Chapter Text
After pulling Yosano aside in the hallway, turns out it’s a complete coincidence that she’s ended up at Chuuya’s workplace.
“I only wanted to join a workplace of humans to understand them,” she pleads. “I didn’t know you were working here, and I promise I won’t cause any trouble! Just please don’t tell Dazai!”
Chuuya pauses thoughtfully, then nods. “As long as you do your job diligently, then I won’t tell him. We don’t need to have a repeat of the fight from the other day either. Sounds good?”
Yosano nods fervently. “Thank you so much, Chuuya!”
It’s nice seeing this side of her as opposed to her confrontational side anytime she’s in a ten-foot radius of Dazai.
Turns out it’s towards the end of the quarter so both have an enormous pile of work left, Chuuya also delayed by having to explain to Yosano everything from how to turn on the computer to how to operate the software. They actually work well together.
EPILOGUE: Dazai’s Seduction Plan (Dazai POV)
Meanwhile at home, Dazai’s cackling and peering over a cauldron of purple bubbling liquid on the stove, books on different chocolate making strewn all over the counter he had ordered in bulk from Ebay the minute Chuuya had left.
“Hee hee, wait until the chibi sees these!” He rubs his hands together. “Just one more ingredient left.”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a heart-shaped bottle labeled “Love Potion.”
“With this, even the chibi’s body will be mine! Everything that I do, I do for love! And I love that stupid chibi!”
He unscrews the top and grins darkly as he overturns the bottle and watches the pink fall, drop by drop, into the cauldron.
His chuckles echo loudly into the night, bouncing off the walls until Atsushi pops his head in, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
“Dazai?” He yawns. “Everything okay?”
Caught red-handed, Dazai quickly hides the bottle behind his back. “Everything’s fine, sweetie. Just go back to sleep.”
“Okay then, Dazai. Good night.” Atsushi moves out of sight and Dazai breathes a sigh of relief until he fully crosses the threshold and waddles up to him.
“What’s wrong, Atsushi?” Damn, he really doesn’t want to answer questions on why he’s making chocolates at midnight.
“Can I get a glass of water please, Dazai?” Atsushi blinks up at him and Dazai doesn’t have the heart to tell him no.
“Of course, sweetie. One second.” Biting down his impatience, he heads to the cupboard and pulls out a glass, surreptitiously shoving the bottle in his pocket.
The glass is over halfway full when he hears, “Dazai, why are you making chocolates?”
Oh shit. He shuts off the tap. “These are thank-you gifts for Chuuya for Valentine’s Day tomorrow! He’s been so nice to let us stay here and even moved apartments for us. I think he deserves a present.” Dazai hands him the glass and leans against the counter, crossing his arms.
“You’re right, Chuuya-san has been very nice. I like going to school and my bed.” Atsushi takes a sip of water, his purple tail swishing behind him. “Can I try some when you’re done?”
He probably should have thought about making a separate batch without the aphrodisiac because he really doesn’t want to see this potion’s effects on a mind as innocent as Atsushi’s.
“Sure, sweetie,” he lies through his teeth. “I’ll give you some later, okay? I think it’s time for bed now or you’ll be too tired for school tomorrow.”
As if on cue, Atsushi yawns again, pressing a hand to his mouth. “You’re right, I’m feeling sleepy again. Thanks, Dazai.” Atsushi hands him the glass of water and trudges out of the kitchen, Dazai watching him go.
“Time to wrap up these chocolates,” he mutters. “Oh damn, they’re so close to burning!”
The next morning, they drop Atsushi off for school. Turns out Chuuya had remembered it was Valentine’s, so he sent Atsushi off with some chocolates and frosted sugar cookies that he had picked up from the store on his way back from work the previous night.
“Have fun at school!” They wave him goodbye, and Atsushi waves back. If Dazai didn’t have his own chocolates to give to Chuuya, he would absolutely have hid in the tree branches to see if Atsushi gives any personally to that Ryuu kid.
They go back home and Chuu heads to the dining room table.
“You don’t have work today, chibi?” Dazai’s not complaining about this turn of events, but he is curious.
“I always take Valentine’s Day off. Hey, can you make me a cup of coffee? I’m dead tired from working late with Yosano last night.”
“You were working with Yosano?” He puts a cup underneath the instant coffee maker and inserts a caramel coffee pod at the top, pressing the ‘Dispense’ button. What the hell—Dazai wasn’t allowed to set even one foot into the workplace and Yosano’s inserted herself directly next to Chuuya?
Chuuya freezes, his eyes widening. “Oh, um, it’s not like that! Turns out it’s a complete coincidence that she happened to end up at my workplace!”
Dazai narrows his eyes, his claws extending. “A coincidence. It hasn’t even been a week since she crash-landed our apartment and you’re working with her. The next time I see her, I’m going to show her what it truly means to interfere with another dragon’s territory.”
Chuuya waves his hands in front of him placatingly. “Dazai, please, let’s not start any rash arguments, okay? I’ve only worked with her for a day, but I really don’t think she’ll be an issue. Besides, you’re doing such a great job holding down the fort.”
Once he sees the pleading in chibi’s cerulean eyes, and Chuuya never pleads, Dazai lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Fine. Just this one time, okay? But if she gives you even one speck of a problem, I’ll throw her into another dimension!”
Chuuya rolls his eyes. “You always did have a flare for the dramatic.”
Dazai suddenly recalls what Chuuya had said earlier. “So you take Valentine’s Day off? Every year?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I don’t like dealing with my middle-aged female coworkers griping over how their husbands didn’t give them flowers when they woke up or make them breakfast in bed. And most of the male coworkers take the day off anyway because we always end the quarter the day before—usually we organize some kind of golf game or something to celebrate before the evening gets tied up in dates or what not. I just didn’t feel like going this year.”
Going golfing on Valentine’s Day definitely seems a bit strange, from what Dazai’s searched on the Internet. Eh, as long as his chibi’s home alone with him, that’s all that matters.
Now to give him the fruits of his labor. He opens the drawer and pulls out the red heart-shaped box—the wrapping is a little sloppy, but it’s what’s inside that counts, right? Especially what’s inside these chocolates.
Holding the coffee cup with his other hand, he walks over to Chuuya.
“That makes sense, chibi. You know, maybe this year will be different, and even more worthwhile for you. I want you to have these.” He sets the coffee cup down on the table and pulls out his hand from behind his back, it slightly trembling as he holds the chocolates out in front of him.
Chuuya’s eyes go as wide as saucers when he sees the chocolates. “You, you, you made these for me?” His voice adorably squeaks at the end as he looks down at the box.
Dazai wasn’t expecting this reaction at all. Guilt pooling at the bottom of his stomach from the truth of the chocolates, he swallows thickly and puts on a brave face.
“Made these just for you, hat rack! It’s partially also to thank you for putting up with Atsushi and I—you’re even sending him to school, and I’ve had a lot of fun being here. Thanks for everything, Chuuya.”
The use of his given name makes Chuuya look up at Dazai’s face, his eyes shining. Shit, he only meant these as a small token of appreciation, especially given their contents, but Chuuya’s reacting as if he’s handing him the world on a platter or something.
“Thank you, Dazai. I’ve never had someone give me homemade chocolates before, and because they’re from you, you pathetic but sweet bastard, it means a lot.” That’s probably the nicest backhanded compliment Dazai’s received and he feels tears prickling at the corner of his eyes.
Chuuya takes the box from him and hugs it to his chest briefly. This is seriously turning out to be more and more like a scene from a shojo manga.
Until his eyes narrow and he holds the box up to his face, shaking the box. “Do you know, Dazai, how much I value trust?”
Huh? “What do you mean by that, Chuuya?” Dazai nervously chuckles.
“Trust. One of the most important components of a relationship. A building block that serves as a stable foundation upon which two people can create a strong bond.” With every word, guilt rises until it’s tickling the back of his throat.
“I’m about to eat these chocolates, Dazai. Can I trust you with these?” Chuuya’s gaze turns icy, his eyes piercing what feels like right through Dazai’s heart.
“Y-you, um, you,” Dazai squirms under his gaze. “Actually, you know what—”
“Eh, fuck it. Even if there’s something weird in these, you still made them for me. I’ll eat it.”
Dazai’s truly shocked at this turn of events—Chuuya’s mood appears to have switched like the flip of a dime. “You would trust me and eat them anyway?”
“Based on your reaction there’s a 99% chance there’s something in them, but at the very least, I trust that you won’t try to kill me. Wait, these won’t kill me, right?” His gaze softens to concern as he bites the corner of his lip.
Dazai shakes his head vigorously. “Nope, definitely won’t kill you.” The thought didn’t even cross his mind— come to think of it, when was the last time he’s thought about double suicide? If anything, he might be the one to die with how Chuuya’s may react.
Chuuya exhales slowly, seemingly relieved. “Alright then, it’s not like I have anything better to do anyways.” He slips the red bow off and tears open the red packaging, then pops the top of the lid off.
“Wow, these chocolates actually look pretty cute.” Cute wasn’t quite what Dazai was going for, but he’ll take it.
Chuuya plucks a square-shaped one from the center of the box. “Here goes nothing.” He throws it into his mouth, Dazai watching anxiously. Truthfully, he has no idea either how this potion will affect a human, only theoretically what it might do.
Chuuya chews and swallows. Almost immediately a red flush colors Chuuya’s cheeks, and he throws a hand onto the table.
“Damn, that’s a strong flavor. What did you put in there—hard liquor? Wow, I think I need to lay down.”
Chuuya stands up from the table and starts staggering his way to the couch, his steps uneven and his posture somewhat slumped.
“Chuuya!” Dazai runs over and wraps a hand around his waist, guiding Chuuya’s arm over his shoulder. He has to hunch over quite a bit given Chuuya’s small frame but they’re almost at the couch anyways.
They reach the couch and Dazai helps Chuuya sit down, moving his legs to the opposite end and putting a pillow under his head. He gently pushes him down and Chuuya offers no resistance, merely tugging at his collar.
“It’s sooo hot, Dazai. I just want to take it all off.” His words are definitely slurred, and his eyes are burning brightly against the redness of his cheeks.
“You want me to help you take your clothes off?” Shit shit shit, Dazai wasn’t expecting an openly vulnerable Chuuya out of this—he really should have looked more into the side effects.
Chuuya nods. “Hurry up, I can’t stand it,” he whines.
Dazai decides to start off with just Chuuya’s shirt—there’s no reason to strip him bare in the living room when he’s clearly delirious or something, and he can always do more if Chuuya asks.
“I’m going to unbutton your shirt first, okay, Chuuya?” This might have been an underhanded method to get him to this state but that doesn’t mean Dazai doesn’t have standards and would stoop so low to take advantage of Chuuya.
“Whateverrr,” Chuuya groans.
Dazai carefully undoes one button at a time, watching for Chuuya’s expression. The minute he sees Chuuya’s uncomfortable, he’s pulling the plug and putting a blanket on him or carrying him to bed or something.
But Chuuya offers no noise of complaint and once Dazai gets to the end, he pulls the edges of the shirt apart, exposed a slim, muscular torso. It’s not like he hasn’t seen Chuuya shirtless before, but this is…different.
He feels a hand petting his head, moving slowly across his locks. He looks up to see Chuuya turned his head to face him, an uncharacteristic softness in his azure eyes.
“Your hair feels soft, Dazai,” he murmurs. “You’re actually really pretty, you know that?”
Dazai’s heart starts working double time but he struggles to keep his voice light. “Pretty, you say? I’d prefer ‘devilishly handsome.’”
Chuuya shakes his head slowly. “Mm, no, not quite. You’re my dragon butler, and that makes you pretty adorable.”
Dazai swears his heart skips a beat and if he wasn’t a dragon, and thus, in complete control of his skin, he’d be as red as Chuuya right about now.
“And I’ll continue to be, as long as you want me to,” he replies softly, dropping any ounce of mockery in his tone. If Chuuya’s being open and honest, even if he’s functionally drunk, so can he. What are the chances Chuuya will remember this conversation later, anyway?
Chuuya’s hand drops from his head to cup his cheek. “Hey, Dazai?”
“What is it, Chuuya?” At this moment, Dazai would move heaven and earth to keep him happy.
“Can I kiss you?”
Now Dazai knows his cheeks are red—there’s only so much control he can maintain when faced with this overwhelmingly endearing version of his Chuuya.
But he maintains eye contact with Chuuya anyway. “Are you sure, Chuuya? I don’t want you to regret this later.”
Chuuya makes a small noise of dissent. “I won’t. I promise. Please?”
It is just a kiss, after all, and Dazai’s sure he wants this just as much as Chuuya. “Just one kiss, Chuuya. But I don’t want to hear any complaints once the effects wear off, okay?”
“Just shut up and move closer already.” Now that’s more like his chibi.
He leans in towards Chuuya, inch by inch, giving him ample time to move back, to decline, to say he doesn’t want this anymore.
But once Dazai’s lips are close enough, Chuuya closes his eyes and presses his lips to his.
And for a brief moment in time, one that Dazai wishes he could freeze forever, it’s just these two in their own world, with the curtains softly billowing, the sun streaming through the window, and warm lips finally joined together with the promise of a bright future together: an ordinary office worker and his dragon butler.