Chapter Text
The rhythmic blaring of the alarm on his phone woke Dazai up rather unpleasantly. He blindly reached over to the small nightstand next to his bed, only to knock over garbage he left there yesterday. When he finally grabbed the phone, he glared at it like it had committed a heinous crime, and as far as Dazai was concerned, it had. After snoozing the obnoxious alarm, he let his head the pillow with a gentle thud and closed his eyes again.
When the second alarm he set for himself went off almost ten minutes later, he cursed the Dazai of the past for having the foresight to make sure he made it on time to the bus. He cursed and threw the covers off of himself, shivering when the morning air hit him suddenly. He was going to be late for the bus if he didn’t get up, but the warmth of the blankets beckoned him back and who was he to ignore them? He curled back into the blankets and sighed at the warmth, but was rudely disturbed by yet another alarm.
Damn it.
One look at the time showed him that he only 15 minutes to get ready, eat something, and run to the bus stop that was a 10 minute walk away, or else he’d have to walk to campus. He brushed his teeth while running a comb through his hair, threw on the first things he saw, ate a piece of bread for breakfast, and he was out the door.
He broke into a sprint and cursed the fact that he didn’t have a car. Like most broke college students, Dazai had to take the bus to get to campus from his worn and cramped studio apartment. Having to accommodate for the Bus’s schedule was inconvenient at best, when all he wanted to do was sleep in for as long as he could after long all-nighters spent working on assignments he had procrastinated on. Adding to his misfortune, the only bus that ran near the time of this particular class was half an hour before, meaning he’d have to wait around campus for his class.
Even so, he’d choose to take the bus over going back home to get his bike and have to briefly spend time in the sterile house. His house was always dark and empty and lonely, but in university he’d managed to make friends that genuinely cared for him and it brought a lot more light into his life.
He trudged up the stairs to the bus and tapped his metrocard on the scanner, silently dreading the next time he’s going to have to refill it. Dazai clumsily made his way down the center aisle, and he sat down across a cute redhead, who eyed him skeptically when Dazai gave him a small half-smile, then turned back to his book. He sighed and took out his phone to check social media.
Dazai looked down at his phone for the duration of the ride to the university, thumbing through twitter, but his eyes wandered up every so often to take in the man across from him. The man was really, really pretty. Judging from his appearance, the man was a student at the university too. The book he was holding was coursework for one of the many literature classes the university had to offer. The books so thick that they look like they could be used to kill a man, Dazai silently grieved for the poor man’s arms.
Of course, Dazai had paid with this information with a lot of awkward eye contact, and when he says a lot he really means a lot.
Unfortunately, the redhead’s stop was coming up because he hopped out of his seat and carefully made his way over to the doors. Then he watched as the redhead got out of the bus, turned his head, and make eye contact with Dazai one last time before walking away.
Hopefully he’d get to see the redhead again sometime soon.
--
Once in a while, fate had the decency to be nice to him, Dazai realized, as he climbed up the steps two days later and saw the redhead he thought was cute. Fate had really decided to have mercy on him and his poor heart. He smiled softly and walked over to an open seat, that was once again across from the redhead, and sat down.
What are the chances that their schedules would line up enough for them to be on the bus at the same time twice a week?
He pulled out his phone and saw notifications, from the group chat he’s a part of, that talked about meeting up later this week to get something to eat. Dazai typed a quick message saying he’d go, then paused when he felt eyes on him. He looked up and met the redhead’s eyes, the man blushed lightly at being caught staring and looked back down at the book he was reading.
Dazai quickly turned back to his phone and saw there were more messages waiting.
Atsushi 2:19 pm:
Dazai-san has been really quiet is he ok?
Kunikida 2:20 pm:
Better that he’s quiet if you ask me
Me 2:20 pm:
Rude I’m just admiring the beauty sitting across from me
Yosano 2:22 pm:
Don’t tell me you were staring at that guy on the bus again
Me 2:25 pm:
I won’t then : P
Yosano 2:26 pm:
Ask for his number already so you can stop daydreaming
Dazai almost let out a little noise at that and lifted his eyes to glance at the man again, only to be met moments later with blue eyes. He quickly turned back to his phone.
Me 2:26 pm:
I’m working on it?
Ranpo 2:28 pm:
Just admit that you’re head over heels for him and ask him out please it’s getting annoying
Atsushi 2:29 pm:
^^^ yeah no offense but the pinning is getting out of hand
Me 2:30 pm:
You guys are bullies :/ I already said I was working on it
Kunikida 2:30 pm:
Staring at him isn’t “working on it”
Me 2:32pm:
://
--
Rain.
Dazai seriously hated the rain.
He hated rain for one reason and one reason only; the bus was overcrowded with people who wanted to escape it.
His usual seat was taken up by some stranger, absorbed in whatever was on their phone. It was hot and humid inside the bus, the smell of rainwater and human body odor made him wrinkle his nose. This was the cherry on top of his awful day.
Not only that, Dazai had to stand and hold onto one of the grab handles provided. Just great, he thought, the only handles available were across from where the beautiful redhead he had yet to introduce himself to was seated.
He was wearing glasses today, and it made him look inexplicably soft while he thumbed through his phone. The soft, black beanie he wore over his soft curls made them frame his face beautifully.
He walked over carefully, avoiding bumping into commuters as he went. Fate had given him a break before, but now it's back to being as unforgiving as always. Just as he was about to reach for the handle, the bus hit a bump and he was sent sprawling across the redhead’s lap. He felt his face heat up from embarrassment, and to make matters worse, when he opened his eyes he was met with the man’s crotch and oh why? What had he done to deserve this?
Actually, it’s best that’s left unanswered.
He didn’t want to lift his head to face the man, this wasn’t how he had wanted to introduce himself to the redhead. Instead, he pictured himself making a courtly introduction and then asking for the man’s number, but now here he was on the man’s lap.
He hesitantly lifted his head to find the man’s beautiful, startled face. The man was startled, but his eyes sparkled with something Dazai couldn't hope to figure out. Mischief? Interest, maybe?
And wow he was so much prettier up close, the glasses framed his beautiful blue eyes and- No, Dazai, no. Focus.
He felt his face get impossibly warmer and he apologized profusely.
“I didn’t expect you to be so forward, I don’t even have a name yet,” the man chuckled, his was voice slightly taunting. Dazai was speechless, he still wanted his name after that train wreck?
“I- uh- It’s Dazai,” he stumbled through the simple sentence.
The man smiled, “You can call me Chuuya.”
“Chuuya,” Dazai tried out the man’s name,” nice to meet you. And I’m... um sorry again for falling on you,” he finished awkwardly.
“It’s alright I didn't mind view, you’re really pretty.”
Dazai put his head in his hands and he felt his hace warm up again, but before he could retort, the bus stopped.
The man moved to stand up, but before he left, he uncapped a pen and wrote something on the back of Dazai’s hand.
Dazai stared at what he had written, baffled as he tried to decipher the numbers written in delicate, but hurried handwriting. He looked back up at Chuuya, “Is this some sort of code?” he asked.
Chuuya laughed and pat his cheek patronizingly, “It’s my number, idiot. Text me.”
Dazai took the now empty seat and stared at the number hastily written on his hand. Needless to say, he ended up missing his stop and almost showed up late to his biochemistry class as a result.
When Dazai got home later that day, he set aside his bag and sat on his bed. He looked at the contact now saved on his phone and instead of doing the assigned reading for his Toxicology class, he sat there debating when to text Chuuya. Now is not the time to panic, he thought and clicked on the messenger app and typed out a message.
‘Hey! It’s Dazai aka that guy who fell on you on the bus today,’ he sighed and deleted it.
‘Hellooo! Terribly sorry for falling on you on the bus today! -Dazai,’ it ended up getting deleted too.
‘Hi we got off on the wrong foot today (get it because I tripped and fell on you today? Yeah haha), I’m Dazai,’ just as bad as the first two, he thought.
‘Hey! It’s crotch guy,’ he went to delete but realized he had pressed send on instinct.
Ok, now could he panic? Just how could he be so stupid? No, he knew the answer to that was pretty people. Out of all the messages to accidentally send, it was the worst one.
.
Chuuya had been working on writing a piece for his creative writing elective when he got a text. He sighed, picked up his phone, and was surprised to see a text from an unknown number.
xxx-xxx-xxxx 6:18 pm:
Hey! It’s crotch guy
He wavered, he had faint memories of meeting a stripper at a bar last night and wondered if they were the one texting him. The only problem was, he didn’t remember giving out his number to anybody that night, but he was really really drunk that night. He typed out a message.
.
Chuuya 6:24 pm:
How did you even get my number?
Dazai was seriously confused, Chuuya had given him his number and smiled just earlier today. It was possible Chuuya had forgotten, but then again, who forgets they gave out their own number?
.
xxx-xxx-xxxx 6:28 pm:
You gave it to me?
Chuuya blanked and tried to look back into last night at the club through a hazy wall of fog. Still, he really couldn’t remember giving that one stripper he had flirted with his number that night. How drunk was he that night that he gave his number to a stripper? He’s really close to just ghosting this guy and finishing his assignment, but he sends one more message.
.
Chuuya 6:33 pm:
If this is that stripper from that club last night, please don’t text me again
Dazai sputtered and tried to gather his thoughts, he was almost offended. He was no stripper Although this did confirm something else, Chuuya not only thought he was someone else, but also forgot that he’d given his number to Dazai this morning. He pouted, he thought tripping and falling into someone else’s crotch would be at least somewhat memorable. He decided to play it off.
.
xxx-xxx-xxxx 6:35 pm:
Chuuya I’m offended! Just because I fell onto your lap on the bus this morning, doesn’t make me a stripper!
Oh.
Well to be fair, his brain is fried from class and a nasty hangover. This wasn’t a stripper, it was actually that adorable bumbling idiot who he had met earlier today.
Me 6:36 pm:
So it seems you can do more than blush and stutter
Dazai 6:37 pm:
Chibi you’re so mean for a chibi T-T
Me 6:37 pm:
Who do you think you’re calling a chibi?!
Dazai 6:38 pm:
I thought it was obvious I’m talking about you?
Me 6:39 pm:
Ugh whatever when I told you to text me this wasn’t what I had in mind
Dazai 6:40:
So it was even better? ; D Chuuya’s so nice
Chuuya allowed himself to sigh fondly and he typed out a reply. He honestly didn’t think the embarrassed man he met today would turn out to be such a handful, another lesson to never judge a book by its cover. He should’ve known when he first saw Dazai on the bus a week ago that he’d be trouble, the playful and all knowing glint usually present Dazai’s eyes had been gone when he fell on Chuuya. Though, Chuuya would be a fool not to acknowledge that he really likes this side of Dazai too, not that he’d ever admit it.
--
Two days later saw Dazai climbing up the stairs to the bus, walking through the center isle, and hesitating when he saw an available seat next to Chuuya. They were friends now right? They had only been texting for two days but it had seemed like Chuuya was enjoying talking to him. He should do it, take the available seat and use the short bus ride to continue trying to charm Chuuya.
Lost in thought, he only registered he was still standing in the middle of the bus when it started moving. Suddenly, Dazai felt a firm grip on his arm before he could fall, then pull him into a seat next to red hair.
“Ah,” he said eventually.
“Yeah, hi there shitty mackerel.”
Dazai laughed softly at that, "What’s with the nickname, Chibi?”
Chuuya rolled his eyes, “You have so many stupid names for me already I figured I needed to return the favor.”
Dazai hummed at that and silence slowly set in, like fog in early mornings. It wasn’t quite comfortable, but it felt like it would be sooner rather than later.
Dazai tried to break the silence, “Sooo, do you come here often?”
A beat.
Then, laughter.
Even Chuuya’s laugher was as pretty as him, Dazai decided, it sounded almost like a melody.
He felt his face heat up and he couldn’t help the grin on his face, "what did I do,” he stammered.
“It’s just such a dumb question, of course I come here often. We both come here often.”
“Chuuyaaaa,” Dazai whined and leaned down to put his forehead on the other’s shoulder.
“Don’t you ‘Chuuya’ me, I’m just telling the truth.”
“Ah, you're right, you’re right,” Dazai drawled, like he wasn’t one bit convinced. Chuuya flicked his nose and snickered when Dazai crinkled it in disapproval.
“A proper conversation starter would’ve probably been ‘So what are you majoring in?’” Chuuya mentioned casually.
Dazai pouted and pretended to be offended, "At least I tried and wasn’t sitting there with an ugly hat eating my brain.”
“At least I’m not wearing bandages? You look like an actual mummy,” Chuuya said defensively, his voice an octave higher, a hand placed defensively over his hat.
Dazai gasped dramatically, “My bandages are the pinnacle of fashion.”
“Sure, keep telling yourself that.”
Dazai laughed softly, it was nice talking to Chuuya, the conversation flowed naturally.
Silence again, but this time Dazai didn’t feel like he needed to break it, it was comfortable and fell softly around them like snow. Plus, they were almost there anyway, the bus slowly making its way down a tree-lined street.
Eventually, Chuuya’s stop came around and he got up to leave. He turned back around like he wanted to say something on the tip of his tongue, but unfortunately ultimately thought against it, smiled and waved goodbye.
Things carried on the way they were for the most part, Dazai thought, and he felt like they could understand each other to a . Dazai decided he really needed to do something about his now, very big crush.
He had it bad.
--
After class, Chuuya met up with Kouyou by the water fountain. They talked and walked through the large courtyard to get to the small cafe they said they’d go to. The beginnings of autumn could be felt in the way the air had started to cool faster than usual, and it brought goosebumps to Chuuya’s skin. He took in a deep breathe and admired the atmosphere of the early evening. At least he tried to enjoy it, but he felt the buzz of his phone interrupt it all. He ignored it, he knew who it was and he was trying to enjoy a few hours with his sister. Chuuya really didn’t need to be interrogated about his latest infatuation because Dazai needed attention.
He tried to ignore it, but the vibrations of the text alerts were not stopping, a constant annoyance, almost like Dazai was calling instead of texting. It showed no signs of stopping so eventually, Chuuya had to pick up the phone and respond.
Except when Chuuya starts texting Dazai, he finds it hard to stop. Can you blame him? The menace to society knew how to take up his attention. Kouyou intervened when Chuuya almost walked past the cafe, absorbed in the conversation he was having with Dazai.
“Lad, get off your phone and order for us and when you sit down don’t think I’m not asking who you’ve been texting with such a fond look in your eye,” she stated with a firm look in her eye, then went off to go find them a table.
Ah, he guessed it was inevitable. He was so going to make Dazai pay for this.
Chuuya got in line and took this time to take a look around. The cafe was quaint for the busy part of town that they were in, small and cozy. It had soft brown hardwood floors with small white tables littered throughout. The white paneled walls left it feeling warm. Potted plants were in corners and on windowsills, vibrantly green. There was a loft above them with more seating, it must’ve been where Kouyou disappeared to, he didn’t see her on the ground floor.
When it was his turn to order, he got chai tea for himself and a jasmine herbal tea for his sister. He let them know they were going to be sitting in the loft upstairs and walked as slowly as possible up the stairs to go get absolutely grilled by kouyou. The last stair decided to completely betray him, creaking loudly and alerting Kouyou, who looked up from her phone.
“So, how’s your masters program going?”
“Sit.”
Well it seemed this was the end, Chuuya thought, and walked over to sit on a small wooden stool.
“Lad, I’ve never seen you look so smitten,” Kouyou started slowly,” is it anything serious?”
Chuuya was about to answer, but a cup of tea was placed in front of him, the smell welcoming him. He takes a sip and steadies his voice,” it’s nothing yet really, we’ve been talking. Can we save this conversation if it gets serious?”
Kouyou laughed and took a sip of her tea,” Of course lad, but nothing’s going to happen if you just keep pinning.” She smiled knowingly. His sister had a way to see right through him, she had probably figured everything out already
Was he that predictable? Chuuya felt the tips of his ears turn pink and he took a long sip of his tea to hide it. The problem with actually doing something with his feelings would be taking the risk.
--
Dazai was sitting in a lively restaurant with his friends, but it felt like he was sitting at a metal table being interrogated. To be fair, he had it coming. After all, he had just been staring off into space for the 100th time that evening. He really felt bad for his friends, they really did have to deal with so much of his pinning, but that’s besides the point.
“So you’ve gushed about his luscious red hair and bright blue eyes but we don’t even have a name,” Yosano exclaimed as she slammed her drink back onto the table. Dazai watched as the amber colored liquid moved erratically through the cup at the harsh treatment. He sighed and looked up at everyone.
“I didn’t know you guys were so interested in my love life,” he paused for dramatic effect,” but if you must know his name’s Chuuya.” He didn’t expect recognition to light up everyone’s eyes, but maybe he should’ve, Chuuya was social butterfly.
Dazai brushed it off, “What? You all know him?”
Kunikida looked at him like he was dumb spoke up, “You mean Chuuya as in Nakahara Chuuya, Yosano’s girlfriend’s brother?”
Oh how could he have missed that?
“So you’ve all met the love of my mortal life and you didn’t say anything?”
He heard a sigh and an incredulous voice saying, “Dazai-san how could we have known you’ve been crushing on Chuuya for the last month if you didn’t give us anything more than ‘eyes that rival the ocean sparkling under the summer sun’ and ‘beautiful red hair’?”
Dazai put the back of his hand to his forehead and cried out, “My own son sassing me.”
“Atsushi wouldn’t have to sass you if you went to the party I invited everyone to,” Yosano explained, “Kouyou dragged Chuuya to it”
“You know parties aren’t really my scene,” he finally replied, moping.
Yosano sipped her drink and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. She put the drink down and looked at him knowingly, “Well, it finally makes sense how Kouyou called the other day and complained about her idiot brother not telling her more about some mystery man that he was head over heels for.”
He felt butterflies in his stomach at that, Dazai started planning on asking Chuuya out, but he was snapped out of it when he heard laughter to his right. For now, though, he’d enjoy his time out.
--
Today’s the day, Dazai thought to himself as he walked casually to the bus for once, not sprinting, because for once he was early.
Today’s the day he’d at least try to ask Chuuya out. Though he must point out that the key word is ‘try’. It was the right side of warm outside, it wasn’t windy, and the clouds in the sky promised a sunny day. A beautiful day to ask someone out, if you asked Dazai. He walked up the steps to the bus and took his, now regular, spot next to Chuuya.
“Hey Chibi.”
“Hey asshole.”
Dazai didn’t know how to start a conversation, usually it all flowed easily, the taunts and laughter seamless, but right now it felt a little more forced. It wasn’t too bad, it was mostly coming from his end of the conversation, so he couldn’t really complain. He was just so damn nervous.
They continued talking and just as Dazai was gonna spit out an iteration of “do you want to go out sometime?”, the bus stopped and Chuuya stood to get up.
Let it be said that it usually doesn’t take him long to react, but he needed a minute, his heartfelt confession got interrupted after all. The image of chuuya walking down the steps finally processed in his brain, and he sprung out of his seat
Dazai bolted, grabbed Chuuya’s arm as he stepped down onto the sidewalk, and barely gave Chuuya time to turn around before he said, “Doyouwannagooutwithme?” He winced immediately after when it came out sounding like something entirely indistinguishable, a tangled mess of vowels and consonants.
A beat.
Then a confused face, “what? Can you repea-”
“Sit down or get out!” He was interrupted by the shrill voice of the bus driver. Dazai had to move to dodge the closing doors and almost fell when the bus started rolling away. He ran to an empty seat at the back of the bus and pushed open the small window above the unopenable one and yelled, “Do you want to go out with me?” to a still startled Chuuya.
He was sure Chuuya was able to hear it right this time, but the bus sped up and he had to fall back into the seat before he was knocked over again.
A minute passed before Dazai got a message from his favorite hatrack.
Chuuya <3 2:31pm:
Yes