Chapter Text
It's just a normal day at work until a hooded figure entered through the door carrying a seemingly normal box. In hindsight, that should have been warning enough, there was never a normal day at the Agency.
“Hello, we're the Armed Detective Agency, how can we help you?” Atsushi inquires with a smile approaching the figure as he was the first to notice the person, his smile immediately turned into shock when he catches a glimpse of the face under the hood.
“P-Port Mafia!” He yelps loudly, causing everyone to be on their guard, weapons out and ready for an attack.
“Keep it down, will ya? Besides, I’m not even a part of the Port Mafia anymore.” The figure waves nonchalantly, walking further into the office, seemingly uncaring of the weapons pointed at him.
Hearing the familiar voice, Dazai perks up from where he was ignoring Atsushi's announcement of the Port Mafia's visit to their office. Before he could say anything, Yosano, who was closer and recognised that voice, points her chainsaw at him with a threatening smile and mocking tone. “Oh? And what business does a former Port Mafia Executive have with us?” with that identity reveal, the rest of the Agency's hackle immediately doubles.
“I have no business with you. I’m just here to deliver this,” removing his hood, as it was pointless now that everyone knew he was here, he moves to where he sees Dazai observing him. The annoying bastard immediately starts yammering as soon as he spots Chuuya’s gaze on him. Chuuya uses gravity on Kunikida, who tries to block his advance, making him unable to take another step.
“Chuuya~ I almost didn’t recognise you, with that haircut and those clothes, it’s like you turned back into 15 years old chibi, not that you grew much!” Dazai says, ignoring the hostile atmosphere around them, sharp eyes taking in and categorising Chuuya's new look (short hair- like back when they younger-, black hoodie, pants and boots, duffle bag slung over one shoulder, box in hand and most importantly without that ugly hat.)
Chuuya growls “shut the fuck up. As if you're any better, you’ve had the same shaggy haircut for years and you’re clothes have gotten tackier than ever,” he drops the box on the table in front of Dazai.
“A gift? Chuuya, you shouldn’t have!” Dazai gasps dramatically, Chuuya rolls his eyes but doesn’t correct him, “call it whatever you like, it’s more like fulfilling a promise than anything else, though.” Dazai raises an eyebrow; it was unlike Chuuya to remain calm in his presence for so long without any outbursts and even less to not contradict Dazai. He continues observing Chuuya, noting how he seemed to be calm and almost content, although there was still wariness from being in enemy territory that most probably wouldn’t notice.
“Oh? Chuuya's being nice to me and you said you've quit the Port Mafia? Today must be a special day, how did Mori-san react to the news, I wonder?” Dazai fakes wonder, tapping a finger against his chin, still keeping up his act, already having a feeling of what’s in the box.
Chuuya smirks slightly, glancing at the box; he says “why don’t you ask him?” For a moment, Dazai just stares back at Chuuya, face turning expressionless as the rest watch their silent communication. Then, Dazai turns to the box, opening it, he pauses when he sees the content, the Tanizaki siblings and Atsushi moves closer, curious to see what’s inside, gasping in horror and disgust, they quickly scrambled away, the older Tanizaki pulling his sister closer to him protectively to keep the box from her sight.
“I-isn't that the boss of the Port Mafia?!!” Atsushi points shakily at the bloody head in the box, pale-faced. His reaction causes chaos in the office, as the others try to catch a glimpse inside the box as well.
“Did he kill Kouyou?” Dazai simply asks, knowing without asking that his former partner was the one behind the now-former Port Mafia boss’s death, there weren’t many people who could pull of such a feat, but the redhead before him was definitely one who could if given the proper motivation, Kouyou's ‘unfortunate’ death fit the category, but Dazai was willing to bet it was due to another reason, Mori may distrust her but he wasn’t a fool to kill the Executive without valid reason, a reason that he probably would’ve heard of through his connections. He hears a loud gasp of horror in the background, could be Kyouka at hearing Kouyou's name or it could just be someone who looked into the box.
Chuuya snorts, “No, Ane-san's fine, there wouldn’t be anything to put in that box if he did, she's probably busy getting the Mafia under her control right now.” Dazai tilts his head in acknowledgment, having guessed that was the case, or else his ex-partner wouldn’t be here, instead, he would be the one busy taking over Mori's place. Chuuya pauses, considering before revealing, “He thought I betrayed the Mafia, tried to kill me,”
Dazai thinks to ask the reason for Mori's sudden doubt in his most loyal Executive, but it wasn’t important anymore, instead, he is puzzled why Chuuya would quit the Mafia, with Mori gone, he would be the next Boss, there was no doubt in Dazai's mind about that. Instead, he’s hatless and in enemy territory. He would never do something so reckless without good reason.
“Why?” Dazai asks, (why are you here, why are you showing me this, what do you want) knowing Chuuya would understand the underlying questions. His reply shook him to the core; “you're free” was Chuuya's honest, almost longing answer. Shocked, Dazai was suddenly jolted into remembering a conversation he had long since thought he had forgotten.
“If you could have anything you wish for, what would you wish for?” Dazai asks without looking up from his console, during one of the rare times they were alone and weren’t fighting. Chuuya who was reading a book next to him looks up with a confused expression at the sudden question. “Huh? What’s it to you?”
“I want to know if Chuuya would wish to be taller~”
“Fuck you, I’m still growing! And I wouldn’t waste a wish that could grant me anything just to grow taller.”
“What would you wish for then?”
Chuuya is silent as he regards Dazai, assessing how serious Dazai was about the question, Dazai pauses his game when the silence stretches, and he looks up from it to see Chuuya with a faraway look. He waits, he had asked without really expecting an answer, but it would appear he would get one, and he wasn’t wrong as after a long moment Chuuya speaks up, “I guess I would wish to be... free,”
Dazai is slightly surprised, “you wouldn’t wish to never have to use Corruption again?” Chuuya shook his head, “I mean, I did think of that, but then I wouldn’t be able to use it if I really did need to, I'll like to have the option even if I die from it... No, I’ll wish to be free... from being a leader, or the Port Mafia.” Dazai was taken aback, here he thought his partner had somehow become too loyal to the Mafia with how he was inducted into it, the words he said were practically blasphemous.
“I thought you liked having subordinates and enjoyed being a mafioso,” Chuuya's brow rises further as if questioning Dazai, “It’s not like I had much choice when I joined, I mean, I don’t mind it most of the time, but if I did, I wouldn’t choose to be in the Mafia,” Dazai suddenly realises Chuuya had probably never been truly free his whole life, he was an escaped experiment, even without his memories of the years prior, it was likely not a happy childhood, then he was become the King of Sheep to a group of children before being forced to join the Port Mafia by Dazai. Both of them were partially at fault for each of their enlistment in the mafia.
“What would you be?” Dazai’s asks, wholly interested in the rare honest conversation now from what started as a random question. Chuuya scoffs, “why are you even asking me all this? It’s not like we’re going to escape, let alone leave the mafia.”
Dazai pouts, “don’t be such a spoilsport, Chibikko, it’s smart to plan for every possible outcome, not that I expect a Hat Rack to understand,” Chuuya’s elbow connects with Dazai, receiving a loud whine in return for his effort. Chuuya rolls his eyes in annoyance, “shut the fuck up already, you annoying asshole. I don’t know, maybe just travel the world, not as if I can just stay somewhere forever, I’ll probably have to avoid the mafia and the government for the rest of my life.”
“Like those poor backpackers that have to perform on the streets for money? I didn’t know Chuuya wanted to be a vagabond, what’s first on your bucket list?”
“Harh?! If anyone’s a vagabond, that’ll be you, bandaged bastard,” Chuuya huffs, crossing his arms and glaring at Dazai, “as if you could do any better, what would you wish for?”
“Isn’t that obvious? I’ll wish for the perfect suicide, painless and peaceful.”
“Tch, figures.”
“But,” Dazai pauses, contemplating whether to continue, “I guess Chuuya’s idea is not bad for once, as a second option, of course,” he admits. He fakes cheerfulness as he slings an arm around Chuuya, “we can travel the world together! Let’s go to Greece, I heard the beaches there are great,” Chuuya snorts, shoving at Dazai to get him off, giving up when his octopus limps somehow just tightens around him “you don’t even know the language, idiot. And why the hell would I go with you, you probably just want to drown at one of those beaches.”
“Mean, of course, I’ll have to go where my partner goes, as the intelligent half of our partnership; I’ll have to endeavour to ensure Chuuya’s survival in foreign lands because he’s too dumb to understand the language,”
“Fuck you, my English is better than yours, I bet I can learn Greek faster than you,”
“Oh, is that a challenge?”
“It’s not a challenge if I know I’m going to be the winner,”
“You’re on Chibi. You might as well prepare to learn Italian first, as a handicap for our trip to Italy.”
“No way, France before Italy,” Dazai lips tug slightly at the corners, the glint in Chuuya’s eyes tells him that he was trying not to grin himself, as unlikely as all these planning was, it was nice to act normal sometimes and forget that they could end up dead the moment they walk out the door due to their profession.
“France then Italy,” Dazai concedes.
Dazai was painfully reminded of that conversation they had so long ago when they were both teenagers and just gaining notoriety as Double Black. His eyes involuntarily move to the duffle bag slung over Chuuya’s shoulder, all while Chuuya silently watches him, letting him connect the pieces. He wants to say something, but not here, not with an audience, at some point, even President Fukuzawa had come out from his office. Instead, he turns Chuuya around and puts a hand on lower back pushing him to the door, and says “well, now that Chuuya’s done with what he came to do, I’ll just show him out the door, be back in a bit~” Ignoring the protests from the others, feeling a rush of gratitude for the President when he stops the others from following them, he closes the door behind him.
Now alone, Dazai doesn’t drop his act, not that it matters, Chuuya has always been able to see through it, just like how he’s able to see through Chuuya’s. He’s a picture of calm, but he can see the restless energy underneath, as if there’s so much he wants to say, but he doesn’t.
“Chuuya’s leaving, are you here to say goodbye?” He doesn’t beat around the bush; it wasn’t the time when he might never see Chuuya again the moment he leaves the building.
“It’s a damn better one than yours, that’s for sure,” Chuuya scowls, neither moving closer nor away when Dazai closes the distance between them, fingers moving to curl sun-kissed red (red, oh so red) locks around it. Eyes locked on the collar that stayed even with the wardrobe overhaul, hiding the serial numbers Dazai knew were tattooed at the back of his ex-partner’s neck.
“Will you come back?” Will I see you again? Dazai murmurs softly, caressing bright red hair. Heart sinking when he receives silence before an “I don’t know” escapes those lips, logically he knows Chuuya probably wouldn’t, shouldn’t come back to the place that had rob him of so much as it has given him, but he’s come to learn from his time at the Agency that his heart was a silly thing, just because he knew didn’t mean he wanted or accepted it.
He had wanted more time to mend their relationship, but it seems life is determined to take away what made him feel the slightest bit humane or happy. Anything he wants is always lost the moment he obtains it, what then is the worth of pursuing at the cost of prolonging a life of suffering? What then was the difference between happiness and unhappiness? There are all kinds of unhappy people in the world. He supposed it would be no exaggeration to say that the world is composed entirely of unhappy people. But, his unhappiness stemmed entirely from his own vices, unable to stop first Odasaku, and now Chuuya from leaving, so unyielding in their will that he could do nothing but watch from the shadows as they grew smaller and smaller into the distance, even with Chuuya so close to him, it felt like he was already galaxies away.
Just as Dazai’s thought begins to spiral out of control, was this karma from leaving without a word to him? Chuuya as if sensing these thoughts, might as well have used Corruption and made a supermassive black hole to swallow the galaxies between them, just to extend a hand to him.
“Come find me,” Chuuya says, tilting Dazai’s head with a hand to allow Dazai to look him in the eyes for the first time since they stepped out of the office. In his surprise, Dazai could only croak out, “what?”
“Come find me,” Chuuya repeats with an amused smile. “When you’re bored of playing nice here, that damned bucket list wasn’t made by just one person you know, and I need to prove to you that my language skills are better,”
“Is Chibi asking me to elope with him? He doesn’t even know if I’ll agree to it, and he’s already making plans to take advantage of my superior language skills by issuing a challenge,” Dazai pulls him close, hands circling his waist, and feels his insides warms at the idea, even as Chuuya clicks his tongue and flicks his forehead, earning a whine in return.
“It’s not like I don’t know how much you like to make me wait, shitty Dazai,” Chuuya gaze turns soft again, pulling Dazai down so their foreheads are touching, Dazai tightens hold, “I’ll wait for you, so come find me, okay?”And really, there was really only one real answer he could have given, no matter how much he wanted to keep Chuuya there in his embrace forever.
“Okay.”
They stand there in each other’s embrace for what felt like only a heartbeat, time passing all too quickly, before Chuuya’s pulling away and turning to leave Yokohama behind forever, with a forlorn smile he waves, “see you around, partner,”
“See you later, partner,” Dazai responds.
Just like that, Chuuya left the city he protected from the shadows of the night without so much as a backward glance for the last time, finally free from the shackles of his past and responsibilities.