Work Text:
Disclaimer: I do not own Bungo Stray Dogs, its characters and anything related to it.
TW for Dazai's typical Suicide references and Chuuya's foul language.
...
The monotony of Chuuya's life mainly consists of going to school, hanging out with his friends and going back home riding his red (it's really hot pink but he'll die first than to admit it) motorcycle. He's one of the privileged students who, even without working their asses off in a part time job can get to school with pockets of change enough for a couple of days. All this thanks to his Ane- san, Ozaki Kouyou- the owner of the most famous brothel in the whole of Yokohama. But alas, one day everything around Chuuya changed.
"I have to cut off some of your allowance" Kouyou, his adoptive sister announced during their Sunday morning tea session. Chuuya just stared at her, mouth hanging open as her sister's words sank in. Truth to be told, Chuuya grew up in the slums so cutting off his allowance will never be a problem but he somehow got used in living under the wealthy roof of the Ozaki's at the age of 8 so maybe, there is a bit of a problem.
"why?" he asked after a couple of minutes. Kouyou sighed, her collective stance replaced by resignation - a rarely seen emotion on her.
"There is this new brothel across from ours and since their opening a few weeks ago, our sales seem to be lowering by half. I can't lose some of my girls Chuu so I have to compensate everything using our own personal money. I'm afraid, we have to cut off some of your allowance and the hot pink monstrosity must go as well"
Chuuya, all but jumped on his seat with a scowl, shouted "She's not a monster and she's not hot pink. She's red. Arahabaki is the love of my life Ane- san. That bike is all I have. I can't lose her. What the fuck!"
"Language lad. And you named your bike, Arahabaki- the God of destruction basically makes it a monster" His sister calmly stated though her voice sounds so threatening he can't help but calm down. Not that he's afraid. Nakahara Chuuya, 22, will never be afraid of her. Well, sort of.
After a few minutes, he smiled at her and gently held his sister's hands with his hand on the table and reassured her; "I 'll get some part time job Ane- san. I'll support my allowance and my RED motorcycle's maintenance for the time being so just worry about other things"
On that same day, Nakahara Chuuya, an Architecture student of Yokohama National University, a guy who can defy everything even gravity itself, found his first ever part time job.
"Welcome to ADA Café, Chuuya- kun" Fukuzawa Yukichi, the owner of the said café, clad in a Yukata, happily announced, shaking his hand.
"Looking forward working with you"
...
Chuuya's first day is not as dull as he first thought. He's behind the cash register for the time being, paired with Yosano Akiko- a medical student at Yokohama National University and Edogawa Ranpo- a Criminology student/ World's best College Detective as claimed by Ranpo himself.
The lull of costumers at 7 pm makes the whole shop quiet, the acoustic sound blasting the entire place makes it even more mellow but Chuuya loves it. He loves the calm it brought to him. The coffee shop is smaller than those high end coffee shop out there, located at the ground floor of an old building. The interior is mostly vintage except for the machines but over all, it was cozy enough for students to frequent with.
A few minutes after, the sound of the shop's bell broke the quiet atmosphere signaling him that a costumer went in. He went behind the counter, plastered a smile on his face and asked the new comer his rehearsed line.
"Welcome to ADA Café, what can I get for you?"
As he looked up, blue eyes met reddish brown, and to Chuuya- time stops.
The new comer it seems is very attractive, 6 feet tall (or more), fair skin, brown unkempt hair that goes well with his reddish-brown eyes, clad in a white button-down dress shirt (with the 2 top buttons open) and his arms up to his neck are covered in bandages. Chuuya smiled even brighter and he will never admit it but at that moment, his gay ass is showing.
"Large Iced Caramel Macchiato, with 3 pumps of white mocha and extra caramel drizzle" The brunet answered and Chuuya melts right there. His voice sounds heavenly and hot, it sounded like a deep morning voice, making Chuuya's face redder than his hair.
"R- right sir" he stuttered. Chuuya rarely got himself so flustered but with this attractive model like guy in front of him- Nakahara Chuuya, 22, all but short circuit.
"Oya? Never knew ADA hire kids these days. How old are you, Chibi?"
That made Chuuya stop, literally this time.
"Chibi?" He narrowed his eyes and asked again, this time louder. "Did you just call me Chibi?"
"Do you prefer baby?" The guy asked back, a shit eating grin plastered in his face. "You're so tiny, my neck hurts just by looking at you" Looking at the redhead's nametag, he purred, "Chuu~ya"
"You basta- "
"Dazai- kun" Yosano Akiko came in that exact moment, grining. "I see you met our new barista. Dazai-kun, this is Nakahara Chuuya; Chuuya- kun, this is Dazai Osamu, Law Prodigy and a regular here. " Chuuya could hear Ranpo's laughter at the kitchen followed by a muffled, "by regular here, Nakahara, it means everyday. He loves coffee that much"
The bandaged freak- Dazai Osamu- smiled sweetly at Yosano and fake whispered, "this is child labor, how could you Yosano- san"
"The Fuck!"
After a lot of curses coming from the redhead, Yosano took pity on him and made Dazai's order herself. Chuuya went back to cleaning the tables, humming to himself when suddenly, Dazai sat down on the table his currently at and said,
"You really are tiny"
He threw the dirty rag on Dazai's handsome face and walked out of the main longue.
On that evening, we can safely say that Nakahara Chuuya, 22, part time barista at ADA Café, got himself scolded on his 1st day by Fukuzawa- san himself but by some miracle- still employed.
...
The very next day, Chuuya, Yosano and Ranpo repeated the same arrangement like yesterday. Yosano and Ranpo prepared drinks while Chuuya stayed behind the counter to accept orders. Today seems to be a lot busier than yesterday, students came in and out of the shop but that doesn't deter Chuuya, he smiled politely at every costumer to the point of making some guy named Tachihara blushed three shades of red.
"Can you smile at me like that too?"
Chuuya glared at Dazai, who today decided to come dressed in a simple black shirt and a jean jacket. He looked good but not with that attitude.
"What the fuck do you want now, Shitty Dazai?"
Dazai gasped, a hand clutched the front of his shirt feigning hurt. "How rude Chuuya"
Seeing the growing line of costumers, Chuuya resigned to his fate and politely but begrudgingly asked, "Welcome to ADA Café, what can I get for you?"
Waving his right hand dismissively, Dazai smirk- brown eyes looking straight at Chuuya's blue ones. "No need to sound formal, baby"
Chuuya, much to his own annoyance, blushed deep red at Dazai's used of that deep morning voice. The bastard just smirks even more and there's a glint in his eyes that made shivers down Chuuya's spine. "You can talk dirt- "
"You'll be the death of me, you stupid fuck. I'll murder you. Die, you stupid piece of shit!"
"Oh? Is that an invitation for a double suicide, Chuuya?"
"You're insufferable"
"I do not"
"You do"
"I do not "
"You do"
"I- "
Someone coughed from behind Dazai, cutting him mid- sentence and made Chuuya more aware that he's currently on his work. The both of them turned to look at the next costumer, who glared at them in between coughs. "Can you do this weird mating ritual some other time, we just need some coffee"
After a couple of apologies from Chuuya with Dazai snickering from the corner table near the window, the line of costumers died down and only a few people order from time to time. Chuuya, for the most part, ignored Dazai who eyes his movement every now and then. An hour after, Dazai stood up and walked towards him, leaning dangerously close to Chuuya, making the redhead blush deep red (again) but thankfully the counter serves as a barrier.
"See you tomorrow, Chuuya"
Nakahara Chuuya, 22, opened his mouth to speak but ended up making a noise that sounds more like a whimper making the brunet laugh out loud.
A few seconds passed, Dazai decided to take pity on him and left but not without hearing the redhead's shout of
"stop using that damn deep morning tone you piece of hot shit"
...
"Welcome to ADA Café, what can I get for you?"
"Oh, I haven't seen you there Chuuya, must be the height"
"I'll murder you"
"My pleasure"
...
"An Iced caramel macchiato with 3 pumps of white mocha and extra drizzle of caramel for one "Shitty Mackerel"!"
A dramatic gasped followed by a much more dramatic whine echoed through out the shop,
"Just so you know Chibi, this Shitty Mackerel is a Law Student, a prodigy who girls and boys follow-"
"No one cares, you piece of shit"
...
"I hoped you choke on that straw; you waste of breathing space"
"Oh Chuuya, do you desperately want to see me gag?"
"Fuck you"
"Ughhh. How forward"
"Just get the fuck away from here"
...
"Goooooooodddddd Eveeeeeeniiiiingggggg Chuu῀yaaaa"
"Goddammit Dazai"
...
"The moon is beautiful isn't it, my dearest Hat Rack?"
Chuuya looked up at him confused but answered nonetheless, "I guess so"
Dazai raised an eyebrow at that and sighs. "Your face compensates your lack of brain Chibi"
"Huh?? Can you repeat that you idiot"?
...
Every day without fail, Dazai came in and annoy Chuuya. It became a routine of some sorts to both of them that just Dazai entering the shop, Chuuya's co- workers stop what they're doing and watch the scene unfold.
As entertaining as it is annoying, Chuuya for the most part enjoys it- he would never admit it to anyone even at gun point but seeing Dazai and arguing with him is the highlight of his day. The twinkle of the Law student's eyes made him smile, his cleverness and intimidating aura when serious seems to attract even more people. He's Goddamn perfect and in the 3 months span of knowing him, Nakahara Chuuya, 22, fell in love for the first time.
They say love comes in all forms. Some in a form of colorful words, some in the smell of red roses and some in a kaleidoscope of butterflies but for Chuuya, love comes in a 6 feet tall waste of space covered in bandages.
"Holy Shit!!! I love that bastard!" Chuuya all but shouts in the confines of his own room.
...
Its been a month since Chuuya's revelation and about 4 months since he started his part time job at ADA Café and he enjoys it (not the revelation of loving Dazai though, eiww). He balances his time efficiently thus giving him nice grades and a still manageable social life. He even have a few savings of his own, an enough allowance and maintenance for Arahabaki- his Red (Hot pink but who cares) motorcycle, so over all, he's proud of himself.
"How's your love life Chuu?" His sister asked him one fine Sunday morning. The redhead is in the middle of making his cereal breakfast when she asked him that, making him clumsily spill milk all over their counter top earning an amused look from Kouyou. "My little brother..."
"I don't have one" he honestly answered.
So yeah, Nakahara Chuuya, 22, single.
"My friend had a little brother; I can set you up for a date Chuuya" her sister announced to the extent of giving Chuuya a vague description of her friend's brother- as if he'll ever be interested. "he's taking up Education Chuu, also 22 and he- "
At the middle of her ramblings, Chuuya finally cut her off. "Actually Ane-san, I lo- like someone."
"oh. So, you two?"
Chuuya shook his head, a small smile appeared on his lips as he remembers all the banters he exchanged with the stupid mackerel. "No, not yet"
...
Chuuya with all his pent-up emotions for the bandaged Law student, decided that on that day he'll going to confess to him. It sounded gross but he'll live, he just have to say, "I'm in love with you, shitty bastard" and that's it. It's simple enough.
Well, jokes on Chuuya, it's not that simple.
Because the day Chuuya decided to confess his tiny feelings is the day Dazai Osamu came in the coffee shop with a blonde guy with glasses and since he came in, not once did he spare Chuuya a glance.
"Dazai's already here?" Yosano came up to him, popcorn in hand. Chuuya eyes the popcorn but shakes his head when Yosano offered some to him. "No, 'gggggoooooodddddd eveeeeeniiiinnnnnngggggg daaaarrrling, tonight?" she asked mimicking Dazai's infuriating tone. At where they stood, they can see Dazai, leaning over the blonde guy- a smile adorning his face as he points something in the other's opened notebook. "Is that Kunikida- kun?'
Chuuya looked back at Yosano then at the blonde guy- Kunikida and asked, "who is he? He ordered for the both of them."
Yosano can definitely hear his hurt tone but decided to ignore it, she's a sadist after all. "They're partners, knew each other long enough even living in one roof now. They work together quite well, looks good too don't you think?"
Chuuya, eyes now trained on Dazai laughing to something Kunikida said, smiled sadly and whispered, "Yeah, they are"
The rest of Chuuya's shift went in a blur but one thing is for sure, Dazai never once acknowledge him when he's with Kunikida.
...
The next day, Chuuya decided to ditch work and watched some stupid Netflix show. He's not wallowing in self pity or drowning himself in large tub of chocolate ice cream because of jealousy, of course not.
"You can't just say that you stupid Jughead!!!"
Chuuya threw a spoonful of ice cream in the tv screen, much to Ane-san's annoyance the very next day.
Unbeknownst to Chuuya, Dazai Osamu who never had even an hour of sleep since yesterday because of some group case he had with Kunikida- a fellow Law student, went to the coffee shop looking for him.
"Is he ok?" Dazai asked Yosano and Ranpo, a bag of popcorn messily sits at the counter.
"Hmm" Ranpo hummed while Yosano grinned.
...
3 days passed and Chuuya can no longer ditch work, half heartedly stood behind the counter. His two co- workers sat comfortably on a stool, eating popcorn yet again but he ignored them, focusing solely on his work. The bell rang signaling another costumer and as soon as Chuuya saw who it was, his practiced smile dropped from his face.
"Chuuya, how I missed you darling" Dazai sing song earning snickers from the two spectators. Ranpo even whistled, that bastard.
"Welcome to ADA Cafe, what can I get for you?"
Dazai frowned at Chuuya's nonchalance, so he tried again. "You became even smaller since the last time I saw you Chibi"
"Welcome to ADA Cafe, what can I get for you?" He repeats his go to line robotically not even looking at the other's eyes as he did so.
"Chuuya's no fun" Dazai pouts and reluctantly gave his order.
...
"Welcome to ADA Cafe, what can I get for you?"
Dazai sighs and ordered his usual.
The easy banter they have long gone and after 3 consecutive days of Chuuya ignoring him, Dazai Osamu- for the first time in Chuuya's time at the coffee shop ordered his coffee 'to go'.
"He didn't stay huh?" Yosano asked him as soon as the door of the shop closed.
"Who cares"
....
Nakahara Chuuya never expected to see Kunikida at the convenient store that same night. He's at the ice cream aisle when suddenly someone bumped into him. He was about to give a piece of his mind when a look of recognition flashed at the other's face.
"Nakahara-san, I'm sorry" Kunikida politely bowed but upon realizing how creepy he sounds, he hastily introduced himself, "I'm Kunikida Doppo, I'm Dazai Osamu's Law School classmate and roommate. We worked on a case study at the coffee shop a few days ago and he mentioned that he knew you. You served me coffee as well"
Chuuya with his jealous ass, lied, "I don't think I remember you"
Kunikida smiled reluctantly but still supplied him some unwanted details, some of them even considered as irrelevant but one thing caught Chuuya's attention. "Sorry can you repeat that? I didn't properly catch it"
"That case study is one of the hardest we have, even Dazai had some problem with it to the point of ignoring everyone and everything unrelated to it. He didn't even stop to eat except to drink his coffee. Luckily my girlfriend cooked us dinner while doing the case study after our time at the coffee shop or else we'll both die?" It came out as a question since Chuuya's eagerness made Kunikida even more confused.
"Your girlfriend? You have a girlfriend, not a boyfriend? You're not Dazai's?"
Kunikida, bless his soul, blinked in confusion, "No, Nakahara-san, I don't- Dazai's single, not even asking women out since a couple of months ago, 4 or 4 ½ if I'm not mistaken"
"What?"
"He said something about some Hat Rack idiot who doesn't even understand the phrase 'the moon is beautiful, isn't it' and he's so tiny and cute and he just –"at that both Kunikida and Chuuya gasped and stared at each other. The smaller of the two holding a tub of ice cream, grins after a few minutes, his faced turned redder than his hair.
"Where do you live, Kunikida-kun?"
...
To say Chuuya is nervous is an understatement. When he asked Kunikida his address and told him about his plan, he sounds confident but now as the only barrier he had on the bandaged waste of space is their shitty Mahogany door, he can't help but be terrified.
After counting to 10 to shake off his own nervousness, he slowly knocked on the door. Seconds of intense silence that feels like minutes, the door slowly opened revealing a very disheveled looking Dazai Osamu, glasses carelessly perched on his nose blocking some of the intensity of those reddish-brown eyes of him, dressed in a worn out red pajama set contrast to his very model like casual everyday look at the coffee shop.
"Chuuya?" he asked, confusion evident in his usually composed self.
Biting his lips before smiling brightly, Chuuya held up a can of ice coffee from a vending machine and offered it to Dazai, "Delivery for one Dazai Osamu- san"
Dazai raised an eyebrow, no follow up witty retort showing how unexpected this visit is, asked, "I have canned coffee inside so I don't think I need one"
Chuuya, the very definition of impatient, forced the can to Dazai's hand. "Just take it"
"What's so special about this delivery?"
A bright idea flashed through Chuuya's mind and before he chicken out, he stood on his tip toes (much to his annoyance right after because their height difference is that noticeable) and yanked Dazai towards him,
"A coffee made sweeter just for you"
He whispered before closing the gap and kissing him right in front of his apartment door. As they part, Dazai- back to his old self said;
"I like you a latte, Chuuya. You're sweet as sugar, smooth as-"
"Why do you have to ruin the mood, you piece of fuck!"
Well, let's just say that at that night, Nakahara Chuuya, 22, FINALLY got himself a boyfriend.
...
The very next day, when Dazai came in with an obnoxious amount of red roses and shyly (but not quite) gave it to Chuuya who blushed and stammered like a teenage girl in love, Yosano and Ranpo high fived.
"I Told you so"
"Yeah"
...