Everything or Nothing

His name is Chuuya

Content Warning: Mentions of terminal illness / Cancer, Coming out scene
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Chuuya has never been particularly good at getting over things. He holds onto grievances, picks them apart in his head until he feels like he can move on. But heartbreak isn't a grudge, and Chuuya doesn't know if he wants to move on.

It's the worst Christmas ever.

His father hasn't asked him many questions on the car ride back—and Kouyou's curious glances have mostly been silenced with pointed looks, while Chuuya does his very best to seem normal, his face buried in his phone in the backseat, trying to see if Dazai texted him during the flight.

He didn't.

Chuuya bites his lip, his fingers tightening slightly around the edges of it. Why does it even matter? Is he really that pathetic? Why should he want to hear from that jerk, anyway--

"Okay," Rimbaud sighs heavily, "I have to ask—" Chuuya is half expecting a comment about the tears, because his father has been decent enough so far not to really pry about the redness in Chuuya's eyes or how splotchy his cheeks are. "—what happened to your neck?"

"..." Chuuya looks like a deer in the headlights, and he doesn't exactly make a picture of innocence when he yanks the collar of his hoodie up higher, "What are you talking about? My neck is fine—!"

"It looks like you got mauled by a wild animal—"

"Some kind of animal," Kouyou offers from the passenger's seat.

"Young lady!" their father looks stern as he turns onto the highway, "that is your baby brother you are talking about—"

"Yeah, and how many times have you walked in on me and Akiko in three days?"

Rimbaud looks a little green. "Enough times to make me regret letting you invite her."

Kouyou shrugs, crossing her legs as she leans back, "My point is, Chuuya is eighteen years old." She shrugs, "What do you think happened to his—"

"Maybe I got mugged, okay?!" Chuuya grumbles, sinking down into his seat, turning so red.

"Chuuya—" his sister is alreadysnickering, "—did said mugger nibble behind your ear before he asked for your wallet, or—?"

"Kouyou!" Both men in the car screech at the same time, one pale, the other maroon, and her laugher fills the air as they continue the drive home.

His older sister's teasing dissipates, however, when they're alone, their father disappearing to the kitchen to get started on dinner, while Kouyou helps Chuuya carry his suitcase up to his room. "Ane-san, I've got it—" Chuuya protests when she hands his suitcase off to her girlfriend.

"Relax, kiddo," Yosano rolls her eyes, tucking her bangs behind her ears as she hauls Chuuya's suitcase up the stairs, "part of being the baby means having your family act like paranoid freaks."

Chuuya doesn't particularly enjoy being the subject of paranoia, but fine.

"I'm assuming those are from Tachihara though, right?" Kouyou asks casually as they walk down the hall, towards Chuuya's childhood bedroom, and the younger redhead stiffens.

"Uh, actually..." Chuuya takes a deep breath, "we broke up a couple of weeks ago."

"...What?" Kouyou frowns, eyes widening in shock, "Why didn't you tell me? I thought things were going well?"