Work Text:
1 week later
Chuuya had been having an undeniably lax day, which was good for him. His subordinates weren’t giving him too much trouble, and he had few tasks that needed to be done. He was able to read his poems in peace and quiet, without having to kill anyone. Since it was nearing the end of his work day, he was praying nothing more would happen.
Though, just as he began to read “Dedicated to a Dragonfly,” by an unnamed poet, there was a knock on his office door. Chuuya sighed, closing his book and putting it down.
“Come in.”
Akutagawa entered Chuuya’s office shortly after Chuuya’s call, holding a piece of paper with a photograph attached. He closed the door, listening to it click shut behind him, and remained at the door as he began to speak. “Chuuya-san, we found the weretiger.”
Chuuya became a little bit more attentive once the man said that. “Really? Show me.” Akutagawa approached the desk and placed the paper down, turning it so that it faced Chuuya. Chuuya grabbed the paper, the first thing that grabbed his attention being the photograph, which held a face that was far too familiar for comfort.
His breath hitched in his throat as Akutagawa continued speaking.
“We found out he’s new to Yokohama, after being removed from his orphanage that was on the outskirts of the city. He’s been here for about a month. We’ve yet to discover where he works or lives, but we know he was homeless for a short time.” Akutagawa coughed into his hand. “What are your orders, Chuuya-san?”
Chuuya quickly flipped the photograph up, seeing that the paper underneath held the details of the ability user.
Name: Nakajima Atsushi
Chuuya could have laughed. To think that, just a week ago, the man was telling the weretiger about his own bounty. It would have been hilarious if Chuuya wasn’t feeling slightly panicked. He quickly skimmed through the rest of the information, all of it being relatively rudimentary. Things like age, sex, and appearance. Like Akutagawa said, it didn’t list where he lived or worked.
I need to get the Boss to ditch this bounty.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by Akutagawa speaking up again, repeating his question. “Chuuya-san, what are your orders?”
Knowing that Akutagawa would go after the weretiger regardless of what Chuuya said, Chuuya just replied with, “Proceed as planned. Find out what you can concerning his whereabouts and capture him. Alive, preferably. I’m going to go speak to the Boss.”
Watching the younger male leave the room, Chuuya hummed. Probably should have said something else.
Chuuya clenched his teeth as he left the office shortly after. He had a sinking feeling that the following conversation wouldn’t go as smoothly as he sincerely hoped it would. Listening to the door latch, he quickly made his way to the elevator, his coat trailing behind him as he adjusted his hat to sit right on his head.
He squeezed his fists as he entered the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor. He felt it begin to ascend. Chuuya wished he could use For the Tainted Sorrow to make it go faster so he could get this over with, but he was sure doing that would break the elevator, and he didn’t want to have to pay for that.
The moments passed like sloths crossing a road. It seemed to take longer than usual, but that was probably just the anticipation that was making it feel so slow. Watching the numbers tick up every few seconds only made it feel longer, like staring at a pot of water and waiting for it to boil.
Eventually the elevator dinged, opening to a short hallway. At the end was a set of double doors guarded by two Port Mafia members. Knowing who he was, they let him pass easily. Taking a deep breath and knowing Mori already knew he was there, he pushed open one of the doors that led to the man’s office.
He approached the man, getting as close as he dared, before kneeling before him, his head dipping to face the floor. He tried not to let his discomfort show to the best of his ability.
“What did you need, Chuuya-kun?” Mori asked. Chuuya didn’t dare look up, knowing his carefully calm facade would break if he saw the Boss’s face. He would be forever loyal to the Port Mafia for as long as Mori allowed it, but just this once, maybe he could…
“I’d like to make a request to ditch the bounty on the weretiger.”
Short, to the point. Anything to make this conversation roll along faster. The floor before him taunted him, a bead of sweat trailing down his face. Mori was silent for a moment. Then two. Chuuya felt a gaze on him, though he wasn’t sure if it belonged to the Boss or if he was playing tricks on himself, but he was betting more on the former.
“What are your reasons behind this request, Chuuya-kun?” Chuuya didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t What was he to say? That the weretiger was a bartender who he saw every few days and grew attached to? Chuuya stayed silent.
“Is it personal reasons?” Mori asked, then sighed. “I would love to entertain your request, but Akutagawa is already under orders from me to capture the ability user, and you know how he is.”
Chuuya could do nothing but clench his teeth. He stood up, bowed, and made his way out, adjusting his hat. He pushed the doors open, listening to them shut behind him, and made his way back to his office, sighing.
He flipped open his phone, dialing Kouyou’s number. She answered almost immediately, greeting him.
“Hey, Ane-san, do you by any chance have any way of contacting Atsushi?”
There was a silence on the other end for a moment, and Chuuya was sure he heard Kouyou shuffling some things around for a moment. “No, why?”
“..No particular reason. Thank you.” Chuuya said, uneasy. They exchanged goodbyes before Kouyou hung up.
Chuuya cursed as he placed his phone in his pocket, removing his hat and placing it on his desk as he plopped into the chair. He ran a hand through his hair anxiously.
“Damn it, kid, you better be at the bar tomorrow,” Chuuya grumbled to himself. He should have known he’d have to take shit into his own hands. He sighed, looking up to the ceiling as though silently pleading to whatever higher deities there were, before exiting his office for the last time that day.
He fell asleep in silent anticipation, feeling restless.
–
Chuuya did not have a nice night, a contrast to the day prior. Save for the whole thing with Atsushi, of course, but that didn’t count. This was not uncommon for him, he had restless nights all the time, though he supposed restless sleep was probably better than no sleep at all.
He knew this trend was also common for other Port Mafia members, like Dazai, even though he wasn’t in the Port Mafia anymore. Chuuya vaguely remembers Dazai occasionally working until he passed out, though it wasn’t very common that he did it.
The day passed sluggishly, as though to tell Chuuya he shouldn’t warn Atsushi about the Port Mafia discovering his secret, as though giving Chuuya the chance to change his mind. Even if Chuuya was annoyed at the slowly passing time, he was nothing if not persistent. So he waited. And he waited.
He hated to admit it, but he almost began to doubt himself. He did begin to doubt himself, but if he thought about it hard enough, he could be sure he was doing the right thing.
Of course, it wouldn’t have been the right thing for the Port Mafia, but surely Chuuya is allowed to think about himself every now and then, right?
He spoke to Kouyou about it. She’s one of the only people in the Port Mafia Chuuya decided he could trust, so he trusted her judgment of the situation. She seemed to be worried for Atsushi as well, and asked him to take her with when he went to go see Atsushi that night.
You could have trusted Dazai, too, the smallest part of his mind whispered. Chuuya decidedly ignored it.
His anticipation only grew when the sun began to set. He knew he was doing all the tasks given to him very sloppily, but can you blame him? His mind was elsewhere the whole day, with Atsushi. Wherever he was. He was a little bit worried, okay?
When the time came that Chuuya knew for a fact Atsushi should be at the bar, he swiftly left the Port Mafia building, acting as casual as he possibly could. Kouyou didn’t take too long to catch up with him, but he barely acknowledged her presence.
After a few minutes of walking, he turned the corner into the alleyway and quickly descended the stairs, Kouyou on his tail. He felt like sighing in relief when he saw the familiar light gray hair behind the counter, glass in hand, pouring a drink for a customer. He felt like a weight was taken off his back that he didn’t even know was there.
Chuuya watched Atsushi’s head snap to them as soon as they took a seat, a smile brightening the 18 year old’s face. He excused himself from the customer he was serving and bound over to them.
“Good evening, Chuuya-san! Ane-san!” he greeted happily, as though he wasn’t being chased for a bounty by their organization. “What can I get for you tonight?”
Chuuya could only sigh. “I’m not getting anything tonight. I’m here on other business, unfortunately. Ane-san?”
Kouyou shook her head, covering her mouth with her sleeve, looking off at the drinks behind Atsushi. “I won’t be getting anything either.”
Atsushi tilted his head slightly. “Other business? Is it Mafia business?”
Chuuya and Kouyou shared a look. “In a sense, yes.. What I’m about to say could probably get me in trouble with the Boss if he finds out, but-” Chuuya lowered his voice, placing his hands on Atsushi’s shoulders and pulling him forward slightly. “Atsushi, you need to go into hiding.”
“What? Why?” Atsushi’s voice shook, almost as though he knew what Chuuya was about to explain to him. Chuuya swallowed dryly.
“You’re the weretiger, right? My subordinate found your identity and is under orders directly from the Boss to capture you for the bounty.” Chuuya let out a breath, removing his hands from Atsushi’s shoulders and leaning back in his seat. He closed his eyes. “Normally, I wouldn’t do this for anyone, but there’s something about you… Nevermind. I’ll have to call Dazai.”
He paused, thinking for a second, before pulling a notepad out of his coat and tearing a piece of paper out, scrabbling a number on it before handing it to Atsushi. “Text me if you need anything.”
Atsushi left shortly, vaguely explaining the situation to the manager, who just shook his head and patted Atsushi on the shoulder before allowing him to leave. Chuuya watched Atsushi walk off, watching Kouyou slink off to, presumably, follow him. Probably to make sure he didn’t get into any more trouble.
He took a burner phone out of his pocket that he bought so none of his calls could be traced. He dialed Dazai’s number, which he unfortunately had burned in his brain from the many times he had had to call the man with a phone that wasn’t his. He held the phone up to his ear, impatiently waiting for Dazai to pick up.
He picked up on the 2nd ring, greeting Chuuya with his annoying voice. “Hello! You’ve reached Dazai Osamu, who is this?”
“It’s me, shitty bastard.”
Dazai’s tone immediately flattened, becoming more annoyed. “Oh. It’s you. Can I hang up now?” Chuuya clicked his tongue in disdain, wishing he would.
“No, unfortunately not. I’m calling you on business right now.” Chuuya adjusted his hat absentmindedly. “It’s about Atsushi.”
“Oh? Color me intrigued. I’m assuming Akutagawa-kun found out?” Dazai asked, his voice returning to the annoying tune. Chuuya could almost feel the bastard’s smug grin from the other end of the phone. “What do you want with Atsushi-kun?”
“I want you to help him protect himself.” Chuuya stated. He knew Daza wouldn’t refuse if he could get something out of it.
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. “I’ll do it if you can tell me something.”
“What is it?” Chuuya held his breath, hoping it wouldn’t be some absurd and impossible request.
“Who put the bounty on Atsushi?” Chuuya wasn’t told this information, but he was sure he knew where to find it.
“The boss didn’t give us that information, but I can get back to you on that one.” Chuuya replied. “I could probably find it without much issue.”
“Alright, Chuuya! I’ll trust you with that one!” Dazai exclaimed. Chuuya winced at how loud it was, holding the phone away from his ear. “I’ll let Atsushi-kun know what’s going to happen. Bye~!”
There was a click, insinuating that Dazai had hung up. Chuuya placed the burner back into his pocket, sighing. Now to find out who placed the bounty on Atsushi.
Chuuya got up from the bar seat, walking back up the stairs. I’ve got a long week ahead of me, don’t I?
–
Atsushi should have known. Really, he should have seen this coming. It was an inevitability, almost, and god does Atsushi have really bad luck. Well, even if he did expect it, it didn’t really stop him from freaking out a little bit.
Okay, a little bit more than a little bit. He wanted to scream, but didn’t want to wake Kyouka up, so staring at the ceiling of the closet he slept in. Rethinking his life choices. Wishing he didn’t come to this city. All normal things, truly.
There was a knock at the door, breaking Atsushi out of his completely normal and not panicked thoughts. He slid the closet door open, crawling out, making sure Kyouka was still asleep. He sighed in relief when he saw her closed eyes. She looked almost peaceful. He smiled at the thought, hoping she was having nice dreams.
Stretching his limbs, he walked around her and approached the door, opening it apprehensively. He figured that if it was the Port Mafia at his door, they’d be less polite.
It was worse than the Port Mafia. It was Dazai.
Dazai looked at him expectantly, before looking past him and into the dorm, as though waiting to be let in. Atsushi stepped out instead, closing the door behind him.
“We can talk out here or whatever. I don’t want to wake Kyouka-chan up.” Atsushi stated, crossing his arms. “What do you want?”
“Well, I got a call from.. The hat rack. Seems as though you got yourself in a little bit of a situation. He wanted us to help protect you.” Dazai said, then sighed. Atsushi internally noted how dramatic the sigh was. “Unfortunately, we’re so busy we can’t protect you around the clock. However…!”
Atsushi internally winced, knowing he wouldn’t like what the man was about to say next.
“We can offer you two options! If you join the Agency, we can help train you for combat.” He said, doing jazz hands. Atsushi stared at him, unphased, waiting for the second option. “Or! We could train you in self defense as long as you do us a few favors. Of course, given your current situation, you won’t be able to work at your normal jobs-” Atsushi frowned. “-but we’ll cover whatever costs while we train you.”
“...Dazai-san, what is the difference between those options?” Atsushi blanched. Dazai didn’t seem to be giving him much of a choice. It was basically the same thing but in different fonts.
“Well, dear Atsushi-kun, if you join the Agency it’d be an actual job, so you’d have to come into the office every day, but if you’re just doing us favors, you’d be more of an.. Errand boy.”
“I’ll.. I’ll do the latter…” Atsushi wasn’t sure why they were so adamant on bringing him into the Agency, but unfortunately for them, he was just as persistent about staying out of it.
“Great! I’ll be helping you train your ability, by the way, so be prepared for that. Kunikida-kun will be the one helping you with self defense. See you tomorrow morning, Atsushi-kun!” Dazai ran off to god knows where.
“See you.. Wait, what time?!” Atsushi asked, but his question fell onto deaf ears. He sighed, turning right around and entering his dorm. “I don’t get paid enough for this.” I don’t get paid at all…