It's Okay, Really

Chapter 12

Dazai was in the room painting when his phone rang. He looked at it and saw the word ''Chuuya'', and he froze. He stared at it for a while and reached out to take the phone, but stopped and decided not to answer it. Putting it on mute, he continued painting quietly.

*

Chuuya looked at his phone, his call didn't get through. He dialed the same number again and waited, and no one answered. He let out a sigh, he knew he screwed up, but he really didn't want Dazai to block him out like this. After a few more calls, he stopped calling.

Even in the next day, Dazai didn't answer his calls too, and he didn't read his texts, the same for the day after that. Walking along some shops, Chuuya stared at the unread messages he sent to Dazai the day before.

You must be mad at me.

''Onii-chan, would you like a candy?'' A voice of a little girl sounded behind him. He turned around and saw a five-year old girl holding a basket of candies for sale. ''Um, yeah.'' He took one and paid the joyful little girl, then ate it and put his phone into his pocket, continue walking towards a restaurant for lunch. He took a turn into a narrow alley for a shortcut, then things felt off.

His vision went blurry, he leaned against a wall beside him as he lost balance at his feet. ''Oh that was fast,'' a man's voice said.

Who...?

And everything blacked out.

*

When he woke up, he found himself tied to a thick pipe fixed to the ground and the ceiling at it's ends. He was in a dimly lit room, with little light coming in from a blurry window high up on the wall. He could barely see the outside, but judging from the sunlight he could tell that it was probably evening.

He could vaguely see someone else tied up across the room. Squinting, he tried to look closer. Then the closed door of the room suddenly opened, and someone walked in. ''Oh good you're awake~'' Chuuya looked up and saw the person. ''Rika, help me get out of here, my hands are tie--'' ''Huh? Help you? Was that a joke?'' she finished with a chuckle.

''What do you-- Wait, you were the one who abducted me?'' Chuuya was surprised. Why would Rika do somthing like this? To what end?

He looked outside the opened door, it was dark and empty. He could barely make it out, but it seemed like an abandoned factory. ''Yeah it was me, duh,'' Rika said. Then she closed the door and locked it. She walked to Chuuya and kneeled with each her knees at his side, then reached out to his buckle.

''Rika, what are you doing?'' Chuuya moved uneasily as she started to unbuckle his belt and pulled it out. With a sly grin, she slowly placed her finger before his lips and hushed him. ''I just figured that we should do this at least once, since we won't be able to do it in the future.'' ''What are you talking about? Rika, stop.'' ''Shhh~'' Rika started to take off her leather jacket. ''Enjoy, Chuuya onii-chan, enjoy.''

''... Chuuya?'' A soft voice came from across the room. Chuuya's eyes widened. ''Dazai?! Rika, why is he here? What are you planning to do?! Dazai, are you okay?'' ''Tsk!'' Rika was annoyed. She harshly wore her jacket back and stood up. ''Why couldn't you just focus on me?''

Dazai was tied up like how Chuuya was, but he had a blindfold on. He couldn't remember how he got here, the last thing he remembered was walking to the bar for work after completing his painting at home.

''Well then, let's just get to it shall we?'' Rika grabbed a bottle from the corner of the room, she had had it prepared before getting Chuuya here. Then she went to Dazai, grabbed his chin with force and started pouring the white water in the bottle into his mouth.

''Rika, what are you doing?! What's in that bottle?!'' Chuuya got anxious, Rika was obviously not doing Dazai any good. Not knowing what she was forcefully feeding him, Dazai refused to swallow the unknown liquid. He closed his mouth, the white liquid poured out of the bottle flowed down his neck and some dripping onto the floor from his chin. ''Rika!! Stop it!!'' Chuuya yelled.

Rika was agitated, she stopped pouring. Then she let go of his chin and pinched his nose, stopping him from breathing. Unable to breathe through his nose after holding his breath for some time, Dazai subconsciously opened his mouth to take in oxygen, when Rika poured the water into his mouth. It was impossible not to take in the liquid at this point.

''Rika!! What are you feeding him?!'' Rika ignored Chuuya, she was laughing from some twisted joy while she finished pouring all of the liquid. Tossing the bottle away casually, she finally said, ''It's just water.'' Chuuya waited for another half of her sentence. ''Mixed with cocaine,'' she said with a satisfied smile.

Dazai coughed hard, some liquid still streaming down from the corner of his lips. He heard what Rika said, it was cocaine water. He wasn't sure what would happen, but being force-fed cocaine couldn't be anything good.

Chuuya's heart skipped a beat when he heard what Rika said. ''Co--cocaine water? Why would you do that? He's done nothing to you!'' Then he looked at Dazai, whom was coughing and gasping for air, catching his breath. ''Hmm, have fun waiting here, I guess. But don't worry, you can be together forever after this ends.'' And she turned around and left.

Chuuya looked at Dazai, the brunet was panting. Dazai felt it hard to breathe, but it wasn't because he hadn't caught his breath yet. He could feel himself sweat, and his heart was beating faster than it was supposed to.

''Dazai, don't listen to her, you'll be fine okay? I just have to find a way to get us out of here.'' Chuuya looked around the room for anything usable. ''Chuuya, I don't think I'll make it...'' It was getting harder for him to breathe. ''No no no you'll be fine, we'll get out of here--'' ''I'm sorry.'' ''No!! No you'll be fine!!'' Chuuya continued searching, then he felt a piece of sharp object with the tip of his fingers. Stretching his hand with all his strength, he tried his best to take it.

''Chuuya... I'm sorry that you hate me...'' Dazai's voice was weak, his jaw was trembling uncontrollably. Chuuya became more anxious, he still couldn't grab hold of the glass splinter behind him. ''I'm-- I'm sorry that I-- that I disgust you,'' he continued, his voice broke a little as if he was trying his best not to cry. ''I'm sorry that you've ever met... me... I'm sorry that I stained your life...'' His breathing got heavier, and Chuuya could see that his lips were already pale.

No... No I-- I was the one who walked into your life and ruined it...

Chuuya felt helpless, he desperately reached out for the glass splinter even though his wrists hurt. Then finally, he grabbed hold of it. He quickly rubbed the sharp side on the thick rope on his wrists, trying to break it.

Dazai was trembling uncontrollably, his body twitched, and his labored breathing was interrupted by soft sounds sounding like hiccups. ''I'm sorry... I'm-- I'm sor... I'm sorry.'' His words were broken up by his loud breathing, he was struggling for air. It felt like he just lost grip of the edge of a cliff, falling down into the depths, holding his breath waiting for his death to eat his pain away.

Chuuya's breathing got heavier, he was in a panic. His heart was beating faster and faster as he looked at Dazai slowly losing consciousness while gasping hard for air. ''Chuu... ya...'' It was a soft voice, one so weak like he wasn't saying it on purpose.

His breaths got softer, and softer, then he stopped moving. He wasn't trembling anymore, his body wasn't twitching anymore, his breathing couldn't be heard anymore.

Everything stopped.

''DAZAI !! DAZAI WAKE UP !!'' Chuuya didn't stop cutting the rope, his fingers were bleeding, cut by sharp edges, but he couldn't feel it. ''DAZAI !!''

It was his fault.

''The next time I see him again, I'm breaking his arms.''

''I'd rather you not, Mr. Executive of the Port Mafia.''

I'm sorry... I'm sorry...

Tears rolled down his cheeks. He once promised to protect him, and yet he hurt him just like that bastard he swore to protect him from. He was no different from that stranger, hurting the brunet just because he was intersex.

Then he smelled smoke, coming from the gap between the door and the ground.

Rika, you--