Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Whoever invented the counting sheep method was a liar.

Chuuya stared at the white plaster ceiling in a daze, watching the fan’s rotating blades as if it was his mortal enemy. He didn’t usually suffer from insomnia but everytime he closed his eyes he could hear himself laughing maniacally and the sting from the black holes forming around his fingertips.

He had activated Corruption in the mission earlier. While it was brief enough not to warrant himself a trip to the clinic, it also prevented him from immediately passing out for a good few days like it usually would, the impact Corruption did on his mind was still weighing down on him like a cold blanket.

He tossed in his bed, struggling to find a cool but comfortable area to worm into. If he was going to be awake the whole night, might as well make himself cozy. Just as he was about to close his eyes to continue his everlasting journey of counting sheep, a series of knocks came from the door.

Frowning to himself, Chuuya ignored it, snuggling under the blankets instead. Whoever it was, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with. Anyone other than Mori was worth a speck of dust to him right now, it was his resting time. And if it was Mori, he wouldn’t bother to knock. 

But that person was annoyingly determined and Chuuya groaned to himself when the knocks hadn’t stopped in the slightest but grew louder and more persistent each second. Irritated, he threw the covers off him to get out of the comfort of his bed, not caring that he was dressed in loose pajamas and fluffy slippers before throwing the door open to glare at the intruder.

A bandaged face came into view.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Dazai?” he hissed. 

Dazai’s eyes widened as he looked him up and down, an amused grin lighting up his face, causing Chuuya to feel slightly conscious of his current outfit choice but he stood his ground, his glare never wavering. Instead of answering, Dazai waved his hands which held two bottles of wine, not the atrociously expensive kind, but enough to drain an average person’s monthly salary, which kind of offered an answer in itself. 

“Saving you from insomnia of course,” Dazai added cheerfully when Chuuya didn’t bother to answer. How Dazai knew Chuuya had trouble falling asleep that night, he didn’t want to know. 

“I was sleeping perfectly fine until you interrupted,” Chuuya said, not wanting to admit it.

“Right, then Chuuya obviously wouldn’t want to know the other reason why I’m here,” Dazai taunted. 

Chuuya deliberated shutting the door in Dazai’s face and returning to the comfort of his bed, only so Dazai would stop taunting him. 

“Spit it out,” Chuuya ended up grumbling, snatching one of the bottles and ignoring Dazai’s triumphant grin at taking the bait. “You’re going to tell me anyway. Keep it quick, I want to get back to bed.”

“I’m bored and I heard they’re scrapping the arcade tomorrow, want to lose a few more rounds before you’ll never get the chance to again?”

“They’re what? And who’s losing to you, Mackerel!” he hissed. “Watch it, I’ll beat you so hard you won’t see it coming.”

“So is that a yes?” Dazai grinned.

Well, it certainly isn’t a no, as much as Chuuya was annoyed by the fact that Dazai had predicted his sleepless night, Chuuya was desperately in need of a distraction. “Fine, only because I’m in the mood to win,” he said. “But I’ve gotten better since the last time so no one’s losing to you tonight.”

“Someone has been secretly training without me,” Dazai cried, clutching his bottle of wine to his chest in a show of mock hurt. “I never knew you were this competitive, Chuuya.”

“I don’t secretly train,” Chuuya hissed. “I’m naturally good at it and I don’t have to cheat to win.”

“It was one time!”

“Liar!”

“Anyway, we better hurry along if you want to prove me wrong,” Dazai said and pointed to Chuuya’s chest. “And you might consider changing your clothes, while I certainly don’t mind seeing you in a Garfield shirt, it would be so embarrassing if someone were to see me beside that ugly thing.”

Chuuya contemplated throwing the bottle at him but decided against it at the last minute, he didn’t want to waste perfectly good wine, before storming back into his room, coming out five minutes later with his usual casual attire and hat.

Dazai pouted upon seeing the hat. “Can’t you leave that ugly thing behind today?”

“You think everything I wear is horrible,” Chuuya said, rolling his eyes. 

“I do not!” Dazai gasped.

“Then name one thing you do like,” Chuuya shot back.

Dazai opened his mouth, about to answer, before shutting it, a dangerous glint in his eyes that sent a strange spark down Chuuya’s spine. “Oh Chuuya, and people call me the manipulative one,” he purred and Chuuya couldn’t help but wonder what Dazai was about to say.

“Yeah?” he asked.

Dazai hummed. “If you must know, I like it when Chuuya finally acts like my dog!”

“You Mackerel,” Chuuya hissed. 

“Slug!”

Their banter continued all the way to the arcade. It was a run down shop that was once a glorious arcade run by the Port Mafia until a gang war broke out a few months ago which trashed almost the entire place, forcing them to shut it down since it was never Mori’s priority in the first place. It was mostly abandoned until they found a few machines that had miraculously survived and after a few tinkering here and there, it was in good shape to be used once again. 

Countless days and nights they had spent there after missions or when they were feeling particularly bored on their off days. Since rarely anyone passed by or bothered to rebuild the place, it ended up as their little secret spot, their place to run and escape from the Mafia, even for a little while.

A place to act like children again.

Chuuya never had a childhood, with his days in the lab then the Sheep. It was surprising to him that the first time he got to experience anything remotely close to a childhood was during his time in the Mafia. 

“Do you think we can get Mori to leave this place alone?” Chuuya asked, chest tight as he kicked a stray piece of rock aside. The thought of the arcade becoming another cold, white-walled building of whatever business Mori wanted to run, or even rebuilt as another completely foreign arcade made him miserable.

“Not sure, though this is a nice place to start another business, there are quite a few tourist spots and banks a few miles away,” Dazai said.

Chuuya’s face fell but he did his best to mask it. “Well then, like you said, we better make use of this place. Maybe we can at least bring back a few of those machines later.”

He shot a glance at Dazai to gauge his reaction though he seemed unaffected by the whole ordeal as he casually strolled to one of the machines. It was their favorite one so far— Streetfighter. Probably because it set their competitiveness on fire and when they were competitive, things usually got out of hand.

“Say, Chuuya, what bet should we make this time?” Dazai asked as he brought the machine to life, the music roaring, filling up the silence.

It was also tradition for them to make bets each time they played, with the bets ranging from small things such as drinking whatever horrible concoction the cafeterias whipped up that day, to pranking members of the mafia. The worst one yet was when Dazai bet him to dye Mori’s hair pink. Least to say, they both got grounded for a month.

“Let’s go with something small, I don’t feel like doing anything today,” Chuuya said, walking over to take his seat opposite from Dazai, fiddling with the sticks to make sure Dazai did not pour soda over them this time and was satisfied when the controls were moving smoothly.

“How about the classic, ‘loser has to do anything the winner says’?” Dazai proposed.

Chuuya frowned. “That isn’t anything small.”

“You don’t have to ask for anything big!” Dazai cried. “Or are you planning to go against your own words!”

“I’m just saying that because you will end up choosing something big!”

“You have too little faith in me.”

“You never gave me a reason to put faith in you!”

Dazai pouted. “But Chuuya trusts me.”

Chuuya groaned. There was no fighting against this guy.

“Do you have any better ideas then?” Dazai asked. “I’m all ears.”

Chuuya sighed. “Fine, we’ll go with yours. But don’t you dare think about any dog or maid ideas, I will not be doing any of those.”

“Spoilsport.”

“Hey!”

“Fine, fine!” Dazai cried, turning his attention back to the controls. “Now choose your character, hurry. The sun is going to rise if we keep this up.”

“Who’s the one distracting me with all the bets,” Chuuya grumbled but moved around the stick to select his usual character. While Dazai preferred to use different characters each time, Chuuya found comfort in repeating the same ones. When he was done, Dazai moved to hit start.

“Well then, the loser has to do whatever the winner says,” Dazai repeated, confirming the bet with a grin on his face.

Chuuya echoed his grin as the screen shifted to the battle scene. “You bet.”

_________

It was their fifth battle and Dazai had yet to lose.

He hadn’t cheated… well, not really. In all honesty, it was probably Chuuya’s own fault for his losses. While Chuuya’s bottle of wine was close to emptying, Dazai’s laid perfectly uncorked, keeping his brain and movements clear and efficient while the hat rack across from him occasionally stumbled in his maneuvers. 

It wasn’t his fault Chuuya kept drinking! The more he lost, the more swigs Chuuya took from the bottle and while it wasn’t enough to produce a drunk Chibi, it certainly made him tipsy enough to lose five fights in a row, especially since his opponent was Dazai.

“We don’t even have to keep going, you can’t possibly beat me by now,” Dazai said but Chuuya ignored him, getting up from his machine and stalking over to another side of the room where, instead of the usual arcade machines they played, there was a console and two controllers instead. When they had first salvaged the place, Chuuya had brought over his video game set alongside a huge TV since they spent most of their gaming hours here anyway. 

Chuuya switched on the console before plopping down onto the large couch across it, grabbing a controller to navigate through the pages of the screen. He casually tossed his hat to the side, letting it rest on the edge of the couch which meant that he was serious in getting down to business. Dazai watched all this unfold with incredible amusement.

The page stopped when it landed on a racing game, one they had played countless of times and Dazai almost chuckled at the irony of a slight-drunk Chuuya driving a car , virtual or not. 

“Get over here, Mackerel,” Chuuya hissed, tossing Dazai the other controller. “I’m not going anywhere until I beat your ass!” he cursed, eyes glued to the screen. He was so dedicated it was almost cute.

“Fine,” he sang, incredibly amused by Chuuyas’s stunt, as if switching to a video game would make much of a difference. “I don’t mind seeing you lose to me in a racing game, though do pay attention, I’d hate for you to keep repeating it again just to see me win!”

“I drive better than you, I am not losing!”

“As you said the past five times but here we are.”

Chuuya let out an unintelligible screech, and for one second Dazai thought Chuuya would throw his controller right at his face in his fit of anger but he persisted, allowing Dazai to keep his lovely face for another night.

Not wasting more time, Dazai hit the start button before Chuuya would begin another yelling match with him. Immediately, Chuuya’s attention zeroed onto the split screen as he maneuvered his car expertly, his brows furrowing though there was a small triumphant glint in his eyes, thinking he stood a chance now they had switched to something in Chuuya’s forte.

Fine, perhaps it was adorable. But Dazai wasn’t going to fixate on that, he had a car to drive and a bet to think of. 

It was such a shame Chuuya had banned any dog or maid bets, those were the most fun, especially when Dazai could order Chuuya around. He was about to suggest a nice massage though with how pissed off he was now, chances were he would get his neck wringed instead. 

Dazai began accelerating his car, all while maintaining a short distance behind Chuuya’s, one he could easily overtake if he wanted to but he wanted to give Chuuya the illusion of winning, even just for a little bit.

Perhaps he could dare Chuuya to ask Mori to spare them another break tomorrow. They have been going at it for hours and Chuuya would be needing sleep soon or he would collapse mid-work, and that would be a hassle for Dazai. Except that it probably wouldn’t be much of a challenge considering Mori was often more lenient in breaks after Chuuya had used Corruption, no matter the duration so Chuuya would be given enough time to recuperate. Mori was still a doctor after all. 

Dazai swerved at a corner, careful to calculate his distance and speed to ensure he wouldn’t crash onto the side before skillfully navigating his way back on his desired track. In split seconds, they had completed a round, Chuuya remained taking the lead.

Now that Dazai had gotten used to the rhythm and was able to exert perfect control of his car, Dazai allowed himself a second away from the race to steal a glance at Chuuya. His face was scrunched up in concentration, tongue slightly peeking out from his lips as he put in all his strength into the game. 

With Chuuya fully occupied, Dazai was allowed to stare unabashedly, considering Chuuya was so lost in the game he probably wouldn’t realize Dazai’s sudden shift in attention. Sitting so close to him, Dazai was offered a full view of the freckles that dotted Chuuya’s face, and with the amount of alcohol he had consumed mixed with the adrenaline from the game, there was a constant flush on his cheeks, bringing out the blue in his stormy eyes.

Dazai blinked, he never realized Chuuya’s eyes were this bright, they were often a darker, stormier color though the lights of the arcade seem to reflect off them now, making them seem lighter, bluer even. 

Though the look cost him as Chuuya slammed on the accelerator, speeding up. It was the last lap and they were mere inches apart as they hurtled around corners, Chuuya fighting to keep a distance from his car. Frowning, Dazai began pushing the limits of his speed, his mind calculating all angles as he exploited the smallest gaps to slingshot past Chuuya at the last second.

He won. Chuuya’s enraged shriek followed a second later. 

“You lost again, Chuuyai!” Dazai sang. “Why am I not surprised? Guess I’m a better driver now, hmm?” he teased, bumping his shoulder against Chuuya with a lazy grin.

“No, I was just distracted, let’s go one more round,” Chuuya grumbled, reaching for the controller but Dazai quickly pulled his hand away before he could start the game again. The sun was beginning to rise and Chuuya was probably tired enough at this point to fall straight to sleep once he got to bed. Regardless of how much they both wanted to continue, and no matter how fine Chuuya presented himself, Dazai was not going to risk Chuuya overexerting himself.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Chuuya,” Dazai said cheerfully. “This marks your sixth loss and unless you win the next seven races there is no way you can beat me.”

“Then let’s go for another seven rounds!” 

Dazai huffed, amused. “Well, I am tired and I’m pretty sure someone has heard us here by now if you keep screaming when you lose or slip up.”

Chuuya had the decency to flush, throwing the controller aside and grumbling under his breath. “Fine,” he agreed, much to Dazai’s surprise, he had been expecting to coax Chuuya into giving up for a little while longer. Though the slight droop in Chuuya’s eyelids was probably why. “What stupid bet is it now?”

Dazai pondered for a moment. This was a chance he would rarely get since they often discussed bets beforehand and allowing him complete liberty to command Chuuya to do whatever he wanted? This was a once in a lifetime chance!

Again, asking Mori for a break was off the table, he was better off getting Chuuya to do his mission reports and paperwork for the entire week, or get him to cook one of his favorite crab dishes that Chuuya despised. His eyes wandered to Chuuya’s, brown eyes locking with blue ones. Chuuya stared back defiantly, lips slightly parted as if he was about to argue but decided against it midway. Unconsciously, Dazai leaned in, drawn in by Chuuya. Perhaps he could draw a mustache above those lips, or maybe he could ask Chuuya to—

“ — kiss me.”

They both froze as Dazai realized he had said that last part aloud. Chuuya’s mouth fell apart which, under any other circumstances, would have been funny. A second passed, no one said anything as they stared blankly at each other. 

Then, Dazai burst into forced laughter, jumping back to distance himself, internally horrified at how close he actually was. His voice was high and fake to his ears though he prayed to all the gods that his partner, for once in his life, would be drunk enough to fail and read him as openly as he usually did. Though the sudden, dangerous clarity in Chuuya’s eyes threatened to send him to his knees. 

“What's so funny?” Chuuya asked, voice irritated.

“You should have seen your face!” Dazai said, clutching his stomach dramatically. “It’s just a prank, Chibi, I can’t believe you would fall for that!”

“Okay.”

“Huh?” It was Dazai’s turn to be confused as Chuuya leaned in this time. Immediately, Dazai’s throat closed, his mouth growing dry. He could only watch, unmoving as Chuuya grew closer and closer.

“I said okay, a bet is a bet,” Chuuya said, voice strangely low and before Dazai could protest, Chuuya grabbed his face in his palms, eyes wildly determined… and kissed him.

Immediately, Dazai’s brain short circuited, shutting down and all he could see with wide eyes was Chuuya’s face, his closed eyes and that stupidly adorable frown of concentration that sent a punch through his gut. He couldn’t breathe, he didn’t dare breathe as Chuuya kissed him, their lips slotting together so perfectly despite Dazai’s lack of motion. 

Then, before he knew it, Dazai was kissing Chuuya back. His hands lifting to cup Chuuya’s cheek with a gentleness he didn’t know he had, lightly tracing the freckles he had been observing just minutes ago with his thumb. Seconds blurred into minutes and Dazai did not want to let go, wanting to lose himself in this strange, unexplainable bliss that would undoubtedly bring in more trouble than it was worth. But that was for future Dazai to unravel.

Present Dazai, on the other hand, was relishing every second of Chuuya’s lips on his. 

Eventually, they had to fight for air again. Chuuya broke apart first, gasping loudly as he allowed air to refill his lungs and Dazai did the same though he was visibly less flustered. Chuuya was a mess, face flushed so red it mimicked his hair, eyes dark and unfocused that threatened to swallow Dazai whole but he couldn’t look away. He doubted he looked any better.

The room plunged into silence, only the occasional sounds from their character’s idle animation breaking it apart as they stared at each other. Suddenly, Dazai was conscious of his every move, feeling tense and wary of how to proceed. 

No one ever told you what to do after you kissed your partner of years, like how to deal with the pounding of his heart and the rush of emotions in his chest. His only comfort was that Chuuya looked equally as lost and embarrassed. Before he could say anything, Chuuya inhaled sharply and sprinted out of the arcade, leaving him behind to wallow in the tense air.

Blinking, Dazai shifted his gaze to the door to where Chuuya had just made his escape, reality sinking into him. This changes things, too many things. 

It was as if they were suddenly thrown into a vast ocean but Dazai was now drowning in it. 

_________

Chuuya regretted everything.

“You kissed Dazai Osamu ?”

“Keep your voice down!” Chuuya hissed, frantically looking around to see if anyone had overheard. Fortunately, the Old World was packed enough with people happily gossiping to themselves to listen in on their merry little group. 

Any form of exhaustion had slipped from his body the moment he left the arcade, leaving only a strange, fiery feeling in his chest that threatened to make him throw up with nerves or embarrassment, he couldn’t tell. Not able to stand being alone at the moment, he sent an emergency call to the Flags and twenty minutes later, here they all were, eagerly awaiting the so-called emergency advice Chuuya needed. 

Chuuya shrank back in his seat as he was forced to return his gaze to five different ones that didn’t bother to mask their expressions. Iceman looked wholly uninterested as he tipped his head back, swallowing his drink in one go as if he did not want to be part of this conversation; Doc looked confused but was eager to join in on the excitement; Lippman appeared amused, eyes dancing; Pianoman seemed proud, as if Chuuya had achieved the impossible… and Albatross looked absolutely horrified.

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Albatross said, waving his hands around so much Chuuya was surprised he hadn’t knocked over a glass yet. “You kissed Dazai Osamu, the Demon Prodigy , the ‘slimy mackerel’ you keep ranting to us about?”

Chuuya winced. Maybe he shouldn’t have complained about Dazai that much. “The one,” he said, voice so small he hoped it went unheard.

Silence ensued as the Flags took it in, then—

“Well,” Lippman said, a grin spreading across his face. “We should celebrate this, shouldn’t we?”

“What? NO!” Chuuya wailed as the Flags all cheered, even Iceman clinked his glass against the others. 

“You found yourself a boyfriend, of course we should celebrate.” Piano man said. “Our Chuuya is all grown up, but please remember you’re still 17—.”

“I didn’t say that!” Chuuya hissed, face flaming. 

The Flags suddenly looked collectively disappointed, even Albatross who looked as if he had announced his marriage to a fish just minutes ago.

“I thought you had a crush on him,” Lippmann said delicately and Chuuya’s cheeks flamed. 

That’s the problem, he did. 

A huge crush on perhaps the only person he shouldn’t have. And when Dazai proposed the kiss, prank or not, mixed with the alcohol in his system, it made him very daring, perhaps too daring, his heart leaping at a chance of maybe having his feeling reciprocated. But when they pulled back and Dazai hadn’t seemed very happy about it, Chuuya was starting to think he should have went along with it and played it off rather than give in to his stupid thoughts. 

He was not ready to be sober for this conversation so he grabbed the liquor in front of him and tipped it down his throat in one go, wincing at the burn but relishing the way it settled warmly in his stomach, lightening his thoughts. 

“How did you even know that?” Chuuya demanded.

“Well, you see, you haven’t been very subtle with it, love,” Lippman said, causing Chuuya to scowl.

“I haven’t done anything!” Chuuya cried, waving his hands around as if the larger movements he made, the more convincing it would sound.

“Careful, love, you’re going to spill someone’s drink,” Lippman reprimanded.

“I hope he spills Iceman’s,” Albatross piped in. “Guy’s been drinking non stop since he got here.”

“People come to bars to drink,” Iceman replied coldly, carefully pulling his drink away from Chuuya’s range of movements. 

Albatross grinned. “Yeah, but today is not about drinking, it’s about Chuuya’s love life,” he said excitedly before expertly dodging a punch Chuuya sent at his face. 

“Anyways,” Lippmann said, trying to steer the topic back on course. “We aren’t blind, we see the way you look at each other.”

Chuuya scoffed. “More like how I look at him,” he said. “He looks at me as if I’m just another interesting person to fool around until he gets bored. Maybe he has even moved on, have you seen his latest recruit?”

“Now you’re being dramatic,” Piano man interjected.

“Hah? I’m not!”

“And you’re drunk.”

“I’m so not!”

“Yeah, he’s definitely drunk,” Albatross snorted.

Chuuya glared at them, this wasn’t helping in the slightest. Though he didn’t know what he had been expecting to hear. “I drank like two glasses,” he muttered. 

“That we’ve seen,” Doc pointed out. “Who knows how many you had to yourself within that twenty minute frame it took to get us here.”

“Okay, that’s it!” Chuuya cried, halting them before they got into another long debate on Chuuya’s alcohol intake. “Stop commenting on my drinks and stop talking about that Mackerel!”

“Didn’t you ask us here for that exact reason? To talk about Dazai?” Piano man asked, raising his eyebrows. 

“No, I mean yes, but you guys are making this too confusing,” Chuuya groaned. “Why is this so confusing?”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Lippmann interjected. “Have you told him how you feel?”

“I’m pretty sure that kiss and his reaction after was an answer enough,” Chuuya shuddered. “And talking to Dazai about feelings? Have you seen that guy?”

“I don’t think anyone has ever gotten close enough with him to even try,” Albatross pointed out. 

“I think you could just let it play out,” Piano man suggested. “You made your move, let him make his. If you’re worried about what’s going to happen, just act as if nothing happened, and see what he does. Chances are, he’s just as confused as you are.”

Chuuya sighed, draining his glass, taking what was hopefully his last one for the night. “Perhaps you’re right,” he said.

Except things would never be the same again.

_________

Dazai Osamu does not squirm.

But under Mori’s scrutinizing gaze, hands meticulously crossed under his chin, it was as if his entire soul was laid bare. For one horrifying second, Dazai even suspected Mori knew about his and Chuuya’s little incident and had to remind himself that there were no surveillance cameras in the abandoned arcade, not when Dazai made sure of it himself to give them both some privacy.

Yet just seconds ago, he witnessed a few subordinates dragging a battered, half dying man out the door who was suspected to be rising to the ranks of executive but Dazai had also heard of the rumors surrounding him being a double agent, selling information behind Mori’s back and today, it seems, was proof of it. 

The fact that Mori timed it so that Dazai could witness the man’s exit route made him slightly uneasy, as if Mori was sending him a message.

Still, he schooled his features, something he learnt to do around Mori since years ago unlike Chuuya who barely masks his own. It was incredibly stupid, if you asked Dazai, literally waiting to be manipulated. But somehow, Chuuya’s honesty seemed to please the boss and Dazai had yet to see outright, over the line manipulation used on Chuuya yet so he didn’t pay it that much thought.

As if sensing Chuuya from his thoughts, Mori asked, “How is Chuuya, I heard Corruption had to be activated but he wasn’t admitted to my clinic.”

“He’s sleeping,” Dazai replied, at least he assumed so. He hadn’t seen nor heard of Chuuya since his little escape, and he hadn’t had the heart to go looking for him either. “Corruption wasn’t activated for long this time so he’s fine, only a few bruises here and there.”

Mori hummed in supposed satisfaction at his response. “Well, then, I would assume that you’re here to give me yesterday’s report?”

Dazai nodded, quickly going into a detailed debrief of the entire mission, regardless of the finalized report he had handed in minutes ago now lying open on Mori’s desk, unread. He wondered why Mori bothered to make them hand in paperwork straight to him instead of the filing departments when he never went through them. Chuuya also owed him one for making him complete all that himself in one night, perhaps he really should have requested for the paperwork for the bet yesterday.

“Excellent work,” Mori said when Dazai was done. It was exceptionally boring, usually Chuuya would be beside him interjecting every once in a while with commentary on how this part was different or that part didn’t happen the way he said it. It made him realize how tedious this all was without his partner beside him.

“I would assume Chuuya would be recovered soon for another mission?” Mori asked.

Dazai frowned. “Another? We just got back from the last one.”

Mori ignored his comment, continuing on. “You will be sent to a diplomatic meeting with one of the rising gang leaders recently to strike a deal on territories, however it’s only on paper and the deal will fall out, and we will be expecting a retaliation,” Mori explained. “More details will be sent out, and there will be a briefing on it tomorrow so I expect both of your presences there.” 

Tomorrow? He thought he could avoid the Chibi until at least a few more weeks. 

The whole thing was confusing him more than he’d like to admit. He couldn’t recall what was going through his mind when he asked for the kiss, and the fact that Chuuya had delivered was completely out of his expectations. He had tried telling himself it was nothing, that Chuuya did it out of pride which would not be out of character for how prideful he was, but the thought of Chuuya treating it as a bet made his stomach sink.

Chuuya hadn’t seemed mad after it, at least Dazai hoped so. Even if he did, why did it matter? Dazai had brushed it off, it was Chuuya that fulfilled the end of that deal.

“Is there a problem, Dazai?” Mori’s voice echoed in his head and Dazai blinked, realizing with inner horror that he had been spacing out in front of Mori.

“Ye— no,” he said, forgetting Mori’s question momentarily. Mori raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised at Dazai’s behavior himself.

“I should hope not,” Mori said. “In fact, now that you’re here, I was looking for you to settle some business plans for our shell companies.” 

Dazai squinted as Mori drew up multiple documents of places and proposals pitching business ideas to act as a cover up for their usual mafia activities. Again, tedious work and Dazai would have preferred doing them with Chuuya next to him giving him the most useless comments and ideas that he could argue with. 

His eyes fell upon one of the business plans and his hand reached for it before his brain could register it. 

It was a proposal to dismantle their abandoned arcade to renovate it into a boring white walled accountant’s office. Even though he knew beforehand that there had been suggestions to put the abandoned arcade to use and he had even warned Chuuya of it, seeing the official proposal before his own eyes made it all the more real. Despite his lack of reaction when Chuuya asked, he couldn’t forget the disappointment in Chuuya’s face when he heard of the news.

“I don’t think some of these are worth pursuing,” Dazai said carefully. If he played his cards right, the arcade might live to see another day. 

He quickly selected a few proposals and laid them before Mori, not wanting to single out the arcade and draw attention to it so he quickly selected another two locations he had heard enough rumors on to fib a story around. 

Mori raised an eyebrow. “Why is that so?”

He pointed to the first. “Too close to enemy territory, we’ll either have to put extra security there or it’ll be a lost cause, our enemies will decimate it in one night.” He pointed to the next. “Government security is high here and they do frequent checks, we don’t need an extra location on their radar.” And finally, their arcade. “A gang fight broke out there less than a year ago, it’s still fresh and people will steer clear of the area, it won’t look good if we’re out to do business.”

Mori’s eyes glinted. “Wouldn’t you argue that that’s exactly why we should build it there? We’re a shell company, not out to do legitimate business.”

Dazai shrugged. “But it would also look that way to people who check. Which businessman in their right mind would choose that place to start a business, it would draw attention from the start.”

There was a pause, as Mori contemplated his reasoning. A second later, he smiled, his eyes unreadable. “Very well,” he said and took the three proposals, feeding it into the fireplace near him. Dazai almost sighed in relief, almost.

He could already picture Chuuya’s astonishment when he realized the arcade was there to stay.

Mori pushed the rest of the documents towards Dazai. “Then I expect a full strategic plan for the rest of these proposals by the end of the week,” he said. “Get Chuuya to help you if you will, the both of you have worked together impeccably well so far, I have yet to see another partnership flourish this well in a long time.” Dazai held back the urge to swallow as Mori crossed his fingers again, his eyes dark as he stared into Dazai’s equally dark soul. 

Another test.

Dazai scoffed. “You have my intelligence to thank for that, that slug can’t think for the life of him.” He could already envision Chuuya’s outburst of rage if he were here. 

“I’m curious,” Mori said. “I’ve been pairing both of you up for quite some time, but I have yet to ask your personal opinion on the matter. What do you think of this partnership, Dazai?”

Great. Just great.

Dazai gave a dry smile. “You decided to partner us up, who am I to question your brilliant mind, Mori?” 

It was clear Mori was not going to let it slide that easily. “But I want to know your thoughts on this matter. So, please, do enlighten me.”

He sighed dramatically, as if this was all pointless to him. “If you must know, I think he’s more of a liability to me. With my plans, I can make use of anyone, I don’t need a specific partner! I would never voluntarily pair myself up with a slug,” he added, shuddering with equal dramatic effect. 

“And yet you’re the only one who can stop Corruption.” Mori seemed incredibly amused by his response.

Dazai shrugged. “So he needs me more than I need him then,” he said. “As I said, liability.”

“That’s a shame,” Mori said, though his eyes said otherwise, it gleamed with something Dazai couldn’t quite discern. “I think the both of you complement each other quite well regardless so do expect more Double Black missions in the near future.”

“You literally just had me complain about this partnership and now you’re sending us together,” Dazai asked incredulously.

Mori laughed, the sound sending chills down his spine. “I asked for your opinion, I never promised to fulfill anything.”

“Then is there anything else you need me for?” He couldn’t stand another second with Mori in this room, every moment felt like a test and any longer, Dazai would be failing it.

“That should be it for now,” Mori said, smiling. “Thank you for your input. Now, I have requested a meeting with another, he should be waiting outside as we speak, so do let him know on your way out that he may enter.”

Not bothering to reply, Dazai turned to leave, only to open the door and come face to face with a very familiar redhead. His entire heart lurched in his chest, his mind racing as his conversation with Mori began replaying a thousand times in his mind.

I think he’s more of a liability to me.

How much had Chuuya heard? How long has he been standing there? Dazai gritted his teeth, he could already see Mori’s vicious grin without having to turn. To have Mori manipulate him like that, and him not seeing it and falling for it… It made him furious. But what’s done was done, and if Chuuya had heard everything he said and was bothered by it, he gave no indication of it, his face surprisingly blank.

“Ahh, Chuuya, do come in,” Mori’s voice came from his seat. “I hope you’ve rested well.”

Chuuya’s eyes flitted to Dazai’s for a second, the first time he paid any attention to him since he opened that door, a hint of wariness in them, before shifting back to Mori. Side-stepping Dazai, Chuuya went into the lion’s den, closing the door behind him so Dazai didn’t have to. It took him a few more seconds of staring blankly at nothing before Dazai finally decided to leave, not even bothering to eavesdrop on Chuuya’s conversation with Mori.

_________

Chuuya was absolutely livid at Dazai. 

Not because he called him a liability. He was angry about that when he heard it through Mori’s door. But part of him knew Mori must have said something to provoke Dazai’s reaction, knowing he would be there to listen and that Dazai probably said it to get back at Mori. While it still hurt, Chuuya was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But right now, Dazai was acting as if nothing had ever happened between them.

They were currently sitting in a horrendously boring meeting with one of Mori’s secretaries going on and on about their next mission, and Dazai hasn’t looked in his direction even once or even bothered to refute his comments and start petty arguments like he usually would. Chuuya would have suspected that Dazai was deliberately pretending he didn’t exist if he didn’t catch Dazai glaring at him a few times when he thought Chuuya wasn’t looking, as if Chuuya was some kind of puzzle he couldn’t solve. 

It was starting to piss him off.

Dazai was the one to start the stupid bet and then had the audacity to call him a liability, knowing Chuuya had heard it afterwards. But fine, two can play at that game.

So Chuuya made it his mission to ignore Dazai’s entire existence. Admittedly, mission briefings took half the time it usually took without their infamous banters, and while Chuuya still felt a little weirded out without Dazai messing up his life every waking chance he got, he wasn’t about to fold.

It was until a week later and the day of the mission itself did one of them break first. Their last briefing had adjourned and both of them were the last to leave. Before Chuuya could bolt, Dazai placed himself directly between the door and Chuuya.

“Get out of the way,” Chuuya hissed, realizing a second later that it was the first sentence he had said to Dazai in a whole week.

“If you have a problem with me, spit it out now,” Dazai said, expression unreadable. “I don’t need this to affect the mission later.”

That’s when Chuuya exploded. A whole week of anger, grudges and confusion surging up and once it spilled, Chuuya couldn’t stop it any longer. “What’s my problem?” he hissed, poking Dazai none too gently on the shoulder. “What’s your problem? I’m not the one who’s been pretending I don’t exist for a week straight.” 

Dazai shoved his hands into  his black coat, single eye darkening. “I’m not the only one who’s been avoiding my partner like they’re the plague.”

“Oh so now I’m your partner,” Chuuya said incredulously. “If you don’t want to work with me, find someone else. I’m pretty sure you can find someone less of a liability.”

“Chuuya shouldn’t believe everything I tell Mori,” Dazai said.

“And you should have said something then!” Chuuya cried. “Instead, you offer me no explanation, no apologies, don't bother to make any amends, and somehow I’m the one who’s supposed to pretend as if everything is fine?” He held a finger up before Dazai could respond. “And don’t you tell me you weren’t sure if I had overheard your conversation with Mori, you know I heard that.”

Dazai pressed his lips together, a frown forming on his face. “Well what do you want me to say?”

“Whatever you heard was not real, Chuuya. I’m sorry, Chuuya,” he said. “Hell, with the number of times I saved your sorry ass from getting shot, I should be the one calling you a liability.”

“Fine, we’re both liabilities then,” Dazai said. “Happy?”

Chuuya squinted in disbelief. “What the hell? That’s literally not even the point.”

Dazai moved his hands from his pockets to cross them over his chest. “Whatever your point is, make it some other time, mission starts in two hours.”

“You’re insufferable,” Chuuya groaned. “Like I would let some stupid argument get in the way, I’m more professional than you at this. The fact that you could even think that I would let it affect the mission is insulting.”

“You think everything is an insult to you,” Dazai said dryly. 

“What the fuck do you want, Dazai?” Chuuya hissed. “If you dragged me back just to ask me to not let my personal feelings get in the way of the mission later, you have your answer.”

Dazai opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again but no sound escaped his lips. It seemed to surprise Dazai as much as it surprised Chuuya himself. He hadn’t seen Dazai this unsure in his life, as if he was holding back.

“If this is about the bet—”

“It was just a bet,” Dazai said, cutting him off.

Chuuya blinked, not expecting Dazai to interrupt almost immediately. “So, it was all just a bet to you?” he asked carefully, keeping his expression neutral. He had a hunch of Dazai’s response, but hearing it still hurt nonetheless.

Dazai’s single eye hollowed out, and Chuuya had to look away to escape the emptiness of it. “Why? Did the Slug actually think I would want him to kiss me?”

Wow, not even bothering to beat around the bush, shooting straight where it hurt. 

Chuuya sighed. “For someone who claims to be so smart, you can be incredibly slow sometimes,” he mumbled. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dazai asked.

“I’m not going to spell it out for you,” Chuuya said, sighing again, feeling tired. “You know what, let’s just do each other a favor and pretend the entire last week didn’t happen.”

Dazai pressed his lips together, squinting at him, as if he were trying to decipher if Chuuya was being serious or not. But he didn’t want to deal with all that now, not when the mission was in two hours. A distracted mind in the battlefield is lethal, and Dazai knew as such, which was why he wanted Chuuya’s head in the game in the first place. 

So here he was, taking Dazai’s own route and advice.

When things get tough, run from them.

“I don’t know why you care so much but fine,” Dazai said finally. “Now you better run along before your subordinates get lost.”

Chuuya scoffed, yanking the doors open and was mildly relieved when it revealed an empty hallway, meaning that no one had heard their stupid little argument. “Please, my subordinates are more disciplined than yours, they can deal with having a briefing five minutes before war.”

“Not very healthy, Chuuya.”

“You don’t even brief yours!” Chuuya retorted as they walked back to their places. “How do they even stay alive during missions?”

“That’s because they inherit my intelligence,” Dazai sang. “Unlike a certain short stack who doesn’t even have enough for himself.”

“You bastard,” Chuuya hissed.

It was so easy to fall back to their usual banter, too easy. A whole week’s worth of grudges and silent treatments vanishing as if it had never happened. And part of Chuuya couldn’t help but wonder if the smooth transition was merely Dazai acting on his promise to pretend nothing had happened, he couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad thing.

And Chuuya also couldn’t help but feel that perhaps Dazai really didn’t give a damn about this entire thing after all. 

_________

The mission went just as expected. They stepped into a so-called truce meeting to discuss boundaries and territories with a gang who called themselves the White Wolves and asked for such ridiculous requests that Chuuya was barely holding himself back from flipping the table and starting the inevitable fight right there and then.

If he had to hear another word come out of their leader’s mouth, he was actually going to go insane.

Beside him, Dazai was not faring any better. He was yawning his way through meetings, not bothering to hide how uninterested he was. Midway, he began having staring contests with the members who all seemed to look away first. Chuuya doubted a single word even entered Dazai’s brain.

Fortunately, the leader who Chuuya just learned was called Inagawa, seemed to finally realize that the both of them were never here for business at all.

“We should have known, the Port Mafia sending two kids to deal business with us,” Inagawa sneered, whipping out a gun from the back of his clothes and pointing it directly at Chuuya’s forehead. “We’ve wasted enough time with you!” 

“Oh please,” Chuuya grinned. “As if this wasn’t your intention too in the first place. Should have just skipped the boring part.”

The dozen or so men quickly followed, and in a flash, there were guns pointing at both him and Dazai in every direction possible. Chuuya’s eyes shifted to Dazai’s position, eyes narrowing at how close the guns were to Dazai who appeared completely unfazed, picking his nails as if the boss hadn’t just ordered their execution.

Sure, Chuuya was bulletproof, but Dazai wasn’t. And those guns were a little too close for comfort.

“That afraid of two kids ?” Chuuya taunted. “Here we are armless while you have a dozen guns pointed at us.”

Out of the corner of his vision, Dazai finally stopped picking his nails, a vicious smile growing on his face as he began clapping his hands instead. “Oh that’s only because he probably woke up on the wrong side of bed today, perhaps he’s having a sad morning.”

Damn it.

Chuuya had only one second to react as bullets rained down upon them. Dazai had acted first, ducking and flipping the table in one smooth motion so the bullets aimed at his front ricocheted of the metal table while Chuuya spun around, leaping over the flipped table to toss his jacket around Dazai’s back, careful to make an arc without touching a single part of Dazai to prevent nullification, tainted doing his job for him as it created a shield from the rest of the bullets. 

“You couldn’t have given me a warning?” Chuuya snapped as he sent the bullets he accumulated flying back to their owners. Screams quickly filled the room as they each fell like flies. 

“If Chuuya needed a warning, he wouldn’t be my partner,” Dazai sang as he skidded across the floor, dodging another array of bullets before grabbing an abandoned gun, poking out from his makeshift table-shield and shooting the men that Chuuya missed. “Ahh, how satisfying, we should do this trick more often, Chuuya!”

“You wouldn’t be saying the same thing if you were dead!” Chuuya shot back, leaping to the ceiling to get a better look of the whole room and frowned when he noticed Inagawa was missing. He must have escaped once the bullets began firing. 

“But I’m sadly alive, aren’t I?” Dazai whined.

“You won’t be for longer if you don’t shut up!” Chuuya hissed, eyes scanning the room before falling upon a small trap door in the corner. He dove for it, yanking the door open—

“Chuuya wait —!”

An explosion sent him flying back, his ears ringing and heat singed the ends of his hair, but the perfect gravitational shield he kept around himself at all times left him otherwise unscathed. Bothered, annoyed, but unharmed. Him taking the brunt of the explosion also meant that the room hadn’t been exploded into millions of debris.

He winced, casting a glance over his shoulder to make sure Dazai was still standing. He was not prepared for Dazai’s wide eyed, open mouthed expression. It lasted for a second before his expression closed, though there was a dark expression over his eyes. 

“Chuuya should really learn to listen to his master,” Dazai said coldly.

“I’m not your fucking dog,” Chuuya groaned. “And you warned me the second I opened the door, what did you expect me to do?”

“Wait for my command?”

“Oh, fuck you!”

Dazai strolled over to him, using his foot to nudge him as he would a dead body. Chuuya shoved his leg away, and summoned gravity to lift him back to his feet, shooting Dazai a glare. 

“Great, now he got away!” Chuuya cried.

“As if,” Dazai scoffed. “Want to bet that he’s waiting outside with at least a hundred men with cannons pointing at us?”

Chuuya stiffened involuntarily, the ghost of a kiss choosing that moment to haunt his memories. As if sensing the sudden change in his mood, Dazai poked him again, causing him to lose his control over his ability, sending him crashing to the ground.

“Oi!” he shrieked, getting back up without tainted this time to swing a punch at Dazai who dodged it agilely, a wicked smile on his face. “Do that again and the next thing in your face will be a bullet!”

“Chuuya wouldn’t shoot me!” Dazai sang. “Who’s going to give him orders if his master isn’t around?”

“The dog jokes are seriously getting old,” Chuuya said, storming away towards the trap door, now charred and blown to smithereens, offering them a view of a ventilation like tunnel, leading them towards some place where they were waiting to get ambushed.

Boring.

“You should just stay here,” Chuuya said, eyeing Dazai who picked up another gun and discarded his empty one. “If they really have cannons…”

Dazai gave him a flat smile. “Chibi should just worry about himself, I’m not the one who just got an explosion in his face five minutes ago.”

“And I’m fine,” Chuuya scoffed, entering the tunnel. “But sure, go ahead since you love to die so much. I hope one of them finally gets you.”

Dazai sighed but followed him. “I don’t know why I have to keep repeating this, but my dream is to commit a double suicide with a lovely woman, Chuuya, do you see any pretty women here?”

“Oh you—!”

Chuuya was immediately cut short by another explosion, one that quickly sent the tunnel they were currently in exploding. Chuuya reacted in a split second, dashing towards Dazai who jolted back to avoid contact with him as he used his body to shield Dazai from the metal pieces flying towards them. The pieces bounced off him harmlessly.

But with the tunnel blown open, they were now very exposed.

Again, Dazai was right, there were at least a hundred men waiting for them with huge guns pointing at them. Some of them even looked like missiles.

“Where the fuck do they even get these things?” Chuuya hissed, head whipping around to survey his surroundings but they were clearly cornered at every angle. Again, not a situation that would have bothered him, but he also had a very vulnerable, very unshielded partner next to him. They were also currently in a huge warehouse-like area and if Mori’s floor plans were right, it was their base, which meant they had fallen right into the hornet’s nest. “What’s your genius plan now, Mackerel?”

Dazai looked way too calm to be put in this situation. Which also meant he had anticipated this, and already had a contingency plan. One he didn’t bother to inform Chuuya of. He gritted his teeth, internally cursing Dazai for always expecting him to understand his plans.

“Say something,” Chuuya hissed, turning to face him.

Dazai gave him a grim smile. “Run.”

Huh?

With no other words to give, Dazai dashed towards an opening, a gap between Inagawa’s men’s formation. With barely any time to blink, Chuuya followed in suit, using tainted to ricochet any bullets sent their way, sending several men closest to them crashing to the ground. All the while Dazai was dodging any stray bullets that came his way. 

“You maniac!” Chuuya screeched as he blindly followed Dazai who began ducking under pieces of concrete, the sounds of bullets hitting the metal, barely grazing him sent Chuuya wincing. 

Why did Chuuya ever put his trust into Dazai? When they got back from their mission, Chuuya was going to seriously reconsider his decisions.

Just as Chuuya was about to abandon whatever stupid plan Dazai had in mind, a large shipping container came into view and Chuuya blinked. It wasn’t there in the floorplan Mori sent them of the warehouse. Dazai dove into the container and Chuuya quickly followed. A second after he leapt in, the sound of an explosion detonating resonated across the clearing, sending his ears ringing. It was one far larger than any of the others before.

“What the hell?” Chuuya hissed as he watched the warehouse fall apart before his own eyes. Outside their little safe area, there were screams everywhere as Inagawa’s men raced to escape the hellfire and falling pieces of construction that threatened to swallow them. It was absolute chaos. The shipping container was the only thing protecting them from the falling debris.

Chuuya could only watch with wide eyes, aware of Dazai’s growing grin behind him. 

“You really are one step ahead, aren’t you,” Chuuya grumbled, turning to glare at Dazai. “You could have told me!”

“Someone was ignoring me all week.”

“You ignored me first!”

“And someone said they put professionalism above personal grudges,” Dazai said, a glint in his eyes. 

Chuuya gritted his teeth, holding back the urge to wipe Dazai’s smug grin off his face. Think about the mission, think about the mission… he chanted in his head.

“You could have at least warned me, we literally spoke before the mission,” Chuuya hissed.

Dazai pouted. “I think Chuuya has been a very bad dog and very undeserving of my thought process. You should have asked me about it.”

That’s it.

Before Chuuya could tackle Dazai, he felt something wrong . A hush settled across the clearing, as if someone had clicked a pause button outside and sent the chaos into a standstill. 

Chuuya poked his head out of the container and his eyes widened. There was no longer any sight of Inagawa’s men which wasn’t a surprise, they were not loyal and would flee upon the slightest trouble or hint that they had lost. The warehouse was also in terrible shape, part of it had been blown into bits while the other half swayed dangerously. Above them, there wasn’t even a roof left.

But what caught Chuuya’s attention was the figure in the middle. A strange yellow glow emanating from the single man while fumes, smoke and pieces of debris that should have come from the explosion circled around him as if in a funnel, with the end of it being the lone figure, as if he was—

“—absorbing the impact of the explosion,” Dazai finished his thoughts from beside him, his eyes equally as wide. The sight of Dazai surprised made him uneasy, anything that surprised Dazai Osamu was never a good sign.

Behind the figure, Chuuya was able to make out Inagawa, completely unscathed, the explosion that should have taken him out engulfed by the ability user in front of him.

“Dazai,” Chuuya said, voice low. “Mori didn’t say anything about ability users, did he?”

Dazai’s one second silence was answer enough. How Inagawa managed to get one by his side and keep it under wraps is unknown to him. No wonder his gang stood for this long.

“This answers our question of why he was so confident in making such ridiculous demands,” Dazai said wryly. “He’s got a card up his sleeve.”

They could only watch in stunned silence as the ability user fully absorbed the explosions until all flames and smoke died down, followed by the dulling of that eerie yellow glow when the job was done. The only sign that anything had happened at all was the glowing yellow eyes. 

“I know who you two are,” Inagawa growled as the ability user stepped to the side, a ready bodyguard. “Double Black, the rumors circulating around you two in the underground are certainly frightening. Who knew that Yokohama’s most feared duo turned out to be kids,” he said, face warping into a sneer.

“If he calls us kids one more time,” Chuuya hissed while Dazai sighed beside him.

“Guess you’re not too bad yourself,” Dazai said, eyes darting between Inagawa and his ability user before narrowing. “I wonder what the government would do when they hear of an unregistered ability user here.”

Inagawa’s smile widened, sending chills down Chuuya’s spine. It wasn’t the smile of a villain, it was the smile of someone who knows they have won. The only other person Chuuya had seen this kind of expression on, was Dazai in his Demon Prodigy mode, knowing that whatever the opponent was doing would be fruitless. There was no such smile on Dazai’s face currently. 

“But you won’t be alive to tell, won’t you,” Inagawa said, smile never faltering. “Don’t worry, it’ll all be over in a second.”

What happened next was a blur. 

Before Chuuya could call upon tainted, a flash of light erupted from the ability user. Chuuya barely had the time to blink and Dazai was upon him, wrapping his arms around him and pushing him down. Chuuya had always hated how Dazai teased about their sizes but it was because of such size differences that allowed Dazai to engulf him fully, his broad shoulders shielding him from the light completely.

The light came in the form of pure energy that would have incinerated Chuuya if Dazai hadn’t reacted, the waves evaporating into thin air instead when it came into contact with Dazai’s nullification. Behind him, the shipping container was not spared from such fate, the light quickly reduced it to ash, leaving a charred mess in its wake. A second later, the light died down and the glow in the ability user’s eyes had vanished.

Chuuya was suddenly conscious of how close Dazai was, his arms caging him to the ground and in any other circumstances, he might have let the moment fester for a bit. Dazai seemed to realize the same, hurrying to his feet, his expression shrouded from view.

“What the hell was that?” Chuuya demanded. 

Dazai gave no response though Chuuya could almost see the gears in his brain kicking in, working overtime to make sense of the situation to form a contingency plan. People always thought Dazai was all knowing, even heard the rumors that Dazai was a demon from the future, and it was only because no one ever had the privilege to see him like this.

Dazai's plans were made of improvisations, only that his brain worked too quickly for people to sense that the plan had shifted. But Chuuya had always known the fact that Dazai's plans weren't perfect, that they weren't infallible.

Call him insane but it made him trust Dazai even more. 

Dazai’s eyes narrowed. “This is not good,” he muttered. “He can absorb any attacks and convert them into pure energy.”

Chuuya paled, while gravity was able to deflect almost anything in his path, energy was not one of them. “So if we don’t touch him, he can’t touch us.”

Wrong.

Beside the ability user, Inagawa pulled out a gun but instead of pointing it at them, he fired at the ability user, the golden light devouring the shots. This time, they were more prepared as they leapt aside when the energy was unleashed. The whole process repeated with Inagawa constantly applying force, all the while remaining a safe distance away to prevent either of them from getting near.

“Okay, what’s your plan here, Dazai,” Chuuya shouted, dodging yet another blast sent his way, the ends of his hair singed from the heat. “We can’t even get close and we can’t attack him.”

“I’m thinking okay?” Dazai hissed, his eyes unusually stormy.

Chuuya froze. Something was not right here, the Dazai he knew would have come up with a plan by now, unless… They barely dodged another beam of light and this time, Chuuya yanked Dazai behind a large concrete wall.

“What are you not telling me,” Chuuya snapped. 

“I’m telling you I’m still thinking of a plan,” Dazai deadpanned.

Chuuya blinked. “No, you already have one, you just won’t tell me,” he said and realization dawned upon him a second later, catching up to Dazai’s reluctance. “The solution is Corruption, isn’t it?”

Dazai’s silence was an answer enough, his eyes carefully neutral as he scanned Chuuya’s face, taking in his reaction to the news, though there was an underlying darkness in those eyes that Chuuya couldn’t quite decipher.

“When have you ever cared about me enough to abandon your plans just because you don’t want me using Corruption?” Chuuya asked, raising his eyebrows. 

Dazai glared at him, choosing to ignore the jab in Chuuya’s comment. “You just used it a while ago,” he said. “Your body can’t take another.”

“I’ll decide what I can take, alright,” Chuuya hissed. “If your brain thinks that Corruption is the only solution—” he held up a hand before Dazai could interrupt. “—and it is the only solution because if there was any other way you would have thought of it by now, then we’ll use it.”

“But—”

“There is no time,” Chuuya hissed. “I’m activating it no matter what so you better tell me the plan or I’ll let Arahabaki figure it out himself.”

Dazai sighed, closing his eyes for a second. “Fine, you horrible, stubborn slug,” he said. “Essentially he acts like a battery, charging would give him power, but there’s always a limit, if you can charge him over that limit…”

“He’ll explode,” Chuuya whispered. 

Dazai nodded. “It’ll take a lot,” he warned. “Corruption is the fastest and easiest way to charge him up.”

Before Chuuya could respond, the concrete that kept them safe until now was blown apart from a beam of light, revealing a furious Inagawa and the glowing ability user beside him. 

“This has gone on for too long,” Inagawa hissed. “Kill them!”

With a swift motion, Chuuya discarded his gloves before removing his hat, tossing it at Dazai who caught it just as easily, a silent but mutual habit whenever Chuuya would activate Corruption. Dazai’s expression remained wary, his mouth pressed together as if he was holding back words. It didn’t suit Dazai to worry, but that wasn’t his concern now.

Whatever Dazai wanted to say, he could tell him after the ability user was six feet underground, or as it always was with Dazai, it would remain unspoken, lost in the winds.

Chuuya narrowed his focus, he could feel Arahabaki swirling inside him, a constant reminder of the destructive power he held, eager to be released. The world melted around him, and he began his descent into darkness.

“Grantors of dark disgrace, you need not wake me again.”