For ninjou.

[tenimuho]

[Tonight, Dazai is really drunk.

This is not different from most other nights in their favorite bar, save for a few things.

1. Ango isn't here.

2. Dazai is really drunk. The kind of drunk that has Odasaku concerned that he might be trying to die through liver failure. That drunk.

And so, it's with hesitation that he speaks up.]

Maybe you should stop drinking for tonight.

Comments

[ninjou]

[Grinning, and then stifling a yawn.]

I might sleep more. I just wore myself out... Wake me up when it's done?

[tenimuho]

I'll do that. I hope you get better sleep this time.

[Standing up, brushing Dazai's cheek lightly as he goes.]

[ninjou]

Okay.... okay.

[He curls back down into the pillows and pulls the sheets over his head.]

[tenimuho]

[And so Odasaku goes off to make soup, whistling as he does so.

It takes about an hour+ to make chicken soup from Actual Chicken but let's assume he's pulling out all the stops here. Odasaku returns an hour or so later with chicken soup, with vegetables and everything.]

Dazai, wake up.

[ninjou]

[Well, Dazai looks worse, but he's sweating everything out, and that explains the appearance of a man who needs a shower and soup and tea and rest. More rest. Days of rest. He's faintly aware of how gross he is, but Odasaku's voice makes him not care. It's an angel's tone...]

Hnmf?

[tenimuho]

I brought you chicken soup.

[He sets the bowl + spoon on the bedstand.]

You should have some. Keep hydrated.

[ninjou]

[Dazai kind of slithers up out of the covers and looks at Odasaku like nothing makes sense, then rubs at his eyes and turns his head away to cough. His hair is sticking to his forehead and he's sweated through all the bandages on his body. He's burning the hell up.]

's hot.

[tenimuho]

I'll take your temperature. [He has a thermometer around here somewhere.] You should probably change those bandages.

[Or just take them off, but he won't suggest that.]

[ninjou]

Mmkay...

[He looks at the bandages and... shyly turns away from Odasaku to take off his shirt. He doesn't want to titillate!]

[tenimuho]

[He won't! Odasaku will be good.]

Do you want help with that again?

[ninjou]

[A little laugh, and Dazai throws his sweat-damp shirt on the foot of the bed.]

No, they're disgusting right now. You won't want to touch them.

[tenimuho]

[That's fair.]

I could help put the new ones on.

[ninjou]

I...

[He'll burn up with new ones on.]

I don't want to wear them. Is that okay?

[tenimuho]

As long as you're comfortable with that, I'm fine with it.

[He's not going to make Dazai burn up just so he doesn't have to see a few scars. They're just scars.]

[ninjou]

[He'll turn a gentle, sleepy smile back to Odasaku.]

I don't mind. You'll see them soon anyway.

[tenimuho]

Looking forward to it.

[Where's that thermometer... He has to duck into the bathroom to fetch it, but then he's back.]

Open your mouth.

[ninjou]

[Lord. Nurse Oda to the rescue.]

Ahhhhn~

[He can be cute when he's sick, right? He'll do it as he takes off the arm bandages.]

[tenimuho]

[Thermometer under the tongue for about forty seconds, until it beeps.]

You still have a fever, but it's nothing you need to go to the hospital for.

[ninjou]

[Dazai doesn't have anything like that!!! No medicine either. He only has bandages to his name. Oddly enough, despite certain appearances of opulence, Dazai leads a sparing life in reasonable areas. All his money goes to games and clothes and going out. But nothing practical is possessed whatsoever.]

I'm not dying anymore... I had a weird dream, too.

[tenimuho]

[How do you live without at least owning a thermometer, Dazai.]

What did you dream about?

[ninjou]

[He never gets sick................... He just gets shot and stabbed.]

You said you loved me. Crazy, right?

[tenimuho]

[He thought this might happen. Good thing they didn't actually do anything intimate.]

I love you. All of that actually happened.

[ninjou]

[Dazai smiles and nods and reaches for the soup.]

Alright.

[Nope.]

[tenimuho]

You don't believe me.

[Dazai why.]

[ninjou]

You don't love me.

[Sip.]

I don't love me. And besides, when you get older, you'll probably think this was stupid. You're... seven? Eight? Years older than me. We have completely different paths in life.

And besides that... I'm pretty impossible to love. I'm kind of an asshole.