─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Dazai was curled up on his side, tucked beneath layers of blankets in his bed, a small, worn penguin plush pressed tightly to his chest. His breathing was slow—tired in the way that never really went away—and his legs twitched now and then beneath the weight of chronic aches.

Oda’s voice was soft, reading from a book that had been read a dozen times before. The words floated through the warm room like dust in sunlight. Yuri, their massive black service dog, lay curled at the foot of the bed, eyes half-lidded.

Dazai blinked slowly.

Then, quietly—

“I wanna go to the aquarium…”

His voice cracked halfway through, weak from exhaustion, but his eyes stayed fixed on the wall.

Oda paused mid-sentence, looking down. The book lowered in his hands. Dazai didn’t look at him—just kept holding the penguin tighter, like if he said it too loud, the wish would vanish.

“I wanna see the jellyfish,” Dazai added, softer. “They just float. Like they don’t hurt.”

For a moment, there was only silence. Ango stood by the doorway, arms crossed loosely, watching with a worried sort of stillness.

“You’d have to use the wheelchair,” Oda said finally.

“That’s okay,” Dazai whispered, eyes fluttering. “I just wanna go. Even if I get sick after.”

The book closed with a quiet snap.

Oda brushed a hand gently over his bandaged head, thumb trailing lightly along the wrap over Dazai’s left eye. “Then we’ll go.”

A faint smile curled at Dazai’s lips—brief, too brief. His eyes slipped shut.

Yuri let out a low huff, as if in agreement.

And the room settled into the hush of promise.