"Reflections of a Distorted Reality" | BSD | FYOYAZAI♧Fanfiction

Chapter 6: Fever Dreams

Dazai lay unconscious on the bed, his body trembling with fever. His skin was slick with sweat, and his breathing shallow, the harsh effects of the cold still gripping him. The room was warmer now, the fireplace crackling in the corner, casting a soft, flickering glow over the three of them. Chuuya sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes locked on Dazai's pale face, brows furrowed in frustration and confusion.

Fyodor stood by the window, his gaze distant but calculating, always watching, always thinking. He could sense Chuuya's unease, the anger bubbling just beneath the surface.

"He tried to leave," Chuuya finally said, his voice tight, fists clenched at his sides. "Why? Why would he try to get away from us? From me?" His confusion was laced with bitterness, a sting that cut deep into his heart. The illusion told him that they were supposed to be together, that Dazai was a part of this, just like he and Fyodor. But Dazai had run, had risked his life to escape them.

Fyodor turned to face him, his expression calm, unreadable. "Dazai is... difficult," he said softly, his voice like velvet. "He's not like us, Chuuya. His ability nullifies things-even the power of the Book." He moved closer, his hand gently resting on Chuuya's shoulder, grounding him. "The memories we've been given, the reality we share-it takes time for him to fully accept it."

Chuuya shook his head, his frustration bubbling over. "I don't understand. We're supposed to be together. He knows that, doesn't he?" His voice was edged with desperation now, his hands trembling. "Why would he fight it?"

Fyodor's gaze softened, but it was the kind of softness that masked deeper intentions. He leaned in, his hand sliding to the back of Chuuya's neck, pulling him closer. "Dazai is stubborn. But he is also essential. He's the key that holds us all together, the one who completes our bond. Without him, this... connection wouldn't be complete."

Chuuya's breath hitched, his emotions a storm of confusion, anger, and something deeper he couldn't quite place. "So, what do we do? How do we make him stay?"

"We help him remember," Fyodor whispered, his voice like a serpent's lullaby. "He's lost, confused. He doesn't realize yet that this-" he gestured to the room, to the space they shared, to the warmth that enveloped them "-is where he belongs."

Chuuya's eyes flickered with uncertainty, but Fyodor's words were like a balm, soothing the raw edges of his frustration. "You and I," Fyodor continued, his fingers gently brushing through Chuuya's hair, "we are his foundation. We are the ones he'll come back to, the ones he needs."

Chuuya glanced back at Dazai, his expression torn. "But what if he tries again? What if he keeps fighting?"

"He won't," Fyodor reassured him, a quiet certainty in his voice. "We'll make sure of that. Once he understands, once he remembers who we are to him, there won't be a need for him to run anymore."

Chuuya's shoulders relaxed slightly, the tension in his body easing as Fyodor's words settled into his mind. "But he's so... cold, so distant," he muttered, his eyes fixed on Dazai's feverish face. "It's like he doesn't care about anything."

"That's just how he appears," Fyodor said softly, his fingers trailing down Chuuya's arm in a soothing gesture. "Dazai's mind is complex, layered with defenses. But deep down, he craves connection, craves... us. We just have to break through those layers. And we will."

Chuuya exhaled slowly, his frustration ebbing away as Fyodor's calm certainty washed over him. "So, we keep trying. We help him 'remember,'" he echoed, though the word felt foreign on his tongue.

"Yes," Fyodor murmured, his eyes darkening with resolve. "Dazai needs us, even if he doesn't realize it yet. We are his pillars. Without us, he's incomplete. And without him... we're incomplete, too."

Chuuya stared at Dazai's unconscious form, his chest tightening with conflicting emotions. Despite everything-the confusion, the anger-he felt a pull toward Dazai, a need to bring him back to their shared reality.

"We'll make him see," Chuuya muttered, his voice low but firm now. "We'll make him remember."

Fyodor smiled, his hand tightening slightly on Chuuya's shoulder. "Exactly. He can't run from us forever. We are his home now. And he'll realize that soon enough."

As they watched Dazai lying on the bed, his fevered body trembling beneath the blankets, they knew that their work wasn't done. Dazai still had a long way to fall. But in the end, he would fall-to them.

They were his foundation, his pillars. And soon, he would understand that their bond could never be broken.