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It's a powerful feeling, sitting on the edge of a 73 story drop.
Dazai kicks his feet, absentmindedly, admiring the view. The wind at his back threatens to push him to his death with every gust, but he doesn't mind.
After all, he sat here on purpose.
The city's a beautiful sight, all blinking lights and people going about their insignificant lives. Dazai watches it all with an apathetic eye, wondering what it’d feel like to fall from this height.
Would time slow as the gut-wrenching feeling of gravity dragged him toward an inevitable death, giving him what felt like lifetimes to contemplate his impact? Would he hit feet first? Feel every bone shatter from his toes to his neck? Or would he hit head first; neck snapping, and his skull bursting like a watermelon, leaving his brains splattered on the sidewalk. Or maybe he'd land flat, limbs splayed in grotesque angles for some poor passer-by to stumble upon?
Considering almost 100% of people die after an 8 story jump, Dazai wouldn't be walking away from the fall unless someone else had other plans. Though, there's always been the rare individual who survived higher, so the distance alone isn't always decisive.
His phone buzzes beside him, and Dazai glances at it curiously, wondering who he'd pissed off this time.
Chibi 1:47am
Just got back to the apartment. It’s fucking empty.
The brunette sighs, shoulders slumping. He’d been hoping his partner’s last mission would take longer, but as usual, nothing seemed to lean in his favor.
It takes longer than he’d like to admit to type out a message, he doesn’t hate, and the one he settles on is practically a cop-out, but he presses send anyway.
Dazai 1:47am
Oh?
The response is almost immediate.
Chibi 1:48am
Where the hell are you?
Dazai should call. One press of a button, and the fiery red-head would be on his way to drag his dumbass partner off the roof he’s perched on, like every other attempt he’d made during their partnership.
But what would he even say?
Good evening Chuuya~! It’s a lovely night, don’t you think? So lovely that I’m considering jumping to my death! Yes, yes, I know how much trouble that’d cause, so maybe you could come get me before a gust of wind blows me right over the edge?
Oh yeah, Chibi would love that.
Dazai 1:48am
Somewhere I probably shouldn’t be.
Perfect. Subtle, but without cause for concern if the occupant wasn’t paying close attention.
Dazai’s phone begins to ring, and his shoulders slump so visibly, an observer would think the world had just been dropped on the boney appendages.
Dammit, this is Chuuya he’s talking about. That pain in his ass is always paying attention. Especially to Dazai.
The brunette considers not picking it up, but when the phone stops, only to buzz again with more fever, Dazai knows it’s hopeless.
“Chuuya~ What a lovely surprise!” He chirps, false cheerfulness dripping from his tone.
“Where the fuck are you?” A rightfully concerned voice barks at him from the other end of the line.
Dazai considers the concrete multiple stories below him. “Ah, now that would be telling!”
An engine revs to life, sending feedback through the phone Dazai has to his ear. He winces.
“Dazai, I swear to fuck, tell me where you are.”
There’s an urgency to Chuuya’s voice Dazai doesn’t hear often and it gives him pause.
Chuuya takes the hesitation as permission to speak. “Dammit, I know you miss him, mackerel. He meant a lot to you, and it was wrong of Mori to take that from you, but you need to tell me where you are before you do something you’ll regret.”
Dazai scoffs at that. “Can’t regret anything when you’re dead, Chibi.”
“Fucking hell Dazai, just tell me where you are.”
Dazai clenches his jaw, the memories of his former friend, and the growing ache in his chest making him particularly stubborn. “No. You’ll make me move.”
There’s a huff of exasperation on the other end of the line, barely audible over the roar of the wind. “You bet your ass I will. What can you see right now?”
Dazai looks around, considering what he could say to throw his partner off the trail. “Tokyo tower.”
Chuuya actually laughs at that. “We’re in Yokohama, try again.”
Dazai cracks a smile. “The Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, The Statue of Liberty, and London Tower.” He lists with gusto, kicking his feet to the beat of an unheard song.
“Very funny, mackerel. Come on, it’s been a long day. Let’s go home.” Chuuya suddenly sounds exhausted, and it sends a little pang of guilt through Dazai’s chest.
“I don’t wanna go home, Chibi.” Dazai breathes, all pretenses of cheerfulness dropped in the face of his honesty. It’s a cry for help as much as a silent plea for the other man to leave him be.
Chuuya lets out a long sigh. “Alright, how about this, tell me where you are and we’ll go anywhere you want.”
“Anywhere?” Dazai tests, waiting for Chuyua to set boundaries to his previous statement.
“Name the place.” The red-head confirms.
“Even if it’s far away?” Dazai hedges.
“I’ll fly to fucking America with you, Dazai.” Chyuua vows.
Dazai hums thoughtfully. “No thanks, America kinda sucks.”
“Please, Dazai.” Chuuya begs.
The tone of Chuuya’s voice as he speaks a word Dazai almost never hears from the man, is the thing that finally breaks him.
“I’m on the Landmark Tower.” The brunette states defeatedly, hearing tires screech and cursing in various languages as Chuuya promptly books it to the location.
“Stay right where you are, Dazai. Yah hear me?” The red-head urges, a frantic note to his voice.
Dazai stares at the phone in his hand, considers the ache in his heart, places it on the concrete beside him, and stands. He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, and with one last glance at the drop, tips backwards into the waiting embrace of open air.
His prediction was correct.
Time slows as the gut-wrenching feeling of gravity dragging him toward an inevitable death encompasses him.
As the surrounding buildings begin to block his view of the sky, he has what feels like a lifetime to contemplate his impact.
Will he hit feet first? Feel every bone shatter from his toes to his neck? Or will he hit his head first? His neck would snap, and his skull burst like a watermelon, leaving his brains splattered on the sidewalk. Or will he land flat, limbs splayed in grotesque angles for some poor passer-by to stumble upon?
The answer is apparently none of the above, as the revving of an obnoxiously pink motorcycle pulls him from his pondering.
Chuuya looks absolutely furious , but nonetheless determined, as he activates his Special Ability, and speeds up the building Dazai was previously sitting on.
A gloved hand latches onto the back of Dazai’s coat, and drags him up, up, up until they’re over the ledge, and skidding to a stop on the roof.
There’s a moment of terrifying stillness as the two men come down from their adrenaline high, and then Chuuya’s pulling his partner into the most furious hug Dazai has ever had the displeasure of experiencing.
“Fucking hell , man. You scared the shit out of me.”
“Was Chuuya worried?” Dazai questions coyly, trying to cover for the full-body trembling he’s sure his partner can feel.
“ Yes , goddammit!” Chuuya snaps, rage and worry fighting for dominance in his tone.
Dazai blinks, taken aback.
Chuuya pulls away enough to look the brunette in the eyes, and sighs. “Jesus Christ, Dazai we’ve been dating for how many years now?”
“Uh… at least three?”
“It’s been more than three, but not the point.” Chuuya scoffs, pulling Dazai back in.
“I fucking care about you, alright? And I know how hard shit is, but you’ve got a whole agency of people who need you. Not to mention me. Yah gotta stick around for that, babe.” The red-head whispers against Dazai’s bandaged neck.
Dazai feels his shoulders slump, and he melts into the contact. Chuuya’s hair smells like strawberries, wine, and smoke, but the brunette breathes it in anyway, holding his partner a bit tighter. “Yeah, alright. I’ll try.” He murmurs back.
They stay like that just long enough for Dazai’s restlessness to kick in.
“So...” He begins in a tone Chuuya knows means mischief, and he reluctantly lets the brunette pull back. “You promised to take me to America?”
Chuuya chuckles, good-naturedly. “You said America sucked.”
“Oh it does.” Dazai smirks at him, “But you promised~!!”
“And I’m beginning to regret that decision the more you flap that gob of your’s.” Chuuya groans, situating his partner comfortably in his arms to make their descent from the roof.
“Guess you’ll have to shut me up then, won’t you?” Dazai challenges, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
“Is that a request?” Chuuya quips back, as the engine revs back to life.
“Hmmm…” Dazai pretends to consider the question right up until a gloved hand wacks the back of his head. “Alright, alright. Being quiet.”
The silence lasts up until an obnoxiously pink motorcycle parks in front of Dazai’s favorite cat cafe.
“I love you, yah know that right?”
Dazai smiles, a soft little thing reserved only for his Chibi.
“I know, Chu.”