Chapter Text
There are only two things Dazai hates by heart: the fact that he is alive and being tasked to do something he does not want to do, which is almost everything. And to his misfortune, he is doing both right now.
Mori, his uncle, has kept an eye on a pirate crew that has been a bit too noisy recently. It so happens that they have been staying for a couple days in a port city near the capital. So, Mori asked him to go and get some information for them and, if possible, to stop them from stealing even more.
And he hates it.
He hates it so much.
Why does he -the crown prince, at age 14- have to go after some old, stinky men that keep stealing from them? Why can't Mori order someone else to do it? It’s just annoying.
But it also happens that Dazai never leaves the castle. He had when he was younger, but once his father started losing his mind, anyone but Mori was able to walk out of what they called their home, which is why Dazai ends up agreeing to the mission he is given, a bit of curiosity sparkling inside him at the idea of seeing a little of the world outside these high walls. He figured that going to the city, wasting some time there, then returning and reporting that he did not spot them would be much easier than convincing Mori to send someone else.
Little did he know that Mori would not let him go alone: his bodyguard, Oda, would be there, following him like a shadow, which means that just wasting some time wouldn't be enough, but Dazai actually has to pretend that he is looking for these scumbags.
And so he does. Once they arrive in the city, he starts playing dumb, acting like he doesn't know where they should start looking, wandering around empty streets.
It is an old and sad city, nothing like what he had heard at the palace. Grayish and brownish colors are all over the buildings, making them repetitive and boring. The streets, at least in the upper part of the city, looked lugubrious, not a single soul walking through them, just the smell of fish and the sea making them company.
Tired after hours of walking, they decide to take a break from their search and go to a tavern not too far away from the port. It is like everything else in this city: an old building made of red bricks, not too crowded but not empty either. The thing that catches Dazai’s eye is an employee: white hair, part of it longer than the rest, unusually bright eyes, a nervous look on his face, but more than anything, clumsy. Very clumsy. He made a show just now by tripping and dropping some plates in the middle of the place. He doesn’t even know why someone would have this kid working for them.
Another older kid with blond, long hair tied in a low ponytail, appears next to Dazai, carrying their food.
“Thank you,” Oda says, not waiting for another second to start eating. If someone had seen him eating like this, they would probably think that he mustn’t eat much, but Dazai knows better than anyone that Mori takes good care of the royal guards. It’s just that Oda really likes rice and curry.
The blonde nods and starts walking towards the white-haired kid, helping him clean the mess he had created, scolding him as they disappear into the kitchen.
Once the show has finished, Dazai starts to eat, eavesdropping on other conversations to keep him somewhat entertained.
“- my son is working so hard to help his father, he -“ Nothing interesting here , he thinks.
“- and then he drank it all like it was water!!! I tell you -“ Boring .
“- I didn’t expect them to be so different from what the rumors say. You know, these pirates.” Oh? Although he isn’t willing to search for them, he still feels somewhat curious about these little thieves who like to steal from his family. Not that he cares much about the wealth they steal, but it's still annoying.
“Yeah, I have heard that they rob anyone who has something of value on them, but they stopped by my stand yesterday and paid for everything they wanted. I also haven’t seen them stealing anything from other people.”
“I’ve seen them drinking on the dock not too long ago. They also seemed friendly and were talking to anyone who would want to join them.”
Playing the good Pirates game? What for, though? They are probably acting so people will let their guards down near them.
“At least now we know they are still here,” Oda says, drawing Dazai’s attention back to him.
Dazai sighs “Guess we'll have to do something”. Then, he closes his eyes and continues eating, regretting listening to other conversations, on top of that, letting Oda notice it and hear it himself, and just as he's about to take a bite, a commotion starts forming outside.
“RUN, RUN!!!!”
A horde of people comes running into the old building, the bartender, who Dazai thinks is the owner, not even batting an eye at it.
“WHAT IS HAPPENING???” Some people shout, and others follow the shouting, hiding under tables.
“THE PIRATES! THEY-“ At that moment, Oda stands up and gives Dazai a look that tells him We are moving , to which Dazai sighs again and follows Oda to the port where more people are running, shouting, bumping up against Dazai -not apologizing-, some of them even frozen from what he thinks it’s fear of the pirates fighting until-
Until he sees it.
“What is this…?” Oda asks next to him, but Dazai doesn’t even acknowledge his question as his gaze is locked on whatever is happening in the harbor.
Kids. They are just kids .
Jumping, running, laughing, catching, and throwing bags at each other as if they were playing.
This is not a fight. They are not some old pirates. It’s almost as if they were putting on a show, a spectacle for everyone to see, lighting those sad and boring streets that Dazai looked down on a couple minutes ago. Giving this city some life and emotions.
Lighting something inside Dazai.
Dazai wouldn't say he is shocked as Oda is. He feels surprised, then disappointed when he realizes that Mori thought so little of him as to pass him some brats to handle.
Not playing good pirates then , comes across his mind as the scene seems to be them robbing someone.
It looks like this show is about to end when a man starts chasing them, demanding his goods back. But then the wind starts blowing. Dazai’s eyes shut close just for them to look up a second later and take a glimpse at the star of the show.
On top of the roof of a small shop, Dazai finds another brat with long, bright, ginger hair gathered into a braid that dances in the wind, making it look like flames. It's so bright it could leave the prince blind. His clothes are worn and don’t match, but he somehow makes them work on his body. Dazai can’t see what exactly he’s complementing his outfit with but he's sure that he is wearing a lot of jewelry as he can see the reflection of the sun on them, making the little he can see of his face shine. His eyes are hidden below a hat that looks like it was made for him and only him to wear, all that mixed with a loud laugh as full of life as a laugh can be but soft as the breeze from the sea in the morning.
He’s like a wild animal, Dazai thinks to himself, not insinuating anything good or bad.
On second, the brat is watching the old man chase after his crewmates from the roof. On the other, he is jumping down on top of the man, the timing of the action so perfect it wouldn't surprise Dazai if the kid was calculating when he should jump this whole time.
The prince's eyes are fixed on this kid as time seems to stop itself from passing while he’s in the air. Or rather, he seems to control the gravity around him as he descends, his hair still making hypnotizing moves, making him a sight worth millions, even billions.
It's not until now that his hat leaves his head. Dazai feels his lungs getting tighter as he sees his eyes revealed for the first time: perfect blue eyes that simulate the ocean faultlessly, glowing in the same way the sun rays do when they land on waves, absorbing every soul they are in contact with and making it impossible to look away.
Perhaps they are the ocean, not just a mirror of it, swallowing everything down and not letting go.
And Dazai feels like he could drown in them, this idea only disappearing when the kid lowers his gaze and Dazai cannot contemplate them any longer.
The hat lands on the floor next to this work of art known as a pirate with one foot on top of the head of the seller and cheers coming from behind him.
“Sorry old man, but you should think twice before opening your mouth,” the brat crouches, forcing the man to look at his face “because you may get in trouble for messing with the wrong people.” He smiles at him, then picks up his hat and makes a reverence towards the crowd.
Dazai's only thought is how this kid is the living image of life. Wild, loud, unpredictable, untameable and-
“Thank you for your time!”
-and unreachable. Something he seems to not understand.
Just as fast as he appeared, he was gone, shouting and laughing and joking with his people. Vanishing just as quickly as a disappearing wave that crashed into a rock, that rock being Dazai.
Just as free as the wind.
And with that realization, something inside Dazai starts to hurt. It comes from deep inside him as the word free keeps spinning inside his head.
Freedom .
Dazai wishes for that. He has all and more that he can think of, yet he lacks the freedom that those brats have and exploit the last percentage of it. And it’s something that neither his father nor his uncle are willing to grant him. That’s the only thing that Dazai is forbidden from.
And he hates it.
He hates it even more now that he was exposed to witness such an act of freedom that will never come to him. It was so close to him just a second ago and now it’s so far away, disappearing in the crowd.
He is jealous .
That was what the kids lighted inside him. Jealousy .
What brings Dazai back from his thoughts is Oda preparing himself to run after them. Dazai grabs his wrist and turns around.
“Let’s go back.”
“But-”
Dazai cuts him off. “We’ve seen nothing. Just a group of kids being kids. Nothing about pirates.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Oda doesn’t hesitate twice. He may be close to the prince, but he isn't as naïve as to think that Dazai wouldn’t do anything to him if he decided to go against him twice on the same day.
…
Maybe I should add something new to my list of things I hate, Dazai thinks as he starts to walk back to the path they came from, leaving behind whatever feelings were awakened at the port.
*****
4 years latter
“NAKAHARA CHUUYA, DON'T TRY TO RESIST AND SURRENDER TO US!!”
"Heh..." Chuuya finds himself saying to the royal guards surrounding him in an alley as he raises his arms to his neck, pointing their blades at none other than the Captain of The Sheep, one of the most wanted pirates out there, thinking they can catch him that easily.
"DROP ALL YOUR WEAPONS TO THE GROUND AND WE WON'T DO ANY HARM TO YOU!!!"
"Jezz, stop screaming so much..." Chuuya takes out a dagger, feeling how the grips on the swords around him get tighter as he does. His only response is a short smirk, then he lets it drop. Once again, he searches in his pockets, pulls out a small gun, and feels everyone’s breathing stop. After a second that felt like minutes, he drops it as well and returns his hands to his neck. "There."
The guards keep exchanging looks until they hear Chuuya sigh. Then one of them orders another guard to inspect if Chuuya has anything else on him.
Everything seems fine until the guard is close enough to Chuuyas back for him to elbow him in the stomach, leaving him on the floor and taking his sword.
Not even waiting a second after he moved, some guards run towards him. Chuuya clashes swords with one of them before crouching and leaving him colliding with another guard. Then, he grabs the gun and shoots another guard in the arm, leaving a wound that would make him unable to use his sword but won't kill him.
That doesn't seem to please another guard as he swings his sword in Chuuya's direction, almost cutting one of his loose locks if it wasn't because Chuuya is quick to act.
"So- " The guard swings again, and Chuuya dodges it as easily as before. "Woah, so aggressive..." Another swing and another doge. "You could harm someone like that, you know?"
"That's what- !!!" Chuuya doesn't let the guard finish his sentence, punching him.
He thinks the punch was strong enough to keep him on the floor for a while. However, the guard takes it and swings again, cutting Chuuya's shirt but not going any deeper as he loses the grip of his sword and falls.
As he drops the man, Chuuya sees reinforcement coming in his direction, so he thinks it's probably time to start wrapping up.
He approaches a guard that's too frightened to do anything and kicks him. Now that he is frozen from the shock of the kick, he bends him over and jumps on his back, then bounces on a wall and climbs onto a roof.
He hears some guards shouting and running after him, but he's too far away from them to care about what they would do as he is almost at the port.
He hops down nonchalantly and starts running to the harbor as he sees his ship depart, finally fully relaxed as his show was long enough for everyone to get there.
“CHUUYA!!” Yuan waves at him with a rope in her other hand.
Chuuya hears some guards behind him but keeps running, nodding at Yuan. As he reaches the end of the dock, he jumps and catches the rope that Yuan dropped for him, hanging from it and resting one leg on the side of the ship to balance him.
“Au revoir,” Chuuya says to the guards, one arm holding his hat to his chest as they watch them sail.
After some crewmates pull the rope to help him get to the ship, Yuan pulls his arms to get him there faster.
“Nice timing,” he says as he sits down on the floor.
“You should try not to be so cocky and be faster next time. It could have ended badly for you!”
“Yeah but it didn’t.”
“But it could have. Look, you have a cut here. And what the hell happened to your shirt?? You wanna wear bandages all over you again??”
"It's nothing, really. I’m safe and sound."
Yuan gives him a look "You call this Safe and sound ?"
Chuuya sighs and gives up because he knows she’s just as stubborn as he is “Okay alright alright, don’t tell me off so much”.
“Well, now that we are all together again, shouldn’t we celebrate that we got out of there in one piece again? I think it is a good idea.” Shirase says while approaching them, one hand resting on his hip.
“You almost got me there, but not slacking off.” Just as he finishes, he hears some of his friends complain and sigh, but they all start moving. "Ah, Shirase, I lost your gun."
"You WHAT??" Shirase turns around, not believing what he just heard.
"Yeah, sorry bout that, you can take one of mine."
"THAT'S NOT THE SAME!!! IT WAS MY BABY!! NOT EVERYONE RELIES ONLY ON THEIR STRENGTH, YOU KNOW?? I LOVED HER!! SHE SAVED MY LIFE A LOT OF TIMES!!!"
Yuan breaks into their conversation as Chuuya looks away for a moment. "He doesn't rely only on his power, and you know it. And it's just a gun, you will get a better one anyways, so stop crying."
"I'M NOT CRYING!!! SHE WAS PERFECT!! CAROLINE WAS ONE IN A KIND!!!"
"Did you give it a name?" Chuuya comes back to the argument to tease him.
"YEAH-"
“Guys…” Yuan cuts in. “I think we have an unwanted guest”.
Everyone around them freezes and turns to this guest. When Chuuya’s eyes follow the direction the rest is looking, he sees a young man, probably around his age, dark brown hair and bandages wrapped around one eye, the other as dark as the night, absorbing the light around it. His clothes look better than theirs but have cuts all over them.
Interesting .
He walks up to him and scans him from top to bottom. He’s sitting on top of a barrel, one leg crossed on top of the other, looking with his visible eye straight into his eyes while a grin appears on his face, not worrying about anything as if he didn’t just put his head into the lion's mouth. “Who gave you permission to enter my ship, young man?”
“Ah, sorry to interrupt your job. Please continue as if I wasn’t here.” the stranger dares to say.
“But you are here.”
“Not if you pretend I’m not-” Shirase walks up to him and grabs him by the collar. “Hey there, no need to get angry, I’m not- ”
“Not what? Doing anything? Well, you kinda are.'' Shirase interrupts him, not letting go of his shirt.
“Then what exactly am I doing?”
“You… You-“
And at that moment, Chuuya starts giggling, feeling how the young man’s gaze -and everyone’s really- snaps at him. He can’t believe he didn’t recognize him until now. What the hell is the crown prince doing in his ship?
“Chuuya you alright there?”
“Yeah yeah, sorry, let him be. Let’s hear what he has to say before you kill him.”
“He wouldn’t be strong enough to do that.”
Does the prince really want to die that bad? Chuuya thinks.
Shirase frees him, not too happy and cursing under his breath while Chuuya leans closer. “Well then, you are in my kingdom now, so be so good and tell me who you are and how did you end up here, mister mysterious boy .”
After a couple seconds of staring at Chuuya, he opens his mouth “I’m just an orphan that lives in the streets. The guards were chasing me for robbing some stuff, and I ended up hiding here.” There’s a small pause. “Before I could go back, you sailed from the dock.”
What a pretty liar we have here.
“If you really live on the streets, how do you explain your silky clothes, hm?” Yuan approaches them, standing behind Chuuya.
“Didn't I say that I robbed stuff?” He says with a mocking tone which Yuan doesn't like, but before she can say another word, another boy starts talking.
“Have some respect for sister Yuan here! She’s probably stronger than you!”
“Really?” The prince says, not really caring.
“I could crack your head open if I wanted to. Wanna see it yourself?” Yuan taps on Chuuya's shoulder to make her way to the young man with a face that has nothing good written on it.
Uh oh .
“No fighting on this ship.” Chuuya places his hand over Yuan's. “Now that we’ve left, there’s a hell lot of things waiting to do.”
“He’s one of those things.”
“I'll take care of him.” Yuan sighs and turns the other way. “It’s okay. Aren’t we supposed to accept everyone who doesn’t have a place to go back to?”
“I guess but- ” She leans closer to him “ -there’s just something off with him.”
Chuuya would be surprised if anyone in his crew knew or remembered the crown prince's face, but if there was anyone who knows this person, it would have to be Yuan. He can’t blame her for feeling this way, but at the same time, he can’t bring himself up to tell her that he’s the prince. He wants to know why he’s here and why he’s lying before the rest eats him alive.
“I know, I’m glad you can feel it too. I'll be careful, I promise.”
Yuan only looks at him and nods, then turns and starts reminding everybody what they have to do. Chuuya doesn’t think anyone would not follow her words when she’s like this, and he’s glad he has her by his side.
“Shirase,” Chuuya calls him.
“What?”
“Make sure to tie this man up before leaving him in my cabin if you will.” He gives the crown prince a glare. "Don’t let it be too loose.”
“Oh trust me, I’ll make sure to tie him strong enough he will even tear a little.” The smile on Shirase's face is somewhat scary, but Chuuya knows he won’t be as annoyed as he is right now if he can show off how strong he really is. It will also make him forget about that gun.
As he walks off, he feels how the prince's eyes are locked on him, his gaze so intense Chuuya doesn’t need to turn around and look at him to feel it, which leaves him with more questions as to why he is here.
Does he want revenge or something for stealing his shit? Really?
But before he can get those answers, better treat his wounds, so he heads first to his cabin, not before asking if everything is alright with the kids he comes across on his way.
Once he's in, he crosses his desk and walks into a small room at the side to change his shirt and disinfect his injury. He hears Shirase and the prince coming in and Shirase telling him something, although he can’t make anything out.
Right as he was thinking about how silent his cabin was, Shirase approaches him, peeling an apple.
"Is it snack time already?" Chuuya asks.
"It is for me." He shoves a piece into his mouth. "Want some?"
"Nah I’m good. Don't talk while chewing, it's disgusting."
Shirase nods and points at the room behind him "I told him if he moves, Arahabaki would eat him."
Chuuya giggles at that. "No wonder he's this calm."
Shirase leaves while Chuuya finishes wrapping some bandages around his arm. He then turns, grabbing the new shirt he has chosen previously-one with some frills at the front, but still somewhat simple-, and walks into the other room. The prince's hands are tied behind him, so are his ankles, and he's sitting on a chair a bit away from Arahabaki.
"You two seem like friends." Chuuya comments, approaching the prince.
"That's because we are alike." The prince says, not breaking eye contact with the bird.
"Did you check if he has any weapons on him?" Chuuya shouts to Shirase, turning his head at the door but still looking at the prince.
"Whoops!"
After letting out a long sigh, he taps the prince's shoulder, gaining his attention.
"I'm gonna need you to stand up. Need to check something."
"As long as you catch me if I lose my balance..." the prince says while getting on his feet and-
What the hell?
Why is he so fucking tall???
He didn't notice before because he was sitting, both when he got to the ship and just a couple seconds ago. And now, having the prince stand up in front of him -clearly showing off something so insignificant as his height- and feeling the urge to look up in order to meet his eye, an action that draws a soft smile on the man's face, makes Chuuya feel like he's not the one with the upper hand here, although he is.
Height isn't that important , he thinks, narrowing his eyes at the man.
“... would you stop looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” The prince asks, and Chuuya feels a headache coming.
Looking away from his eye and swallowing down his annoyance, he begins to frisk him, starting from his arms. He doesn't find anything there, but Chuuya can feel how soft his clothes are compared to theirs. He also sees more bandages underneath but decides to ignore them. Sliding down to his torso, he feels the man's breathing getting slower and his eye narrowing, following every move Chuuya's hands make. He decides to ignore that as well. Then he goes down to his legs -which are absurdly long by the way- and finds a knife between more bandages.
He looks up at him, unimpressed, and stands up.
"It's useful if you ask me." He says, shrugging and looking away.
"Yeah, sure." Chuuya walks away, sliding behind his desk and putting on his shirt. "Why you said he's like you?" He jerks his chin to the side where Arahabaki is resting.
The prince sits down. "You know, an eagle is elegant and resembles power. I think that suits me as well."
"You think so? You don't seem like you have much power, in my opinion."
He only chuckles in response to that. Of course, he wouldn't say a thing about who he really is.
He sits down as well, opening his drawer and moving some things around before leaving the knife he stole inside. "What happened to you?" His eyes drive to the brunette’s bandaged eye.
"Oh, someone got a little bit angry about me stealing some food and took revenge."
Chuuya shoots him a look that says I don't believe you and goes back to searching. They stay a couple seconds in silence until Chuuya fishes something out of the drawer and focuses his full attention on the brunette, who looks curious about what Chuuya was looking for.
"What's your name?" Chuuya asks. He knew how the prince looked, but he doesn't remember the royal family's name. All he needs to know is how to evade them, which he knows. Or at least he did.
"Osamu."
"... That's it?"
"Yup."
"... I think you still don't understand where you landed," Chuuya stands up and approaches the brunette playing with the dagger he grabbed from the mess that is his drawer. "You see, we can just throw you overboard to your death or lock you up and torture you. Be nice and answer my questions genuinely, would you?." His moves stop when he leans to the front of his desk, face to face with the man.
"I don't really like pain. The first option sounds better!"
Chuuya’s next movements are quick and don't leave room for the prince to react, threatening his neck with the weapon and resting his free hand on his shoulder -now only centimeters away from each other- with maybe a bit too much pressure as he hears him hissing, yet he doesn't move his gaze away from Chuuya’s. “We aren't playing games here.”
One of Chuuya's loosened locks lands on the brunette's face.
"Could you move it? It tickles," he asks before trying to move it away, and Chuuya watches him blow at it -not flinching even when the hot air coming from his mouth touches his skin. He fails, leaving the lock where it was.
Chuuya stays there determined to make the man speak. If he wants to play the stubborn game, Chuuya can play it as well. He himself is stubborn after all, and it will probably be easier than playing against Yuan, he thinks.
By the lack of response, the prince sighs and moves his head slightly to reveal more bandages under the dagger, and Chuuya follows his movement down to his neck.
What the hell did the prince do to get this injured?
No. That doesn't matter right now.
Chuuya is starting to get tired of this. He should have told the rest about his real identity. Why the hell did he hesitate about that? Something this serious should be talked over at least with Yuan.
And seeing how amused the prince is, he probably knows that he discovered him, and doesn't want to confirm what Chuuya has in his mind.
The fucking bastard is playing with him.
“Not scared of the dagger, huh?”
“Violence is not always the answer.”
“Don't try to teach manners to a fucking pirate.”
“I'm not doing that.”
Chuuya then moves his hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck, pushing him forward, also noticing how the prince’s not resisting against the action, but rather he rests on his hand. The knife rubs the bandages that peak outside his shirt, almost going under them. “I'm running out of patience here.”
The prince swallows.
“Let's make a deal then,” he says, calm as ever.
Chuuya gestures to him to continue.
“You let me stay here for a week, no threats or anything of the sort, and I will tell you my full name.”
“What assures me that you'll keep up to your word?”
“You can get rid of me at any time. I'm on your ship, after all.”
He removes his hands and backs off. "Are you even interested in being recruited?"
"Not at all."
Chuuya only stares at him, not knowing what to say anymore. But it seems to work as the prince keeps going after some seconds in silence.
"I am interested in staying on the ship. As a passenger, though."
"Why?"
This time, he doesn't respond.
“I won't leave someone I don't even know the name of wandering around my ship. I’m not fucking dumb, Osamu.”
“You can lock me up until you feel comfortable letting me out.”
“Hah?”
“You have cells, don't you?”
“Who in their right mind would ask to be locked up??”
What the fuck is the prince thinking? , is what Chuuya was actually thinking.
“I never said I was sane.”
“Another reason to kick you out.”
“It's worth a try. You never know, I may come handy to you.”
“..”
“Well?”
“No tricks. Let me untie you-”
Just as Chuuya moves his torso to free him, he breaks free on his own, showing Chuuya that he could have escaped anytime.
“No tricks from now.”
“You better don't be lying.”
“I do not lie.”
*****
Chuuya knows he shouldn't have left Osamu without supervision. He fucking knows that. Yet he decided to give the prince a little bit of trust -the worst mistake he could have ever made considering it's the crown prince he is talking about- and now his whole crew is looking for this waste of bandages. Fucker even left the cell open for them to notice, as if they were fucking blind or stupid.
They are on a ship, he can't just vanish into thin air, can he?
“Chuuya, we can't find the knife he was carrying.”
Great. Now he's not only missing but also fucking armed.
“Keep searching but be careful. Tell everyone to carry a weapon.”
Fuck the bastard. He should have told everyone who he was the second he recognized him, it would have saved them this trouble.
…
..
.
Osamu has no idea if these kids are blind or stupid. Maybe both, because he's been hiding for 3 hours in the store and no one has noticed yet. He even stole his knife and still, they failed to realize that he was sneaking into their captain’s cabin.
They truly made a mistake thinking that he was going to sit down and peel potatoes for a whole week. He's here with one single goal in mind, and he won't do something he hasn't planned already.
Tired of hearing their shouting and steps above him, Osamu rests his head on some wooden boxes and reaches for his knife. It's a small, silver knife with some gold patterns on the handle. A gift from his uncle, only god knows what he had in mind giving this to a 13 years old, although he can guess, based on his uncle’s actions these past few years. But Osamu doesn't need it anymore.
His gaze moves to the gun port behind him, opening it and allowing some drops to come in. After some seconds breathing in and out, he turns back to the hole and throws the knife overboard, staring at the reflection of the setting sun on it while it sinks. Once it is no longer visible, a sunset greets him when he decides to slightly poke his head out, the red and orange tones reminding him of a certain redhead who is as warm and as beautiful as this view.
He can’t believe it’s been 4 years since their first meeting. Can't believe he gave him the courage to leave the comfort of the castle and start this journey. Can't believe how someone can leave such a strong impression on another human being. How could he make him want to live more and more each time he remembered the show the pirate made the first time he saw him?
14 years old Osamu would be disappointed to know that he did not succeed in his plan of taking his own life, but he would be even more upset by the fact that he ended up crawling back to those pirates, craving for what he despised them for.
But he isn't that stray boy anymore.
He planned every single detail for the past year. Everything, so he could get away this exact day.
June 19th .
Before he can keep going with his thoughts, he hears a kid running downstairs to the room he's in.
Better go back to hiding , he thinks. Maybe he could take a nap as well.