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"Can you please stop blabbering and just get on the road already?"
Chuuya huffed. Phone calls with Verlaine was always the absolute worst. The man was an expert at jumping from topic to topic, especially if there was something that interested him.
Well, there was.
"Okay, okay, I'm on my way."
Sighing, he hung up.
He was in detention for having his third fight that week.
A whistle could be heard. "Verlaine-san is coming to take his baby brother home! You heard that, Rimbaud-san?"
With fucking Dazai.
"Shut the fuck up!" Chuuya turned towards him. Those two hours have been absolute hell with never-ending teasing from Dazai that Chuuya was okay with Verlaine coming to get him.
Even if he knew how it would cause... Rumours.
Because god, his brother didn't have any respect for boundaries.
As he caught his homeroom teacher Rimbaud's rather intrigued look, he turned away to look out of the window.
Chuuya wasn't dumb - but god, Verlaine was. Definitely. Man never missed a chance to flirt with Chuuya's teacher, which, for some reason, always happened in front of Dazai, the reason why he had heard rumours about his brother was dating their teacher. He wished it was only that - but the situation also caused the other students to think Chuuya was being treated differently because of brother-in-law privileges which was definitely not true.
They weren't even dating, Verlaine was an embarrassing pining mess - that being said, Chuuya always tried to not to call his brother. Which was rather hard since his only relative alive was Verlaine, and occasionally he had to take care of Chuuya's school things.
Chuuya was done. He was done with Verlaine's blabbers, Rimbaud's shining eyes whenever he mentions his brother, Dazai's teasing, the rumours on the matter. He was so, so done.
But, well.
Some things were inevitable.
"Here it comes," Dazai whispered to him and Chuuya jumped because he didn't realize he was right beside him. The boy smiled sheepishly as he swayed on his feet. "Another episode of pining adults flirting time! Never take love advices from these two, kids—"
"Oh, seriously!" Chuuya slammed his fists on the desk. "Don't you have anything other than that to entertain yourself?"
"Oh, Chuuya is proposing to entertain me?" Dazai asked, flexing his hands behind his hand. "Go ahead, please!"
"Like hell I would!"
Seriously, Chuuya was so tired of it all.
Two hours of detention alone with Dazai didn't do him any good. He could feel his nerves melting.
"Then I have no choice but to joke about this boring love story, which is probably never going to get resolved~" A punch was thrown in his way and Dazai dodged it skillfully.
"Boys, don't cause a scene. Unless you want to spend another hour here?"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" they yelled in unison.
"Good." Rimbaud said, turning back to whatever folder he had in his hands.
Chuuya huffed. "Anyways," he said after a moment of silence, "You aren't calling anyone? Busses don't work at this hour, you know?"
Dazai just grinned at that, sitting on top of a desk and leaning his head on his hand. "Aw, Chuuya is worried about me? How thoughtful of you!"
"No," Chuuya sighed, "That was out of curiosity. Answer or not, I don't care."
At that, the ginger turned to open his phone, scrolling mindlessly on it. Dazai's face fell, then, eyes finding the ground.
"Hmm, I guess I don't have anyone to call."
Chuuya's eyebrows quirked up, gaze shotting towards him once again. "What?"
"You heard me." Dazai smiled, but nothing was genuine about it.
Chuuya blinked.
"Then... What are you gonna do? Walk back home?"
Dazai groaned. "Uh, no! I come here with an hour long of combination of bus rides everyday... Ain't no way I'm gonna walk that much!"
"Your home is that far away?" Chuuya shifted on his seat.
He was actually surprised that they were having a normal conversation like normal teenagers.
"I guess so." Dazai said, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "If you can call that home." A moment later, he put on his facade yet again, a sheepish smile finding its place on his face as he turned back to Chuuya. "I'll stay here today!"
"WHAT?" Seeing Rimbaud's glare, Chuuya bowed apologetically, lowering his voice. "Are you serious?"
Dazai started swinging his feet under the desk. "Oh, what's so wrong with that?" He grinned. "Would Chuuya get scared about staying at school for a night? You know, ghosts and things?"
"Quit joking!" Another annoyed huff escaped Chuuya. In their somewhat long time of being, what, classmates, he had noticed that Dazai tended to joke if he wanted to dodge a question or if he wanted to change the subject.
"Are you really gonna stay here?"
Dazai looked unimpressed, gaze fixed on Chuuya's. "Well, what do you suggest I do? Maybe go sleep at a bus stop or something?"
"No, but..." Chuuya averted his gaze. "Aren't you going to eat... Dinner? Or breakfast tomorrow?"
Dazai flexed his arms above his head, yawning. "I won't die."
Unfortunately stayed silent.
Just as Chuuya was about to object, a very familiar figure entered the classroom, announcing his presence with the sound of his footsteps.
He had memorised the class' place, thanks to coming here very often - Chuuya got detentions more often than other kids.
Seeing the figure, Rimbaud placed the folder he was writing on on the desk, standing up and smiling. "Verlaine-san." he greeted.
"Rimbaud-san." Verlaine also bowed a little, smiling as he made his way to the desk - the one Rimbaud was standing behind - without sparing Chuuya a glance.
Uh, how disgusting, Chuuya thought.
"Oh, here we go!" Dazai tapped Chuuya's shoulder, looking at the scene in front of him excitedly. "Let's watch them, Chuuya!"
"And you can get new content to spread around, huh?" He raised an eyebrow.
Dazai didn't look at him as he shrugged, still swinging his legs. "Maybe."
Huffing, Chuuya dared to spare glance at his brother and his teacher, only to avert his gaze imnediately.
Verlaine fucking twirled his hair.
"Oh god," Chuuya whispered under his breath, "I can't do this! This is so embarrassing!"
"Hmm," Dazai agreed. "Your brother really is a gay disaster."
"Oh, shut it."
But Dazai has never been any more right - Chuuya knew Verlaine was the biggest, gayest gay disaster to ever exist. For his teacher. Chuuya experienced it first hand thanks to Verlaine always blabbering to him about his pathetic crush which was resembling a high school crush a little bit too much for a whole ass grown man with a job and a laundry machine.
How Chuuya wished he could fucking shut him up.
As their conversation fell to the background, Chuuya stared at Dazai.
"You're too good at changing subjects for your own good."
"Look, Chuuya! My favourite part is coming! They're talking about your grades!"
"What?" Chuuya shot his face at the duo unaware of their presence, chatting absentmindedly. They were so disgustingly pining and... And... Chuuya could put a lot of inappropriate words here.
He scrunched his face at the scene in front of him. Verlaine's finger was still in his blonde locks, Rimbaud was leaning forward to him a little and both of their eyes screamed fucking marry me already.
No, nope, Chuuya was not doing this today.
What was he doing again?
Oh, right—
"Hey!" He turned to Dazai, punching him on the shoulder lightly and dragging a giggle out of the boy. "Don't change the—"
"Ew," Dazai muttered, "Gays..."
"You're right, actually— But I just said don't change the fucking subject!"
Dazai's facade faltered then, he turned to face Chuuya. "What do you want, Chuuya?"
Chuuya was taken aback a little at the sudden change of atmosphere before pulling himself together once again. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you really going to stay here?"
Dazai raised an eyebrow, voice awfully empty as he spoke. "Do I have any other choice?"
"I don't know... How would I—" Chuuya shook his head.
Why was he caring so much about this situation, anyways?
"Don't you have any friends? Maybe ask them for help or something?"
Dazai seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Are we friends?" he asked.
Chuuya scrunched his face. Were they? They were classmates, sure, and they knew each other way too well and were spending way too much time together to be just classmates, but Chuuya wasn't sure if he would consider them friends.
So, "No." he answered, just to be safe.
"Then no." Dazai said, turning back to his front, but his eyes weren't really focusing on anything.
The ginger raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Dazai let out an annoyed huff at that. "You asked me if I had any friends, I said no. That concludes my options. I'm staying here." Then he slapped Chuuya's shoulder twice. "Don't worry, though. I won't die."
Chuuya blinked.
Oh.
He opened his mouth, then closed it.
Well, it was not like he could do anything about it. It was not like it was his responsibility, too. He didn't care.
Still.
Huffing, Dazai leaned back, facing the ceiling. "Chuuya should stop staring and pitying me. I'm good!"
"What— I'm not pitying you!" Chuuya said, averting his gaze and turning to look at Verlaine, immediately regretting it and looking at the walls. "I'm just... Surprised."
"Whatever." Dazai shrugged. "It seems like their conversation is over, anyways."
It was?
Looking at Verlaine, Chuuya saw him waving his hand at Rimbaud and slightly turning around to face Chuuya.
Oh.
Time to go home, then.
Chuuya furrowed his eyebrows. Something didn't sit right with him.
"Hmm... I guess my fun ends here." Dazai jumped down, landing on his feet. Then he grinned at Chuuya. "See you later!"
"Wait," Chuuya said, raising a hand. "Where are you going?"
"I gotta pee!"
Chuuya blinked. "Pee?"
"Yeah!"
"And then...?"
"Hmm..." Dazai scratched his head. "I'll stay in this classroom, I think. I don't want to wake up to strangers!"
Chuuya shifted on his feet. "Uh... Okay."
"Yeah."
"Then... See you?"
Dazai nodded, grinning sheepishly as he turned around.
"Wait— Dazai?" Chuuya reached a hand out, but stopped it in the middle as Dazai turned his face to him.
"What now?"
"Uh..." He dropped his hand to his side. "Nothing. Just... Be careful."
Waving his hand in the air, Dazai made his way to the door, giving Verlaine a bow with an annoying grin on his face and receiving a glare in return. Chuuya didn't know why, but Verlaine has never been fond of Dazai. It seemed like the boy managed to not to just annoy him, but his brother as well.
Finally meeting with Verlaine at the doorway, the taller man raised an eyebrow at him. Chuuya glared back. "What?"
Verlaine huffed. "Nothing. Let's go."
"Hey— I should be the one huffing!" Verlaine paid no mind to him, throwing one last smile at Rimbaud's way before leaving the classroom with Chuuya. "Pay attention to me! I'm telling you something!"
"And why is that?" Verlaine flexed his arms behind his head. "I'm not doing anything! I'm just here to take my troublesome little brother home!"
"And to flirt with my teacher!"
A faint blush colored his cheeks at that, turning his head to the side. "I'm not flirting with him."
"Yeah? And what are you doing?"
"We're just... Talking. As his student's relative."
"Like I'd buy that!" Chuuya huffed annoyedly. "You were fucking twirling your hair!"
Verlaine gasped at him, dropping his hands to his pockets. "I wasn't!"
"You were! It's so disgusting, I want to throw up..." Chuuya said, putting a hand over his mouth.
"Well," Verlaine said, shifting on his feet and turning to the side once again. "You're not too good either."
Chuuya glared at him. "What do you mean?"
"You were quite enjoying your little chat with Dazai for someone who claims to hate him."
"What— No!"
"Yeah! Don't think I didn't see!" This time, Verlaine sent a glare at his way. "I don't like that boy."
Chuuya sighed. "Don't worry. I don't like him, too."
"Oh, but you do!"
"I don't—" Chuuya attempted to punch him on the shoulder only for his fist to get stopped by Verlaine. He huffed. "We were just talking."
"Just what were you talking about? Weren't you together for the last two hours, anyways?"
The ginger shrugged. "It's different."
"Oh? And what makes it different?"
"Why should I tell you?" They were almost at the exit by now. The corridor was long.
"It's either something so important or you're just gay." Verlaine shrugged his shoulders.
"Wha— NO!" Chuuya punched him successfully on the shoulder this time, making Verlaine let out a groan. "Apparently he's... Going to stay here for the night."
This seemed to caught Verlaine's interest as the blonde turned towards him with raised eyebrows. "Here? Why?"
"You know, busses don't work at this hour, and I think he has no one to pick him up... And he lives far away, so walking isn't an option."
"Taxis are a thing, you know?"
Chuuya shrugged. "I don't think he has the money to pay a taxi for a one hour drive."
"Oh, so he lives really far away..." Verlaine put a finger on his chin, looking like he was thinking. "Well? Why didn't you invite him over?"
When Chuuya stopped walking, Verlaine also stood by his side, turning fully towards him.
"Invite him over...?" Chuuya raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah? Aren't you guys friends?" Verlaine mimicked the motion. "You know, friends do sleepovers and such... Even though it's an extreme situation."
"No." Chuuya started. "I don't think we're... Friends, exactly."
"Hmm," Verlaine flexed his hands behind his head again. "I thought you were, with how much time you spend talking about him - even if it's usually complains... Don't you always spend time together, too?"
"Yeah, we do, but..." Chuuya turned his head to the ground, staring at the floor. "I don't know."
He really didn't need that insight about his complicated relationship with Dazai from Verlaine of all people.
Suddenly, he became restless, hands twitching.
"But don't you... Dislike him?"
Verlaine chuckled. "Well, it's not like I was gonna turn down a kid who couldn't go home for one night - especially if he was your friend. He's only a sixteen year old, anyways. No matter how much of a menace he is."
Chuuya stood there, shifting and swaying in his place, hands twitching to do something.
"Right," he said, "Wait here for a moment."
Then he turned around and started to run in the way he came.
Verlaine stared after him, eyes wide with surprise. Then he let out a chuckle as he shook his head.
"Stupid kids and their adolescense..."
Chuuya ran, ran, ran in the direction of his classroom. Sun was already down and the lights were off, so it was dim inside the building with the faint light of the night sky reflecting in on the windows and a few dim lamps left on here and there.
He was stupid.
Dazai had basically gave him a clue when he asked if they were friends or not, and he couldn't catch it.
Stupid, stupid, stupid—
His hands were on his knees as he reached the classroom, trying to catch his breath. He encountered Rimbaud who was just leaving with the folder in his hands. He raised his eyebrows when he saw the ginger who had ran all the way back from the end of the corridor.
"Chuuya? Did you forget something—"
"Rimbaud-san! Is Dazai back...?"
Rimbaud blinked. "No, I haven't seen him since he left the class."
With that, Chuuya nodded at him, starting to run once again - this time to the boy's bathroom.
Damn.
He really hoped Dazai didn't lie to him.
When he arrived at the bathroom, he punched the door open, his hand throbbing with the impact.
Come on, no need to be that excited.
Dazai was there, washing his hands as he had pulled his bandages up. He closed the tap slowly, then. The boy was staring at Chuuya with wide eyes, clearly not expecting to see him there.
"Chuuya?"
After a moment of silence, Chuuya surged forward. "Shitty Dazai!"
"Wha— Hey!"
Chuuya took his hands in his, an unreadable look on his face.
Dazai tried to read him with his eyebrows furrowed. He looked at his gritted teeth, then at the red tint on his face, then at his furrowed eyebrows mimicking his. With this much, he seemed angry. But then he looked at their hands clasped together, then at his eyes, and it changed his mind.
No, Chuuya was definitely not angry.
He was far from angry, actually.
Chuuya opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
"We're friends, damn it!"
Dazai froze, eyes widening. "We are...?"
"Yeah! We are! So come stay at my place for the night!"
Dazai blinked.
Many people would say he was from the future at this point with the accuracy of his predictions, and he couldn't blame them. Usually.
But Chuuya, even if he was usually easy to read, sometimes did things that exceeded Dazai's foresight and formulas and left him speechless.
That was one of those moments, you could say.
Chuuya just stared at him, not saying anything as he waited for his response. When he squeezed the other's hands, that brought Dazai back to reality, making his lips fall agape.
"Your place...?"
Chuuya blinked. "Yeah."
"Like a sleepover?"
"Yeah."
"Like... Friends do...?"
Chuuya nodded, gaze firm.
Oh.
Dazai grinned, intertwining their fingers. "Okay!"
The ginger blinked. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah, really!" Dazai stopped for a moment then. "But, your brother...?"
"Oh, that's... That's okay, he said it's okay."
The boy raised his eyebrows. "You asked him?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Oh." Dazai pulled his facade together a moment later, squeezing Chuuya's hands. "That's good! Let's go have a sleepover!"
Before Chuuya could say anything, Dazai got his hands back, locking their arms together instead.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
Chuuya just stared.
"Yeah." he said.
"Let me get my bag from the classroom first!" Dazai said as they skipped out of the bathroom together and towards the class.
"Oi, Dazai— Walk normally, we're gonna fall!"
"We won't if you can keep up with me!"
"Fuck you."
Dazai only chuckled.
Just how many different scenarios he had in his head to annoy both Chuuya and Verlaine, only god knew.
But Chuuya didn't really care about that. As long as he could give Dazai a proper dinner to eat and a proper bed to sleep, he really didn't.
Perhaps Dazai could stay for detentions more.