Chapter Text
Dazai was in the bathroom, trembling as tears rolled down his face. He refused to even look at the test in his hands. He knew exactly what it said, but he still couldn't bring himself to accept it.
His relationship with Chuuya wasn't exactly smooth sailing. They had been officially dating for three months, a dynamic that started right after their reunion in the dungeons. The bickering hadn't stopped—nothing had really changed. Nothing until that night.
—
"Chuuyaaaaa, I don't want to sleep alone! Come keep me company!" Dazai had been whining ever since they checked into the hotel. They were there on a joint mission, working as Double Black once again.
"I already told you no. I'd rather sleep on a rock-hard couch than share a bed with a Modify mackerel like you," Chuuya snapped. Though, deep down, they both knew that once the room got freezing cold, Chuuya would give in and crawl into bed next to him.
"Fine. But when you're freezing to death, don't come crying to me." Dazai shut the bedroom door and threw himself onto the bed. He didn't even bother changing out of his clothes or pulling up the blankets; he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the stubborn redhead out in the living room.
His mind began to race, spiraling through a million different thoughts. He was so overwhelmed that he desperately needed a distraction to calm his nerves. Moving purely on instinct, he began to touch himself, slowly, letting his mind drift.
A soft moan slipped past his lips the moment his fingers brushed against his center. Right then, the door burst open.
"What the actual fuck are you doing?" Chuuya froze, completely caught off guard—even though it was glaringly obvious what Dazai was up to.
"N-nothing... it's nothing." Flustered, Dazai shrank back against the mattress, pulling himself up against the headboard.
"Don't play dumb, you were clearly touching yourself." Chuuya pointed a finger at him, a smirk tugging at his lips as he teased, "What, do you need a hand or something?"
Flushed crimson with embarrassment, Dazai forced out his usual playful tone. "Well... help me if you can, tiny."
It was Chuuya’s turn to blush. But despite the sudden tension, he took a step closer to the bed.
"Tell me, Osamu," Chuuya whispered right against his ear, "how exactly do you want me to help you?"
Desperate for the contact, Dazai choked out, "You already know how. Just touch me."
Chuuya leaned over him, trapping Dazai against the headboard as he pulled him into a desperate, breathless kiss.
Clothes were discarded piece by piece—a shirt tossed here, pants kicked off there—until they were completely bare. Chuuya was already fully hard, and Dazai was slick, trembling, and entirely ready for him.
—
The memory shattered. Dazai was pulled right back into the reality of his bathroom. Two months had passed since that night.
A sharp knock rattled the door.
"Dazai? How did it go?" Yosano called out. She was the one who had practically cornered him into taking the test in the first place.
Dazai couldn’t stop crying. With shaking hands, he finally forced himself to flip the plastic stick over.
Positive.
Positive.
Shit, shit, shit.
What the hell had he done?
Was he actually having a baby?
With Chuuya Nakahara, of all people?
God, damn it…
"Dazai? Is everything okay in there?" Five minutes had passed without a single word from him. The only sound coming through the door was a faint, muffled sob.
"Zai, if you don't answer me, I'm breaking this door down." Another five minutes ticked by. He had been locked in there for over fifteen minutes now, and Yosano was genuinely starting to worry about what he might do to himself.
When another three minutes passed in dead silence, she didn't wait any longer. She forced the lock.
It took some effort to push the door open because Dazai was collapsed right against it.
"Oh, God, Zai... come here," Yosano softened the second she saw him. He was huddled on the floor, scratching at his arms in pure panic while hyperventilating through his tears. "Hey, look at me. What happened? Was it positive?" she asked, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
Dazai could only nod, his brain completely short-circuiting. The image was burned into his mind.
Positive.
It took him a long time to catch his breath enough to speak.
"I... it's positive, Akiko. I don't know what to do," Dazai whispered, his voice cracking as the panic threatened to swallow him again. "What if Chuuya doesn't want this? What if he hates me? Or worse... what if he tells me to get rid of it?"
"Zai." He wasn't listening. "Dazai!" Yosano grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Zai, stop. That is not going to happen. I know Chuuya, and I know he will love this baby. He would never, ever ask you to do that."
"Are you sure, Yosano?" he asked, looking smaller than he ever had.
"I'm completely sure."
She pulled him back into her chest, holding him tight.
—
To Dazai, Yosano had always been like an older sister. Ever since he joined the Agency, despite his intense hatred for doctors, the two of them had become inseparable. They shared late-night drinks, endless conversations, and a deep understanding of each other. So, when Dazai finally confessed that his period was over a month late, the doctor immediately took control.
"You have to tell him, Dazai. You can't hide this forever; your body is going to start changing soon," Yosano reasoned, trying to get through to him, but he was completely shut down.
"I'll tell him later," Dazai muttered, anxiously fidgeting with his fingers.
They were back in the Agency's infirmary. Yosano had run a blood test just to rule out a false positive, but the results were undeniable. Outside the door, Ranpo was waiting. He knew exactly what was going on, and he was seconds away from marching in there himself to tell Dazai to stop running—that Chuuya had a right to know.
"You don't understand how he's going to react! Besides, a baby between a detective and a mafioso? It's impossible!" Dazai argued, his voice rising.
"Dazai, if you don't want to go through with this pregnancy, you can tell me. I won't judge you, okay? Whatever you choose."
"That's not what I mean!" Dazai’s voice finally broke, a raw sob escaping his throat. "I'm just... it's going to be so hard, Yosano. I'm terrified. I'm so scared."
"Come here, kiddo." Akiko pulled him into a warm embrace, letting Dazai cry like a frightened child into her shoulder. It was incredibly rare to see the enigmatic detective completely break down, but th
is was a weight too heavy for him to carry alone.