thoughts. Chuuya spent it struggling to figure out why and how the Demon Prodigy had become this puddle, but was at a loss. They had been around each other less and less as Dazai decided his other relationships were better to pursue, so he didn’t have a clue about what the other had been up to. He finally found some words to make some attempt on damage control, but before he could voice them, it was the other who broke the silence first.
“Leave with me.”
His hand froze as he silently considered what exactly the bandaged man had said. His mouth hung open in clear surprise. If any part of him thought Dazai was joking, it was proven wrong when he lifted his head to look the redhead in the eyes.
It hurt to see him like this.
There was that odd expression on him, the one that came with the strange clarity that would suddenly come over Dazai every so often, and now that he got a close look, Chuuya found that he could read through a typhoon of emotions; hurt, desperation, and most prominently, a fear that rightfully should never exist within him.
Chuuya’s Dazai was infuriatingly brilliant.
His Dazai was as endearingly goofy as he was unshakingly serious, depending on the mood.
As pissed as he could- should be for how he’s been treated lately, the part of him that cared way too much for his own good spoke the loudest, so his mind was set. Normally he would’ve called himself insane, but seeing his partner like this…
… that was convincing enough.
“Okay.”
The answer was plain and simple, and the word had left his mouth before he actually processed what it would mean to blindly follow Dazai this time. He didn’t need to.
Chuuya watched the other’s eyes widen a bit before he settled into his previous position. Neither mentioned it, but both understood with that decision made, they wouldn’t be able to stay for much longer. Not if they actually wanted to get away. As much as he wanted to comfort the other until the hurt went away (not that he’d ever admit it, of course), he knew better than to test his luck, so instead he stood up with the same slow, calculated movements as before.
“Give me a bit to grab some stuff, alright?” He waited long enough to hear a sound of confirmation from Dazai before crossing the room to go into the hallway. Before he left, however, he paused to look back at his partner, hesitating a moment before speaking again. “Let’s talk about this later... when you’re up to it.”
Left to his own devices now, the now ex-executive let out a low sigh as he flopped onto his side, almost annoyed at how soft Chibi’s stupid ex-couch was. Though, if he was thinking that, it seemed the pseudo-cuddling did help pull him out of the depressive pit he had burrowed himself into, at least for as long as he didn’t dwell on what happened. He found himself amazed, again, at how well his little Slug could exceed expectations without meaning to. Part of him even felt something like… Was that guilt? For almost ghosting Chuuya in favor of-
Well, that wouldn't do.
Deciding to be at least a little productive during the wait, he took out his phone and opened its map. Of course, he already had their next location picked out, he just wanted to make sure he had the directions memorized (which he did), and seeing how that was clearly just a poorly masked excuse (he definitely wasn’t distracting himself from these strange feelings), decided to look through the many previously thought useless apps to pass the time with (Osamu Dazai never mixed with emotions like this, after all).
When Chuuya returned to the living room only minutes later, rolling a small suitcase behind him, he saw Dazai staring bleary-eyed at his phone. Trying to ignore the small pang in his chest at the sight, he strolled over to the couch, letting his hand gently touch the brunette’s arm. Understanding the gesture, he got to his feet with a small grunt, stuffing the phone into his pocket before they exited the apartment together. Chuuya stopped long enough to lock the door behind them (more out of habit than necessity) before allowing Dazai to lead him to wherever they were going next. He didn’t have a clue where they were heading, but his partner was always the plan maker. And considering their ‘enemy’ this time, he’d have to completely rely on the other’s abilities to keep them both safe.
Not that he had a problem with that, of course.