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Dazai would like to think of himself as being calm under pressure. Normally he is, often strategizing under a hail of bullets. But the last week and a half has been stressful, to say the least. Chuuya is unconscious in his lap after using Corruption for the third time in ten days. This wouldn't be so concerning except when Dazai touched him to nullify his ability, heat raged across the body in front of him. And now Chuuya isn't stirring even when Dazai pinches him.
He gets out his phone and dials. "This is Dazai. Requesting medical aid. We can't make it to the extraction point."
The voice on the other end asks some questions and Dazai ends up snapping, "Just hurry!" and ending the call.
Dazai is forced to sit and stare at Chuuya's unmoving body until he hears the sounds of approaching help.
They do a quick exam of Chuuya and set him up with an IV, all the while asking Dazai questions, only some of which he can answer.
They load Chuuya's stretcher and Dazai follows quickly behind. He tries to stay out of their way as they work, staring numbly. The phone in his pocket starts vibrating. Out of habit, he takes it out and answers it. "Hello?" His voice doesn't sound like his own and he's vaguely aware he might be dissociating.
"Dazai, report." It's Mori. He's more serious than normal, getting right to business. He must've found out about the phone call.
"We completed the mission but Chuuya had to use Corruption again. He's usually awake for a few seconds after I use No Longer Human but he lost consciousness the second I touched him."
"What do you think?"
Dazai looks up, away from Chuuya, trying to clear his head. "He has a fever. It could be from Corruption or overwork or he just caught something."
"Okay. Tell them I'll meet you at the hospital."
"Yes, sir."
The line disconnects.
They arrive not much later. As Dazai is following the staff taking Chuuya, someone grabs his arm. He continues walking.
"Sir, we need to check your injuries too." A woman insists.
"I'm not injured." The burning of his broken ribs and ache in his head begs to differ.
"Even so, it's protocol, and Mori-sensei has specifically said –"
"Mori's meeting us so he can do it himself."
The woman sputters but there are more important things at hand so she doesn't argue.
After what feels like an eternity, they reach an empty room with Mori waiting inside. He's wearing a lab coat instead of his usual black one and his hair is tied back.
Dazai waits in the corner as they situate Chuuya on the bed. They rattle off vitals and Dazai knows they don't sound great.
"Thank you, everyone. You may go. This room will be authorized personnel only." Mori sounds calm, professional.
The group of people are gone, the door closed behind them. Mori beckons Dazai forward. Dazai rushes to stand beside Chuuya's bed.
"I want to wake him up briefly to ask some questions and properly examine him."
Dazai nods, too scared to speak.
"I'll need your help. Keep him calm but awake. Ask him questions since he's more likely to answer you."
Dazai nods again and takes hold of Chuuya's limp hand.
"Get the bed upright, if you will."
While Mori looks around for something, Dazai pushes a button on the side of the bed to raise the head of it so Chuuya is almost sitting up.
Mori comes back, holding a small tube. "Smelling salts," he answers Dazai's unasked question. He holds them under Chuuya's nose until he starts waking. His brows furrow and he squeezes his eyes shut. He lets out a quiet hum of pain. "Chuuya?" Mori asks.
Dazai drags his hand up and down Chuuya's exposed arm. The EMTs had taken his clothes and put him in a hospital gown on the way. "Chuuya, can you open your eyes?"
Chuuya frowns but opens his eyes nonetheless, squinting into the light of the room. He looks toward Dazai first then Mori. "I –" he starts but his eyes widen and he starts coughing into the hand Dazai isn't holding. When it passes, he leans back, letting his hand drop.
"Mori," Dazai says, voice like ice.
Mori follows Dazai's gaze downward. There's blood on Chuuya's hand. "I'm going to do a quick exam and then you can go back to sleep," Mori says, calm as ever.
Chuuya nods, breathing uneven and eyelids drooping.
Mori gets out his penlight and tells Chuuya to open his mouth. From where Dazai is standing, he can see. He doesn't really know what Mori is looking for but even he can tell it's not good. The back of his throat is covered in blood. Mori leans back and puts the light away. "I don't want you to try to talk anymore. It'll only make things worse."
Chuuya nods once. It doesn't look like he'll last much longer.
"I want to get a sample just to check." Mori goes to the cabinets to look.
"Have you been feeling sick?" Dazai asks.
Chuuya nods.
"How many days?"
Chuuya holds up two fingers. So a couple days after the last time he used Corruption.
"What hurts?"
Chuuya lifts his hand slowly and points to his throat then his head.
"Nausea?"
He wavers his hand in the air. A little nauseous then.
Mori stands beside the bed, now wearing gloves and holding a long q-tip. "Ready?"
Chuuya nods.
"I'll be as quick as possible so try not to cough if you can."
Chuuya nods and opens his mouth again. He shuts his eyes when it touches the back of his throat, trying not to wince. The second Mori pulls back, Chuuya leans forward to cough into his hand again.
"I'll be right back." Mori pats Dazai on the shoulder before heading out the door, presumably to ask someone to process the sample.
Dazai pulls Chuuya into his chest. Chuuya lets out a gasp at the sudden movement but relaxes into it, burying his face in Dazai's shirt, no longer pristine white but spattered with dirt and blood. "Don't ever do that again."
Chuuya nods against his chest.
They stay like that until there's a knock on the door and they pull away. "Just a few more questions, Chuuya," Mori says with a smile, stepping up to the bed. "How's your pain? On a scale of one to ten?"
Chuuya holds up three fingers.
Mori looks slightly disappointed. "Now, Chuuya," he sighs. "I want to forget for a second that I'm the head of the Port Mafia. I need to know how bad it is."
Chuuya reluctantly holds up eight fingers.
"Okay. Thank you."
Dazai squeezes his hand, trying not to let his worry show.
"Do you want any morphine?"
Chuuya shakes his head. He always sleeps after Corruption so neither is surprised at his answer especially when he looks ready to pass out at any second.
"Let a nurse know if you change your mind when you wake up tomorrow. And I'll get someone to find a whiteboard for you to use. I don't want you talking for a week but we can reevaluate in a few days."
Chuuya nods once.
Mori looks to Dazai. "Was he injured anywhere?"
With Chuuya's Corrupted state, there have been many times where Dazai has to report injuries since Chuuya was unaware of obtaining them. "No injuries."
"Okay. I'll let you sleep and I'll do a more thorough exam tomorrow."
Chuuya inclines his head, the closest approximation of a thank you he can manage right now.
Mori pats Chuuya on the shoulder gently. Turning to Dazai, he says, "Come with me?"
Dazai looks down at Chuuya whose eyes are already closed. He squeezes Chuuya's hand once more and feels him squeeze back lightly before going limp again. Dazai stands and pushes the button to make the bed go back down. He straightens up and faces Mori. "I think I'd rather stay here if that's alright."
If Mori were less professional, he'd probably roll his eyes. As it is, he smirks. "That's fine. Let me tend to some business and then we can talk."
"Yes, sir."
As soon as the door shuts behind Mori, Dazai is overwhelmed with nausea, his stomach rolling and bile rising in his throat. He rushes to Chuuya's bathroom and drops in front of the toilet and starts throwing up. With Chuuya finally back asleep and immediate danger out of the way, everything hits Dazai at once. He's sure he has a concussion with the way his head is spinning and pounding. The pain in his ribs reaches a crescendo as he leans over the toilet to vomit again, drawing tears from his eyes.
When his stomach finally settles, he lays his head on his arm which rests on the rim of the toilet. He just needs to close his eyes for a few minutes.
He must fall asleep because Mori's voice makes him open his eyes.
Dazai groans but pushes himself into a sitting position.
"Are you alright?" Mori asks. Well, both Moris ask since Dazai is currently seeing two.
"Uhm. Concussion," he mutters.
Mori shakes his head. "You and Chuuya." He holds out a hand. Dazai takes it and lets Mori help him up, leaning on him when the world tilts. Mori guides him toward the other bed in Chuuya's room. Dazai sits on the edge, putting his head in his hands.
"I'm admitting you," Mori says above him.
"Huh?" Dazai keeps his head down, too worried to try to move.
There's a beep as Mori pushes a button on the side of the bed that is now Dazai's. "Yes?" a voice responds.
"Let's start the process for admitting Dazai as well. He most likely has a concussion so I'd like to get him a CT."
"And broken ribs," Dazai adds reluctantly.
"And an x-ray for possible broken ribs." He sounds almost irritated.
There's a click and then a voice says, "Yes, sir."
"I'm going to fill out your paperwork. You know the drill." He squeezes Dazai's shoulder, a little too hard to be comforting, before heading out.
He sighs, settling back in the bed, an arm over his eyes. He definitely does not want to be admitted but at least this way he can stay with Chuuya.
Mori comes back in after a few minutes. "Change into this," he says.
Dazai takes the hospital gown from Mori. He hates wearing them but he'll do it. Maybe he can get Akutagawa to bring some clothes for him. He sits up, taking off his coat.
"Do you want drugs before the scan, after, or not at all?" Mori is quite used to Dazai's strange relationship with pain medication. Sometimes, he feels the need to be alert so he refuses and other times, he wants the release they offer.
With the collective stress of the last ten days, he opts for unconsciousness. "Now, please."
"Okay. I'll let you change."
A few minutes later, Dazai is laying in bed wearing his hospital gown and bracelet and Mori is injecting a second syringe of morphine into his IV. It takes a lot to get him unconscious. After this first dose, he'll be on a drip until he's ready to come off.
Finally, his eyes start to close and he's asleep.
• • •
Dazai wakes up sometime later, with light filtering through the room. He assumes it's dawn. He feels significantly better. The tsunami of pain in his head has calmed down and he finds that he's hungry rather than nauseous. His ribs hurt most but he'd rather deal with that than the mental problems that come from a concussion which it seems he's avoided.
A tapping sound to his right makes him turn. "You're awake," Dazai says in surprise.
Chuuya nods. He's sitting up in bed. He looks tired but not more than he normally does after using Corruption. The TV is on at a low volume, some movie, and it seems like he was watching it. Chuuya points at the clock on the wall.
"Wait. In the morning or at night?"
Chuuya holds up two fingers. The second option.
"Shit." Dazai rubs his eyes. "When did you wake up?"
Chuuya picks up a whiteboard sitting on his lap and writes noon. He points to Dazai and then does a thumbs up, a questioning look on his face.
Dazai rolls his eyes. "Worrying about others more than yourself. How like you." Chuuya frowns. "I'm fine. I feel a lot better. Promise," he adds when Chuuya raises an eyebrow. "What about you? What did Mori say?"
A lot is what he writes on the clipboard.
"Are you gonna be okay..?"
Chuuya nods.
"How long until you can talk again?"
Chuuya holds up six fingers.
Dazai is suddenly all too aware of the distance between them. He stands up, grabbing his IV pole and walking toward Chuuya's bed. When Chuuya looks confused, he gestures for him to move back. Chuuya obediently scoots to the far end of his bed and Dazai gets under the covers with him. He winces when Chuuya lays his arm across him, over his broken ribs. Chuuya immediately starts to pull back. "No," Dazai says quickly. "Just..." He picks up Chuuya's hand and moves it so his arm is resting below the broken bones.
Dazai puts his arm around him and Chuuya snuggles against his side, burying his face in his neck. He can feel the smolder of fever, not as bad as before.
"I'm gonna talk to Mori," Dazai says, voice barely audible like he doesn't want Chuuya to hear.
Chuuya looks up, a frown on his face, and shakes his head.
"That many difficult missions in that amount of time would be a lot of anyone," he says firmly. "And you have an ability that drains you."
Chuuya pulls out the whiteboard from where it had been resting between their legs. No one else could've done those missions.
"Oh please," Dazai scoffs. "Has he brainwashed you that much?"
Chuuya's expression changes to one of disappointment. He admires Mori as a leader. He knows he has issues but as far as he's concerned, Mori has been good to him.
And Dazai could almost agree. Especially after last night with how much attention he paid to both of their injuries. But Dazai is angry. Yes, Mori cares about them. Past the point of a leader caring for his pawns? Not really. Chuuya is just blind to it.
Maybe it's better that way. Dazai sighs, causing a stabbing pain in his chest that he promptly ignores. "Fine then. I won't say anything." Yet. But he'll be damned if Mori tries to pull something like this again and he just lets it happen.
Chuuya's expression softens and he lays his head back down.
"Is your pain better?" Dazai asks, mostly to shift the conversation.
Chuuya nods against him and lifts his hand so Dazai can see five fingers.
"Pain meds?"
Chuuya waves his hand backward over his shoulder.
"This morning?"
Chuuya nods. He writes on the board again. They stopped yours an hour ago since you were still asleep.
Dazai's stomach growls then, reminding him of that fact. He feels Chuuya's lips curl in a smile against his neck and knows he'd be laughing at him if he could. "You hungry?"
Chuuya tilts his head back so Dazai can see his grimace.
"Ah. They have you on that liquid diet?"
Chuuya nods.
"I'll eat if you do," Dazai says. He already has a strange relationship with food, often forgetting or avoiding meals so he usually doesn't eat hospital food at all since it's nasty and he’s never there for long. At least this way, they'll both have motivation.
Chuuya sighs but nods. He pushes the call button beside Dazai. There's no answer, probably because Chuuya is supposed to be resting his voice. Instead, a nurse appears at the door after a minute. "Ah, you're awake," she says upon seeing Dazai. She says nothing about him being in bed with Chuuya. Considering he's an executive, there isn't much she could say.
"Chuuya and I would like something to eat."
"Dinner should be up soon," she says. "I'll get Mori-sensei to visit since you're up."
Chuuya rubs Dazai's arm when he feels him tense.
She leaves and Chuuya turns his attention toward the movie, Dazai following suit. They continue watching when the food arrives, Dazai grateful for something to distract him from the rising nausea as he fills his stomach.
By the time Mori arrives, they've finished eating. He sits down on Dazai's bed while explaining the situation to him. Apparently Chuuya had gotten some kind of throat infection between using Corruption for the second and third time. It doesn't appear to have been caused by the ability but it was exasperated by it which was why there was so much blood. His throat is still raw. Dazai sees it when Mori checks. The back of his throat is basically an open wound. It might take as long as a week for it to heal completely but Dazai is just relieved to hear it's not permanent. Chuuya is currently on IV antibiotics to treat it but can leave when they're finished.
As far as Dazai is concerned, Mori says he's slept through the worst part of his injuries. He could leave but if he does, he won't be allowed any painkillers considering his propensity for downing the whole bottle all at once. Dazai opts for staying and keeping the IV, at least for one night knowing that sleep will evade him otherwise. Mori shows Dazai his scans and leaves them up as what Dazai can only assume is a reminder. He does a quick exam and Dazai can feel his hand shaking in Chuuya's the entire time.
When he leaves, Chuuya places a kiss on his cheek. A reward for behaving and being brave. And Dazai hates it. Not the kiss but the fact he needs it. He leans his cheek against the top of Chuuya's head, allowing himself a shaky exhale.
They stay like that for a few hours, laying with each other and watching movies. Dazai will occasionally say something to Chuuya but it's difficult to keep up a conversation with Chuuya only able to answer with hand gestures and sometimes the whiteboard. Dazai quickly finds that Chuuya prefers hand gestures since it's difficult for him to hold the marker in his grip.
A nurse comes in around 9:30 and asks if Dazai is ready for his morphine dose. The pain in his ribs has been building since he woke up, now almost as bad as before he fell asleep. He graciously accepts her offer.
"Since the beds are so small, we prefer that you sleep in your own so neither of you gets hurt in your sleep." She looks apologetic, probably worried she'll get in trouble or get yelled at.
Dazai would much rather be back at Chuuya's place, sharing his bed. Or even in this bed together but the nurse is right about them hurting each other. "It's fine." He clears his throat when his voice comes out rough.
"I'll be right back," she says with a smile.
Chuuya sits up when Dazai does. Chuuya squeezes his hand and points toward the empty bed. The two get up and walk to it. Dazai lays down while Chuuya sits in the chair beside him, reaching out to hold his hand. He rubs circles into the back of it, his expression soft and calming.
Dazai lifts a hand and runs his thumb under Chuuya's tired eyes. He brushes his hand against Chuuya's cheek, still flushed and warm with fever. "You're worse off than me and yet I'm the one being comforted," he muses.
Chuuya shakes his head.
Dazai knows exactly what he'd be saying if he could talk. Dazai's the one with PTSD from medical procedures and torture. He needs the comfort. Chuuya can handle himself. Not that he'd word it like that. "Yeah, yeah," he says, waving a dismissive hand and smirking.
Chuuya pinches his arm for it, looking annoyed.
The nurse returns then.
Dazai keeps his eyes on Chuuya while she gets set up. Chuuya rests a hand in his hair, stroking through it.
Dazai is barely aware when the second dose goes in, his eyes beginning to close on their own. His brain registers three taps against his hand and a kiss on his forehead.
"Love you too," is all he manages to say before the darkness takes him blissfully.