Chapter Text
A gentle breeze blows through the city of Yokohama, early in the morning. It’s a pleasant time for there is no overbearing heat or humidity to ruin one’s hair. Therefore making it a peaceful time for many people who go for walks or biking in the first few hours of the day but unfortunately for Nakahara Chuuya, she is an elementary school teacher and her mornings are filled with sounds of children and the scent of black coffee. It’s almost strange when the weekend comes around and she doesn’t wake up early. She adores all her students, really; they’re sweet children. All except for one.
“Sensei!”
Chuuya groaned to herself internally before twirling around in her chair and plastering a smile on her face. She knew exactly who that voice belonged to and knew exactly what was going to happen.
A fair skinned girl with long wavy brunette hair and bright golden eyes stood in-front of her desk with a smile on her freckled cheeks before dropping down an assortment of weeds on her desk.
“Mama said to give these to you today! She wants you to figure out what weeds these are before she comes to pick me up and meets you. Says it’s a surprise.”
She sighs a bit before picking up the leaf. This was also now part of her morning routine. To have Dazai Sayuri deliver her mothers words to her before they meet at the end of the day when the mother comes to collect her child. It’s been happening for weeks ever since… that meeting.
Five weeks ago
Chuuya stared at herself in the school’s bathroom mirror. There were dark circles under her sapphire blue eyes, dark freckles scattered across her brown complexion while her dark auburn-brown hair framed her face, the rest of it tied back messily into a bun with various bobby pins. Needless to say, she looked like a mess. The redhead had been in school since six in the morning and it was nearly two — her only breakfast had been black coffee and stale toast. She regrets not listening to Doc about bringing a snack with her because she was absolutely famished. Though in her defense; she was in a rush this morning after waking up late.
But she couldn’t go home. Chuuya had a meeting with a parent and she was not excited. The girl whose parents were being called was Dazai Sayuri, a real menace, in her opinion at least. Sayuri was clever and extremely cunning but she was also a pain and a troublemaker. The girl was good at pretending so no one ever suspected her of anything until Chuuya got called by another teacher who claimed that she had slapped a boy on the face. The redhead found it odd because it didn’t seem like it was within Sayuri’s nature to get physical yet everyone she’d asked about it had said they saw her raising her hand.
So yes, it looked grim, not just for Sayuri but for Chuuya as well — everyone assumed that what she was teaching may have affected her students' actions. Along with needing to have someone sit down and inspect her while she teaches, she was forced to call in Sayuri’s mother. According to the school’s files, Sayuri had only her mother, Dazai Osamu, who was a single parent. Interestingly enough, there’s not alot of information about the woman. Or perhaps the school needs to be more through with their records.
Splashing her face with cold water again, she feels herself wake up a bit. All she needed was to get through this meeting and then she could go home, eat whatever Paul had made for his own lunch before taking a big fat nap. Sounded easy enough.
Only it wasn’t. Because Miss Dazai Osamu was not there even when fifteen minutes or so had passed. Chuuya was getting annoyed. Her actual school timing was over about half an hour ago but she stayed back to wait yet the parent couldn’t even be bothered. Sometimes she really hated her job. Getting bored of sitting at her desk, she took her phone out from her bag before rearranging her position to sit cross legged on the chair. she hadn’t checked her phone all morning and was now replying to messages. The most recent one being from her uncle.
[From: Paul Verlaine] Are you still at school?
[To: Paul Verlaine] Yeah, I have a meeting with a parent whose late as fuck. I’m fucking starving too.
[From: Paul Verlaine] What did the kid even do that you had to call their parent?
[To: Paul Verlaine] A girl in my class slapped a boy. Really badly too, he was crying apparently.
[From: Paul Verlaine] Oh wow…don’t remember first graders being so violent before…
“Hello~! Are you Nakahara Chuuya?”
Looking up from the screen, her eyes meet with amber-honey ones. There’s an extremely lanky woman standing by the door, her pupils wide and hollow with ghost-like appearance to her. Her seemingly dry brunette hair was tied into a ponytail with a pink scrunchie which definitely stood out from the rest of her outfit. Long sleeved black button-up with tan colored jeans, assorted accessories of odd necklaces and bracelets sat on her wrists and neck yet no ring on her finger. So..she wasn’t married. Chuuya had assumed as much when the school record had only one parent stated down as legal guardian but the confirmation also helped. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she got up from her chair to go over and greet her.
“Yes, I am, it’s nice to me– WHOA–!”
She tripped over the heel of her own shoe. Being too caught off guard, she couldn’t brace herself for any impact, so just prayed to let the pain arrive but…it never came.
“Already falling head over heels for me? That’s cute.”
She opens her eyes to see….that Dazai caught her before she could fall. And she was smirking at her as the light of the ceiling shone behind her, making her seem like some fucked up angel. Chuuya clenched her jaw a bit. Oh, so she was that type. How great, she thinks to herself.
“Yes well..” Moving out of the brunette’s arms, her face reddened as she pushed back strands of her hair before letting out a strangled cough.
“Thank you and I’m very sorry for that. I usually am more balanced.”
Dazai simply hums with a relaxed expression on her face — ah damnit, Chuuya can’t help blushing a bit again. She quickly offers her a seat before sitting down on her own, ignoring the rumbling in her stomach; god, she hoped Paul made some curry or soup before he went for his afternoon job.
“You sound hungry… why don't we ditch this and we go for lunch together~?”
Blue orbs blink in surprise as she shifts around in her seat a bit. Was…she hitting on her? What type of person was Dazai Osamu?
“Sorry but I’ll have to decline, Dazai-san.” She places a serious expression on her face before letting out a feigned cough. “We have to discuss your daughter’s misconduct.”
“Oh.” The brunette shrugged before leaning back in her seat. “A shame. Can’t believe you're rejecting such a catch as myself.”
Chuuya couldn’t fathom what was happening right now. Why did the universe send her this woman today?
“Am I making you uncomfortable, Nakahara-san?”
“No…” She narrows her gaze a bit before clicking her tongue. “You have pretty privilege.”
Dazai’s the one blushing now, Chuuya coughing lightly before placing her serious facade back on. Sure, the woman in-front of her was undoubtedly quite good looking, the type of beauty you see on models but she still had a job to do as a teacher.
“Miss Dazai, I don’t know if you realize but Sayuri physically hit someone. That is a serious problem and I’d ask you to take it more seriously too.”
She looked at the other; she could feel her honey eyes melting into her oceanic gaze before Dazai sat up straight, giving Chuuya a light smirk.
“Alright. Do you know why she even slapped him?”
She furrows her brow a bit. “Well, yes but—”
“Shhh…”
Chuuya watches as Dazai brings a finger to her own lips — she’s wearing the palest shade of pink. It suits her well.
“You hear that sensei?” She has a grin on her face, a shit-eating grin that made Chuuya clench her jaw.
“It’s the sound of the unfair school system.”
Chuuya holds her breath for a while before blinking at her in confusion.
“Excuse me?”
“Do you even know why Sayuri did it in the first place? Because that boy was picking on her.”
The redhead chews down on the bottom of her lip as the brunette continues talking.
“He was going to hit her so she raised her hand first. He was instigating a fight while she was minding her own business. I believe we can say she did it in…self defense. Now tell me this, Nakahara-san; why is it that this boy was even targeting my girl in the first place? His parents should be in here too, the boy should receive the same condemnation as Sayuri is. When they both get the same level of scolding, perhaps then I’ll be more inclined to take this more seriously.”
Chuuya was speechless for a moment. The tips of her ears and cheeks were dark red, either from embarrassment or feeling flustered or being caught off guard. Whichever it was, it took her a moment to reel it all in as Dazai sat on the chair casually, her teasing smile never leaving while she watched her.
“Any issues, Nakahara-san?”
“Huh?” She ended up zoning out without even realizing it
“I’m just thinking about what you’ve said.”
She places her hands on the desk before gazing directly into her eyes — no matter how many times she stares at them, they constantly seem to pull her in with an alluring charm. It’s intoxicating.
“Has Sayuri told you anything else? As to why she may be getting teased..picked on?”
Dazai lets out a small laugh, the redhead swore she heard her own heartbeat for a second.
“Maybe because she takes after me…if you can’t tell, I have a tendency to be more annoying than the average person.” The brunette places one leg over the other before falling back in the chair again as she stares at the ceiling. “Though, I don’t really want that for Sayuri. I want her to have friends and enjoy herself instead of well…” She sighs a bit before rubbing the back of her neck.
“Being like me.”
Chuuya presses her lips in a thin line. It is true that Dazai Sayuri is not quite likable among her peers. She’s smarter than them and she knows that she’s better than them. She’s not stupid and of course she worries about the girl ending up all alone but if her mother is here lamenting about the same then perhaps Chuuya should try harder as her teacher.
“I’ll try to help her, Dazai-san. After all, I am her teacher.”
Amber eyes blink for a moment before Dazai nods and smiles at her.
“That would be helpful. Now, as a thank you…”
She watches as the brunette moves forward, a suggestive look creeping onto her face, Chuuya’s tawny cheeks being tainted red again.
“Let me take you out on a date~”
She sighs a bit as the brunette watches her quietly. What was wrong with this woman?
“Look… um.” It’s been a while since she’s done this — it doesn’t really get easier.
“I’m asexual. So if you’re looking for a one night stand…I would suggest looking somewhere else because I’m not interested in that type of thing, Dazai-san.”
“But you are gay, right?”
The redhead raises an eyebrow before shrugging.
“I could be. Bisexual to be more specific.”
There’s something about the way that Dazai is looking at her with careful observation that makes Chuuya want to blush and giggle like a schoolgirl.
“Alright then, Chu-uya~”
Dazai gives her a wolfish grin before heading to the door, looking at her from the door.
“I wasn’t asking you in that way, just so you know.”
Chuuya feels embarrassed now and it’s showing as the brunette simply giggles.
“For the record, I am bisexual as well. And don’t worry. I know how to play the long game, sensei~”
She could’ve just left but she just had to wink at her before leaving. In all the flurry of emotions and embarrassment, she forgot how hungry she was. God, she hoped her uncle made lunch today.
Present time
It’s usually been a strange game of Dazai sending over the leaves or seeds of a flower before she shows up at pick-up time with the specific flower woven into her hair. While Chuuya can’t deny that she looks adorable, she can’t understand what messages she’s sending through the flowers; nor can she figure out what leaves belong to what flower — she’s not a botanist!
“What..what is this woman doing?”
She sat in the teacher's lounge, unknowingly biting on the leaf while clutching her head. The brunette was playing mind games with her like she would be and she hated it.
“Uh…Nakahara-san?”
Blue eyes fly wide open as she sighs a bit before falling back in her chair, grumbling a bit.
“Hello, Michizou.”
Tachihara Michizou was one of the newer teachers who’d joined that year. He had short red hair, a light tan and brown eyes. One thing that stood out most about him was his piercings; he had plenty of them. Around his eyebrows, nose and ears…probably on his body too but Chuuya wasn’t one to pry.
“What are you doing with leaves? Getting into gardening?”
He takes a seat next to her with a confused look as she lets out another groan.
“No. I don’t think I can even keep a cactus alive.”
“Then why the tulip seeds and leaves?” She glances at him weirdly which he shrugs in response. “My friend owns a flower shop. He’s weird but he likes his plants.”
“Also these are tulips..?”
She mutters to herself, taking out the leaf piece she was chewing on while Tachihara took a sip of his coffee.
“Where did you get these from anyway?”
“It’s complicated but do tulips have some kind of hidden meaning to it?”
“Uhh…” He scrunches his face up, taking another sip of coffee. “I think Tetchou-san told me that they meant one sided love or something, like a crush.”
Chuuya hadn’t realized that she went completely red, muttering to herself before banging head on the table, Tachihara watching her quietly. He dare not say anything to his senior (in terms of age) but personally, he thinks Chuuya is a bit unhinged sometimes.
It’s finally time for the students to go home. Also the time Chuuya has to stand outside and wait for parents to come and pick up their children. Unsurprisingly, the brunette showed up and sure enough with tulips in her hair, weaved into a bun. Her mouth remains in a straight line as Dazai approaches her with a smile, Sayuri running off to meet with some new friends, her amber eyes following the child fondly.
“I see she’s more friendly with her classmates now.”
“Yes, well..” The redhead clears her throat a bit before looking at Dazai, who was returning the gaze.
“She’s learned a lot in the past few weeks and is more vocal than before. Even sends me messages every morning when she arrives.”
“Heh.” Dazai chuckles in a low voice before pushing back a strand of stray hair. She knew it was part of the brunette’s ploy to get her attention on the flower tucked in her bun.
“So, tulips huh?”
“I’m surprised you finally noticed, I’ve been sending you signals for days.”
Chuuya rolls her eyes at her – only Dazai would think that it’s normal to send someone a message through the language of flowers. But perhaps that’s what makes her more different than Chuuya’s previous romantic encounters or either she’s more annoying than them. She can’t figure it out.
“Next time you want my number, just ask me.”
Dazai’s eyes widen slightly as the redhead places a chit of paper between her fingers, a sly grin curling onto lips — the brunette can’t help but blush a bit while grinning back.
“But you enjoyed my game, did you not?”
“Tch.”
“If I weren’t interested in you, I would’ve ignored you a long time ago. Can’t you ask out someone like a normal person, you bastard?”
“Aw~” She pushes back a strand of auburn that covers her face, bending down to her level before giggling. “I didn’t know you come with insults too! It seems as though I’m lucky and struck gold!”
Chuuya can only huff a bit before brushing over her knuckles a bit, kissing the top of her hand in a chivalrous manner.
“Gentle enough for you?”
“Oh my…” There’s a small glint of victory in her amber-honey orbs as she pulls her hand away. “You sure know how to treat a lady.”
“Damn right I do.”
It’s not because of the way Chuuya speaks in a street-like accent but it’s the way she gives Dazai that little smug grin of ‘ I know what I’m doing to you and you can’t deny it.’ that makes her heart pitter patter like raindrops against flat stone.
“But I bet you don’t have very good taste, do you, Chibi?”
“Chibi?” There’s fury in her voice but the brunette just laughs.
“Because you look like you still need to shop in the children's section! Was the jacket in the ages 12-15 aisle?”
“I’ll have you know that I got a good deal on it!”
It’s like watching an angry cat; the way she huffs and turns around, her hair moving along with her movements in the cartoonish manner – it’s adorable to Dazai.
“And I’m one of the tallest women from my mothers side!”
“What do you descend from a family of dwarfs?”
“I DO NOT!”
Dazai was right. Chuuya was exactly like an angry kitten.
“Don’t worry Chibi.” She muses for a moment before beckoning Sayuri to come over, turning back to Chuuya one more time.
“I’ll show what it’s like to have good taste.”
“I’ll text you now that I have this.”
She gives the redhead one last smile before heading towards her daughter. Chuuya doesn’t move for a while as she watches them both disappear until finally processing what was going on. She was finally going on a date. Nakahara Chuuya was finally going on a date with Dazai Osamu.