BSD ~ Waffles!! ~ Shin soukoku & Soukoku

18?. ~ Everything tastes like concrete blood.

"You're such a liar."

Atsushi sat at the edge of yet another hospital bed with the dark atmosphere outside making the room dimmer.

Everything was the same as before, yet it hurt more.

"Can you please just tell me what's going on?" Atsushi begged the doctor, yet they simply ignored him, leaving the room abruptly. Maybe It was because he'd been begging for an answer, a solution, or anything all day long. He was on the verge of tears, because this time felt even more sad and confused. A hole dwelling deep inside his chest, a swarm of questions and intense sadness, to an extent where he told himself he really needs to calm down.

The only thing that brought him out of his frantic thoughts was the sound of a door opening, it creaked and ached as it revealed a young lady in a nurse outfit.

"Hello, I assume you're Atsushi Nakajima?" The woman asked with a solemn look on her face, red lipstick that had worn off over the day and a clipboard in her hands.

"Yes?" The boy sat up straight, quickly wiping away any possible tears.

"Alright..." The woman muttered, switching through documents. By the way she pronounced her words, you could tell Japanese wasn't her first language. "So tomorrow we are transferring Ryunosuke Akutagawa to Yokohama hospital if he is in good enough condition."

"Good enough condition?" Atsushi said hopelessly, mouth hung wide open.

"Well yes.."

"Can you please just tell me what's going on?" Atsushi begged again, tears running down his delicate cheeks.

The nurse shifted slightly, pushing her blonde hair behind her ear. "Sorry but that's classified information, you'll have to get it from him."

"When will he wake up?" Atsushi looked over to the boy on the bed, hooked up to all kinds of cords and already in the intensive care unit.

The other looked off to the side, having a war with herself. "Well, we don't know if he will.."

That's when it hit him. Just three simple words, and he went dead silent.

"No...No he has to, right? He is going to wake up, right?" Atsushi muttered desperately, hoping it was just a minor difficulty in language, but based on the woman's sad expression with her lip tucked under her front teeth and shoulders tensed as she avoided eye contact, it made it fairly obvious.

Choking on his own tears, the boy sat, looking at the floor as droplets from the corners of his half shut eyelids fell onto the tiled floor. Even when the woman began speaking some motivating and comforting words, he simply just shut his ears, blocking out the noises and only leaving the distant sounds of rain through.

It hurt, his stomach churned with a massive amount of guilt and nausea. His feet shook and his hands trembled leaving him speechless. Eventually, the nurse took a hint and left. In his own frantic state though, he didn't even notice. He couldn't even focus on anything as his mind became clouded with the rain forming in his marble sunset eyes.

He thought for a moment that maybe he should tell Chuuya and Dazai, but he couldn't. He had no strength. His legs became like noodles and hands too weak to pick up anything. He really took in the thought of how you never know something will be your last, any moment you live in may be your last.

.

..

.

Dazai, dealing with his own stuff, had become even more worried as the days went on. Atsushi hadn't bothered to call or text, the same went for Ryunosuke, though that wasn't uncommon. But he wouldn't dare to tell Chuuya, who was getting a little better as the days went on. He even took a shower today and that was a huge step, though his state was desolate, Dazai had managed to make him giggle once as he brought up a memory of the two. It had something to do with Dazai's usual stupid antics and pranks he would play on Chuuya as a kid. Though now, when you really know Chuuya is getting better, is when he asks,

"Are you okay Osamu?"

Dazai stood wide eyed.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well...I've been kind of down and I'm sure you are too..Th-Thank you for taking care of me." He muttered, "I don't think I could deal with this without you."

Dazai smiled a bit, his heart warming. He took it upon himself to be a little sarcastic, something he hadn't done in days.

"I know you just can't do anything without me." He smirked devilishly. Chuuya just smiled warmly in response.

"This time I actually agree with you Mr. Mackerel."

"You haven't all these other times?" Dazai looked hurt for a moment,

"Obviously."

"Hmph." Dazai looked off to the side sassily,

"Oh come on, don't be a baby--" Chuuya's sentence was cut after he was pulled into a sudden, yet gentle and warm hug. It took him by surprise for a moment, but soon enough he leaned into the embrace with a soft smile.

"I love you Chuuya, I'm sure Elise will be back one day." The brunet muttered into the other's ear. The redhead's lips quivered but eventually turned back into his smile.

"I'm sure she will."

"Why don't we go on a small walk today?" Dazai said quietly as he hummed a soothing tune.

"Mhm.." Chuuya yawned, that yawn then becoming contagious.

.

..

.

Within weeks, winter came. It was now getting colder, and trees were now just sticks. It also began snowing just a little bit.

In the same bed Ryunosuke laid, making a little bit of progress but still out.

Atsushi visited everyday, paying for cheap hotels in the area just to stay out there for the time being.

Chuuya and Dazai had slowly gotten back to normal, everything was still off. Some days the poor redhead would sit by the window crying, refusing to eat or do anything for a day. But as time went on those days became less frequent. He laughed and smiled a bit more, he went out on walks almost everyday and would play board games with Dazai when it was too cold to go outside.

Atsushi took it upon himself to finally send Dazai a text saying Ryunosuke was in the hospital, but said he was doing good. Which may have been a lie, or maybe Atsushi said that for the sake of his own sanity. Dazai shot back a text hoping that everything goes well, though he was slightly worried, hospital visits happened occasionally throughout the time he'd known Ryunosuke.

Another week passed by and Ryunosuke's finger twitched, it may have just been a muscle spasm, yet it gave Atsushi a jolt of excitement and hope.

And the next week, his arm shifted slightly. At this time, the doctors became more hopeful. They even decided to make an official moving date for next week. In which Atsushi got his tickets and texted his dad that he was finally coming home as well as Dazai and Chuuya.

"Welcome back!!" Chuuya and Dazai waved from the bottom of the elevator as Atsushi ran down excitedly.

Without another question, he gave the two a long hug. A piece of it held some kind of sadness, like he'd really needed a hug.

"Is Akutagawa still in the hospital..?" Dazai asked quietly. Atsushi's smile became a frown as he nodded.

"B-But he's doing better! The..The doctors said he's probably going to wake up this week." Atsushi exclaimed, his excitement coming back within moments. "We should go visit him!" He added, in which the two agreed, missing him just as much. Looking at Atsushi's eyes, you could tell he was missing sleep, his half lidded eyes with bags underneath them and a stuttery voice as well as his cold and twitchy hands.

Though the two decided not to point it out, they suspected it was because of Ryunosuke. I mean, they aren't blind. They worried about the two, but went with the flow of Atsushi.

"Here he is." A nurse spoke, leaving the door open for the three as they all walked in. As soon as they all got in, the nurse was gone.

There Ryunosuke was, still with cords attached all over, but he was making progress. He was...He was getting better. Before Atsushi would know it, he would be out of the hospital again. And whatever is going on wouldn't last long..

I wouldn't, right? Ryunosuke was okay, wasn't he? He would be back as usual soon enough. Of course he would.