Chapter Text
“Chuuya, I’ll even do all the household chores for a week –no a month! Just let me have this!” Dazai cries as he follows Chuuya walking away from the living room.
“Nope. We’re not having this discussion again.” Chuuya’s voice is firm and filled with conviction. No amount of begging or compromise from Dazai will change his mind.
“Please,” Dazai starts to sound desperate, still tailing behind the redhead all the way to the kitchen. “I’m not asking for much.” He was initially confident he can annoy Chuuya until he would just relent to him but now he’s not that confident anymore. Since when did Chuuya become so stubborn?
“Dazai, I’m fine with anything else but not that.” He continues to ignore Dazai's appeal for his approval as he reaches out for a drink. It’s already summer and the days have been scorching even with the AC on. “Were you the one who cleaned the house today?”
He’s been meaning to ask Dazai this ever since he came home from an overnight work to a sparklingly clean house with all the dishes and their laundry done. All the errands they've listed on a post-it note at their makeshift bulletin board have been checked as well:
☑️ Buy more mirin and eggs
☑️ Pay the electric and water bill
☑️ Get movie DVD (Kunikida's recom.)
☑️ Water indoor plants
☑️ Get Dazai's suits from dry-cleaners
While it's very touching to see your husband doing all the household chores for you, —they’re really getting old. Even things like these are now romantic for him— he also knew Dazai did all those because he was going to bring that up again.
“Yeah, I did. See? I’m a responsible adult so I’ll really be responsible enough for this!”
“For the last time Dazai,” Chuuya huffs in disagreement, “We are NOT getting a dog.”
This argument has been going around their house for a few days now. It all started during a grocery errand when they accidentally passed by a pet shop and Dazai fell for a bad case of ‘puppy fever’ after seeing a dog wag its tail on him. The rest is history.
And now, they’re here.
Dazai wanted to say more but decided to keep his mouth shut as he just glares at Chuuya before walking out of the living room.
‘Is he a kid?’ Chuuya mentally comments, taking a sip from his juice box when he hears Dazai stomping back into their living room followed by something barking.
Barking?
Oh no don’t tell me he—
“Well I apologize to you mister because I already got the dog.” Dazai enters the living room again, but this time with a ball of golden fur in his hands. The scene was almost comical —Dazai with a stubborn pout and ironically looking unapologetic even when he just said ‘I apologize’ a while ago. And then there’s the golden retriever puppy looking joyful and unaware that its presence is currently being argued over by two adults in their 30s.
“I knew this was going to happen the moment you went as far as doing all the household chores,” He exhales in exasperation, massaging the temples of his head because this childish argument is giving him more headache than his deadlines. “Return it.”
“What?” Dazai asks, incredulous at the other’s suggestion.
“I said, return the dog,” he repeats, finality in his voice. “We’ll have a hard time taking care of it dog considering our schedule.”
Dazai audibly gasps at Chuuya’s words, “How can you say that in front of Aki?!”
Chuuya almost, almost laughed when Dazai tried to cover the pup’s ears just like what parents usually do when there are things they don’t want their children to hear.
This idiot even named the dog already. He’s done for.
“Can you really say no to this face?” Dazai brings the pup closer to Chuuya, hoping that a closer look would make it more appealing to the latter. “Can you really?”
I can but—
He takes a look at Dazai then at the pup: its tongue hanging out with gleeful pants and its eyes sparkling in anticipation, seemingly looking forward for a pat from Chuuya.
“Fine.” Chuuya sighs in resignation. “It’s not like I can do much when you’ve already named that furball.”
“I knew it!” Dazai exclaims with excitement, sounding like a child who was finally allowed to get one item from the toy store. “You can’t say no to Aki’s puppy face. He’s too cute, right?”
Dazai brings the pup’s face closer to his own and the scene almost made Chuuya’s stern face soften.
No Dazai.
I couldn’t say no to YOUR puppy face.
His pout and teary eyes are dangerous weapons against Chuuya’s defenses and he’s thankful Dazai is unaware of that…for now.
“Whatever,” Chuuya feigns his disinterest as he gets up from his seat and walks towards their bedroom. “You will be the one feeding the dog and taking care of it. I will not help you with that. If the dog ever pees and/or destroys any of our properties, even once, he’s sleeping outside. Got it?”
“Roger!” Dazai holds Aki’s paws and places it on the pup’s forehead, making the dog do a salute in response to Chuuya’s orders.
Chuuya turns around without saying anything and once he was sure Dazai couldn’t see him, he finally lets out a smile.
Dazai can be really cute sometimes.
Five months later
Dazai carefully places the packages in their doorway. Chuuya called him a while ago to pick them up while he was on the way home from work.
Woof!
Aki, who is now seven months old, jumps towards Dazai, greeting the brunet who just came home. It felt like only yesterday when he could carry him with one hand. Now Aki has grown so much he might actually fall if he’s not always bracing himself whenever the dog would jump at him. The golden retriever seems to have no idea how massive he is and likes to think he is still a small pup.
“Chuuya, what are these boxes for?” he calls out to his husband who just came out of their kitchen.
“Oh, I got those things for Aki.” Chuuya replies as he walks towards Dazai and pats the dog on its head. Dazai waits for a welcome home kiss or even a hug but even as Chuuya started collecting the packages and opening them at the living room, Dazai got none.
What? Aki gets a pat but I don’t get even a hug?
“Aki!” Chuuya calls for the dog’s name and retriever immediately sprinted to the redhead’s side. “Look, you have a new toy.”
Sprawled across the living room are different stuff all for their dog –toys, different leashes, fancy collars, expensive treats, clothes and even a new bed. Chuuya has undeniably transformed into a full-on doting, fur parent. It’s almost as if the Chuuya who stubbornly refused on having a dog a few months ago and threatened Dazai that he won’t give a hand on raising Aki, didn’t exist at all.
He’s proud of himself for winning against Chuuya this time but a part of him also didn’t like how Chuuya’s spoiling tendencies are not exclusive towards him anymore—
—wait, why did he think of that? He’s not supposed to think like that.
“Dazai,” Chuuya starts to walk towards Dazai as he notices the latter with a frown on his head, standing somberly at the corner of their living room. Chuuya knows he’s getting jealous towards a dog —which is childish, in all seriousness —but the man probably doesn’t notice it and if even if he does, he won’t ever admit it. And it’s adorable to see him like this from time to time. “I’m glad you were persistent in getting Aki. Thank you.”
He gives Dazai a quick peck on the cheek before turning around and going back to play with Aki, his cheeks slowly turning red up to his ears.
“C-can you please do that again?” Dazai follows Chuuya, obviously taken aback and too moved with the sudden affection from the latter.
“No.” Chuuya hugs Aki, refusing to ever look at him even with Dazai tugging on his shoulders.
That should be enough right? That should be enough.
He’s so embarrassed at his display of affection towards Dazai, he can’t face him right now.
He feels Dazai pressing his body against his, enveloping both him and Aki into a bear hug and Chuuya silently leans on him. He still refuses to look at him, mostly because he knows Dazai would tease him for still getting flustered even when they’ve been together for so long.
Chuuya didn’t even need to see Dazai to know he probably has a stupid grin on his face. But he’s not one to talk because he also has the same stupid smile.