𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗦 || Soukoku

7

Chuuya began to notice a few things that were definitely wrong. Dazai was getting thinner. He was constantly out of it, he didn't seem to be getting enough sleep. His smiles and laughs seemed so drained and fake. Chuuya would be lying if he said he wasn't extremely worried about it. He tried to make sure Dazai was eating and sleeping, but it was hard when he had a job to focus on. Speaking of jobs, Ranpo had told Chuuya that Dazai wasn't showing up to work very often. It wasn't a big deal, Poe and Ranpo could certainly handle the shop on their own. It was just alarming, considering Dazai loved working there. Chuuya had also noticed that he was changing his bandages more recently but figured it was just a stress thing. What else could it be? The thought that Dazai was hiding something didn't even cross his mind once.

That night, Chuuya left work and immediately went to the store to pick up a few things so he could make Dazai dinner. He hadn't texted the brunette like he normally did, he just didn't think it was necessary. On the same nights every week, Chuuya would come over. He was a bit early but thought Dazai wouldn't mind.

The moment he walked into the apartment, he knew something was off. Dazai wasn't sitting on the couch waiting for Chuuya like he normally did on these nights. He set the bags of groceries on the table before going to look for his boyfriend. The first place he checked was his bedroom. There were bandages strewn all over the floor. "Samu, you should clean this u-" Before Chuuya could finish his sentence, he looked up and locked eyes with Dazai, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Dazai had a blade up to his wrist, blood dripping to the floor from his arm. The ginger's eyes widened. "What are you doing..?! No!" He snatched the blade from the brunette, tossing it to the bedside table. Dazai was silent, looking off to the side with an ashamed expression on his face.

"I... didn't know you were going to be here so early..."

Now that Chuuya got a better look at his lover's arms, he was in a panic. They were practically completely covered in cuts, new and old. Chuuya's stomach dropped. He had been doing this for a while. And Chuuya never noticed.

He felt like a terrible person and an even worse boyfriend. Dazai was so off because he was hurting himself. He wasn't eating or sleeping. He was cutting. He was trying to cause himself pain.

"I...I... I'm sorry..." Dazai's voice was quiet. Chuuya said nothing as he gently pushed Dazai down so he was sitting on the bed. The ginger grabbed a roll of bandages from the bathroom before returning. He held his hand out, and Dazai grabbed it. Chuuya used his other hand to wrap the bandages around the brunette's arm.

"Don't apologize to me. You didn't do anything to me," Chuuya's voice was surprisingly soft as he carefully but tightly pulled the bandages around his arms. He lightly kissed down both of his forearms before letting go. "Please don't do this... I'm here for you. Next time you feel the urge to cut or skip meals or not sleep, call me. I will help you through this."

All Dazai offered in response was a nod. He rested his head against Chuuya's chest and let out a shaky breath. Chuuya kissed his forehead and ran his fingers through his hair. Dazai moved his face into the crook of the ginger's neck. A soft sigh escaped the brunette as he made himself comfortable against his smaller boyfriend.

"I'm sorry..." Dazai's voice was quiet against the skin of Chuuya's neck. He sounded like he was holding back tears.

"I already told you that you don't need to apologize."

Dazai was silent now.

"Will you try to eat something for me?"

A nod for an answer.

"Alright. I need to get up then."

A head shake this time.

"Do you want to come with me?"

A nod.

"Okay, come on."

It was a bit of a difficult process, but the two made it to the kitchen. Dazai clung to Chuuya the entire time, so it was slow, but Chuuya didn't mind.

Dazai had his arms around Chuuya's waist as the shorter male cooked, throwing together a simple meal of ramen with eggs, crab, and a few vegetables. It was easy and comforting food, he figured Dazai would like it.

The brunette ate slowly but managed to finish an entire large bowl with Chuuya's encouragement and praise. After finishing, the two curled up on the couch to watch a movie. Dazai fell asleep pretty quickly, his head resting against the other's chest and his arms still wrapped tightly around Chuuya's waist like the ginger would disappear if he let go. Chuuya just let him, brushing his fingers through Dazai's hair as he fell asleep too.