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“Chuuya~!“
The redhead looked up and without even looking for the person calling him, it was pretty easy to make Dazai out in the masses of people. He was just a huge bandage wasting human existing only once in this world and even under his yukata it was visible that he wore them. Also, no one would wave at Chuuya with that happy smile on his face while running towards him. Chuuya greeted him with a knuckle bump like usual and a simple “Yo.“
“You’re too small, Chuuya! It was so hard to make you out under all those people!”, Dazai complained all the way to the festival and sighed melodramatically. “Are you sure you’re not a girl?"
Chuuya rolled his eyes and was unable to kick the shit out of him wearing a yukata on his own so a stroke with his elbow had to be enough but Dazai dodged it easily. "Asshole.” Still, he wouldn’t tell him that some guys really thought he was a girl and tried to flirt with him at the station while he waited for his bandaged friend.
Getting closer to the festival and the booths the people around them got more and more and without really giving it a proper reason at first, Chuuya walked a bit closer next to Dazai. Though, it would be just a nuisance getting separated anyway. Dazai would spend all his money at random shooting galleries or lotteries and then Chuuya has to pay for everything else. Also, Dazai would probably bother any girl with his stupid idea of a double suicide and before risking getting banned from the festival, he rather babysitted Dazai the whole evening. He couldn’t remember the last time only the two of them were together. Usually, they only met in a group with four or more friends.
“Are you even listening, Chuuya?"
Confused Chuuya looked up and frowned. "Ah, sorry, I was spacing out,” he apologized.
With a pouting face, Dazai answered: “As an apology, you have to buy me some cotton candy!” He grabbed Chuuya’s hand and maneuvered him through the crowd to one of the booths with sweets. Lucky for them in front of that booth was only a short queue so it didn’t take long until it was their turn. They had so many different and delicious looking sweets but Dazai always stuck with the boring basics.
Chuuya ordered one for Dazai and the moment he wanted to get his wallet out of his small bag, he noticed that Dazai was still holding his hand. For a second he looked up to Dazai, he wasn’t paying attention and had a strange smile on his face that let Chuuya’s heart skip a beat only looking at it. Ah, fucking idiot, he thought and wasn’t sure to whom this was directed. Chuuya wanted to get his hand free but the moment he loosened his hand out of Dazai’s the other man tightened the grip.
“It’s okay, I’ll pay,” he said and gave the lady behind the booth the money.
“Enjoy your evening, you sweet love birds,” the lady smiled at them and gave Chuuya the cotton candy. He reached for it with his free hand and stood there dumbfounded. What? Why did it look like he wanted the cotton candy now? And what did she mean with love birds? They weren’t a couple! Although the mere thought let his heart skip a beat again. What was this festival doing with him?
Hand in hand they wandered over the festival, not stopping by any booth, just enjoying the atmosphere with all the laughing sounds, music on different stages, shining lights and frustrated people who didn’t win at the booths. Also, Chuuya ate most of the candy because Dazai gave up after like two or three bites of it while Chuuya was taking the lead in their conversation, too and talked about everything that came into his mind. “Dazai, I need the bathroom for a moment. My hand is sticky with sugar.” Tiptoeing he looked around for any signs of toilets but he couldn’t see anything except a lot of people blocking his view.
But again the lead was taken by Dazai and he maneuvered him through the crowd.
It didn’t even felt strange that he still held his hands rather the thought of letting go as soon as they reached the public toilets was annoying persistent in his head but before they reached the toilet, Dazai suddenly stopped. Chuuya ran against his back because he was walking behind him to get easier through the masses of people. “What?” he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. “Why did you stop?” Chuuya stepped next to Dazai because it was less crowded here and the moment he looked up, he saw Atsushi and Akutagawa next to the ladies toilets. Probably waiting for anything or anyone, Chuuya thought. He was about to greet them, but Dazai pulled him away before they noticed the older duo.
“Let’s look for another toilet."
Confused, Chuuya let himself getting pulled along. "What? Why? We can say hello and hang out together?”
“No.”
Woah, that was colder than Chuuya was used to.
Instead of another toilet, Dazai had pulled him to a bit outlying place and with no other people around. You were still able to hear the festival sounds. Standing with his back to Chuuya, he didn’t understand anything. “What’s gotten into you, Dazai?"
Letting go of Chuuya’s hand - it felt empty - for the first time since hours, he turned around and flipped against the smaller one’s forehead. "Nothing. Chuuya’s just too dense. Even more, than I thought.”
“Huh? What do you mean, you fucking mummy?!” Chuuya was triggered before he could even think about it for a second. “If that so, then I go back to Atsushi and Akutagawa."
"See?” Dazai stepped closer to Chuuya, making him again aware of their stupid height difference. “That’s what I meant.”
Chuuya frowned angrily and got a step back but Dazai was faster, grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a kiss. Chuuya’s eyes widened and his brain had a complete shut down.
The kiss took merely a few seconds but it felt like the world had stopped around them and the moment Dazai broke it, Chuuya felt like all his energy was drained out and he fell flat on his knees on the ground.
Dazai sat down in front of Chuuya and smiled at him and his scarlet red face and confused eyes.
“I didn’t invite the others so you can just pick them up randomly at the festival, Chuuya. I didn’t invite them because I wanted to spend time with you alone. But you’re too dense to get any hint right over the last months and always invited the others, too. Especially Tachihara goes on my nerves.” Dazai lifted Chuuya’s face with his finger and chuckled over the redness in Chuuya’s cheeks. “You know? That’s a date today. Just the two of us. No Atsushi and no Akutagawa."
Still out of order, Chuuya’s brain wasn’t any help rather showing him all the casual moments when Chuuya always happily invited others to something Dazai had suggested and Dazai being always grumpy around Tachihara. When their fingers touched accidentally, making his heart skip beats and his cheeks warm, Dazai inviting him for today and insisting on going alone with Chuuya, Dazai holding his hand the whole evening, the kiss. His head felt like it would explode any moment. "I-I am sorry?"
Dazai patted Chuuya’s head and pulled him into a hug. "Just let me hold you close before you kick my ass and turn me down.”
Suddenly the heat rose up until in Chuuya’s ears and he shook his head - at least as much as it was possible in that awkward position they were in. “It’s not like that."
"Like what?"
"I don’t know..” Chuuya swallowed. “I think- I mean- Maybe you’re right. I am dense and maybe- just maybe- I enjoyed it a little.” His voice was muffled against Dazai’s yukata and with every word he turned quieter. Happy his face was toward Dazai’s chest so he was able to hide his out of embarrassment red face, Chuuya listened to the fast rhythm of Dazai’s heartbeat. He could feel how Dazai pressed his lips against Chuuya’s hair and how the hug tightened.
“Chuuya, you were always the most important person in my life - so don’t just say that to comfort me, okay?”
With a loud and angry “Huh?” Chuuya pushed himself away from Dazai, his face still red like a toffee apple from the festival. “Maybe I enjoyed it a little more than a little - the way you hold my hand the whole evening and then- the kiss!”, Chuuya blurted out. “But don’t say it’s a lie!"
The only answer he got was a laugh. "That’s really not what I meant, Chuuya.” Dazai almost tackled Chuuya down on his back when he hugged him again. “You’re really dense but you make me the happiest man alive.”