Work Text:
Ryuunosuke’s eyes snapped open, and he shot up in bed. He was covered in a cold sweat, the image burned into the back of his eyelids, playing on a loop inside his head.
The boss… hanging like a martyr on the crucifix.
What was he a martyr of? Well, that’s the interesting part; the only thing his death represented was whatever Dazai allowed. Dazai used it to warn those who might attempt to cross him; to cross the invisible line he hasn’t explained the limits of. The only way to know if you’d stepped out of line was by the time it was too late.
Growing up in the slums, Ryuunosuke had often heard the mutterings of the desperate, the talk of a savior bearing a cross; it was a symbol of hope, or love. It represented freedom and resurrection.
But looking at that picture, thinking of it during the late night, Ryuunosuke had seen none of the justice he thought it would be to see the cross—only revenge.
Ryuunosuke wasn’t looking forward to salvation anymore.
Ryuunosuke tossed aside the thin sheet he was covered in, throwing his legs over the side of his bed and pushing himself up from it. It seemed that this would just be another night where he couldn’t sleep, he supposed.
It had been like this since the first night of Dazai taking over. He couldn’t forget the absolute morbid hue surrounding his mentor, the manic look that had become of his face, as he absolutely relished in everyone’s horror, in his own atrocity.
His feet moved on their own, taking him out of his room and down the hallway, presumably toward the kitchen for perhaps a snack or glass of water to calm his frigid nerves.
It was dark in the hallway, as it always was. A week of Dazai’s reign didn’t seem to be that long, but so much had already changed. Ryuunosuke could feel it in the buzz of energy.
People were happy with the change.
He couldn’t explain it. This last week compared to the time he’d been enlisted in the mafia was so different, felt so different. He wanted to say that people stood more on edge, were more paranoid about their work being completed.
But, there was noticeably more freedom. Making sure that their work was completed in a timely manner, people now had more time for their own enjoyment. Often he wandered across lower ranking members on break, sitting and chatting without a care. After all, Dazai only punished those who were purposefully slacking on their work.
Ryuunosuke recalled a time when the previous boss had punished him for not doing work just because he looked like he was too relaxed. He shuddered, thankful that Dazai appreciated having a bit of free time every now and then.
Still, Dazai liked his nights to be dark, without a hint of light. So the lights were turned off after the sun fully set, and were kept that way until the sun rose again the next morning.
Not that Ryuunosuke minded much. He was used to maneuvering in the dark from his time on the streets.
Still, that didn’t mean that everyone was completely used to functioning in the dark, as was evident when Ryuunosuke crashed into someone as he rounded a corner.
“Gah!” He hit the ground, and it seemed that the other person did as well. He landed on the floor with a thud, cursing.
Wait, Ryuunosuke recognized that voice, the familiar cursing…
“Chuuya-san?”
Sure enough, with his eyes having adjusted to the dim hallway, he saw his superior sprawled out on the floor, groaning as he forced himself to sit up.
“...Akutagawa-kun?”
Ryuunosuke nodded, quickly getting to his feet to help him stand up. He hoped Dazai wouldn’t punish him for this; he was never very forgiving, no matter how small the offense, when it was made against Chuuya.
Chuuya accepted the extended hand, and Ryuunosuke hoisted him back up to his feet. Chuuya gave him a small smile as he dusted himself off.
“Sorry, Akutagawa-kun. I didn’t see you there.” He frowned, looking him over. Ryuunosuke shrank under the scrutiny. “What are you doing out here at this hour? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”
Ryuunosuke felt his shoulders tense; what exactly was he supposed to say to that? That he’d had a nightmare caused by Chuuya’s close friend-slash-partner—maybe even more, Ryuunosuke could never tell—and was being a baby about it because of a little lost sleep?
He’d rather die before saying any of that out loud to Chuuya.
But his superior’s face just softened, like he knew Ryuunosuke’s answer without him even having to say anything.
“I can’t sleep either.” Chuuya said, shrugging nonchalantly as if it wasn’t something to be ashamed about; Ryuunosuke grew up in the slums, he should be thankful for finally having a proper bed.
“Why don’t you come back to my room?” Chuuya offered, setting his hands on his hips and giving Ryuunosuke a smile; huh, that wasn’t something you saw often in the mafia, even with the recent change in management.
“I, uh,” Ryuunosuke lowered his gaze to the floor. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“My bed’s big enough for two.” Chuuya said, waving off his concern. “Besides, I think it’ll do both of us some good to have someone with us tonight.”
Ryuunosuke wanted to protest, but he felt that his superior might be right. And he certainly didn’t want to bother Gin again.
“Alright,” he nodded, giving Chuuya a slight bow. “Thank you, Chuuya-san.”
Chuuya nodded as well, gesturing for him to follow to what Ryuunosuke assumed was his superior’s bedroom.
He felt the anxiety clawing at his throat the closer they seemed to get to the room. They were now in the executive dorm hallway, which was practically off limits to everyone but those in the highest positions.
Though Ryuunosuke was being invited in, he still felt like an intruder; like any minute, another executive was going to burst out to catch him trespassing and kick him and Gin back out onto the streets again.
He found himself staring at the unnecessarily large bed before him. From what he understood, all the executive rooms were the same, which meant Chuuya didn’t expressly give himself this bed. But it was almost funny imagining the superior that’s even smaller than Ryuunosuke himself picking out what must’ve been the largest bed one can buy.
Not that he’d ever say any of this out loud. Chuuya would eviscerate him for sure.
“You can go ahead and get in.” Chuuya reaffirmed, giving him an assuring smile. “I’m just going to get some water. Do you want anything?”
Ryuunosuke forced his scratchy throat to swallow down the building cough.
“Water is fine.”
Chuuya nodded, leaving the room.
Damn. He had forgotten that Port Mafia executives had their own personal kitchens in their dorms. He had to use the communal kitchen for his floor, which was a pain to navigate when crowded. Though, it was better than nothing.
He did his best to slide into the sheets, shoving down the nervous feeling. God, he felt so awkward. Shit, what would Dazai think if he came upon this?
He hoped Dazai would never find out, though that was probably a frugal wish. Dazai knew everything that happened in the Port Mafia, and his actions always seemed to revolve around Chuuya in some way. Ryuunosuke wouldn’t be surprised if Dazai already knew he had been taken to Chuuya’s room.
Ryuunosuke found himself fiddling with the ends of his pajama sleeves; he was thankful for them, as he had some ugly scars from back in the slums, and even some from his newly instituted training with Dazai.
Though, he wished he’d had the semblance of mind to grab Rashoumon before leaving his room; he felt almost exposed without it now.
He tried to calm himself by listening to the noises Chuuya made in the other room; the tapping of light footsteps, the slight humming, running water and clanking dishes.
Before he knew it, the door was being pushed open, and Chuuya was standing there with a smile for Ryuunosuke, holding two glasses of water in his hands.
“Alright, here you go!”
He walked around to the side of the bed Ryuunosuke was in, handing him one of the glasses of water and striding away with his own. Taking a sip from his water, Ryuunosuke kept an eye on him as he fumbled about the room for a few minutes in an effort to tidy up, clearly not having been expecting guests.
Chuuya wasn’t wearing much, Ryuunosuke noted now that he was looking more closely at him; he was in a large oversized shirt—clearly not his own—and Ryuunosuke hoped there were shorts or at least boxers underneath. The shirt was too long to be able to tell, but he figured— hoped —Chuuya wasn’t wandering around the Port Mafia half-naked.
Chuuya turned around then, unexpectedly catching Ryuunosuke’s eye. He almost choked on his water, hoping that Chuuya wouldn’t think he had been staring; he most definitely had not been. That would be inappropriate, in any sense.
Chuuya crawled into bed, turning towards Ryuunosuke. He tried not to make eye contact with his superior, instead watching the water slosh around in his glass.
“Is there a reason you couldn’t sleep?”
Ryuunosuke chanced a glance at him, concern brimming in dark cobalt eyes. He felt his breathing nearly halt; he wasn’t used to people looking at him like that, like he was worth something, like he was worth worry and help.
“It’s…” He hung his head once again. “It’s embarrassing.”
He heard Chuuya’s huffed chuckle, but chose not to show any response to it.
“How about…” Chuuya hummed for a moment, before his voice came out a little quieter. “How about I tell you why I also can’t sleep? Would that make it easier?”
Ryuunosuke blinked. Someone was willing to be vulnerable for his sake? He almost couldn’t fathom it.
And yet, some part of him appreciated that enough to begin to explain; what Dazai had shown them at the meeting which Chuuya had skipped, what exactly it made him feel, how it scared him to close his eyes at night just thinking about it.
Chuuya listened with intent, all of his attention focused solely on Ryuunosuke. It made him feel a bit nervous, very seen, to the point that he was shifting in his spot on the bed, but he wouldn’t refuse the attention either.
He… kind of liked it.
“So, about why you couldn’t sleep…”
He didn’t want to exactly press his superior into remembering his promise to also share, as it may not be any more pleasant of a reason. But if Chuuya was in the sharing mood, Ryuunosuke was a bit curious as to how someone as strong and fearless as he could be losing sleep.
He couldn’t help but notice the sudden tension in Chuuya’s shoulders, though he opted to keep quiet about it; he didn’t want the executive any more uncomfortable or vulnerable than he already was.
“Let’s say,” he took a shaky inhale. “I was actually headed to Dazai’s room when I bumped into you. I’ve been having a hard time sleeping since the boss died, and Dazai’s been keeping me company.”
Ryuunosuke found himself blinking. “So, you’re bothered by the boss’s death, and you’re going to his murderer for comfort?”
“No, not exactly.” Chuuya shook his head, a hollow laugh making its way past his lips. “I’ve been dealing with some guilt regarding Mori’s death, but also deep satisfaction. It’s sort of my fault he’s dead.”
Ryuunosuke blanched, because that’s not what he was expecting.
“How?”
Chuuya glanced up at him, meeting his eyes. Ryuunosuke was startled to find that his superior’s gaze looked a little watery.
“Do you remember when we were at the bar? Did you hear what Dazai said?”
Ryuunosuke frowned. “Not the whole thing. Why?”
Chuuya just sighed.
“Dazai killed him for me.”
And if Ryuunosuke thought he had been at his limit for surprises, he was certainly in for it still. Because, what? Everything he’d heard about Chuuya contradicted him wanting to kill the Port Mafia boss.
“Why?”
Chuuya lowered his gaze, pulling at an invisible flaw in the stitching of his duvet.
“Mori… hurt me. And Dazai refused to stand for that.” He sighed, almost wistfully. “He killed Mori to keep him from ever hurting me again, took over the mafia to ensure my safety, and is still doing everything he can to make me feel safe.”
Ryuunosuke cocked his head, daring to ask: “How did Mori-san hurt you?”
Chuuya blinked, a shadow coming over his face as his eyes glazed over for half a second, and then the look was gone. It passed so quickly that Ryuunosuke almost thought he had imagined it.
“Well,” Chuuya’s shoulders tensed, and he scrunched in on himself. If Ryuunosuke didn’t know any better, he would say that the executive was trying to make himself look small. “When you’re the boss of someone in an organization like the Port Mafia, it’s almost impossible for your underlings to refuse your… wishes.”
Ryuunosuke pursed his lips, trying to unpack the meaning of that. Chuuya seemed to be able to tell that he still didn’t fully understand.
“Mori was always one to use people, and he especially liked the feeling of dominating his best soldiers.” He shuddered. Ryuunosuke could almost pick out what that was meant to indicate; what it would take to make his fearless superior shudder like that. “I guess he figured that the most satisfying and entertaining way of dominating me was…”
He pinched his lips, opting not to continue, but he no longer needed to.
“Oh, Chuuya-san!”
Ryuunosuke’s voice was drenched in sheer horror, way more than when he thought about that picture. Why, the picture of the previous boss’s corpse was almost a daydream compared to thinking about what he might’ve done to Chuuya!
“There’s no reason to get so upset, Akutagawa-kun.” Chuuya gently grasped the hands Ryuunosuke was reaching out to him with, patting them a few times before lowering them down onto the bed.
“I’m doing better, and with Mori dead, I feel a lot more at peace than before.” He chuckled, albeit a little bitterly. “As horrible as that sounds.”
Ryuunosuke shook his head; he didn’t think so, but it was clear Chuuya wanted to be done with this topic, at least for now.
So he did the only other thing he could think of; he deflected the situation.
“Thank you,” he found himself muttering, shrinking under Chuuya’s attention once again. “For letting me stay. You didn’t have to, and yet…”
“Hey,” Chuuya’s voice was gentle as he shifted in the bed a little. “It’s no big deal. Honestly, Dazai has been a big comfort recently, but you have as well. Don’t you remember that night at the bar?”
Ryuunosuke pursed his lips into a pout. “All I did was bring you the things Dazai told me to.”
“But I wouldn’t have gotten them if you hadn’t brought them.” Chuuya said, giving him a lopsided grin that looked a lot more like him than the constant shrinking and frowning. “Don’t you know?”
Ryuunosuke felt himself flush a little. It wasn’t even praise, and yet he found himself clinging to the appreciation.
But of course, like with all things, Ryuunosuke had to ruin the moment by coughing, shoulders hunching as they built up stubbornly and burbled out in a mess of gross wet hacking.
Almost without realizing, something warm came up to press on his back, his hair also being pulled from his face.
He glanced up with a hand clapped over his mouth at Chuuya, a hair tie pinched between his lips. He pulled his hand from Ryuunosuke’s back and grabbed at the band pinched between his lips, using it to pull Ryuunosuke’s hair up out of his face. With that accomplished, Chuuya went back to rubbing at his back softly.
Noticing that Ryuunosuke’s cup of water was empty, Chuuya tried to hand him his own, which he had yet to take a sip of.
Ryuunosuke tried to refuse by shaking his head—that was supposed to be Chuuya’s water, not his—but the executive was insistent.
“Come on, Akutagawa-kun.” He murmured sternly. “You need this more than I do.”
Relenting, Ryuunosuke reached for the cup as the coughing fit finally began to subside, at once taking a large gulp of the water to wash down any hoarseness in his throat.
He nodded to Chuuya. “Thank you.”
Chuuya just waved him off.
“You know, we should get that cough of yours checked out.” He frowned, still caressing his back gently. “Who knows what you could’ve picked up in the slums.”
“I’m not contagious, Chuuya-san.” Ryuunosuke huffed, lowering the glass back to his lap. “Otherwise Gin would’ve gotten it by now.”
“I’m not worried about you spreading germs, Akutagawa-kun.” Chuuya rolled his eyes, though it seemed to be a lighthearted gesture, purely in good nature. It made Ryuunosuke’s chest feel… warm.
“I’m worried about you. Just you.” Chuuya leaned slightly forward, tilting his head. “Is that so hard to believe?”
Yes.
Well, almost. This time spent with Chuuya tonight kind of had Ryuunosuke all mixed up on how he was used to things being.
Chuuya shook his head, taking the glass from Ryuunosuke and coaxing him to lay down.
“We can talk more in the morning.” He huffed, turning around to set the glass down on his nightstand. “Let’s try to get a good night’s sleep, yeah?”
Ryuunosuke said nothing, opting to let Chuuya have the final say in this as he felt the remainder of his energy slip away as the comfort from the position and sheets began to settle in.
Yeah. They could talk more in the morning. For now, sleep.
-
“Ehem.”
Ryuunosuke’s eyes snapped open, and he shot up in his bed- no, wait. Chuuya’s bed. That’s right; he had stayed the night with his superior.
And, his other superior… was standing above him, arms folded and expression almost unreadable. Ryuunosuke didn’t want to know whatever things Dazai might’ve been assuming right then.
Dazai raised an eyebrow as Ryuunosuke clenched the duvet in his fists, bringing it up to his chest subconsciously. He hated the feeling of being scrutinized, especially in such a vulnerable position.
But then Chuuya began to groan in the bed beside him, and Dazai’s attention was immediately stolen away. For that, Ryuunosuke was thankful, almost letting out a breath of relief.
Chuuya’s head popped out from under the covers, hair mussed and face red. A strand of his fiery red locks was hanging out of his mouth.
Ryuunosuke would never say it out loud, but his superior looked almost cute like that.
“Chuuya,” Dazai huffed, annoyance clear in his tone; no, wait. That was the fake annoyance he used to get under Chuuya’s skin. Although, his expression was notably softer than before. “You didn’t come to my room last night. That’s the first time in a week that you stayed in your room.”
Ryuunosuke blinked. Since the previous boss’s death, huh?
Chuuya grumbled incoherently; obviously, he was not much of a morning person. Or at least he didn’t appreciate getting woken up.
“I would say it’s the first time you’ve slept by yourself since then, but,” Dazai cast an almost withering look at Ryuunosuke, who shrank back against the headboard.
“Don’ bully him, Dazai.” Chuuya said, words partially slurred from sleep. He shifted in the bed again, finally rolling onto his back and pushing himself into a more upright position. “We both needed help sleeping, and I don’t exactly recall you being empathetic towards many people.”
Dazai huffed, rolling his eyes though he offered no refutation.
“Well, Akutagawa-kun’s got training in an hour, so he’s going to need to get going pretty quickly.” Dazai mused, grinning coldly down at Ryuunosuke. “Oh, and Chuuya’s got brunch with Kouyou-san, right? Isn’t that in even less than an hour?”
Chuuya was fully awake in seconds.
“Shit, really?”
He fumbled for the clock on his nightstand, checking the time up close to his face.
“Fuck!”
Dazai merely hummed at his partner’s reaction.
“Thought so.”
He turned to refocus on Ryuunosuke, narrowing his eyes at him in a way Ryuunosuke couldn’t read.
“I’ll just walk Akutagawa-kun here back to his room so both of you can get ready. Sound good?”
Except he was using that tone of voice that really left no room for dispute. So Ryuunosuke followed Dazai out of Chuuya’s room, away from the executive quarters, and back towards his own.
“I’ve been thinking about moving into the executive dorms.” Dazai hummed lightly, using that fake jovial tone of his. “Mori had me living in a shipping container, so I stole his room after killing him and taking over as boss. But it’s, like, really gross in there. Just living where he used to? Horrendous.”
Ryuunosuke just nodded, afraid of saying anything. Just walking next to his mentor had him thinking of what he had done to the previous boss, of what had been out on display for everyone to see at that meeting…
“I might just have the whole room demolished and rebuilt for myself. I haven’t decided yet.”
And of course, Dazai was carrying on with his thoughts and leaving the rest of the world behind, unthought of and uncared for.
“Say, Akutagawa-kun, what do you think of what I did to Mori?”
Ryuunosuke’s head snapped towards Dazai, though the latter was paying his reaction no mind as they continued down the hall.
“I know there are some who would disagree with my motive, those who would denounce my methods, but you haven’t said anything. And a mentor should try to connect with his student, right?”
Ryuunosuke couldn’t think of a way to respond to that; of course, he thought Dazai’s actions were horrendous and inexcusable, but he didn’t necessarily think he had been in the wrong.
Although, Ryuunosuke didn’t have a very good sense of what right and wrong even meant, so he really couldn’t be an accurate judge.
“What I did to Mori was not only right, but good.”
Ryuunosuke blanched, looking at Dazai incredulously. Had he somehow just read his mind? Or was he just that good at reading people?
Dazai continued to ignore Ryuunosuke’s rather obvious internal conflict, pushing on and ignoring the glances from the others in the hallways that they passed.
“He hurt his own people for his personal entertainment. He was a tyrant and dictator for the hell of it.” Dazai’s voice had now lost all jovial tone. “It was a good thing that I did. It was the right thing. Don’t you think?”
He glanced at Ryuunosuke, who still didn’t know exactly what to say. But it seemed to be that Dazai wasn’t waiting for his answer.
“He hurt Chuuya.” He said that with emphasis, and Ryuunosuke’s attention hung on that one implication. “What would you do, Akutagawa-kun, if someone hurt Chuuya?”
Ryuunosuke blinked, mind flashing back to his and Chuuya’s conversation the previous night.
“I…”
“You’d want to stop them, right?” Dazai had stopped walking, so Ryuunosuke did as well. They were now fully facing one another. “Wouldn’t you want to keep Chuuya from all harm forever? Tell me, what has Chuuya done to deserve something like that? Or anything more?”
Ryuunosuke shook his head; he couldn’t think of anything.
Dazai observed him, eyes narrowing.
“Do you want to see Chuuya get hurt again?”
Ryuunosuke shook his head again, this time a little more adamantly. Of course he didn’t want Chuuya to get hurt; he had taken him into his room, comforted him, made him feel loved and appreciated for the first time in…
Ever.
Why would I want Chuuya-san to hurt ever again?
Dazai seemed to see what he wanted from Ryuunosuke, resuming their walk and not waiting for Ryuunosuke to catch up. He jogged up to match Dazai’s pace as the latter continued the conversation.
“If someone hurts Chuuya, you hurt them back. And you take away any power or opportunity they might use to hurt him again. Understood?” Dazai’s eyes narrowed until Ryuunosuke was nodding along in agreement. “Good. Because it’s good to protect our own, especially my Chuuya. After everything he does for all of us; it is good and right to seek justice for his pain, to keep it from happening again.”
Ryuunosuke nodded again; he was starting to understand what Dazai wanted from him.
Dazai didn’t just want to keep Chuuya from harm and kill those who hurt him; no, he wanted the mafia to do that as well. He wanted every single one of his underlings out there doing their part in protecting Chuuya.
And who wouldn’t? Ryuunosuke had only known kindness from his superior since the day he’d been recruited into joining the mafia. Anyone who refused to protect Chuuya would not only be out of their minds, but would find the rest of the Port Mafia turning against them.
Dazai hummed, almost as if he could read Ryuunosuke’s mind.
“Chuuya is precious; he is the only good thing in this world.” He turned down a familiar hallway, casting Ryuunosuke a withering glance. “And we do not want good things to fall to harm or squander, now do we?”
Ryuunosuke shook his head, frowning. “No…”
“Exactly.” Dazai clicked his tongue, his tone turning lighter though his eyes turned darker. “So when things like this may attempt to befall Chuuya, do you know what we, as the owners of this good, precious thing, are responsible to do?”
Ryuunosuke bit his tongue; it was a question Dazai had already answered, and it need not be answered again by an inferior tongue.
Dazai side-eyed him, seemingly pleased that he had gotten the hint to keep from responding to his rhetorical question.
“We crush it. We kill it. We refuse to let it happen.” He snapped, his strides becoming a bit more brisk. “We head it off before it ever takes place, or else we have failed.”
Dazai sighed deeply, hanging his head and letting his shoulders droop a little—as though this was common knowledge that he was disappointed everyone in the world did not know intuitively.
“We keep Chuuya safe; we keep Chuuya happy; we keep Chuuya healthy. And we do not let Chuuya’s light dim.” His head snapped to allow him to look Ryuunosuke in the eye, effectively stalling his heartbeat. “This includes you, as a new member of the Port Mafia and my direct subordinate. Understood?”
Ryuunosuke nodded hastily. “Yes, sir.”
“Good boy.” Dazai clicked his tongue again. “And you’ll keep Chuuya safe and content?”
Ryuunosuke nodded, clenching his fists almost absentmindedly. “Yes, sir.”
Dazai smiled, though it was a tight and almost eerie smile.
“Perfect.” Dazai murmured softly as they came to a stop in front of Ryuunosuke’s room. “You get it now, right?”
“Yes, sir.” Ryuunosuke nodded curtly, standing straight and tall.
“I see.” Dazai huffed out a slight chuckle, shoving his hands into his pockets. “As the boss, it all falls to me; I’m the main protector, and I don’t need to rely on anyone. But I have the privilege of power, so I can assign others to do the work for me.”
He shrugged. “I’ll protect Chuuya with my entire being, but I want the Port Mafia doing their part as well. Kind of like a father protects his wife and kids, but also encourages the kids to look out for each other and their mother.”
He chuckled at that, obviously amused by the sentiment. “Yeah! Just think of me as the father of the Port Mafia, yeah? And Chuuya can be the mom!” He clapped, clearly delighted by that turn of events. “Oh, it works out perfectly!”
Chuuya; a mother, huh? In some weird way, thinking back to last night, it was something Ryuunosuke could definitely picture.
“Well, if I’ve taught you right, you’ll do whatever it takes, whatever is necessary to protect Chuuya, right?”
Ryuunosuke looked up to meet Dazai’s eyes, leaving no room for dispute; it was blood for whoever crossed Dazai in such an offense.
Ryuunosuke nodded, fire already coursing through his veins at the new mission of defending Chuuya and keeping him safe. He wasn’t just on board because Dazai wanted this, because Dazai said so; no, he wanted to protect the only person who was overtly kind to him, who made him feel safe. He was more or less returning the favor.
He would keep Chuuya safe and happy, as he knew Chuuya would do for him.
“Oh, and Akutagawa-kun?”
“Yes, sir?” Ryuunosuke turned back to look at where Dazai was now a few steps away, returning to his own office.
Dazai glanced over his shoulder, expression pinched and darker than before.
“Don’t sleep with my dog anymore!”
Ryuunosuke felt his entire face flush in embarrassment. When Gin’s door opened down the hall, he all but died on the spot.