Work Text:
A periodical clack shuttering off from the clock hung on the eloquent wall was resounding off in a room that owned a polished edge to it. Drenched in a charm of sophistication reeking from its obviously pricy primness.
Apparently only a bandaged figure was there to appreciate its simplistic luxuriousness. Sitting cross-legged on a lone stool that stood by the window. His attention was hardly snitched by any of the details of the room cause not only he’s so used to having seen and visited it countless number of times for now but also due to his mind presently being seeded onto his most beloved book of all times- …. A Complete Guide to Suicide!
So here was Dazai comfortably making himself home in an enemy organisation’s apartment! Housing the hell out of this place that belonged to not just any enemy of any organisation but a hatrack who is actually a petit slug wearing chibi hats of the Port Mafia. Gasp. Ewe! Think about that! Besides, what could be better than raiding mafia property?
Thus, an hour before the alpha wrapped up all the work at the Agency much due to the efforts of a screaming Kunikida. Following which he initially decided to cosset into the cwtch of his home but ended up stumbling here at Chuuya’s place instead of his own dorm.
The night cascaded outside protracted a cooling element of peacefulness. It was almost ideal for reading such a wonderful book after breaking in the ginger-headed alpha’s home that held a strong yet receding whisk of his scent lofted across in the air which Dazai was so familiar with that it was almost like his own second scent. Although it was fainter than usual. Indicating that it has been a quite a while since Chuuya was gone.
Seated atop the stool in a weirdly perfect balance, he almost resembled a lazy cat. His expression portrayed an accretion of playful funniness as his fingers flicked through another page of the reddish-white book. Though he was slightly bored of the book for it was not giving away any new ideas to feed his suicidal fascination.
Usually when Chuuya’s home it is an encapsulating laden of his rich redolence that deeply tinges Dazai’s nose whenever he breathes it in only to numb his senses in an intoxication running towards his brain. The smell is stronger. Of course it has to be, after all its a chibi gremlin’s chibified pheromones. What kind of question is even that? It’s not like that Dazai likes it or is fond of it or worse, relishes it! Disgusting! Gross! He absolutely doesn’t like it okay!? A wet dog would smell like a wet dog. Wouldn’t it?
The bandaged alpha never really cared about scents and all these thing. It never ever made any sense to him. Not in any logic cause it was just a basic biological aspect of a human body. But as much as Dazai would not like to admit it, Chuuya’s scent right from the moment he ever got a hint of it till they got closer and eventually start a relationship that lead to them mating... triggered something inside him.
Like any other work and public place the Port Mafia requires each and every of its member to use scent blockers. However, unlike normal professions the Port Mafia along with other military, highly specialised government and illegal organisations of the underworld, has protocols for their members to use the strong scent blockers and not the light ones that are the most common ones used by most of the people in their day-to-day lives. Cause ironically if anything that’s illegal in an illegal world are emotions and distractions. If anyone is not able to control their emotions and scent very well, these strong blockers prevent any unnecessary trouble but at the same time are mildly lenient enough for others to read one’s mood and determine their secondary gender.
Yet the shorter alpha uses lighter scent blockers in public and while at work because in the mafia if you can control your scent beyond a certain extent and if you are high in the hierarchy, then you are allowed with a special permission and power to use light blockers. However, such kinds of individuals are rare as such traits only resurfaces either naturally or through intense training or worse, due to any psychological condition or trauma. However, just like him, Chuuya applied light blockers even when they weren’t high up in the hierarchy. Mori naturally let him have the privilege seeing his skills.
Steering his attention he noticed that is was already ten past thirteen at night.
Chuuya wouldn’t be back until twelve or twelve past thirty. He knew his schedule like the back of his hand.
Gaze returning to get fixated back onto the pages he hummed inaudibly.
He has plenty of time.
Till then,
Maybe he should replace all of chibi’s expensive shampoo with actual dog shampoo!
Or even better! Maybe he should sneak upon the chibi in the shower when he comes back!
He was about to constitute his geniuses to figure out numerous other alternatives to irritate the ginger only to get disrupted by the chucking of the doorknob being twisted open.
Craning his head up Dazai’s brow shot up.
Of course it has to be Chuuya. None withheld a bravery foolish enough to enter Chuuya’s house without a permission. Neither the capability to break or sneak past in through such an abstrusely complex security. Except he himself and the said executive of course.
Besides Dazai can recognise the extreme familiarity of those heavy steps forming a specific pattern from anywhere. No matter how subtle it is.
So obviously that was not what surprised the brunet but rather the factor that the ginger came back so unexpectedly early.
His mind geared to several possibilities.
Chuuya wasn’t supposed to be home at least before twelve-thirty. Rather Dazai thought he would be late. As usually sometimes he would return past the predicted time like one, two or even three at night. Worse, Chuuya extending his time to pull an all-nighter also wasn’t uncommon. Working hours in the mafia can be unpredictable given that it isn’t even close to being your average nine to five office job.
It is quite surprising for Chuuya to return early in the first place let alone before the forecasted time. It’s either a rare day where the shorter male no longer has any business to attend to or maybe Mori forcibly made him leave early for taking a break as Dazai knows Mori has a tendency to do such things. The least possibility would be Chuuya willingly leaving early. He is a workaholic who wouldn’t abjure his duties on hold even though he easily can being an executive.
The brunet’s brows tugged in together when the front door shuts close as his hearing didn’t catch up any of Chuuya’s usual verbal complains about ‘useless fishes swimming around in the house’ upon entering. The book still in his hand was no longer worthy of his attention. Keeping his empty stare unmoved from the entrance of the living room Dazai tries to make out the chibified alpha’s movements tapering down the hallways. Trying to assess out the mafiaso’s mood since there are still no grouchy grumbling weaved out of certain words like ‘Dazai’, ‘shitty’ and ‘mackerel’ from Chuuya like he usually does while taking off his shoes.
The previous mirth of mischief vanishes from Dazai’s eyes as they narrowed down. Replaced by something unexplainable. Dazai’s mind is deadly realm which can fisher out even the faintest abnormalities. Right now all it was telling him that something was wrong. Regardless of its significance.
For a fraction of seconds his mind short-circuited with a brutal caution as his vision widened.
He cannot smell Chuuya.
Others might think that it’s crazy to even think about being able to detect a person’s scent when they’re still rooms away as normally a person’s scent can only be properly felt when they’re at least at a distance of being in the same room. Howbeit, Dazai Osamu being Dazai Osamu was laughably anyone but a sane let alone normal person. His incomprehensible senses can make out the most intricate details of one’s scent even if they have just crossed the threshold of the house.
The alpha mafiaso every time he comes back, usually likes to freely whiff out his scent once he has entered the parameter of his apartment. Relaxing out his scent fully in the comfy familiarity of his house as the warmth wraps around his head to kind of cushion on his glands. Yet today the other’s woody fragrance littered with flecks of a fiery tone still hasn’t filled in the space, greeting Dazai.
It only reasons to one conclusion.
His mate is completely withholding his scent right now.
Which is all the more concerning and odder. Chibi is a live wire of emotions. A hurling tempest of fire who doesn’t hesitate to express himself whether it is through his expressions, words, face, body language or sometimes through his scent. It makes him far more easily readable than others. To phenomenal people like Dazai... he’s a bare book.
Hence, if Chuuya like on some of the other days would have come in with a conundrum of irritation scrambling his mind then Dazai would have immediately gotten the sourness in the other’s scent. The absence of tarnation in the other’s scent as well as lack of a mini yowl of ‘shitty Dazai’ meant that Chuuya wasn’t annoyed either. The hatrack’s remitted action of not slamming the door told him that he wasn’t rippling with anger either which would cut through his boiling blood because there was no acidic strength in his scent, sharpening it to tremble the air around in a poisonous depletion. Neither does he seem to be stressed otherwise his scent would have been sorely bitter with a suffocating puff of nicotine clinging onto it. There’s no acrid smell of tension stretching on the other male.
Therefore, this all doesn’t explain why Chuuya still hasn’t let out his scent.
To be honest the other alpha wasn’t even smelling like anything currently.
As aforementioned the shorter male always uses light scent blockers but the thing with these is that you can still make out the person’s smell when they’re in an appropriate proximity. It is restricting enough for the scent to be not overbearing but flexible enough for the person to still let out his scent.
Thus, there’s no direct cause for Dazai not being able to feel the other’s scent.
Wordlessly his absently serious eyes dialled back onto the pages with his face bearing a neutral compositeness. Maybe he will wait until the chibi comes up here himself. Putting his legs down he crossed one of them over the knee. Divulging further into his thoughts.
Surely Chuuya wouldn’t be on strong blockers. He hates them and only ever uses them while he’s working during the peak of his rut. The slug doesn’t mind being on duty during his ruts for he’s surprisingly good at controlling his ruts. Which is quite the contrary to the loose hold he has on his temper and aggressiveness. So unlike most of the alphas he always doesn’t require additional strong blockers, suppressants or leaves during his ruts.
Although he does take leaves not only cause Mori has always insisted so (just in case to prevent any mishaps) but also cause now he’s with Dazai. (Not that anyone knows)
Though that’s not the matter now because with one hundred percent accuracy Dazai knows that his mate’s rut is months away. Even if Chuuya was on strong blockers and suppressants during his rut, Dazai still would have been able to smell him somehow unless he was put on those illegal ones that shuts down your scent completely or sometimes even your cycle.
A venomous coldness thaws the ugly corners of his mind at the thought. A corner where nothing but blood splotches reside.
‘No!’ He mentally proclaimed. Neither anybody in the mafia has the power enough to usher or force Chuuya into using those illegal medications nor the hatrack is weak enough for letting that happen.
In spite of that if anyone howsoever is successful to so to his mate... Dazai is more than pleased to rip their bones out alive before Chuuya could even get a chance to crush them.
So, that only leads to one answer to why Chuuya isn’t letting out his scent.
It means it’s one of those uncommon days where Chuuya is quiet. Not just literally but also his thoughts, metaphorically.
A silent Chuuya is not a good sign.
The alpha detective felt the mafiaso approach the living room he’s presently in. When the mafiaso finally passes by the entrance of the living room in a split second, Dazai notices how Chuuya’s expression was extremely quiet and feelingless. He didn’t even scream at Dazai, just went straight to the room above. Probably to change. Now, he may be not able to smell Chuuya right now but Dazai was like an omniscience enigma when it comes to deciphering people’s thoughts, emotions, mentality just taking a look at them. Diving into their soul. So it was not much difficult for him to know that Chuuya right now was very sad.
Utterly sad. He could easily think of a number of reasons why but he would put a hold to them for now as he would like to listen it from chibi himself.
As he was thinking all this Dazai cannot help but notice yet another peculiar thing when Chuuya just passed by. There was this strange foreign smell lingering on Chuuya. A smell which definitely isn’t Chuuya’s own.
Instantly Dazai’s mind sank into a depth of harshness as muddy irises oozed cruelty in them when he realises that someone else’s scent was entirely covering Chuuya.
It was a sweet, saccharine scent akin to fresh spring waters.
Definitely… the scent of an omega.
Dazai’s inner alpha was stroked with a hot rush of possessiveness that was clearly reflected over his emotionless face. His nails curling tightly against the cover of the book.
But Dazai was an unparalleled master of control and too intelligent to reach stupidly meaningless conclusions or act on them or let them take over. He knows that there has been some incident that probably made chibi sad and made this smell stay on him. He can leniently detect that.
Footsteps tapping against the floor pulled Dazai out of his musings as the ginger walked in. The latter’s features forbore tiredness. Tiredness not from work but from some troublesome pondering. There was a dull apathy in those blue eyes that was very much matching the sorrow on his face. It was nothing intense but unsuspectingly bothering him.
The sugary smell of the omega dwelling on Chuuya grew a little stronger as Dazai watched his alpha cross the room to finally settle on the sofa.
A soundless sigh escapes Chuuya. Resting his head against the headrest. Dazai was clearly providing him some space before he got off from his seat, keeping his book on it. The brunet’s legs took him to the couch as he carefully slid behind it.
Folding his left arm to place it on the headrest Dazai approached Chuuya from behind. Lowering himself he puts his other hand onto Chuuya’s shoulder. Lethargically skidding it from his shoulder blades to let the warmth of his fingertips graze against his throat. Gently massaging his side glands as he felt Chuuya relax a little under his touch. He had changed. He was now in a white shirt and maroon sweatpants.
Dazai leaned down a little further till his face was nearly touching Chuuya’s. He let his lips warmly ghost over his ear in a tickling sensation. As soon as Dazai placed a soft kiss to his earlobe Chuuya let out a tender whine.
“Ummnng...what are you doing shitty Dazai?...”
With no bite to it Chuuya finally spoke as he tilted his head to his right, exposing the side of his neck. Finally giving out his scent.
Chuuya shuddered when Dazai crooned deeply now that the brunet was able to inhale his powerful earthy scent. Chuuya’s scent was rich, deep and earthy. Its familiar muskiness was clouding Dazai’s rationality. Even though Chuuya scent is extremely dominating, strong and downright maybe even intimidating but the suicidal alpha cannot help but thrive in it.
Though it was duller than usual. Indicating the hint of sadness. Also there’s this unknown omega’s smell that Dazai needed to remove from his alpha.
“Hmm. Chibi’s in a bad mood ay?”
“Shut up...it’s none of your business...”
Chuuya answered with no actual seriousness. He was almost pouting. He looked so adorably cute even when unhappy.
Dazai received back a croon from him nevertheless.
Dazai takes off the scent blocking patch over Chuuya’s nape. Allowing his mate’s scent to be more prominent in the house. Dazai knows the significance of these scent patches as they hide Chuuya’s mating mark that he had placed over his nape. Hiding it from the world. After all Dazai could only imagine what kind of hell would break out if their respective organisations were to find out that they were actually mates and are in a relationship.
Chuuya’s frame trembled as he gasped noiselessly when an overpowering smell filled the space around him alongside his own existent one. Hitting him, his senses were overwhelmed by it. He realised Dazai was letting out his own scent. The heavy smell of petrichor from the brunet pierced through the air. Its slightly forestry nature was engulfing Chuuya as a whole. Its muskiness and richness lurching on him as Dazai was nuzzling into his nape. Scenting him as he nips at his mating mark which was deep and jagged. Dazai’s scent was deep, powerful and extremely dominating while being cold and hollow most of the time. Despite this, it cannot help but be strangely soothing to Chuuya.
Now it’s not like Dazai doesn’t let his scent roam freely whenever he’s around Chuuya. It’s just that Dazai has an insanely inhumane ability to control his scent beyond such a limit that he can completely stop it! Being a person of unfathomable control, Dazai most of the time puts a complete stop to his own scent when he is outside in public or at workplace. Taming it under his maliciously calculative control just like he does in case of his plans, strategies, thoughts, expression and manipulation. He doesn’t even use any sort of blockers or suppressants except when he is in his high rut time and that too he is able to control well beyond. To Chuuya it isn’t surprising for a person who can control his heartbeats into data codes.
Thus, it is often impossible for a new, unknown person to know or guess Dazai’s second gender. He almost smells like nothing. Though there might be few people who had gotten a taste of his scent but unfortunately they got the bone chillingly colder and emotionless version of his scent that at times can become so icy, venomous, mysterious and sadistic that it would make the blood curl. Chuuya can’t complain on that cause his own scent tends to be like that whenever he’s interrogating some tough nuts but the difference with Dazai is that even after all that, a person experiencing this side to Dazai’s scent can still tell that his scent has an emptiness to it.
Hence, Chuuya might be the only person who truly knows what Dazai fully smells like.
There’s this additional frigid possessiveness in the former mafiaso’s scent right now which Chuuya knows is because he can still smell the omega on him. Dazai would be the last one to be counted in as an expressive person so he doesn’t usually portray whenever he’s jealous or feeling possessive (in a good way). At least verbally or over his face. He conveys it rather through his actions.
“Chuuya spending his time with a sweet little omega?”, the taller alpha’s sweet voice was dark and cold as he tilted the ginger’s head sideways by holding his chin in an owning grab, whispering into his ear.
They both know that Dazai was not serious but just being pathetically dramatic.
“Oi! Quit it!”, Chuuya chided softly before grabbing Dazai’s arm to make him come around to sit on the sofa.
Dazai just does so. Voicelessly following Chuuya’s instructions. Now that they were face to face they can finally talk about what exactly happened.
“What happened Chuuya?”, Dazai founds himself asking.
The mafiaso’s expression was hesitant as he unsurely averted his eyes. His lips pressed into a thin line of doubt. But he still looked adorable. Fidgeting ever so slightly like a squirrel.
A thought.
A particular thought was bothering him.
Dazai was now even more sure about it reading Chuuya’s body language and that too a stupid one judging by his forlornly profile.
“’I….”, the older male manages to croak out, “I… Well….”
He paused before he looks at Dazai with a determination. His brows scrunching up cutely.
“I wanna ask you something.”, halting a bit he continued, “So… so don’t be an ass about it and don’t laugh.”
Dazai almost immediately laughed at that but he restrained himself. After all the chibi looked so horribly cute with nervousness all over his face. Dazai absolutely doesn’t like it!
The detective only nodded in agreement.
“Do you…”, his blue irises shaking as he starts, “Do you think it would have been better if I were an omega?”
A silence dewed over the place.
Dazai only blinked back twice in surprise. Now this was not what he was expecting. He doesn’t understand why. Chuuya would be the last person to ask such a strange question. The shorter male never bothered about these gender things whether secondary or primary.
“What?...”, Dazai scoffed in disbelief, “Since when did Chuuya have gender dysphoria?”
Dazai knows that Chuuya doesn’t and this was probably about something else but he still tested the waters.
“What!? No! I’m fine and happy with the way and what I am.”, frowning softly he exclaimed.
The dislike for the statement on his features disappears. Replaced by something more pent up as he looks away, “It’s just….”
“I know that chibi but ‘it’s just’ what?”, tilting his head Dazai tries to search for an answer.
“I am talking in the sense of… o-our relationship or whatever we have right now.”, rolling his hands in a cute gesture Chuuya uttered shyly.
It only makes Dazai laugh as he presses his palm against his mouth because even after being in an actual proper relationship Chuuya is still so shy to admit it.
“What!?”, he snapped.
“Nothing chibi. Nothing but what do you mean?”
“What… What I mean is that… wouldn’t it have been easier for you if I were an omega?”, Chuuya’s wobbly tone revealed. His expression conquered in distraught, “Or if you were with another omega? It would have been natural.”
Dazai’s vision spread in astonishment.
“What are you saying Chibi? And what made you think that I would think that?”
“No… it’s just that we are both alphas and…”
Chuuya mumbled looking adorably sad with those puffed-up cheeks. He himself is always unaware that he unintentionally does that. His head bowed down as his gaze fell on his hands kept in his lap.
“So?.....”
Dazai’s frighteningly steady voice challenged. His face carried an ever pandemonium composure as he calmy closed his eyes.
“Things doesn’t work out well between two alphas… they say…?”
“Slugs really have microscopic brains do they. Who spewed all this nonsense to you Chuuya?”, he exhaled tranquilly.
Setting his serious gaze on the petit mafia who was looking back at him with a fluffily confused expression, Dazai proceeded, “Can you tell me what actually happened Chuuya?”
“Fine!”, agreeing grudgingly he began, “I was……”
_ _ Flashback _ _
Chuuya had just finished training some new recruits when he was looking at some papers kept at the side of the training hall. It withheld each of their information. He has dismissed all of them so they were leaving one by one when suddenly someone bumped into him.
“Oi! Watch it Abeno!”
He warned the raven girl who would have fallen face first onto the ground if it were not for his quick reflexes grabbing her by her arm.
“I-I-I’m so sorry Nakahara-san!!!”
The said girl who probably was an omega judging by her scent, stammered nervously as she apologized several times. Bowing least twice or thrice at forty-five-degree angle, thinking she might have offended an executive.
“It’s okay. Just watch with your eyes next time.”
She scurries off as he excused her.
He was not offended exactly but he doesn’t like having people’s scent smouldered on him and now he is covered in her scent.
He went back to looking at the papers again.
“Hey! Wasn’t that girl cute?”, Miyamura who was another new recruit, whispered.
It caught Chuuya’s mind even if he didn’t want to. His back was turned towards the new recruit who was probably talking to another one. Their voices very faint since they were on the side opposite to him. But he could still make it out what they were conversating about thanks to his incredible senses.
“The one who bumped into Nakahara-san?”, the other male recruit confirmed.
“Yeah. I wish I could date her.”
“But weren’t you saying you have a boyfriend?”
“A-ah… well… I ‘had’ a one.”, Miyamura admitted awkwardly.
“What? Why? Did you break up with him?”
“Well… yeah… kind of. Cause you know we were both alphas and things don’t work out well with two alphas in a relationship you know.”
“Hmm.”
“I mean it isn’t the same as it is with an omega.”
“Yeah. You may be right. After all an alpha being with an omega is considered natural.”
As the two walked out Chuuya cannot help but invite a heaviness onto his chest. An anxious pit forming in his thoughts as he processed their conversation.
_ _ Flashback Ends_ _
“Oh silly chibi…”, Dazai mentally face-palms himself, “Since when did you started to care about people’s opinions and what they say Chuuya?”
Dazai shoots a quirky smile at him.
“I know! I still Don’t! I don’t give a single flying shit about what people say.”, he replied with a mild frustration on his face that soon turned puppy-eyed when he added on further, “But… but still… I can’t help but think about it. You know… like some intrusive thought.”
Dazai suddenly pulled Chuuya onto his lap. Earning a small yelp from him. Chuuya settled down snuggly against him with his legs on either of Dazai who had his arm wrapped around his waist.
“What are you–”
Dazai cuts him off as he brushed his lips against his, softly kissing him. The brunet pulled back quickly as chocolate orbs stared right into azure ones. Their foreheads pressed together.
“It doesn’t matter Chuuya whether anyone of us is an omega or not. The fact that we both are alphas is completely irrelevant to whether it would have been easier or better or not. It’s not true that alphas and alphas together or any other same-genders together doesn’t work out. Not every alpha wants or works out with an omega or vice-versa. Look Chuuya, we live in a society that is very structural. So structural that it influences what people say and their opinions even if it is wrong. A civilised façade upon their uncivilised thoughts. Besides, each and every person being own induvial Chuuya, has their own different experience and experiences things differently. So, that doesn’t mean it would be the same for another person.”
Chuuya stares at him for a full minute before he finally laughed out, “Wow. You gave out a speech mackerel. A disgusting one though.”
Smiling airily both of Chuuya’s un-gloved hands reached up to gently hold Dazai around his neck. The younger sighs out in relief. Chuuya’s mood finally seemed to have got lifted.
“I am awesome right?”, he sparkled, “I’m fine with you or both of us being alpha Chuuya. Besides, I wouldn’t have got such a horribly petit chihuahua stuck to me forever if it were anyone else.”
“You are an asshole! But maybe you are right cause neither I would have been stuck with a bandaged bastard were it anyone else.”, Chuuya grinned.
Dazai’s hand traversed up to cradle his cheek as he places a fleeting kiss on it causing the older alpha to coy away, burying his face into his chest. Slinking onto him fully he was mushed against the brunet like a fluffy little mocchi. His small yet strong hands grasping his back. Dazai decided not to comment in it lest he don’t wanna get punched.
However the brunet separates himself from him.
His hardened sight accompanied his displeased voice that diminishes the silence, “But there’s one more thing to do.”
“What the hell are you saying idiot?”, confused Chuuya asked inching up a brow.
Dazai smiled devilishly, “We need to get Chibi rid of that omega’s smell.”
Chuuya’s eyes enlarges as he blushed at his indication, “Oh hell no!”
“Oh hell yes∽”