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Dazai looks over at his dog, said creature still kneeling in the corner like always. It’s been a few weeks since he took the hybrid in, stitched up his stab wound, and gave him food.
The injury must be healing nicely based on what he can tell from Chuuya's movements, although it’s a little difficult to figure out since both the bandages and the ginger’s hands cover it up. Plus, it’d be rude for him to infringe on the other’s privacy by forcing him to reveal the gash. He’s trying to make the little man feel safe after all.
A loud beep resounds throughout the kitchenette, alerting Dazai of the food that’s in the microwave. He sees the way Chuuya’s eyes dart over to him at the sound. However, Dazai ignores this, turning his attention to the newly cooked meal.
Opening the microwave, he moves the bowl from the spiny glass plate over to the countertop. Once there, he wiggles a finger around the contents inside of it to make sure everything is thoroughly heated up, quickly pulling away when it sends stinging sensations through his nerves.
He’s been giving his dog shredded chicken as his dinners ever since the other came into his care. At first, he had tried to diversify the meals with other food such as crab, noodles, curry, even attempted to add simple spices to the chicken to make it taste better, but those dishes would just sit out for days on end until they turned rotten.
Even so, when bland chicken was given, it still took Chuuya quite a while to eat it.
Dazai assures himself that the situation is fine. It’s pretty normal for someone who has most likely been abused their whole life to not trust another, especially when the victim is a hybrid. Although Japan’s treatment of hybrids has gone far from them being seen as glorified pets, it’s very possible that Chuuya’s unaware of that.
Therefore, it’s important to build upon the flimsy bit of trust that they have. And what better way to do that than by having dinner together? Plus, he’ll be able to monitor the strange behavior the ginger’s exhibiting and make conclusions on how to proceed.
He quickly grabs a can of crab and a can opener, slowly taking the lid off of his own delectable meal while the chicken waits on the countertop, cooling.
Afterwards, he places the can opener in the corner, opting to put it away later tonight — even if he knows he won’t have the motivation to do that until a few days have passed. He then picks up two sets of chopsticks from where they’ve been laying around on the counter. Inspecting them for a few minutes before determining that they’re clean enough, he places the chopsticks in one hand while carrying the canned crab and the bowl of chicken in the other.
Dazai keeps his footsteps light as he exits the hallway into the main living space where Chuuya awaits him. Thankfully, he’s already set up the table, so all he has to do is crouch near it and place the objects down on top of it.
He turns his head to the side, seeing the way Chuuya leans back ever so slightly as if he’s repulsed by the notion of eating.
This action makes Dazai frown, but he continues on with the motions of setting up the dishes, eventually scooting the table over to his dog in order to prompt the ginger to eat with him.
He sits cross-legged on the side of the table furthest away from Chuuya. He pays the other no mind as he lifts up his chopsticks, placing them correctly in his hands, and bringing them over to his can.
Looking over at the hybrid, Dazai notices the other’s two-toned eyes intently watching as he picks up a small piece of crab and places it inside of his mouth. They continue even when he’s chewing or opening his lips to slip another meat slice in it, the gaze never straying to the food that was set out for him.
The brunet quickly swallows.
He had been hoping for Chuuya to eat without a command telling him to do so, figuring it would be better to show his dog that he doesn’t care for such things, but it appears that the hybrid isn’t ready to follow his own ideas yet. The need for orders has probably been engraved into his mind long before Dazai came in contact with him, making the ordeal of changing this mindset harder than he would’ve liked.
The ginger’s hand twitches, his Adam’s apple moving down and up as he most likely swallows the spit that has accumulated from staring at the food.
“Slug,” he starts, using the lighthearted nickname Chuuya gained from how slow he usually consumes meals. “Go on! It’s time to eat.”
He tries not to give an instruction that one might give to a normal dog. Not only would it be dehumanizing, but it would also show that he needs a specified order to do something as simple as eating. So, instead, he gives his best attempt at prompting the man into grabbing his bowl.
After a few more seconds of staring, Dazai begins to believe that Chuuya didn’t get the idea. He opens his mouth to speak again, a giant smile present on his face to be more enticing, but he quickly closes it once he notices a timid hand reaching for the bowl of chicken.
Quickly, he resumes picking up crab chunks and stuffing them inside of his cheeks. It’ll make his dog feel better if he’s eating alongside him rather than just creepily watching as the ginger performs his strange eating ritual.
It starts by Chuuya taking the little parts left of his claws and shredding up the chicken into even tinier portions. Then, he picks up the chopsticks and grabs one of the small chunks, slowly putting it inside of his mouth. He swallows it whole with a deep grimace on his face before grabbing another slice.
It used to be peculiar and absolutely confusing to Dazai. Why would somebody purposely choose to eat this slow yet not even bother to take the time to chew? But a plausible idea came across his mind a few days ago when he was watching Chuuya consume his food.
It seems almost like something inside of his mouth has been bothering him. Maybe the dog has issues with his teeth like a cavity or a loose tooth which makes it difficult for him to eat. The problem could also lie in his gums where a large cut might’ve not healed, inhibiting his chewing.
Whatever it may be, he’s going to have to check it out once the other’s done with his meal, even if Chuuya won’t like it.
They continue to peacefully eat their dinner for a few more moments until Dazai reaches the bottom of the crab can. After realizing there’s nothing left inside of it besides juice, he lets out a whine intended to annoy and lighten the mood.
He carelessly pushes the can to the side, watching as it stops somewhere near the edge of the table. In place of the food, he put his folded arms on top of it before gently laying his head down on them. His gaze focuses on the man still finishing his dinner, continuing to observe him even though it doesn’t matter anymore.
Chuuya raises an eyebrow at the action, but keeps silent on what he wants to say. He just continues to pick the shredded chicken off of the bowl and swallow it.
It makes an odd part of Dazai sad that the ginger doesn’t feel comfortable enough to reveal his true colors. From what he can tell, Chuuya is the Kunikida type who’s aggressive and always ready to snap back at his teasing words. However, it’s hard to formulate an in-depth personality for someone that hardly ever speaks or shows an emotion other than fear on their face.
Maybe someday he’ll get to see the actual emotions of the dog he picked up, but for now, he‘ll have to make due with the rare times his opinions shine past the fearful feelings constantly present on his face.
Chuuya suddenly pushes his plate to the center of the table, signifying that he’s done eating for tonight. Dazai lifts his head from his arms before moving the limbs into his lap.
His fingers fidget amongst themselves as he waits for the minutes to tick by so the food can settle in their bellies. He carefully monitors Chuuya’s expression for anything out of the ordinary while his dog stares at him.
Eventually, Dazai deems it time for him to begin the process of getting Chuuya to open up.
“It has come to my attention that you’re in pain whenever you eat,” He starts, keeping his tone cheerful and light. Despite this, a growl still worms its way out of the shorter’s mouth, only making the brunet slightly regret this decision. “So I’ll need to take a look inside of your mouth.”
The rumbling in the dog’s throat grows louder as he shuffles back until his spine is pressed against the wall.
“I won’t try to injure you further, okay?” He attempts at quelling the other’s worries. It doesn’t really work since Chuuya still continues on with his noises. Dazai sighs, deciding he might need to use a different approach for this one.
“This issue is clearly causing you difficulty in eating. I want to keep you as comfortable as possible, but, if this continues, I’ll be forced to take you to a doctor to get examined.”
He waits a little while for the cogs to turn in the redhead’s mind. Eventually, the mutt slowly slinks forward, positioning himself back in front of the table just like how he’d been sitting before, his shoulders raised to his ears.
Dazai props himself slightly so he can shuffle to his knees, using his hands to push the table to the side. The screeching from the table legs dragging across the floor causes Chuuya’s ears to twist backwards and toward his head.
The bandaged man quickly shoves the table the rest of its way over to the wall before knee-walking his way over the man in front of him.
It’s a miracle that Chuuya has let him be as close as he is, but he won’t examine the blessing too closely.
“I’ll need you to open your mouth,” Dazai says as gently as he can.
Reluctantly, the hybrid does so.
The sight that greets him is hot breath and slobber, the jaw not being far enough down for him to see much else. So, not thinking too logically because his dog could easily bite him, he brings his two index fingers into the wet mouth, thumbs slightly pulling down on the jaw to open it further.
The hybrid immediately stiffens, his posture rightening itself to be rigidly still while his breaths shallow. It makes Dazai want to let go and scoot back, but he knows he’ll never get anything done if he partakes in that action. Plus, his dog would be in a lot more pain if he let the injury be rather than taking care of it.
He was correct that his dog had wounds in his mouth, specifically ones on his teeth. The fangs that should be the sharpest look to be rounded off nearly to the gum, a red rim forming around them. His other teeth, both top and bottom, are much of the same way, just less severe.
It isn’t a pretty sight and it certainly looks painful, something that Dazai wouldn’t want to go through.
He lifts the lips up a little more to look at the molars, finding them in the exact state he expected: ruined.
“Yep, they’re certainly broken,” He says plainly.
Suddenly, Chuuya is snapped out of his obedience, shoulders slumping back to their original position. “I fucking know that!” He tries to yell. But, with the fingers in his mouth and the way he’s still trying to keep his jaw open, it comes out more of a garbled mess.
He smiles a little bit at the words that signify Chuuya’s true personality leaking in, having been able to decipher them despite their muddled, slurred state.
Deciding he’s examined the other’s mouth long enough, he removes his fingers, wiping the dog’s saliva onto his pants.
He notices as the hybrid's countenance turns into a disgusted look before quickly reverting back to a neutral, almost lifeless, emotion. It makes something twist inside of the brunet’s stomach at the obvious display of fear, how Chuuya is afraid of sharing his true feelings on the situation in case Dazai punishes him for it.
He refrains from letting a frown make itself known on his face before saying to the ginger what he’s been meaning to talk about, “I know somebody that’s able to fix your filed teeth.”
The hybrid’s eyes widen at the words, most likely thinking about whether the taller is going to hurt him or not. From what he’s gathered, the previous person who housed Chuuya was terrible in every aspect, making Dazai’s job of caring for his newfound dog a lot harder than it should be.
Luckily, he plans on changing the shorter’s point of view on him into one where doesn’t have to worry about being injured or punished for any reason.
A growl is quickly sent in his direction and a small sigh escapes his lips. He should have known that Chuuya would be reluctant to let a random person inspect his already fragile teeth. If he already believes that Dazai is intending to hurt him when he’s only trying to take care of his dental needs, then it isn’t very surprising that the ginger is defensive about someone else visiting him for his issues.
“It’ll be okay,” He tries to reassure. “You won’t even feel a thing!”
Ending it off with a smile to look more convincing, he secretly hopes that the doctor he has in mind will decide on using a less tortuous method for her operation. If she chooses something harsher, then most of the progress he’s made with Chuuya might be lost.
Eventually, the growling dies down, leaving nothing but a silent dorm with their own breaths to occupy. A soft mutter of “alright” soon breaks through the quiet. Although he doesn’t look convinced in the slightest about the procedure not hurting, the pain in his teeth must have started to become too unbearable to ignore which only forces him to go along with Dazai’s words.
At the confirmation, he turns his lips upward in his biggest smile he can manage, attempting to show his dog that he did the right thing.
“Good boy!” He quickly praises to add onto the display. If he encourages the behavior, there will be a stronger chance of Chuuya getting more comfortable around him.
The brunet leans away to give his doggie more room. Maybe once Chuuya’s teeth are back to normal, he could give him some better tasting food that’ll actually appease his appetite instead of the bland shredded chicken. He could also stock up on treats to give when the ginger is feeling down.
The possibilities are endless and they only make Dazai more enticed for what Chuuya will be like after his surgery.