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It was Chuuya's day off, and he was relaxing in bed. The crack in his curtains bothered him but he refused to get up and fix it. He suddenly got a notification on his phone. His eyes narrowed when he saw that it was from Dazai of all people. “Meet me in the lobby” The lobby? That sounded awfully suspicious. Chuuya rose from his bed and made his way to the lobby.
“SURPRISE!” Shouted Kouyou, Hirotsu, and Mori. Kouyou was holding a circular frosted cake with the number “17” written on it in red frosting. Dazai jumped up from behind the couch and sprayed Chuuya with a water gun right in the chest. Chuuya looked at Dazai, then looked down at where he was sprayed. His black binder was now visible from beneath his white button up shirt.
His face darkened as he glared daggers at Dazai. “Dazai… What. The. Fuck?!” He shouted at Dazai, punching him in the arm. He then ran off in humiliation without sparing even a glance back at the others. The footsteps following Chuuya suggested that Dazai was after him. “Wait, Chuuya!” Dazai shouted after him, to no avail. “Fuck off, I hate you!” Chuuya yelled back before slamming the door to his room.
Dazai chased after him, his feet slamming against the floor as he ran. “Wait, I didn’t realize!” Chuuya, knowing how Dazai usually is, had his doubts. “I don’t believe you, You probably did this on purpose to humiliate me!” The distrust and betrayal was prominent in the ginger’s voice. Sure, Dazai usually tried to humiliate Chuuya, but this would’ve been too far, even for him. Mostly because it’s something Chuuya would actually give a damn about. He knew Chuuya’s limits.
“I swear I didn’t realize this time!” Dazai pleaded. Chuuya sensed his desperate tone of voice and realized that Dazai really meant it. “You absolute idiot! Now everyone knows!” Chuuya yelled from behind his door at Dazai. “Well, why does it even matter that much?” Dazai questioned. Chuuya didn’t respond, it felt as though he was realizing something for the first time. Why did he care? “You’re still the same tough ass Chuuya they know, your gender doesn’t matter to them.”
Chuuya could feel himself calming down as this realization washed over him. A bit more silence passed by until Dazai broke it with an apology. “I’m really sorry, Chuuya.” Dazai apologized, was the world ending? It was such a rare occurrence for the brunette to apologize, especially so sincerely. “I guess it’s okay, but I’m still pissed.” Chuuya couldn’t help but forgive Dazai’s one and only apology to him. “That’s okay, I understand.” Dazai’s voice sounded suspiciously quiet. Chuuya knew what this might lead to later. But, it was useless confronting Dazai until he actually did something. That boy was persistent when it came to avoiding personal topics.
Chuuya went back downstairs and helped himself to a slice of cake. No one questioned anything, they knew better than to do so. Not only that, they also didn’t seem to care. Chuuya couldn’t help but crack a small smile. A feeling of acceptance washed over him. They were all just chatting and having a good time.
Everyone had gone back to their usual activities and left the area. He noticed that Dazai hadn’t grabbed anything, per usual. That boy never seemed to consume anything but canned crab and alcohol. So, he got a plate and put a slice of cake on it just for Dazai along with a med kit, just in case. When he went to Dazai’s shipping container, he heard something small and metal clatter against the metal inside. He knocked with a little more force than intended. “Dazai?” Chuuya called out. He heard shuffling from inside before he got an answer. “Come in.”
Chuuya looked over at Dazai who had his blanket up to his shoulders. “What were you doing just now?” Chuuya questioned, narrowing his piercing blue and brown eyes in immediate suspicion. “I was trying to sleep.” Dazai said plainly. Chuuya knew he was lying, he could feel it in his bones. “Bullshit, I heard you moving around in here. What fell on the floor that made that noise?” Chuuya interrogated Dazai. “Nothing, now let me sleep.” Dazai turned over onto his side, facing away from Chuuya.
“I’ll let you sleep when you tell me what you were really up to.” Chuuya said, his voice so sharp that he could cut through metal with ease. “It really was nothing, just drop it.” Dazai tried to mimic Chuuya’s sharpness, only for it to fall flat. “You were cutting again, weren’t you?” Chuuya accused. “...” Dazai stayed silent, knowing it would be pointless to argue any further.
“Dazai… You told me you would stop.” Chuuya’s voice was laced with disappointment. But, there were also undertones of concern laying beneath the surface. “I know, but I’m a liar.” A moment of silence before Dazai continued, “I tried, okay? It’s hard.” Dazai sighed. “Let me see.” Chuuya’s sharpness from before subsided into something more gentle now.
Dazai uncovered himself and revealed his arms. Dazai was shirtless and both the upper and lower arms were cut up, and bad. Chuuya resisted the urge to cringe at the sight, imagining how bad it must’ve hurt for him to do this to himself. This was probably Dazai’s worst bout of self harm that Chuuya had seen yet, but that was probably because Dazai went so long without giving into his addiction.
“Stay right here, I’ll be right back.” Chuuya commanded gently before leaving the shipping container. He went just right outside the container before coming back with a first aid kit. He left it right outside just in case he didn’t need it, but he knew he would end up needing it. He began applying ointment to all of his cuts. “Why?” Chuuya asked, letting his concern show a little more now. “I felt bad. Not only that, I just couldn’t take being clean anymore.” Dazai admitted shamefully.
Chuuya began patching up the cuts now. “Next time, you will come to me, got it? We’re partners, we’re supposed to have each other's backs. You shouldn’t cut yourself over whatever bullshit reasons you have. You can always come to me, you know this.” Chuuya lectured the thinner boy. Chuuya could see his ribcage, it was worrying. Chuuya grabbed the cake he had set down at one point and put it on Dazai’s bed. “I’m not very good at having your back though.” Dazai spoke quietly, not touching the cake.
“You are better than you know at having my back. Who else can nullify my corruption? You saved me before, too.” Chuuya reassured the mess of a human being. Dazai smiled softly, the smile that made Chuuya feel all warm inside. Chuuya couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks, Chuu.” Dazai expressed his gratitude with a small, yet significant thanks. Chuuya was lucky he got to see this side of Dazai at all. “Make sure you eat, okay?” Chuuya’s words made Dazai hesitate. “I will.” Dazai finally confirmed, easing Chuuya’s fears. He was glad things finally worked out and that his partner was safe, for now at least.