The procedure itself is supposed to last three hours 'four at most.

Dazai spends 'most of it in the waiting room, hunched over, staring at his hands.

He 's never been a

religious

guy. Which is normal for Japan, but

shitty

in times like this. He knows Chuuya 's father raised him Catholic, but fuck if he knows any prayers to offer.

It feels more like...just 'ejecting his thoughts into a void, silently pleading with some higher power that he doesn 't

really

believe in, but there 's some obligation to

try

.

Because what else can he

do

, at this point?

He doesn 't know how long he sits there like that, just staring at his open palms, 'silently asking for something when he doesn 't even know who he 's talking to, when he feels someone sit down beside him.

'...I didn 't ask you to come. ' He murmurs, not looking up.

'I... ' Odasaku sighs, struggling for words, as usual. 'I know you didn 't, but... '