It takes two to create a whole | Soukoku Au |

Hellish Reunion

Warnings for this chapter: sl*t shaming (uncensored)

Rain, cold fall rain. The sound of pelting against the windows and the balcony. Rain, the crystal blue of Chuuya's eyes, but without the light and optimism he had towards life. It was rare to see Chuuya without his eccentric overly fancy outfits, or time put into his attire. Rarer yet to see his hair, not over his shoulder, but hung loosely at the back, a mess of untamed curls and frizz. The sniffles and light shivers were even rarer than that sight. He was without a fever, a minor cold, nothing he had to worry about. He'd take some cold and flu over-the-counter meds and be fine by Monday. He just needed to stay hydrated and healthy. He tugged his hoodie closer to his body with a hiss as he shivered and walked to crank the heat up a bit more. Of course, his roommate deemed the cold more livable, so Chuuya went out and bought a small heater for his room. Snuck it in and set it up, so he wouldn't get any sicker than he already was.

He'd give anything to be able to stand on the balcony, like Dazai was right now. Bask in the cold droplets that would fall over his skin and through his hair. He'd enjoyed it once, long runs across the beach with his sister as the rain poured over them. Freezing and shivering, but enjoying the company of the other sibling. But then his compromised immune system had come into play when he was just about seven. He'd fallen ill with the cold, just a small cold, no fever at first, so he went to school and played outside in the freezing air. He'd run in the soft flurries of snow without mittens or a scarf, not even a hat. He'd woken up with a fever the next day. He could still remember being so delusional that day. In and out of consciousness, his body aching and deadly warm one second and freezing the next. The doctors still told them it was a simple cold. Which it was, but the fever refused to cool, it got worse overnight to the point that made his father worry. If he closed his eyes, he could see his father looking at the household thermometer reading far above what a temperature should be. The sound of the car engine starting and his father lifting him still wrapped in blankets to a hospital where the doctors drew blood and stuck i.v's into his arms to keep him hydrated. When he was first diagnosed, his father had panicked. Immune disorders could be dangerous if untreated, and when measures were not taken against illness. Chuuya was the only one who didn't show worry over having a primary immunodeficiency disorder. More specifically, his body was deficient in interferon-gamma, it's rare and a genetic problem that can't really be treated, but he can do things to help boost his immune system.

Maybe this would give him an excuse to miss whatever party he'd agreed to go to, more like he's been blackmailed to go. Dazai had done his own research into rules, and Chuuya's portable stove, which he used nearly every day, was not allowed in the dormitory because it was still a fire risk somehow. If Chuuya didn't go, Dazai would rat him out. "I hate him," Chuuya mumbled, tossing a pillow over his head as he attempted to rest and pass over this minor cold.

~

By the next night, he was feeling better, less tired, and stuffy. He was still sick, but he wasn't too afraid of catching anything else at this point. "Hat-rack, you're taking too long to get ready!" Dazai was shouting from the door. He'd been complaining for ten minutes now, and Chuuya wasn't close to being ready. Maybe if he'd planned out beforehand what colors to put together tonight, he wouldn't have changed seven times and redone his eyeliner three times. Ever since the whole drama of high school, he'd stopped wearing hoodies and not giving a shit about his appearance. He had to look his best, but also not look too much as to avoid certain comments. Plus, the leaves were changing from green, so naturally, his hair flashed with the trees and it drove him nuts. He couldn't go with black and red because he'd look like a walking tree, so he'd gone through seven outfits before finding something black and gray. The coat he picked up was a bit flashy with the weather, but it wasn't too much. Just simple black fabric with orange nearly brown rims. The hat he grabbed matched the coat, but he added a little fur to this one a while back. It was only in one spot, just enough to make his outfit complete.