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Dazai woke up late for school today.
It wasn’t anything abnormal, he’d overslept. His mind wouldn’t turn off. So he got up, got dressed, and made the walk to school.
Dazai flourished in social situations where he had all the control. School bored him, but he was always glad to get a reaction out of his peers.
Dazai was a liar. He detested social situations, was much more content with a book in some dimly lit room, but he was good at pretend.
He had been pretending to be human his entire life, after all.
***
Dazai woke up late for school today.
It wasn’t abnormal, as much as it bothered Kunikida and worried Chuuya. Not that Chuuya would ever admit that.
What was abnormal was the quietness Dazai was exhibiting from his seat by the window. The bouncing of his leg, the way his eyes darted to the clock, to the teacher, briefly to the ginger that sat next to him, and then back to the clock.
Scratch that, it wasn’t not normal.
But it was rare.
Much too rare for Chuuya’s liking.
Especially when Dazai slipped out of the classroom (like the slippery Mackeral he was) unnoticed by anybody but Chuuya.
Chuuya was most definitely not watching Dazai’s every move. He did not notice the lack of eyeliner, the increase of black under the brunettes eyes, the way he’d clearly came to school in the clothes he’d slept in.
He knew where Dazai was; on the roof.
Where he went after every hard day, or before the day had even started
Dazai wasn’t interested in pain, the likelihood of Dazai jumping off the roof was next to zero, but Chuuya knew Dazai thought about it.
How could he not? When you have your legs dangling over the edge of a roof five stories up from the ground, it was only natural to think about what would happen if you fell off.
So Chuuya followed Dazai.
Without fail, every time.
***
The sound of footsteps echoing behind Dazai didn’t bother him; he knew who it was. His faithful dog always came running to make sure his owner was okay.
“‘Mackeral.” Chuuya said, crossing his arms. Anybody else might be intimidated by the way he was sizing Dazai up, but it felt right.
Chuuya searched for any sign of what was going through Dazai’s mind. In his eyes, his body language, how close he was to the ledge.
Dazai didn’t respond. He held the eye contact for so long it felt uncomfortable, like he could see through Chuuya with a single glance.
Dazai leaned backwards, his body slipping off the ledge.
And then a gloved hand reached out to grab his in an instant, pulling him back up.
“Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack!? I’m fucking worried. Jesus… are you… are you okay? Fuck ‘Zai…” Chuuya pulled Dazai into a hug, the tightness of it suffocating. For him to express such concern like this… it was so horribly out of character.
“Does my dog really care about me that much?” Dazai wasn’t shaken, of course he wasn’t shaken. His face remained blank, but the way he was returning Chuuya’s embrace spoke volumes.
“Don’t call me your dog, shitty Dazai. Jesus… fucking christ Osamu. You’re such an asshole.” Chuuya was much more shaken than Dazai ever would be, but it was fine. Dazai felt a dullness, Chuuya felt his emotions raw; Chuuya felt enough for both of them. “Are you okay? Not generally, just right now. You were practically a bundle of nerves in the classroom— and don’t you dare bullshit me right now.”
Dazai made an attempt to break out of the embrace, trying to regain his leverage on the situation. “No. Not after that.” Chuuya says in response to Dazai’s (failed) escape, pulling him closer.
“I’m fine, Chibi. I knew my beloved dog would save me, he always does~”
“I fucking hate you.” Chuuya says, but there’s undoubtedly a hint of fondness behind his words.