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Chuuya Nakahara hated Dazai Osamu.
He despised him with every fiber of his being. So why was he so worried? Why was he rushing to find Dazai over a single text?
Goodbye. 1:34 am
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Fuck.
It was now 1:50 and Chuuya was rushing to the coordinates he'd pulled from Dazai's phone. He was at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Yokohama. What was the idiot planning to do?
Worry and fear clouded the ginger's mind as he sped down the empty roads on his motorcycle. He paid no mind to traffic lights or stop signs, there was no time for it. He needed to make sure Dazai didn't do something stupid. It was a race against time.
Chuuya wasn't sure why he was so distressed. Dazai was nothing to him. He'd abandoned him years ago and it's not like they had anything before that. For some odd reason Chuuya felt as though he had to rescue his old partner. It's as if he'd lose apart of himself without him.
Once at the building Chuuya didn't bother going inside and rushing up the stairs, instead he used his ability in order to scale the side of the building. He dashed up as fast as he could, the force of his sprint cracking the glass windows he tread on.
Not long after he reached the roof of the building. Across the flat surface Chuuya saw Dazai staring down at the city below.
Shit.
He blinked and Dazai was gone.
Shit.
Without having to think, Chuuya bolted to where Dazai had jumped and flung himself over as well. Using his ability Chuuya reached out and gripped Dazai by the arm. He yanked him back up the side of the building and dropped him on the roof.
Dazai sat up, a perplexed look crossing his pale face.
Chuuya took several breaths before yanking Dazai up by the collar, "What the hell, Dazai!? You fucking idiot I almost didn't get here in time." He was furious, however the worried tone couldn't be hidden in his voice.
He released Dazai roughly and ran his fingers through his hair. A frustrated huffed escaped his mouth as he attempted to calm himself down.
Dazai gaped at him. He wasn't expecting Chuuya to come to his rescue. He'd anticipated that the short man would get drunk in celebration. "Good riddance. He's finally gone."
How wrong he was.
"Chuuya…"
The ginger shot a look at him, "Shut up. I don't want to fucking hear it. Out of all of your attempts, why suddenly choose today to be a serious one? Huh?! And why leave me that vague ass message? I nearly had a goddamn heart attack!"
He continued to rant about how selfish, annoying and insufferable Dazai was.
All Dazai could do...was stare.
Chuuya came.
Similar messages had been sent to an array of other people. Doppo Kunikida. Atsushi Nakajima. Ango Sakaguchi. Yet they all brushed it off as one of his many "fake" attempts at suicide.
Only Chuuya had come. Anxious, terrified and angry.
Dazai swallowed and forced himself to stand up. His body felt heavy, knees weak as he put a hand on Chuuya's torso to steady himself on his feet. The ginger man ceased his grumbling and observed Dazai.
His ex-partners legs were shaking with every move he made.
"Hey...take it easy," Chuuya helped him stand, gently hoisting the larger man up and gripping both his arms, "You alright?"
Dazai didn't speak. Not a word slipped past his tongue. This only greatly increased Chuuya's worry. Dazai always had some stupid quick remark to spit out, always.
The wind sliced through the silence like a knife. Neither spoke for several moments.
"I'm so tired, Chuuya," Dazai finally whispered, his tone gentle like a frightened child, "I can't take it anymore."
"Dazai…" Chuuya started, staring up at his old friend.
The brown haired man let out a bittersweet laugh, "God, I just want everything to end. I'm sick of searching for some stupid meaning of life in a world where the is no meaning. Everything's pointless. My life means nothing." He squeezed Chuuya's arms and kept his eyes locked on the ground.
"Tch. You're an idiot, Mackerel," Chuuya rolled his eyes, "If your life meant nothing, then why the fuck did I show up? It clearly means something."
"Yeah? To whom?"
"To me," Chuuya grabbed Dazai's chin and made him look into his eyes, "Your stupid fucking life means something to me."
"You're terrible at comforting people…"
"Shut up, I'm taking you to my place. After that, I am going to drill some meaning into that thick skull of yours, Osamu," Chuuya used his ability in order to float Dazai up as he scaled down the side of the enormous building.
Dazai objected the entire way down, yet his mind was in a different place. He couldn't get over how Chuuya Nakahara came to rescue him and that he cared.
Chuuya cared.
To him, that was the biggest plot twist of his life.
-----
At the apartment Chuuya forced Dazai to sit down. He began to pamper Dazai whilst scolding him.
Dazai just listened as Chuuya took off Dazai's coat and began unwrapping his bandages and reapplying fresh ones. He wasn't sure why he was letting him do this, Dazai never allowed anyone to see him bare like this.
Chuuya though? It felt different.
He was relaxed as the Mafia executive gently took off any visible bandages, never once did he protest. Dazai simply watched as Chuuya ran his fingers along Dazai's old scars and fussed about the newer wounds. He let Chuuya clean and bandage them all up again.
His touch was so soft. He'd forgotten how much he missed it, even if before the contact had been nothing more than nudges or slaps.
Once he was finished, Chuuya disposed of the old bandages and made his way into the kitchen, "I hope you like salmon."
Dazai loved salmon.
Chuuya knew that.
Of course he did. Over the years Chuuya had picked up on every single detail he could about Dazai. His likes, dislikes, pet peeves, good and bad habits. Memorized like a speech.
He'd tried to convince himself that it was to be used against Dazai, however he never did. Not once. Chuuya could easily but…
"Is Chuuya finished with the Salmon yet?" A whining voice was heard from the couch not ten minutes later. Chuuya snapped out of his mind and rolled his eyes.
"No, idiot," He clicked his tongue and continued his cooking.
Bored out of his mind, Dazai waddled into the kitchen to observe Chuuya. His hair was disheveled and he wore only his white button down and pants. His shoes, vest and coat were all discarded somewhere in the main room.
Chuuya noticed his footsteps but made no attempt at acknowledging them. He decided to let Dazai just do what he wanted for now, unless it got in his way. Although, the executive wasn't certain he'd make Dazai stop even if he did get in the way.
The brunette yawned, walking to Chuuya's side and gazing at how he cooked. Dazai never cooked, he wasn't sure how. Anything he did attempt to make always ended up burnt or raw, there was no in-between.
"I haven't had your cooking since I left the mafia," Dazai muttered, "I wonder if it has worsened since then." He grinned as he teased the ginger.
Chuuya scoffed, "Oh shut it. You begged for more last time I made you a meal." He smiled softly as he turned away from Dazai to grab another pan. He was glad that Dazai was back to teasing already, even if it hadn't been long. Deep down he knew that it was just a facade, Dazai was still hurting deeply. Chuuya had just dampened the pain for the time being.
Sizzles and steam filled the air as Chuuya moved around the kitchen as he cooked. Dazai's eyes never once drifted away from him. He moved gracefully, knowing exactly where everything was and how and when to use it. Dazai admired Chuuya's knack for cooking, it was something small yet he found it endearing.
There were many small things about Chuuya that Dazai was fond of but would never admit to. For one, Chuuya himself. The Port Mafia executive was significantly shorter than Dazai and he found it adorable. In youth and still today Dazai would tease him about it relentlessly. Usually he'd do so just to get a rise out of him, which always seemed to work.
"Hmm…" Dazai tilted his head, "Has Chuuya gotten shorter?" He held his hands out as if to be measuring his ex partners height.
Chuuya shot up, "I have not!" He said defensively, slapping Dazai's hands down.
Dazai chuckled, "I'm only teasing."
"Yeah. Yeah. Sure, " He held out a plate of salmon with various sides around it, "Eat."
A wonderful aroma had filled the air as Dazai grabbed the plate and ran off to the main room. He sat on the couch and began to chow down on the food without saying a word.
Usually, Chuuya would have yelled at him to go eat in the dining room but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He simply made himself a plate and set it aside for later once he'd finished cleaning up the mess he'd made cooking.
It didn't take him long.
Once finished he grabbed his plate and walked to the main room to see Dazai finishing up his own. A genuine expression of content was plastered across the brunette's pale face.
Chuuya glanced at his plate and back at Dazai, "Want seconds?" He offered his dinner.
Dazai glanced at him, "Chuuya's not going to eat?"
He shook his head, "I've got more food in the fridge. Here." Chuuya took Dazai's empty plate and left him with the full one. He turned on his heel and left Dazai to eat alone.
Once back in the kitchen Chuuya rinsed the plate and set it in the sink. He finished wiping down the countertops, stopping once he saw a smiley face drawn with a sharpie on one of the marble corners. He smiled to himself and went around the doodle Dazai had left.
"Thank you, Chuuya," Dazai's voice startled him. He turned and saw Dazai rinsing the plate and setting it down.
Chuuya shrugged, "It's nothing."
Dazai wanted to tell his ex-partner that it wasn't nothing and that it meant a lot to him, but he remained silent. Instead, he used actions rather than words. When Chuuya turned his back he walked up and wrapped his cold arms around Chuuya's waist.
Chuuya froze, not moving or making a sound for several moments. After what was happening registered in his mind, Chuuya let out a content sigh and relaxed in Dazai's arms.
"It should be me hugging you, y'know?" Chuuya turned around, squeezing Dazai tightly in a warm embrace.
On most occasions, Dazai despised physical contact. However, with Chuuya…he craved it. It felt like fireworks going off. All his anxieties and worries faded while in Chuuya's arms. Dazai never wanted to let go.
Ever since they were younger, Dazai had loved the comfort he felt from Chuuya's presence and touch. Even his voice allowed the tension in his body to melt away. It had been so long since Chuuya held him like this he nearly felt the need to cry.
The feeling made him happy and scared, these mixed feelings colliding in his brain.. Knowing he could be vulnerable with Chuuya was something he could never fully accept, but he would try.
"We should do this more often," Dazai hummed.
Chuuya tightened his grip, "As long as it doesn't start off with you trying to hurt yourself…then yeah. We should."
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And thus, their relationship began to slowly mend itself.