dazai knew this was going to happen the moment his brain started lingering on things from the past for too long and he found himself glitching while doing some paperwork at the agency, like he's physically there, but mentally ?
that's why dazai is not surprised when a few days later he can't muster up the strength to follow chuuya when his alarm goes off and the redhead tenderly scratches his scalp before climbing off the bed—his silent way of asking dazai to join him for breakfast. his whole body is paralysed, the fluffy covers on the king-sized bed engulf him like a weight too heavy to lift, and it feels like someone cracked his head open and is repeatedly punching his brain.
chuuya doesn't question what's going on; the absence of dazai's lanky figure whining and complaining because "it's not fair that my job requires myself to be done" says everything he needs to know. he finishes his breakfast, staring at the full plate across the table, then quickly prepares a small meal to pack inside dazai's lunchbox.
he places both breakfast and lunch on the nightstand next to a bottle of water, then whispers "i'm one call away" as he exposes dazai's forehead and leaves a quick kiss there.
chuuya knows that the bed becomes dazai's safe place during these times, so he always makes sure that food is within reach. coming home to a slightly-less-full plate is still better than coming home to a full plate.
the thing is, even though dazai has made clear that chuuya's life doesn't have to stop because of him and that he wants to be treated like usual during these hard times—he likes the extra attention, but he doesn't like to be pitied like he's a baby who needs constant surveillance—chuuya still feels bad as he's casually lounging on the sofa, some trash comedy playing on the tv, while dazai is alone in their bedroom. deep down he believes he might be missing dazai's unbearable presence.
that's when chuuya's brain lights up.
he knows that not being able to leave the bedroom must be taking a toll on dazai. if dazai can't leave the bedroom, then chuuya can take the bedroom outside, right?
that's the advantage of owning a sofa bed.
so he grabs clean sheets and a fluffy duvet and arranges everything on the sofa. he steals some pillows from the guests room and makes sure that everything looks comfortable. he turns off the big light in favour of dim lighting, then places some snacks and water on the small table near the sofa.
he looks at his silly creation like a proud dad, then quietly walks to the bedroom to retrieve his partner.
"come here, you big fish," he calls, tapping dazai on the shoulder to have his attention. "i'm taking you on a trip."
dazai doesn't react, but chuuya doesn't miss the way his eyes subtly narrow and his brows furrow.
they have known each other for almost a decade, dammit. there's no way chuuya wouldn't notice the smallest changes in dazai's expression.
one of chuuya's arms circles dazai's back while the other sneaks under his knees until he's basically carrying him in his arms. he hears dazai whine, but the brunet's arms circle chuuya's neck nonetheless, holding onto him tightly like chuuya could drop him any time.
"it's a short trip, don't worry." he reassures, and a moment later he's carefully dropping dazai on the sofa and tucking him beneath the soft duvet.
he sits next to him, silence stretching comfortably between them. chuuya won't admit it, but the fact that they don't necessarily need to communicate to understand each other calms his nervous system just like no longer human silences arahabaki.
"that's a weird way of telling me the bedroom smells terribly, you know." dazai mutters.
well, maybe they need to communicate sometimes.
"oh my god," chuuya sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose in disbelief. "you don't really think that's why i brought you here, do you?"
genius detective my ass, chuuya thinks.
"i figured being in the same room for days must be frying your brain. you know, opening your eyes and always seeing the same walls, the same furniture, the same view from the window." he explains casually. "so i decided to take the bed to a different room."
again, dazai is silent, but chuuya can hear the sound of the gears turning inside his brain.
he finds it amusing that dazai must be arranging a set of excuses for chuuya's behaviour. instead, he simply asks, "why?"
"you know why. don't make me spell it out loud."
dazai hums, not fully convinced by chuuya's half-assed explanation. he won't force him to say the words, though, because why would he need some stupid words from chuuya's mouth when chuuya gave him this ?
chuuya always knows how to make actions speak louder than words, and many years later it's still something dazai can't wrap his head around.
he spots a faint blush on chuuya's freckled cheeks, but for once he decides against calling him out.
instead, he shifts his position until he's resting his head comfortably in chuuya's lap, and chuuya's hand reaches instinctively for dazai's head, swift fingers combing through his brown curls.
he sighs, contently, like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders, and smiles quietly to himself. it's not the usual big charming smile, but his lips have found the strength to curve upward for the first time in days and that's a big step, right?
he tries to focus on that stupid comedy on the tv, allowing himself a distraction from the mess that has been going on inside his head, but he finds himself fighting to keep his eyes open.
this whole situation feels like swallowing a giant sleeping pill. hell, sleeping pills don't work this well.
as he finally closes his eyes, he thinks that he wouldn't trade any of this for the world.
germansingergirl
vaporwave
baratheonpilled
stormborns
jbbartram-illu
areudirty
yousharknotpass
