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"Can we go?"
"Can we go? Pwease, pwease, uncle, can we goooo?".
Dazai sighs, looking away from the bright monitor and at two pairs of huge eyes, waiting for his response. He wants to curse, because maybe it hasn't been a brilliant idea to talk /out loud/ about going /somewhere/.
"It's please, not pwease, Atsushi, darling" Kouyou gets closer and scoops him from the floor onto her arms. "You have to speak properly, you know? Or other kids will make fun of you".
"Then imma beat shit out of them" says Kyouka without batting an eye, at which her mother gasps while Dazai giggles, hearing a little kid swear.
"Who thought you that? Kyouka you-- you can't say things like that!".
Kyouka frowns, visibly confused and points at Dazai.
"Uncle Chuuya is always saying that to uncle Dazai".
Atsushi nods energetically at her words, small fists tightly grasping Kouyou's shirt.
The woman sighs, and when she looks back at Osamu, he just shrugs with a lopsided smile glued to his face.
"But it doesn't mean you can say such things, okay? Are we clear on that, Kyouka?".
She will have to talk with her brother later on, that he should be thinking more before opening his mouth.
Especially when kids are around.
Although the conversation is drifting into a different topic, kids aren't /that/ oblivious. Right when Dazai starts speaking about making some dinner, Kyouka appears in front of him, cradling his legs in no time.
Not asking, not wanting 'upsies', just climbing him and sitting on his lap as if he was just a simple, lanky chair.
"So?" she asks, brows furrowed, as she crosses her small arms and looks up at Dazai. "Are we going or no?".
"I leally wanna go..." says Atsushi quietly from the couch where he's already half-asleep in Kouyou's arms, waiting for his mom to pick him up from her place.
"I don't know if your mom..." Dazai trails off, looking for any help, but receiving only a sad look from the woman.
"I can't. Already tried to get days off, but didn't succeed.".
"And Yosano?" he asks, but then Atsushi is murmuring something about his mommy being /always/ at work, so it's probably not going to play out well either.
Dazai licks his lips quickly, looking over at the bright screen that is showing the e-mail confirming his booked seat in the second row.
His arm is already behind Kyoka's back, making sure that she doesn't fall from his lap and lightly pressing her closer to his chest.
"Uncle Dazai will figure something out" Kouyou says and in reality, she is not helping because now kids really believe that he will live up to those words.
And uncle Dazai did figure it all out. Just like beloved Kouyou said. Of course, it took some... Time, yes. It also took one, very unpleasant phone call that had to be made. And why? Let's just say that... Dazai and Ango aren't good friends.
And while they tolerate each other during some meetups and rare work-centered gatherings... They prefer to stay as far from each other's problems as possible. So it's not a surprise that Dazai's ego is now slightly crumbled because he had to ask Ango for a favour.
Favour was named: an extra seat in the second row right next to the two that were assigned for Dazai himself and Kouyou. And after a short talk and Dazai having to say "please" four times and not saying "fuck you" mid-conversation another seven times--- his wish was granted.
That's how Dazai ends up with a huge backpack and two sleepy kids in his arms at 5 am on Sunday morning, waiting for the train. He actually has a driving license and could get, or even rent, a car but... Somehow no one actually /lets/ him drive.
Dazai has already said five times that yes, he has everything. Yes, he has booked a hotel room for them. Yes, he remembered about plushies. White tiger for Atsushi and white bunny for Kyouka. Yes, he knows that Kyouka doesn't like broccoli and Sushi hates carrots.
And just like that, reassuring that he knows how to act with those two little gremlins, they get to the point of their train stopping on the platform. Dazai gets in there and finds their seats in a small compartment that, so far, is empty.
Placing two sleeping kids isn't too difficult and after a moment he can sit and relax and enjoy this few hours trip with a book. But in the end - they are kids.
And so - they won't be sleeping through the whole trip, will they?
By the time they arrive in a different city the kids are excited and full of energy and hungry while Dazai.... Well, Dazai surely remembers why he doesn't have kids on his own. He calls Yosano and Kouyou once they are all seated in a small bistro.
Dazai can actually speak without stopping every few seconds to answer kids because, for now, they're way too occupied with stuffing their mouths with pizza slices. "Yeah, after that we check-in and start with dressing those two up" he says, yawning.
"Well, have fun. All of you. And good luck with Kyouka's hair" he hears Oda laughing in the background.
"Huh? Why?"
"Well.... I might have mentioned that you'll do sweet pigtails for her with ribbons and stuff--". Dazai feels the storm coming.
It's not as bad though as he thought. Of course, the whole dressing kids up when they want to do something else is an obvious time-consuming task... But he manages. With pigtails.... He tries his best. And Kyouka seems fine with the result, looking at herself in the mirror.
"You did.... Acceptable" she says, looking at her reflection once again. White ribbons in her raven hair making a great contrast with the dark blue dress she's wearing. Dazai bows, nearly hitting his head on the sink.
"Thank you, m'lady".
Kyouka is delighted with such treatment and words from his uncle so she smiles and jumps from the chair to go to Atsushi and show him her whole outfit.
"Pleetty" he says, nodding and looking at how Kyouka swirls around showing how her dress is moving as well.
Dazai is the last one to dress up and once he's out of the bathroom, Atsushi looks at him confused.
"What is it, Sushi?".
"It's... You look..." He seems to look for a word but decides to stay with something simple. "..good".
"Is it a bad thing?".
Atsushi looks back at Kyouka that seems to read his mind and nods quickly.
"Uncle Chuuya" she starts, eyeing him up and down. "Always says that when you look too good or... Or act too nice that you act like you didn't fuck up".
Dazai blinks few times.
"Your uncle really has to be told not to swear in front of you, huh?" He asks and after that makes sure that Kyouka knows that such words are /bad/ and /only for adults/. Once this conversation is done, he makes sure his own hair looks presentable.
After a moment he sleeks it with some gel and tucks few strands behind his ear, showing a small, shiny ruby nested in the earring. The spark of blood-red is the only distinctive feature of his outfit as he's wearing a simple black suit and white shirt.
He calls them an Uber and after 15 minutes ride, they're in front of the building. Huge, towering over then to the point that even Dazai feels small. Opera house all in white marble and golden details seems distant and cold, but kids don't seem to get this feeling.
Dazai makes sure that both of them are constantly next to him, holding his hands and slowly maneuvering closer to the entrance. He shows their tickets and after a moment he's taking off their small coats. With a number engraved on a metallic plate from the cloakroom, they make their way around the halls and corridors, stopping in front of mirrors for Kyouka to make sure her pigtails still look acceptable. (They do), and that Atsushi is still going to compliment her (he is).
The first sound of the gong is heard.
They hurry to their seats in a second row and Dazai smiles seeing that there are two extra cushions for kids to sit slightly higher. He makes sure they're okay and comfortable and as they speak about Atsushi wanting chazuke for dinner, the third gong is heard.
Ballet is still, in Dazai's head, a pretty....specific thing to be watched. Especially with kids next to him, nor really understanding the plot of the story and being more fascinated by beautiful dresses and music and, of course, by the ballerinas themselves.
Perfectly synchronized, moving just how the music tells him to, making sure everyone is in their line and the main characters of the story have the spotlight. It was beautiful. He had never denied it. The art, the beauty of the ballet, the artistry of it---
To his surprise, kids haven't been a problem. Haven't been loud, calmly waiting for the breaks to go to the bathroom and sharing a bottle of water that Dazai got with a glass of wine for himself, waiting for the last part.
With a curtain already down, the whole place is filled with ovations and applause.
Then, the usual.
The scarlet curtain is going up again, showing the main dancers and then the rest. Dazai by this time is slowly clapping, his heart involuntarily speeding up in his chest.
There's a microphone for someone, thanking for getting here and mentioning the main ballerina who, by now, is receiving a huge bouquet of roses. The applause gets quieter when she's given a microphone.
After a usual, short "thank you" speech, she looks around and to her left, where Dazai knows starts backstage area.
"And I wanted to thank our ballet choreographer. Without him we wouldn't be here, performing like that... ladies and gentlemen, amazingly talented Nakahara Chuuya!".
It's the moments like this, that Dazai can't breathe. That it's all over again, the first time he saw him and the first time he felt like his lungs weren't working properly. Because Chuuya is now walking towards the ballerina, a shy smile on his lips and Dazai doesn't know but he himself is smiling like an idiot. Chuuya's frame is slim and tempting, hugged by a perfectly cut suit and dark crimson shirt underneath. Someone is stopping in front of him with another bouquet of roses, this time for him.
And as he looks around, this shy smile still on his face, showing one dimple, his eyes move to the second row. To those two seats that are always empty because something is /always/ coming up. And after basically 5 years he got used to not seeing anyone in there.
But his eyes widen all of the sudden because there are two kids jumping and waving and between them... Dazai is sure he sees Chuuya mouthing "you motherfucker", but he accepts it with a smile and a wink.
As the closing part is coming to an end Chuuya decides to let the kids know that he sees them. So while holding the bouquet, he waves back at them before turning to leave the stage with others. While doing this small gesture though, Dazai catches a glimpse of the gold band around his finger. The matching one to the one he's wearing right now.
He knows that he'll listen about not mentioning to be here and about hiding the truth. They never were a perfect couple. Neither when they were only dating nor when they got married.
Dazai brings kids into a different corridor where he knows the doors to the backstage are.
Or at least one of them, of course. And so he hoped that Chuuya would walk out right about--- They swing open and Chuuya storms out. Fists ready to land on Dazai's face and torso and stomach and everywhere because this idiot-- is already hugging him.
Dazai smiles, seeing Kyouka pretend to be vomiting when he kisses Chuuya's temple. They were never perfect. And Dazai fucked up a lot. But in the end, neither of them would change anything.
In how messy they were... They found their peace and their whole world.