Work Text:
He was gone.
Dazai was gone.
The kid who he thought of as his son had left without a trace.
And it hurt.
Chuuya would come into his office drunk, either giggling or crying, it was really a coin flip type of probability, though most of the time it was crying. Kouyou tries to comfort chuuya but fails relatively quickly, when chuuya just shuns her for 'not understanding' when she really does. So chuuya goes to the only person who he knows was hurt just as much as him.
Mori Ougai.
Mori can't afford to drink, not with his job or his reputation. Mori turns to cope by overworking himself, only to be forced to take a break when chuuya would come in sobbing or laughing about how he'd kill dazai the next time he saw the brown haired kid.
Mori finds every single day as a slow, numb buzz. He feels empty, like a scarecrow in a field with no crops. He feels.... He doesn't know anymore. Kouyou and him talk over some tea, he goes to verlaine and talks to him weekly as per usual. Verlaine notices moris change in attitude but doesn't question it. Chuuya eventually shuts himself in his room. Too much is going on at once
Elise makes it better, But so much worse. She becomes a strong willed girl, the bratty child dazai was deep down. At least she's always by moris side.
Always there to remind him what he did to that little girl that was a part of the war. What he did to that boy he considered his son.
He goes to the only person he knows for comfort.
Fukuzawa.
12am.
A knock comes from the door. Fukuzawa wasn't awake, instead reading a poetry book that he found in a library he took a liking to, he gets up and walks towards the door, opening it slightly to see who it was.
He froze.
Why was mori at his doorstep? Why was his old friend there? Why did he seem so.... So empty.
He opens the door and invites him in.
They sit down and have tea. Mori would prefer alcohol, but he can't risk a hangover tomorrow, and it's not fun just drinking and not getting drunk.
"..."
"..."
They don't speak, a silence fills the room. Like they can talk through their eyes, without any words. Fukuzawa understands, and Mori tries to accept.
Fukuzawa gets up, causing mori to look up at him. The older man sits down beside him, looking at his cup of tea. More silence.
Mori leans on Fukuzawa, and fukuzawa let's him.
They stay in that silence for a while, comfortable. Mori closes his eyes, maybe a lecture from kouyou for being late or not showing up for a day would be worth it... Just for some comfort.
He thinks about his son. Or what he thought of that little boy he acknowledged as his son. His thoughts drift off to sleep.
He wakes up the next day next to fukuzawa, it's nice. Comfy. Warm.
He accepts it.
It was for the better.
It's what dazai would want.
He stays the day with fukuzawa, and he feels better.
He goes back the next day and gets a scolding from kouyou, and just brushed it off with no expression.
But he was happy, kouyou could tell.
Because what else could the slight twitch upwards on his mouth and the light in his eyes mean?