Summer's golden hues slowly crept into the leaves as autumn made its presence known. As the months progressed, Chuuya deteriorated faster and faster as he rapidly lost weight rendering him always fatigued and barely able to speak.
Dazai wrapped his scarf around his neck a bit tighter, protecting it from the wind's bite. He couldn't afford to get sick, not with Chuuya already so physically weak. The executive's insomnia had progressively gotten worse to the point Chuuya was unable to sleep at all. Dazai bit down on his lip in frustration. He had gone to Yosano for information about Chuuya's condition only to return with what he already knew. She told him the only thing he was able to do for Chuuya now was to keep his as comfortable as possible.
The brunet felt his frustration rise up as he reflected on his own helplessness. Regardless of what life had thrown at him, he always managed to find solutions with ease. However, Dazai found his hands tied behind his back, unable to do anything but watch as sleep deprivation slowly consumed Chuuya both physically and mentally.
Dazai opened the door to the apartment. "Chuuya, I'm home~"
False cheer echoed through the room, and Dazai cringed at the sound of his own voice.
Slowly blinking open his eyes, Chuuya greeted him from the living room.
"..wel..come b..back, Dazai."
The brunet walked over to Chuuya's side and sat down. Taking Chuuya's cold hand into his own, Dazai rested his head against Chuuya's, asking the same question he asked every day.
"How are you feeling?"
Chuuya shifted his head to meet Dazai's eyes. Exhaustion laced his normally sparkling sapphire eyes. The executive rested back against Dazai's shoulder before whispering out his response.
"Tired."
The detective could only bring an arm around the other's head, drawing him closer and silently comforting him the best that he could.
The two sat in silence as Dazai was preoccupied with his thoughts and Chuuya his own.
The first to break the quiet atmosphere surround them was Chuuya.
"D-azai?"
"Hm?" He hummed in response.
Soft hair tickled Dazai's cheek as Chuuay turned to face him.
"I.. I w-want to se-e the sun..set."
Toffee eyes widened at the request.
"Chuuya do you think you're up for it?"
Dazai couldn't help the concern laced in his voice even though he knew the other would notice. Chuuya's rapid weight loss accompanied by his inability to sleep had weakened him to such a degree Dazai worried a strong gust of wind would knock the petite executive over like a delicate paper doll.
Chuuya merely scoffed at Dazai's doubt. "Of cour-se I a-am. I w-wouldn't sug..gest it if I wasn't. Besides..." Chuuya gave Dazai a tired smile. "If i-it gets to b-be too much... you'll c-carry me won't you Da...zai?"
The brunet chuckled. "Of course Chuuya."
Dazai unwrapped himself from Chuuya's side and proceeded to grab their coats. He had originally reached for Chuuya's signature black coat but remembered the biting wind and grabbed a thicker coat of his own.
He threw the cloth in Chuuya's direction, ignoring the complaints about horrible fashion sense.
"My sense of fashion is much better than yours Chuuya," Dazai retorted as he approached the executive with a scarf in hand. The brunet wrapped the soft grey fabric around Chuuya's neck, once, twice, as sapphire eyes watched him without protest.
Confusion flickered across the redhead's face as he brought the scarf up to his nose.
"Dazai... this.. s-smells like you."
"That's because it is mine Chuuya."
The executive glared at him. "Why'd...you wrap m-me with yours..w-when I have m-my own."
"Your scarf wouldn't go well with the coat you're wearing," he responded without turning around. "Besides, mine's warmer anyway."
Dazai proceeded to wrap Chuuya's scarf around his own neck and opened the door to the apartment.
"Better hurry Chuuya, or we'll miss it."
***
The physical burden of walking in his weakened condition soon proved to be too much for Chuuya. Unable to ignore his strained breathing any longer, Dazai bent down and motioned for Chuuya to climb onto his back.
Blushing slightly, Chuuya obliged, too exhausted to protest.
"You know... I-I was on..ly jok-king right."
Dazai laughed at the statement. "Well Chuuya, you may have been, but I wasn't."
The brunet continued down the path leading to the beach as Chuuya buried his face into Dazai's back, resting his face comfortably between his shoulder blades.
The slowly changing colors of the sky from blue to a light pink alerted Dazai of the rapidly passing time. With each step he took, the burden in his heart only grew heavier and heavier in contrast to the weight on his back. Dazai had always complained about how heavy the petite executive was despite his short stature, but now, he could hardly tell he was carrying someone at all.
The salty smell of the ocean greeted them as they drew closer to the beach. Seagulls cried as they flew off into the horizon while the sound of the busy city rang behind them.
Dazai nudged Chuuya gently. "We're here."
Too worn out to respond verbally, the executive only nodded in acknowledgement. Dazai didn't need to hear what Chuuya wanted to say to understand what he meant.
The clouds glowed orange under the setting sun's rays as the sky shifted from a soft pink to a golden red. The scene took Dazai's breath away as he came to understand why Chuuya was so fond of watching the sun slip behind the horizon. He nudged the executive once more as the golden orb slowly began its descent.
Chuuya meekly lifted his head from Dazai's shoulder and watched the sun bid farewell to the city, its dying rays catching in his cerulean eyes.
The two watched the final glows slip behind the horizon with only the sounds of seagulls, the city, and the crashing of the waves to keep them company.
Dazai broke the silence as night fell upon them.
"Neh Chuuya..."
"Mm?"
"If you could wish for one thing, what would it be?"
Upon asking the question, Dazai had been expecting Chuuya to think for a moment or two before answering, but instead Chuuya responded almost immediately.
"D-do you re..mem..ber the ch-erry blos..soms we saw t-toget..her as chil-dren."
"I do. The place where Mori-san and Ane-san took us right?"
"Mm. I..I want to visit... there again."
Dazai let out a breathy laugh. "To think one of the Port Mafia's most fearsome executives wants to go flower watching."
Chuuya gently rammed his chin into the taller one's shoulder.
"Shut... up D-dazai. What w-would you... wish for."
A silent tear trickled down Dazai's cheek as he turned his face out of Chuuya's line of sight, preventing the other from catching it. Contemplating his answer a few moments longer, Dazai hummed.
"I'd wish for-"
***
Stars blinked in the night sky as Dazai carried Chuuya back to the apartment. Without the sun's warmth, the wind felt even colder than it had during the day.
After hearing Chuuya sneeze, Dazai stopped on the edge of the sidewalk. Slowly he let Chuuya down and threw his coat around the redhead's shoulders before picking him back up.
"Ane-san will skewer me with her katana if you get sick from all this," he explained as they continued towards the apartment.
Finding comfort in the brunet's warmth, Chuuya kept his forehead against Dazai's back without stirring.
It wasn't till Dazai abruptly stopped, Chuuya looked up.
"Look Chuuya..." Dazai shifted the weight on his back and stretched out one of his hands. "It's snowing in November. How odd is that."
The executive simply lowered his head back onto Dazai's shoulder blade, seemingly unimpressed by the unnaturally timed phenomenon.
"What ar...e you talk..ing about D..aza..i...it's always snow..ing."
Dazai felt his breath catch in his throat as the statement caught him off guard.
"Ah you're right Chuuya. It always is snowing."
The two had almost reached the apartment when the stillness of the night broke once more as a soft voice whispered into Dazai's ear.
"Than..k you"
Dazai clenched his jaw ever so slightly and didn't respond.
It felt too much like good bye.