Chapter Text
Kunikida went limp in Dazai’s arms as Atsushi tore the door off of their cell with a sharp roar. The blood seeping from Kunikida’s mouth was worrisome, but first they had to figure out where they were and then get to Yosano in time. There was also the matter of making Hirotsu and Tachahara pay for what they’ve done here, which Dazai wanted to do so badly that he had to blink away visions of bullets tearing through their bodies to focus on the task at hand.
Atsushi followed at his heels, still in full tiger form, growling low as they went. Dazai was in awe of the tiger, and late at night when exhaustion pulled at his bones and his mind was out of his control, sometimes he’d let himself imagine how much Oda would have loved to take care of this particular orphan. He imagined him hugging the tiger and giving it belly rubs with no fear whatsoever, a grin creeping over his face as his red hair hung in his bright eyes. For now, he let the safety of having the tiger by his side help him focus his attention on where they were and how to get Kunikida to safety.
It was a research facility, clearly, but how had Hirotsu and Tachihara gotten into this place? Kunikida’s breath hitched and Dazai stopped walking. Atsushi turned and his growl got louder, more like a question. Dazai stared at Kunikida’s chest and didn’t move until it did. He took a deep breath of his own and nodded at Atsushi as he started walking again.
They were on the bottom floor, clearly, and taking an elevator when you didn’t know what the doors would open onto was not wise. Trying times, though… Dazai pulled in a deep breath and pushed the button to call it. “Atsushi, you’re going to have to handle whoever is waiting,” he said quietly as the doors shut. He moved to the back of the elevator and turned, shielding Kunikida as much as he could. Atsushi growled and settled into a position to jump, and when the doors slid open, he roared, counting on the element of surprise.
The five men with guns trained on the doors fired immediately, but the bullets bounced off of the tiger and Dazai counted to ten, letting the tiger swipe the guns from the men and, well, Dazai had to step over two severed arms as he followed Astushi into the now silent lobby area. He took stock of where they were and snapped “Atsushi. Human. Now.” There was a couch and a few soft chairs on one side of the lobby, and he moved and set Kunikida down gently.
“Dazai,” Atsushi breathed as he knelt down next to Kunikida’s limp and bloody form.
Dazai pressed his fingers to Kunikida’s neck and blew out a breath at the thready pulse he found. “Stay with him.” He moved to the desk near the door and picked up the phone. “Tanizaki. Kenji and Yosano need to get here now. Kunikda’s in very bad shape, and there may be backup coming. Lobby of the Tower building. Atsushi’s with him.” He didn’t wait for an answer but hung up and swallowed his brewing anger.
He went over to the men writhing on the floor and snapped up a discarded gun. He ignored the whimpers of the men as he rifled through their pockets, finally, on the third try, finding both things he was looking for. He pulled the man’s headquarters ID and a knife from the pocket of his vest. “You can thank Hiratsu for thinking five of you were enough for our tiger,’ he snarled, and he grabbed the man’s fingers and snapped the knife down. Thankfully, the knife was razor sharp, so the thumb came off quickly. After a moment, the man screamed.
Dazai stood and strode over to Atsushi, who was gripping Kunikida’s hand tightly, ignoring the nasty work Dazai was doing. Dazai leaned over and brushed blond hair out of Kunikida’s bruised face. “I’m going to get his book,” he said softly. The unspoken ‘and make them pay,’ hung in the air. “As soon as Yosano gets here.” He put the grotesque thumb he’d stolen into his pocket and Atsushi grimaced. “You need to keep an eye on those men. You did a good job, but they’re not weak.”
“Let me come with you,” Atsushi said, and his voice was gravelly and dark.
“No. You’re their target and they have something that can take you out. I’m just going in for the book and to let Hiratsu know what a mistake he made in targeting us. We’ll put their formula on the Agency agenda once everything’s settled.” He pressed his hand to Kunikida’s cheek. “Stay with him. He’ll be worn out once Yosano’s finished. I don’t want him to be alone.” His feelings toward Kunikida were complicated, but when he was laying here pale and one step from death, they were crystal clear. He would make the men who did this pay, and then he would keep close to his friend for a few days. “He didn’t need this,” Dazai whispered.
Lately, Kunikida’s own darkness was slowly growing to match Dazai’s own. He recognized the eyes of sleepless nights, saw how his anger had a different sharpness to it than before. Dazai’s relationship with him wasn’t simple; some days they were comrades, some days they were rivals, some days they were living in different realities, it seemed. Now, though, they didn’t fight as much, didn’t verbally spar the way that used to be comforting to Dazai, because Kunikida had gone quiet most days. When Dazai finally asked, he said that quiet was more ideal, but Dazai saw the diminished light in his eyes, like he didn’t have the energy to engage.
Before Atsushi could answer, the doors to the lobby shattered as Kenji threw a stop sign through it to let Yosano in, and Dazai stood up. Yosano wasted no time, striding over with purpose. Atsushi stepped back quickly, and Dazai met his eyes. He nodded and Dazai tucked the gun into his coat, ruffled Atsushi’s hair with a smile, and left the building without a word.
He ducked his head as he walked to the back of the Port Mafia building and quickly swiped the ID and thumb print to open the rear door. Grunts like the men Atsushi had taken down would never enter through the lobby, and that worked in Dazai’s favor today. He climbed the stairwell as far as the ID would let him, and then oriented himself once he checked the floor he ended up on. His head still held the building plan like a photograph, and he still knew which shadows to duck into as he made his way to the Black Lizard offices. He listened carefully at the door before entering, and when he found Hirotsa, Tachihara, and Higuchi standing around a conference table, he wasted no time and shot, taking out their knees in five seconds. He swept their coats for guns and knelt down and pressed one hand to Hirotsu and one to Tachihara, fixing Higuchi with a sharp glare.
“Now that I have your attention,” he snarled. “I’m here for a book.”
He left them alive, and that was enough. By the time he got back to the Agency, it was almost morning, and exhaustion seeped through his bones. He pushed his way into the office and Kenji was sitting on top of a desk, watching the door in anticipation. He hopped down as Dazai pushed the door shut behind him.
“Dazai, are you all right? Did you get Kunikida’s notebook? Did you kill the Black Lizard?”
Dazai took a deep breath and smiled. Of all of them, Kenji was the most comfortable with violence. “I’m fine. I got his notebook. I didn’t kill anyone, but they’re going to be in pain for a while.” He glanced toward the infirmary. “Is he all right?”
Kenji nodded. “Still sleeping. Yosano said he’d be fine, though.”
“Did she have to use her ability?” he asked.
“Yes. He’s been passed out since, though. Atsushi is with him.”
Dazai closed his eyes for a moment. So close. If the Black Lizard had taken them anywhere outside the city, Kunikida would likely be dead. “Thank you, Kenji. You should go home and rest.”
Kenji agreed with a smile and a wave and left as Dazai headed back to the infirmary. Fukizawa was standing in the doorway, waiting, and fixed Dazai with a concerned stare. He looked down at Dazai’s hands, which had dried blood on them, and his coat, where the gun could easily be seen in outline. “What do I need to know right now?” he asked.
Dazai blew out a breath. “The Port Mafia has something that can take the tiger down. I may have taken out three Port Mafia members’ kneecaps to get Kunikida’s book back.”
The barest smile played across Fukizawa’s face before he shuttered it. “Do you need anything?”
“Kunikida needs a raise and a vacation,” Dazai said with a grin.
“And maybe therapy,” Atsushi muttered from Kunikida’s beside.
“Maybe a group plan for that is available,” Dazai said. He pushed past the boss and into the room. Atsushi was sitting with his hand covering Kunikida’s hand, not even looking at Dazai.
Fukizawa nodded and headed back to his office. “When he’s cleared, tell him he’s got a few days. You two as well.”
Dazai set the bag he was carrying on a tray near the bed and put his hand on Atsushi’s shoulder. “Has he woken?”
“Not yet. Yosano said he’s okay, though. Just worn out.”
Dazai pulled a cup of noodles out of the takeout bag and handed it to Atsushi. “Eat, kid.”
Atsushi grinned. “Thanks, Dazai.”
Dazai nodded and pulled out another. He sat down and inhaled deeply. The smell of sesame calmed his breathing, and his legs were very grateful he was finally sitting down after the long night. “Are you okay, Atsushi? Did Yosano give you a once-over?”
Atsushi nodded and swallowed. “I’m okay. Just tired.” He stared for a moment at Kunikida’s face. “It was close, Dazai. And he apologized for being a burden before he passed out.”
Kunikida, a burden? Dazai closed his eyes. He envisioned Kunikida leading a planning meeting, his clothes neat and tidy, pushing his glasses up on his nose. He envisioned Kunikida staying late to finish someone else’s paperwork because the government form had to be finished by a deadline. He envisioned Kunikida whipping out a page from his book and the flash bang they needed appearing in an instant, letting Kenji or Tanizaki get away safely. He envisioned sitting at the table across from him last night, laughter lighting his eyes, the warm feeling of knowing they’d cheered him up at least a little bit.
He ate a few more bites, and so did Atsushi. The quiet of the infirmary was comfortable. They finished their meal and Dazai scooted closer, brushed his hand across Kunikida’s forehead. “Wake up, will you?” he muttered.
“M’sleepy.”
Atsushi sat straight up and grinned so brightly his blue eyes lit up like a beacon. “Kunikida!” he cried.
Dazai blew out a breath he figured he’d been holding since they woke in that cell. He leaned forward and smacked Kunikida’s arm lightly. “Sleepyhead. You missed noodles.”
Kunikida blinked, reached up and brushed his face, like he was checking for bruises. “Yosano healed me?” he said, surprised. “It was that bad?”
Dazai wanted to have a clever comeback, wanted to brush it off, play down the seriousness, but his memory conjured an image of Kunikida, pale face with blood running down his chin from the corner of his mouth. He bit his lip and nodded.Atsushi was quiet, too.
Kunikida sat up a bit and leaned back on the pillows Atsushi pressed behind him. He fixed Atsushi with a glare. “You’re all right? They had a tranquilizer that worked on your tiger. Are you suffering any residual effects?”
Dazai hadn’t thought to ask that.
Atsushi shook his head. “I’m fine, Kunikida-san.”
Kunikida frowned at the formal address.
Atsushi swallowed and pointed at the table nearby. “Dazai got your book back,” he said.
It was a good distraction. Kunikida reached over and picked it up and inspected it.
“I checked. They left your Spousal Plan alone,” Dazai said with a smile.
Kunikida grimaced and met Dazai’s gaze. “How did you get it back?”
After a beat, Dazai slumped his shoulders. “It was only a few kneecaps. No killings.”
“Did you report to Fukizawa after?”
Dazai sighed. He stood up. “Do you want us to walk you home? Yosano said you could leave once you woke. She wants you to drink plenty of fluids.”
“Dazai.”
Atsushi was watching them like a tennis match.
“I told Fukizawa what happened. I told him what I did and what they have. He said I could make a full report when I come back to work after our vacation.”
“Good.”
A grin spread across Atsushi’s face, and Dazai worked to keep his own face straight.
After a beat, Kunikida blinked. “What vacation?”
Dazai stood and spread his arms widely. “A weekend away! The three of us! I was thinking we could take Atsushi to a casino in Tokyo! Gambling, drinks, lights, music!” He counted down in his head while Kunikida processed this information. Three, two –
“What? No! I don’t want to go to Tokyo! I have paperwork to do. You have paperwork to do.”
Atsushi piped up, “I don’t want to gamble or drink, really, but we could think of something else!”
“There’s a restaurant I think Kunikida would like,” Dazai said, grinning.
“Ooooh, a good restaurant could be fun!” Atsushi said.
“Wait,” Kunikida said. “I don’t have time or money for a vacation. Neither do either of you,” he added.
Dazai sighed and sat back down on the edge of the bed as Kunikida yawned. “How about a compromise? I was thinking we should go to the nearest onsen, since you’re exhausted. Just for a night? We could all go home and sleep tonight and leave tomorrow morning. Kunikida,” he said seriously. “You need more rest. You’ve been coming into work exhausted for months. I understand why,” he said, and Kunikida dropped his chin to his chest as he said it, “But a day off won’t hurt anything. I’ll pay for you both. I can afford it.”
Kunikida laughed. “You have a bill at the café from the last two months!”
“That’s more of a memory problem than a finance problem,” Dazai said with a shrug.
Kunikida stared at the sheets. His face was still pale, and the dark circles under his eyes were pronounced.
“Look,” Dazai said, and he set his hand on top of Kunikida’s, “I know you’re working too hard for a reason. I know I’m not one to talk about shitty coping mechanisms. So, let’s just go relax for a day, look at a pretty place, and then come back and throw ourselves back into the work. Okay?”
Kunikida closed his eyes for a moment and then nodded. “It might be nice.”
Atsushi’s voice was quiet when he said, “If you don’t want me to come along, that’s okay, Kunikida.”
Dazai recognized the tone. Atsushi got like this. Two minutes ago he was excited about traveling with them; now he was questioning his place. Dazai was grateful they even got those two minutes, but still.
Thankfully, Kunikida beat him to it. “Atsushi. If we’re going to take a day off, we’re taking you along. We always want you along. You need to rest, too.”
Atsushi glanced at Dazai, and Dazai nodded. “Come with us. Family outing!” Family was something he had little experience with, but weekly dinners with these two were different than going to the bar with Chuuya, different than lunches with Kenji or Ranpo. These two were just different, and since he didn’t know how to really define family, he’d make them his definition.
Kunikida laughed, a worn-out, weary laugh, and nodded. “Family outing, Atsushi. You have to come,” and a light came back into his eyes, and he threw his legs over the side of the bed to stand up. “I’m going home to shower and sleep a bit more. I’ll send a packing list before I go to bed, and Dazai, we’ll need to leave by nine am sharp if we want to have any substantial time at the onsen. That means set an alarm. Atsushi, call me if there’s something on the list you don’t have yet. I’ll pick it up for you before we leave.”
Dazai rolled his eyes at Atsushi, who laughed so brightly that there was no darkness left in the room until they turned the lights out as they left the office.