Chapter Text
As much as Dazai loves to claim Chuuya as his dog, Chuuya is very much like a cat - he loves to perch on high places, crawl and sleep in small hidden crevices and possesses the emotional stability of a wet tissue. The way he is always so sure footed could be attributed to his ability (it would definitely explain how Chuuya could perch on the most thinnest of branches without it snapping) but it wouldn’t explain away the way he could contort, wiggle and shimmy into the most impossible of spaces like water and still be comfortable. The irony of the simile is obviously not lost on them both and is a great source of amusement for Dazai even if it is quite an unfortunate one in that Chuuya has a somewhat special relationship with water.
That is, if toxic relationships could be considered special.
Much like a cat, Chuuya avoids water as if it were the devil. He absolutely despises it and will only drink the liquid in it´s untainted form willingly if it is provided in a sealed cup with a straw or a small bottle with a sports cap. The mere sight of Chuuya demanding a lid and straw to go with his tiny cup of water and him taking tentative sips from it is absolutely hilarious and ridiculous that one could and would normally write it off as a mere strong dislike for water and as an amusing quirk.
But Dazai isn´t normal and does not write it off as such.
In fact, he takes note of it silently even as he pokes fun at him. And it doesn´t take long before Dazai knows.
Nakahara Chuuya is scared of water.
No, that isn’t quite right. The type of liquid did not matter, all of them worked him up into a frenzy. Chuuya is absolutely terrified of the sensation of liquids on his skin. Water is just the most common type of liquid around that it is easier to put it that way and mistaken as such.
Dazai, too, had assumed at first that it´s a case of aquaphobia. Chuuya avoids going out in the rain, hates baths and showers, mostly drank juice and other exotically coloured opaque drinks. Interestingly enough though, is that Chuuya didn’t really have a problem with the ocean; seeing it, that is. Some bodies of water made him freeze up in panic just from the mere sight of them while others only caused him to be tense when he gets within a certain distance. It is not that difficult for Dazai to deduce that humidity and clarity of the water had something to do with it, although he isn’t sure if Chuuya realises it himself.
And sometimes it is easy to forget (not that Dazai ever forgets anything) that it isn´t a severe case of aquaphobia but a case of hygrophobia. But then issues just always seem to pop up to remind him that Chuuya is very much a scaredy-cat. Which is the case right now.
Chuuya had been sipping his opaque electric blue abomination of a drink through his trusty straw (no lid because what bar provides plastic lids, Chuuya) when a subordinate knocked his arm into him as he cheered with the rest of the the group, causing the liquid to slosh up and out of the cup and on to his gloved hand. The subordinate had immediately turned to apologise to Chuuya. Instead of waving off the apology as he normally would for an innocent mistake, Dazai notices how Chuuya has frozen up; seemingly trying to stave off the building panic. At the confused inquiry of the subordinate, Dazai just waves him off as he mutters something about the chibi being tired and falling asleep on his feet. He grabs Chuuya by the hood, whispering in his ear ´let’s get out here ‘, and half drags half leads him out of the bar. They barely turn into the alley out of bar before Chuuya stumbles, causing Dazai to pause and finally get a good look at Chuuya.
To say he is surprised is putting it lightly.
“Chuuya?”
Chuuya is shaking at this point, his breath coming out shallow and hitched as he frantically tries to pry off the soaked glove. His panic just seems to mount with each futile attempt in prying off the offending article before Dazai sighs in irritation and grabs Chuuya by his forearm, ignoring the sharp intake of breath and struggle he immediately puts up.
“You want it off or not.”
That seems to cut through the obvious panic clouded haze in Chuuya´s mind as he stops struggling; not that it stopped the bad trembling.
Dazai pulls off the glove. Chuuya immediately yanks his arm out of Dazai´s grasp and falls onto the floor, breathing in heavily between his legs as he cradles his hand to his chest. Dazai just leans on the wall with his arms crossed as he pretends to ignore Chuuya. He gradually calms down after a few moments, his breath less ragged and sharp until it is steady again. Dazai waits a few moments more for Chuuya to gather himself before speaking up.
“If you´re done, then let´s go."
It takes a few moments before Chuuya nods as he slowly uncurls from himself and starts to get up. Dazai does not wait for Chuuya to catch up with him and pushes away from where he was leaning on the wall and walks away. He will never admit it to anyone that the quiet footsteps that soon joins his a few minutes later finally eases the uncomfortable clench in his chest that he´d had for the past few minutes.
Because at the end of the day, Dazai did not care.