(Y/n) tapped her foot against the ground, her boot clicking against the hospital room's bland tiles. It was the only sound that didn't drive her insane – compared to the beeping of the various monitors attached to Dazai's unconscious self.
She hadn't even changed when the ambulance arrived, barely putting on socks when the paramedics came inside to check on him. They took him on the stretcher, declaring they needed to get him to the hospital immediately.
Kunikida offered to drive her there after them, which she gladly accepted (though it was hard to understand her as her throat was dry from crying). He agreed to take her there as soon as she changed, claiming that nothing would happen in the two minutes it would take for her to put on something other than her pajamas.
She changed into a light blue turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans, paired with black boots (they were the quickest to slip on since she only needed to zip them up). She grabbed her coat and wordlessly followed Kunikida to his car.
Atsushi and Kyoka soon arrived. They stayed with Junichiro as they dealt with the teens and the police. It was a mess at the no-longer-safe house. It was better that (Y/n) left to be with Dazai rather than stay and watch everything else fall apart.
Throughout the entire drive to the hospital, (Y/n) stared out the window. She could hear Kunikida speaking, she just couldn't listen. Her mind ran through the fight that just occurred, playing everything in reverse. She thought about her interaction with Ryuji.
Was this a sign that she just couldn't protect her loved ones anymore? Maybe it was time to finally quit the Agency and follow a less chaotic lifestyle.
(Y/n) pressed her forehead against Dazai's knuckles, her hand caressing his now-chilly skin as she slept. Hours passed since he was admitted. The sun had risen long ago and it was now late afternoon. A shiver went through her body, forcing her to wake up as the cold room began to get to her.
Just as she woke up, she felt something somewhat heavy be draped over her shoulders. She looked up to watch as Kunikida took a step back. She grabbed the edge of her coat, which he apparently placed on her, and tucked her arms into the sleeves.
"Thanks," she mumbled, rubbing her arms before returning to holding Dazai's hand.
"You're welcome." Kunikida looked around for a moment, eventually taking the seat next to her. "What have the doctors told you about his condition so far?"
"He's currently in a coma. While they're able to wake him, his body would shut down the second he regained consciousness through medication," she answered, her voice cracking slightly as she finished the statement. She stopped, taking a slow breath before she continued, "They're running tox screens now to find out what those teens Aimi sent injected into him. They said his best bet is to wake up on his own as that would be a good sign that the toxins have run their course through him."
"Alright." Kunikida nodded. He was about to dispute whether those teens were actually sent by Aimi. He stopped himself before he could. It wasn't just about who else would've sent them and had the resources to poison Dazai in such a way, but rather (Y/n)'s reaction to a dispute of such an obvious statement.
(Y/n) sniffled, looking up at Dazai's sleeping face. She wanted to reach out and caress his cheek, his soft skin against her own. She couldn't bring herself to do it, knowing that it would only cause her to long for him to tell her that it would be alright more than she already did. She wanted nothing more than to hear him speak to her one more time. Now she wasn't even sure if he'd ever open his eyes again.
She let go of Dazai's hand and stood up, telling Kunikida as she stepped towards the door, "Excuse me for a moment. I have to go make a phone call." As soon as she told him what she was doing, she clapped a hand over her mouth to stop her from letting out any other unwanted noises.
(Y/n) stepped out of the hospital room and went further down the hall. She rounded a corner, spotting a small bench nearby. She pulled her phone out of her coat pocket as she sat down.
She scrolled through her contacts, pretending as if she had anyone else she could call. These were the moments that made her miss having more than just the Agency and Hinami. She thought back to when Dazai briefly mentioned her parents during their wedding planning. God how she wanted to have just one more moment with them – with someone who wasn't already completely entangled and impacted by the crap that seemed to just follow her everywhere.
(Y/n) tapped Hinami's number, pressing the phone to her ear as she listened to it ring. It rung twice before Hinami answered, immediately greeting her with, "(Y/n)?! Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. We're at Yokohama Central now—"
"You're at the hospital?!" Hinami repeated, her voice shrill and clearly distressed by that simple statement.
"Yeah..." (Y/n) sniffled, using the back of her sleeve to wipe the tears forming in her eyes. "The safe house was compromised and we were attacked."
"Are you okay? How did they even find you?"
"Kunikida thinks that Aimi's little gang might have spotted a member of the Agency and tailed them back to the safe house at some point," (Y/n) explained. "It was a disaster."
"What happened? None of that explains why you're at the hospital."
"When the teens broke in, they injected Dazai with some kind of poison." (Y/n) stopped herself again, taking a breath before continuing. "I fought them off but I took so long that when I went to check on Osamu, he didn't have a pulse nor was he breathing."
Hinami was silent on her end for a moment, eventually whispering "Oh my god" into the phone. "So Dazai is the one in the hospital. What did his doctors say? What's going on now?"
(Y/n) explained to her what the doctors told her, pausing every so often to catch her breath and stop herself from sobbing once again. She'd been crying so much that she wasn't sure she had any tears left, yet she found herself wiping her eyes with her sleeve every so often.
"I'm so sorry this happened, (Y/n)." It felt like Hinami was giving (Y/n) a hug. Her gentle tone was all (Y/n) needed to break down once again. "Oh, it's going to be okay!"
"It doesn't feel like it right now, Hinami," (Y/n) cried, struggling to keep her voice down as she threatened to draw attention to herself right in the hospital's hallway. "If I'd gotten up faster or dealt with those kids any faster then—"
"There's nothing more you could've done than what you already did," Hinami reassured her. "They got the drop on you – that's just how it played out. That doesn't make it better, but it certainly doesn't make it your fault."
"All of this is my fault, Hinami," (Y/n) said, her voice small.
There was a brief pause on Hinami's side. After what felt like forever dipped in silence, Hinami stated, "I'm coming back to Yokohama."
Panic instantly filled (Y/n). "What?! No, you can't! What if—"
"I don't care if something happens to me while I'm there. You're in pain and you're my friend," Hinami continued, her voice stern. When she was like this, there was no changing her mind – especially since (Y/n) experienced a lot of this stubbornness in the past.
"You don't have to—"
"Yes, I do." Hinami cut her off. "I'll see you in a couple hours." With that, Hinami hung up the phone.
Kunikida watched as (Y/n) let her arm fall to her lap, the glow of her phone darkening once her hand hit her thigh. She stared down at the ground, her face glistening ever so slightly in the dim lighting.
He rounded the corner, walking over to her. She didn't even bother to look up once he stopped beside her. He knew that she knew who was standing beside her without looking up, especially since her tense shoulders relaxed as he stopped.
"Was that Hinami?" Kunikida questioned.
(Y/n) nodded, sucking in a breath through her nose before looking up. She didn't look to him, simply staring at the wall ahead of her.
"She's coming back to Yokohama now. I told her not to come but she insisted."
"It's not recommended she come back at this moment, but I can see why." He slowly placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's a good friend."
"She is. A kinda stupid one, but a good one." Even in this dark moment, she was able to let out a chuckle. Not even a forced one – a real chuckle.
Kunikida eyed her features, looking down to the shoulder his hand was placed upon. He knew he should've let go, yet he couldn't bring himself to do so.
"(Y/n)," he began, causing her to look up at him. Her eyes were glazed over and puffy from crying. "There's something I need to talk to you about. I know right now might not be a great time to do so."
"What is it?" she questioned.
Kunikida opened his mouth to speak. He knew that emotions were running high, his own adrenaline was still pumping from the night before. His heart raced as he stared into her eyes. This was not a good idea.
He was interrupted as another pair of footsteps hastily approached them.
"Miss (L/n)." (Y/n) looked past Kunikida, shooting up as she spotted Dazai's doctor approaching them. "Mr. Dazai has regained consciousness."