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Chuuya rolls his eyes at the lit phone screen. Of course he can always count on that stupid Mackerel to interrupt him during work. As expected, that annoying voice travels from the other end to Chuuya's end.
"Hey, little hat rack."
"What do you want? I'm on a mission," Chuuya forces himself not to growl, his voice a harsh whisper instead.
"Nothing much." Chuuya can literally imagine the brunette smirking smugly on the other end. "Just wanted to call you up, 'cause you know, I'm always bored."
"Call back later, shitty Dazai," Chuuya replies. "Can't you hear what I said? I'm on a goddamned mission!"
"Aw, but I just wanted to hear little hat rack's-" Here, Dazai's breath rasps audibly. "-voice."
"Kunikida's not going to be too pleased when you're calling during work."
"But Chuuya's voice is worth it~" Dazai drawls.
"You can wait until we get home." Chuuya's eyebrows wrinkle, as his sharp blues dart around in alarm.
"I can't~" Something strange is in Dazai's voice this time, like a strain from fatigue that makes the cheerfulness sound way too forced. Chuuya waves it off as his own imagination; since when did the brunette get tired from work?
"Even if you do have the time, I don't," Chuuya mumbles into his phone. "I'm gonna hang up."
"But what if I told you that I'm bleeding heavily? Are you going to hang up?" Dazai then hurriedly adds, "Not that I'm actually bleeding, of course."
Chuuya scoffs once. "I'm just going to let you fulfill your death wish, then."
"Not even a good-bye?" Dazai's voice breaks again, and this time, Chuuya finds it harder to ignore. "How cruel, little hat rack~"
"Okay, fine, maybe a goodbye." said redhead sighs. "But I've really got to go now, bye."
Just as Chuuya reaches for the red 'hang up' button again, Dazai interrupts. "Wait!"
"Don't go yet, Chuuya..." his voice is actually raspy and breathy now, even trembling a little. A shiver runs down Chuuya's spine for some reason, and he can't quite explain it. "I need to hear your voice...~"
"Oi...you sound weird today..." Chuuya whispers, an unknown fear catching up to him now, creeping up to his mind unknowningly. "Something's wrong..."
Dazai chuckles, except it comes out as a weird raspy sound that Chuuya barely recognises. "No, nothing's wrong, little hat rack~"
Chuuya's been partners with Dazai Osamu for too long to know that whenever he says that, something's definitely wrong.
"Nakahara-san, who are you talking to?" Akutagawa inquires from behind.
"None of your business," Chuuya snaps, although a little harsher than intended.
"Please...Chuuya, just let me hear your voice..." Chuuya doesn't want to think about what's happening to Dazai now. Or, more likely, he doesn't want to admit it to himself. Of course he knows what's going on.
"You know, right...?" Dazai mumbles. "Of course you'd know what's happening to me. You're my smart...little hat rack, after all."
"Dazai," Chuuya says softly, unsure of what else to do. He doesn't want to face it, he really doesn't. "Please don't tell me what I think is happening is actually happening.
"At least I got to hear your voice...before my time...is up..." Dazai chokes, barely audible now. Chuuya feels strangely hollow, like a dead, empty tree trunk devoid of feelings.
"Hushabye, don't...you cry," said brunette starts humming a song. A lullaby, actually. Chuuya snorts to himself; what a joke.
Hushabye, don't you cry.
And yet, Chuuya's throat grows tighter by the second. As each second crawls past, the dread in Chuuya grows.
Hushabye, don't you cry.
His vision blurs, hot liquid flooding at the rims of his eyes. Why is this happening?!
Hushabye, don't you cry.
Chuuya fights back at the tears. He really does: blinking then back furiously as he focuses on Dazai's voice. It's a rough melody, but one that he can't seem to get enough of now. Focus, dammit.
Hushabye, don't you cry.
Silently, he curses at Dazai for doing this to him. For leaving him alone again. What is it with Dazai and his flings with people? Despite his tears, Chuuya scoffs. That Dazai never learns to change, after all he's been through.
Hushabye, don't you cry.
Chuuya calms himself down by following the melody, and it works for a while. The raging sea of emotions temporarily calm to rolling waves, and Chuuya risks a shaky breath.
"Good...bye...my little...hat rack."
Chuuya vaguely remembers hearing someone scream a name out loud, like a distant memory from a long time ago. He knows that it exists, but he doesn't remember exactly how it happened. And then it strikes him.
Oh wait.
His throat hurts.
He's the one doing the screaming.
A cold hand on his mouth shuts him up, and it does the trick for a bit, but Chuuya's hands seem to move on their own, and peels them away, and continues to scream.
Screaming for a loss that he could have easily prevented, if only he had been there with him.
Is the entire world really against him after all?