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It wasn't often that Kunikida went to a bar--actually, he didn’t really go to bars at all. But Dazai said he needed to relax, and for once Kunikida agreed. Then Dazai suggested a bar as the perfect place to start.
The problem: Kunikida was alone, and didn't want to drink alcohol alone. He didn't want to do something he would regret. Dazai was looking into a case with Yosano's help. That left Ranpo, who didn't know how to behave in a bar. The others were too young. So, he was alone.
Dazai even had a suggestion for which bar he should go to. "This place is pretty nice, a bit pricey for my tastes, but you'll like the atmosphere. Feels a bit like a library. Not sure why I don't go there more often...ah, whatever the reason, it's probably not a big deal!"
Kunikida was dubious, but when he arrived at the bar he found that it was, indeed, a bit like a library. It wasn't too loud. People talked in a low murmur. The lighting cast a soft glow over the entire place.
Kunikida made his way to the counter and sat down, ordering a whiskey. He was nervous, so he might have drank it too quickly. The second whiskey he sipped, and he found himself relaxing, taking in the calm and warm atmosphere.
Someone sat next to him. Kunikida didn't really pay them much attention until they spoke, with a voice that he'd only heard a handful of times but could still identify.
“My usual red, please.”
Kunikida turned to grab the Mafia Executive sitting next to him by the arm. Nakahara, who wasn't drunk or even tipsy, grabbed Kunikida’s wrist before his hand could connect, pulling his arm under the counter. Kunikida could feel his skin bruising with the strength of the grip.
“This is a nice place,” he said in a low growl. “Do you really want to mess with me here?”
No, he didn't. Kunikida pulled back and Nakahara let go of his arm. Kunikida resisted the urge to rub his wrist.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he hissed.
“Drinking,” Nakahara said. He turned to the bartender, who had arrived with his wine. “Actually, can I get a shot of spiced rum?”
The bartender glanced between him and Kunikida, but turned to get the drink.
“You're not here on…” Kunikida lowered his voice. “Mafia business.”
“Nope.” Nakahara accepted the shot from the bartender and downed it. “Actually, this was the only place I thought I could escape from all the bullshit of my job. Apparently not.” He eyed Kunikida. “But I've never seen you here before.”
“I don't drink much,” Kunikida said. He took another sip of his whiskey, needing something to do with his hands. “Dazai suggested I come here to relax.”
As soon as he said Dazai’s name, Kunikida realized he made a mistake. He remembered that Nakahara was Dazai’s old partner, which Dazai had told him after the joint mission between the Mafia and the Agency.
Nakahara looked pissed off. “That bastard. Of course he'd do something like this!”
“I should have known there was a catch to this place,” Kunikida said. “There's always a catch with Dazai.”
“You're damn right there is.” Chuuya sipped his wine. “This is terrible. You know what--I'll fight you for it.”
“What?” Kunikida stared at him. “Fight me for what?!”
“For drinking here in peace for the night,” Nakahara said.
“I'm not fighting you, Nakahara-san.”
“Chuuya.”
“It doesn't matter, I'm not-”
“Scared?”
Kunikida scoffed. “No. But getting into a bar fight is against my morals. It's public indecency.”
Chuuya stared at him. “Who the hell do you think I am? I wasn't challenging you to a fight right in the middle of my favorite bar.”
“Then where were you challenging me to a fight?”
“Behind the building.”
Kunikida groaned. “Like that's much better.”
“I've done some research on the Agency,” Chuuya said. “You're the martial arts expert. Even better than Dazai, probably. But you're still afraid of fighting me.”
“I'm not afraid,” Kunikida said.
“Then come on.” Chuuya downed the rest of his wine and slid off his seat, heading for the door. Kunikida sighed, finished his whiskey, and followed.
The back of the building wasn't a great place. It was poorly lit, with a dumpster placed flush against the building, and random bottles strewn around. The air felt damp.
Chuuya turned towards Kunikida. He looked slightly unsteady, but his eyes were bright and his lips quirked into a smile.
Kunikida felt slightly unsteady himself, but he fell into a defensive stance. The cold air helped a bit to clear the alcohol-induced haze, which he figured was why he'd agreed to this at all.
Then he remembered what he'd seen Chuuya do before.
“I want this to be fair,” he said. “No Abilities.”
“That's fine,” Chuuya said. “I don't need mine to beat you.” Then he launched himself at Kunikida.
Kunikida had been on guard, so he dodged Chuuya’s first blow easily. But Chuuya was fast despite being tipsy, and he whirled around with a kick aimed at his face that Kunikida just barely blocked. The force of it sent a shock of pain up his arm.
Even without his Ability, Chuuya was incredibly strong.
Kunikida attempted to punch Chuuya in the stomach, but Chuuya darted back. Kunikida pressed forward. The two of them tried to land hits on each other in rapid succession, but neither could.
Fed up, Kunikida jumped back. Chuuya moved forward, going for Kunikida’s chest with his first. Kunikida side-stepped the attack and swung his foot around to kick Chuuya’s knees out from under him. He was shocked when the attack actually connected.
Chuuya fell backwards. Too late, Kunikida realized that Chuuya had grabbed his shirt and was pulling him down as well. The only thing Kunikida could do was flip over onto Chuuya as soon as they both hit the ground, pinning his shoulders.
Chuuya’s foot slammed into Kunikida’s stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. Kunikida didn't let go of Chuuya, but the attack had allowed Chuuya to roll over anyway, pushing Kunikida onto his back.
Chuuya straddled Kunikida at his hips so that Kunikida couldn't bring his legs up. Still, Kunikida grabbed Chuuya’s arms before he could use his hands to pin Kunikida to the ground. The two of them grappled this way for a few seconds before Kunikida managed to punch Chuuya in the stomach.
Chuuya doubled over. It was only for a split second, but it was enough for Kunikida to shove Chuuya off him. His hopes of pinning Chuuya again were dashed when Chuuya immediately sprang to his feet, moving forward and swiping at Kunikida’s face.
Kunikida blocked Chuuya's blows, trying to put distance between them, but he realized too late what he'd allowed Chuuya to do. His back hit the building wall, and then one of Chuuya’s hands wrapped around his throat. A knee dug into Kunikida’s stomach. Kunikida grabbed Chuuya’s arms, but he couldn’t push Chuuya off, nor could he move his body in any way. He was stuck.
For a moment they stayed like that, Chuuya’s head tilted up, his eyes on Kunikida's face, searching for any sign that Kunikida meant to attack again. They both were gasping for breath, and Kunikida had the stray thought that Chuuya, with his red hair curling around his face and his blue eyes bright from the sparring match, was very attractive.
Kunikida’s face grew warm, and he must have turned red because Chuuya’s eyes widened and he let go, stepping back.
“I win,” he said, dusting himself off.
“You did,” Kunikida agreed. He missed the proximity--the air felt too cold now. Then he scolded himself for thinking that way of an enemy. “It's your bar now. I'll get going.”
He turned to walk away.
“Wait,” Chuuya said.
Kunikida stopped.
Chuuya gave him a small smile. “That was fun. Let me buy you a drink.”
Kunikida shouldn't have agreed, but the adrenaline running through his veins was making him feel too energetic to go home and sleep.
“Fine,” he said. “One drink.”
*
One drink turned into a few. Kunikida lost count. They traded stories about their jobs, although neither went too deep into it. Kunikida knew that it would lead to another, less friendly fight if he brought morals into it. Chuuya must have held back details both for the sake of privacy and of sparing Kunikida the morality crisis.
“I hate filling out reports,” Chuuya complained, slumping against the bar. “I have one to do tomorrow. It's so fucking boring.”
“But necessary,” Kunikida said. “Documentation is necessary for the success of any organization.”
Chuuya gave him a strange look. “Really?”
“Yes.”
Chuuya sighed. “The worst part is I'm good at them, all because that bandaged bastard made me do all his reports when we--” he cut himself off.
So there it was. Something they'd been skirting around all night. The person they both had experienced a partnership with.
“Dazai will pass off his work to anything that breathes in his vicinity,” Kunikida said.
“That bastard is so lazy,” Chuuya said. “It sounds like he's just as lazy now as he was then!”
“He is,” Kunikida agreed, “and he doesn't tell me his plans. Did he do that to you? I like knowing plans. I'm a planner. But he doesn't tell me them. He just ropes me in and expects me to be okay with it.”
“Yeah!” Chuuya slammed his hand on the bar with a little too much enthusiasm. “He never told me shit. Just expected me to be fine with it. Like some sort of loyal dog.”
“I'm trying to get him to work on being open and honest,” Kunikida said.
Chuuya scoffed. “Good fucking luck.”
“Thanks.” Kunikida blinked. “He also tells me lies. He gives me bad advice. It's distressing.”
“Never listen to him unless someone else can back it up,” Chuuya said. “Does he still take naps in the middle of the day without caring who sees him?”
“Yeah.”
“Does he let you help him?” Chuuya frowned, looking a bit sad. “He never let me help him.”
“More now than he used to,” Kunikida admitted, even though it was implying that Dazai was more open with him than he had been with Chuuya. It was too much right now to think about why and what it meant.
“Huh.” Chuuya finished his drink. “At least you know what you're doing. He didn't end up with a clueless partner. And you can fight to make up for Dazai’s lack of skill.”
“His fighting does leave something to be desired,” Kunikida said, “but he refuses to let me train him.”
“You seem like you'd be good at that sort of thing,” Chuuya said. Kunikida felt his face flush at the compliment despite himself. “You're the one that trains Atsushi?”
Kunikida nodded. “We don't need to know as much as you do about...forceful tactics, but it is useful to know how to defend ourselves.”
“Especially when Yokohama is full of criminals.” Chuuya winked.
Kunikida found himself unsure of how to react to that. He opened and closed his mouth. Chuuya laughed and stood up, heading for the door.
Kunikida followed him outside.
It was later now, the streets emptier, the air colder. Chuuya’s face was slightly flushed as he turned towards Kunikida.
“You know, I wouldn't mind seeing you around here again.”
Kunikida cleared his throat and nodded, not quite knowing what to do with that. He said, “get home safe,” before he could think about who he was saying it to and that Chuuya wasn't an Agency member.
Chuuya’s expression was a mix of amused and something a bit distant. “You too.”
*
Kunikida went into work with a slight headache and a heavy feeling in his body that told him he'd drank a bit too much. He should have kept track, but he'd been distracted.
Dazai noticed because Dazai noticed everything. “Looks like someone had a good night,” he said, plopping onto Kunikida’s desk and sitting right on top of the papers Kunikida needed.
“You sent me to the bar your old partner frequents,” Kunikida said.
Dazai's eyes widened. “That's why I never go there! I forgot.” He tilted his head. “Did Chuuya kick you out?”
“We drank together,” Kunikida said.
Dazai choked. “You what?” He tried to rearrange his expression into something impassive. “Must've been interesting, drinking with a Mafia Executive.”
“It was fun,” Kunikida admitted. He allowed himself a small smile. “We talked about you.”
Dazai stared at him. “Why?”
“You can't think of a reason?”
Dazai was quiet for a moment. “You should probably pick a new bar,” he said evenly.
Kunikida enjoyed the barely disguised horror on Dazai’s face. For once he had one over his partner. “I'm going to go back and drink with him again.”
Dazai opened his mouth, closed it, and then pushed himself off Kunikida’s desk and went to his own. He actually started doing work.
Kunikida hadn't decided whether or not he would go back, but now that he'd talked about it to Dazai, he figured it couldn't hurt.
Even if Chuuya was a Mafia Executive, he'd been enjoyable to talk to. And Kunikida found that he liked being surprised by who Chuuya was rather than who he thought Chuuya was.
He wanted to be surprised by Chuuya again.