Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Atsushi was sure that in the history of the ADA there had been an odder meeting of people than were currently in this conference room, but if that was the case, it was no meeting he’d been a part of.

On the side he was sitting on sat Dazai and Ranpo.

On the other, Chuuya and Akutagawa.

Both members of the mafia were looking coolly detached, like they weren’t sitting in the headquarters of an agency they had tried destroying multiple times. To be fair, that had been a whole several months ago and the relationship between the mafia and ADA was radically different now.

Atsushi just … hadn’t quite realized it had changed to the point that they were discussing a joint mission over a catered lunch.

“So here’s the target,” Ranpo said as he slid a photo onto the center of the table. “Imai Ichiro.”

This is Atsushi’s first time seeing a photo, though they’ve been discussing the case for a few minutes now. The man in the photo is on a boat, leaning against the railing as he talks to someone with their back to the camera. He’s tall and good looking, maybe in his forties. He’s got a strong jaw and slicked back hair that is white at the temples but then fades to a dark brown. He’s wearing a long sleeved shirt patterned with purple roses over a sheer mesh. Combined with high waisted black pants, it’s a striking look.

Atsushi looks up from the photo to Ranpo, who has his eyes trained on Atsushi.

“Pretty good looking, right?”

Atsushi freezes. Ranpo grins and turns the photo to look at him. “Hope you think so, because you’re going to need to get close to him.”

“Like… to fight?” Atsushi asks. He has a feeling that is not what Ranpo is getting at.

“Nope! This shouldn’t actually involve any fighting. He’s a smuggler, and we don’t think he’s actually an ability user. This is more about getting proof of the crimes, and getting him to confess.”

Atsushi looks from the photo, to Ranpo, then to Akutagwa and Chuuya. Chuuya seems very amused by the whole situation and Akutagawa… Akutagawa’s expression is blank. He is watching with mild disdain, though that was just his default expression.

“Okay? Uh - why me? I mean, if it’s a social thing, I’m not exactly the best one for… something like that.”

“Well,” Ranpo starts. He’s grimacing. Atsushi does not care for that at all. He has a feeling whatever the detective is about to say next is something he does not want to hear. “Imai has a … thing.”

“A thing?” Atsushi asks.

Even Akutagawa cocks an eyebrow at that.

“A thing,” Ranpo confirms. “For pretty young men.”

Atsushi stares. Then points to himself as though asking ‘me?’.

“The only reason he’s on our radar is because he-” Here Ranpo points to the other man in the photo. “-came to the ADA because he suspected Imai is bringing all sorts of looted artifacts and stolen antiques in through the Yokohama port. He's docked in town now, but the yacht is about to take off for a trip down to Australia”

“And?” prompts Chuuya. “He’s committed worse crimes than that.”

“And he’s faking high priced wines and selling them as the real thing.”

“Heinous,” Chuuya huffs in indignation. He crosses his arms over his chest.

“Is… is that why you’re getting the mafia involved?” Atsushi asks as he looks around the table.

“No! It’s just part of his crime. We’re involved because we’re supposed to get a cut of anything smug - because this is Mafia territory, and he needs to go.”

Atsushi isn’t sure he wants to really question Chuuya, but his mouth moves faster than his mind. “Don’t you usually just-” Here he draws his thumb across his throat in a slicing motion. “-to anyone who weasels in on your territory?”

“Yes,” Akutagawa says. This is the first time he’s spoken since entering the ADA, other than a surly ‘weretiger’ when he first saw Atsushi.

“But we don’t know where he’s keeping it. He’s got this fancy yacht, but our informant doesn’t think the goods were being stored there.” Chuuya sits up and drums his fingers on the table. “So we’re involved, to help with the goods aspect of the stolen goods. You guys get to be the heroes and arrest this guy, and we get to abscond with whatever he’s holding onto.”

“And you’re going to help with that Atsushi,” Dazai chirps. “You get to be a honeypot, isn’t that exciting?”

“A what?”

“You get to be bait. We’re going to dress you up pretty and you can get him to tell you all his dirty~ little secrets and bam, job done.”

Atsushi stares at his mentor.

“Don’t worry, Atsushi. That is why I will be taking on the burden of joining you on his luxury yacht. To keep an eye on you.” Dazai’s demeanor does shift to something a little more serious. “You just need to get him to talk to you. That’s it. If he tries anything, you have permission to maul him. He doesn't have to touch you for this.”

Atsushi looks at Akutagawa out of the corner of his eye. His partner is still looking detached from the entire conversion, though now it is more of a deliberate act. He won't meet Atsushi's eye. “That wasn’t what I was thinking abo - oh, though I guess that is good. Okay, I think I can - I can do it.”

“Hey, how come only your boy is bait?” Chuuya asks.

"Huh?" Dazai tilts his head in confusion as he looks at his former partner.

Chuuya says, “I mean, that is why you asked for Akutagawa to join on this mission, right? He’s also pretty.”

Well, that finally got a reaction out of Akutagawa. He chokes on air. “I’m what?”

Chuuya does not pay any attention to what Akutagawa is saying since he is busy being righteous and indignant on his behalf.

“He could absolutely honeypot this asshole way better than Atsushi - no offense kid.”

“None taken?” Atsushi said, as he tries to puzzle out if he should actually take offense or not. He probably should, but this whole situation is too bizarre for him to figure that out.

“Nope, Atsushi is absolutely the best one for this job. No offense, Akutagawa,” Dazai said.

“Oh, I absolutely take offense,” Akutagawa hisses.

Atsushi balks at the venom in his partner’s voice, but Dazai just shrugs. “Tough luck chibi.”

“What about a bet?” Chuuya asks.

Atsushi meets Akutagawa’s eye across the table. At this point, they’ve fought each other and fought side by side often enough that he can read him like a book. He’s off kilter. In a fight this would be a moment where Atsushi would step in front and cover him until he can get his balance back. Only, Atsushi doesn’t know how to do that given this weird pissing contest between Dazai and Chuuya, so he just mouths ‘sorry’ to Akutagawa.

“Don’t risk making a bet you’re just going to lose, slug,” Dazai says. He’s half out of his seat now and has both hands on the table like he’s going to lunge across it towards Chuuya.

Chuuya is standing, his chair knocked back and he points dramatically to Dazai. “I bet the proceeds from selling Imai’s trove that Akutagawa can seduce this man before your little weretiger,” he declares.

“Please, no,” Akutagawa deadpans.

“I bet Atsushi will knock this out of the park. But if you win…” Dazai pauses. “I’ll eat balanced meals for a month.”

Atsushi blinks. Why on earth would Chuuya agree to that? He’s potentially losing a lot of money and Dazai… will have vegetables. It doesn’t seem like an even bet, but Chuuya is quick to respond.

“That, and no booze for the same period.”

Dazai frowns, but says, “Sounds good. But it’s a moot point, because Atsushi is going to win this.”

“Don’t,” Atsushi pleads.

Chuuya sticks his hand out across the table.

Dazai takes it.

They shake.

Atsushi and Akutagawa share mournful looks across the table while Ranpo laughs.

Chapter Text

“Atsushi, are you almost ready?”

“Just a minute!”

There’s a waver in his voice. Dazai almost feels bad about how nervous he is, but Atsushi was always nervous. It wasn’t that he didn’t have sympathy for his protegee, but it was hard when this boat was just so fancy. It almost reminded him of his Port Mafia days, when things were gilded and glamorous. There was … less of that with the ADA.

Ah, who was he kidding? He was just thrilled there was an open bar.

Dazai took a sip of his whiskey and leaned against the wall.

They were able to get some rooms on the ship thanks to their informant. Apparently Imai liked to keep up the appearance that this was just a normal luxury yacht, so he took on passengers for a high class cruise experience. They were taking their time, cruising down to Sydney and back. If Dazai’s suspicions were right, he’d be picking up cargo there and bringing it back to Yokohama. They had several days to find out if he was right.

So, there was no rush. Other than Dazai was getting impatient.

He’d gone shopping with Atsushi in the few days they had to prepare for this mission. They’d chosen a number of outfits specifically designed to win this bet - er - entice their target. He’d don’t a pretty good job, if he said so himself. Only, Atsushi was lacking the main thing that a honeypot needed - confidence. He had hoped getting him to look the part would be a step in that direction, but judging by the fact that Atsushi had yet to emerge from his cabin, that didn’t seem to be the case. Oh well. Maybe he could go find Chuuya to bother.

“Dazai,” he hears from slightly above him. He shifts his gaze to see Akutagawa descending from the upper level.

Fuck.

He was so fucking screwed.

Akutagawa looked good. The man was objectively good looking, Dazai could admit that. He wasn’t sure if his current outfit was his own doing, or Chuuya’s. He also suspected they might have gotten Kouyou involved, since the outfit bore hallmarks of her style.

He was in all black, as usual. He wore a thin vest, with his collar, upper chest, and arms exposed, though it is covered with a sheer mesh. Lace patterns his forearms and sternum. A band around his waist gives him an almost hourglass figure. His pants are also black and they tuck into boots decorated with a silver trim. A sheer half shirt flares around his right leg, and it’s made of the sheer material as well. Lace flowers decorate the skirt as it swirls around his legs with his descent.

Akutagawa does not wear his usual scowl, but his face is instead in a carefully blank mask. Dazai feels a smidge of hope that at least Atsushi’s personality might be more enticing.

He sees Akutagawa’s expression shift into something slightly unpleasant when he looks around the hallway and sees no one but Dazai. That’s fair, he probably deserved that.

“Akutagawa, nice to see you,” he says, but gets no response.

Things had been awkward between him and Aktuagawa. He was trying to do better, but in this particular case, better meant trying to keep distance. That was proving hard to do, since shin soukoku was proving more and more adept at each mission. Dazai would swear it almost seemed like Atsushi was looking forward to those missions and he’d even mentioned bringing in Akutagawa when a case didn’t strictly need it.

“Ah,” Akutagawa breathes out, and that’s when Dazai realizes the door to Atsushi’s cabin is open and his little mentee is finally stepping out. Dazai clocks Akutagawa’s eyes widening and the man even takes a few steps down the stairs without breaking eye contact with Atsushi.

Ha, he might have a chance at winning this after all.

The outfit Atsushi has chosen for tonight, for meeting their target, doesn’t leave skin exposed, but it flatters him. He’s wearing a white shirt with a ribbed bib that’s tight enough to hint at muscle underneath. The sleeves balloon out but are cuffed tight just past his elbows. He’s wearing a gray half corset and tight black pants as well. There’s no hinting at muscle with how the pants cling to him, it’s easy to see the definition in his legs. His shoes are simple black oxfords and there’s a flash of pale skin where his ankle shows. His hair is fluffy, slightly ruffled. Somehow Atsushi manages to look both confident and worldly and soft and innocent.

Atsushi steps into the hallway and doesn’t even look at Dazai.

Instead, his gaze is fixed on Akutagawa. They’re a good twenty feet apart but neither of them move as they just… look.

Dazai takes a sip of his drink and thinks, Feast your eyes on this Akutagawa. You have to know I’m going to win now.

He throws a smug grin in Akutagawa’s direction, but he has not stopped looking at Atsushi yet.

Atsushi takes a few steps forward. “That’s - you - you look really nice.”

“As do you, weretiger,” Akutagawa says.

He holds out a hand for Atsushi and he steps forward and takes it as they start heading up the stairs. Dazai sees then that Atsushi is wearing black gloves to complete his ensemble.

Dazai narrows his eyes in suspicion as he follows.

“Boys,” he warns as they get to the top of the stairs and start to head into the common area. “You’re supposed to be seducing our target,” he says. Not each other, is left implied.

Atsushi pulls his hand back and Akutagawa throws a look to Dazai over his shoulder. It might be the nastiest look he’s ever received, and that is saying something.

Dazai decides the safe thing to do would be to keep an eye from Atsushi from afar. He scuttles over to the bar and gets a refill.

Chuuya is there too, of course. He should have guessed that’s where his partner was.

They both get their drinks, then retreat to a table in the corner. The main dining area has been cleared of its usual seats in favor of a few tables, a dance floor, and some games and snacks. They were still docked, so this was a chance to be social and get to know the other passengers before disembarking.

After making sure no one else was close enough to overhear, Dazai says, “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”

“Hm?” Chuuya takes a sip of his wine and looks over to Dazai with a deceitfully nonplussed expression. He looks good too, Dazai notes. He’s dressed down from his usual hodgepodge of accessories and in just red pants and a loose black top. The only part of his usual outfit he’s wearing is the collar. Dazai looks at it, dark against a pale throat, then turns his attention back to Atsushi.

He’s still with Akutagawa as the two of them grab a drink. He sees Akutagawa order for them both, then they get their own table close to Imai.

“Dressing him like that,” he says.

“Akutagawa went to Kouyou on his own. I was a little surprised to see him take such initiative, given how reluctant he was to accept at first,” Chuuya says.

“Huh. Interesting.” Dazai grins. “Anyways, I’ve got a more important thing to discuss than just this mission. We need to get them together.”

Chuuya does a spit take with his wine.

Dazai hands him a napkin and waits for a response to what he said.

“You think we need to help set them up?” Chuuya asks. His face is incredulous and Dazai is very proud of himself for both surprising Chuuya and his planned machinations.

“Yes! Look at them. They’re just both too awkward to do anything about it. We should fix that.”

Chuuya is staring openly at him now. “... Sure. Sure. Let’s do that. Why not? This will be hilarious.”

Dazai beams. “Great! Come to my cabin after this and we can come up with a game plan.”

“I can’t wait,” Chuuya says dryly before sauntering off to get a refill on his wine.

Chapter Text

It’d been a while since Akutagawa had gone to a party like this. Everyone dressed to the nines, alcohol flowing, and an expectation to be chatty. They weren’t his scene and even though Mori occasionally liked to have his high ranking members partake in something like this, he was usually excused. As a general rule, most people didn’t want him in a room he also didn’t want to be in.

This was also a room he didn’t want to be in, but it was at least made bearable by Atsushi at his side. The two of them were on the same side of the table and looking at Imai as he entertained a woman in a green dress.

“Do you want to try first?” he asks Atsushi.

“What do you say to someone to seduce them?” Atsushi asks.

Akutagawa snorts. “Are you trying to seduce him?”

“Well, I figured that’s what we’re doing right? I mean, to get him to talk about what he wants.”

“You just need to get him to talk, weretiger.” Akutagawa knows he’s scowling now and he tries not to, but he cannot help his expression. “Do not actually seduce him. As if you even could.”

“I absolutely could! Everyone keeps treating me with kid gloves. I can do this!”

“You think?” he asks.

“I know!” Atsushi shoots back. He glares at Akutagawa, throws back his champagne and marches across the room to introduce himself to Imai.

He is back in less than two minutes.

Akutagawa, who watched the entire interaction, is almost shaking with barely repressed glee.

“So, how did it go?”

“Shove it,” Atsushi glowers. He grabs a new flute of champagne off a waiter before sinking his head in his hands.

“That could have gone better,” Akutagawa points out.

“You’re so mean.”

“So, was spilling your wine on him part of the plan?” Atsushi is quiet so Akutagawa continues, “And what did you say to him? He looked… he looked like he was pitying you. That could be a valid tactic I suppose.”

“I asked if he came here often.”

“That’s what you came up with?”

“You come up with something better!”

“I will,” Akutagawa tells him.

He returns to a laughing Atsushi three minutes later.

“I don’t want to talk about it, weretiger.”

Atsushi is laughing too hard to even try and mock him, yet somehow that’s worse.

“Well, at least he knows who we are now,” Atsushi points out when he’s finally able to stop laughing at Akutagawa’s attempt. “It can only go up from here.”

Akutagawa grimaces, but silently he agrees. “Why are you so determined to succeed? I would think this would be a mission you’d happily allow me to take the lead on.”

“Dazai promised me some of the proceeds if we actually get the loot. I’m going to use it to take Kyouka to Disney.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah! What about you? Why do you care if Dazai eats vegetables? I mean, I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t mind if that’s the outcome either. I tried making him a bento last week but he just gave it to Kunikida.” A waiter comes by with a plate of hors derves. Atsushi takes the the entire plate and starts eating the individually toothpicked meatballs one by one.

“Don’t eat so fast, you’re going to choke on a toothpick. Also, you’ve never brought me a bento.” Akutagawa takes one from the tray and chews it before saying, “And it’s a matter of pride.”

“Uh-huh,” Atsushi says in a tone indicating he didn’t believe a single thing coming from Akutagawa’s mouth. “And definitely not because you wanted to see me dressed all pretty,” he finishes. He fiddles with his sleeves.

“Nope,” Akutagawa says. He looks to Atsushi out of the corner of his eye and the weretiger is grinning at him. He looks away rather than risk any sort of concession.

“Hey, Akutagawa, why is your sister here?”

“She’s not.”

“I know what your sister looks like.”

Akutagawa looks at where Atsushi is looking and spots, yep, his sister. She’s got her hair down and is wearing a striking red dress. Next to her is Tachihara who is dressed… like Tachihara. Hirotsu is there as well. The only concession he’s made to his normal outfit is epaulets, but he at least doesn’t look as out of place as Tachihara.

The three of them were toasting together and then Tachihara stepped away to go grab a slider from a waiter who was walking away.

As Atsushi and Akutagawa watched with mounting horror, Imai approached him. He said something to Tachihara, who was looking over his shoulder and trying to spot where the waiter with the sliders had gone. Imai tries again to get his attention, but Tachihara moves past him and then returns to Gin and Hirotsu with more food.

“Are we going to fucking lose to Tachihara?” Atsushi asks.

“We are not. It’s on. This is war.” Akutagawa glowers at Tachihara. It’s then that he and Gin make eye contact. She looks just as surprised to see him.

And what he’s wearing.

They share some brief hand signals, then he turns to Atsushi. “Looks like Mori got them berth on the ship as a reward after the success of their last job. They’re off duty.”

“How did you get that from like two hand signs?” Atsushi asks.

“It’s a very effective method of communication.”

Atsushi pinches the bridge of his nose. “Okay, great, cool. Black Lizard is here. Tachihara is apparently hotter than both of us. This can’t get any worse.”

Chapter Text

“Okay, we lock them in the supply closet together,” Dazai says as soon as Chuuya enters his cabin. Chuuya stops halfway in the door. Dazai sits up from the bed. “Chuuya! Close the door, we can’t risk them hearing.” He makes a shooing motion and those chocolate brown eyes are pleading.

He shakes his head and closes the door behind him before sinking in the seat next to the bed and propping his feet up. “What are you even talking about Dazai? Between the weretiger and Rashomon, they’ll destroy a door in two seconds.” He can’t imagine the two of them getting locked in anywhere. He’s seen them tear down buildings.

“Good point.” Dazai flops back down on the bed and groans. “I need another plan then. What do you have?”

“I have wine.”

“Great. Are they off duty?”

“Yes. They’re grabbing dinner together. After an apparently shitty start, I think they’re licking their wounds.”

Dazai snorts and sits up as Chuuya digs around the cabin and finds two glasses that he fills up liberally for them. He takes one and Dazai takes the other. As he hands it to him, he observes Dazai. He’s not drunk. He’d assumed he would be, given the drinks he saw him consume earlier. Once Dazai starts, he does not stop. But he’d asked if Atsushi and Akutagawa were off duty before taking the wine, almost as if he would have said no if they were still working on Imai.

It spoke to a maturity he didn’t normally possess.

Interesting.

“Okay, so if we can’t lock them in a closet, what if we get one of them kidnapped.”

Chuuya immediately takes back what he was just thinking re: Dazai’s maturity.

“By who? Also, I would like to request that we refrain from traumatizing either of them, but especially you traumatizing Akutagawa.”

“Okay, that’s fair. Chibi has a good point. So, hmm…”

“Why do you even care anyways?” Chuuya asks as he takes another sip of his wine. “Is this part of your grand master plan to get a new double black? Or is this some fresh hell that you’ve been intending for your puppets?”

There’s a flash of something across Dazai’s face. Dazai didn’t normally show emotions he didn’t mean to, but Chuuya knew him. He knew him better than anyone else on this goddamn planet, which wasn’t to say he knew him at all, but he could at least recognize the emotion as hurt.

His question had hurt Dazai.

Chuuya didn’t feel bad about it, he knew the question had to be asked, but it was all just … curious.

“No,” Dazai says. He’s propped up against the headboard, those lanky legs stretched out in front of him. He’s drinking his wine as well and this all has a slumber party feeling that Chuuya doesn’t know what to do with. “That’s not what this is about.” His tone is honest. Chuuya knew he wasn’t above being lied to or manipulated by Dazai, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t what was happening now.

“I just think,’ Dazai continues, “that they’re good together. As partners, or at least that was my original intention. Like we were. Are.” He’s quieter as he adds, “I think they deserve to be happy.”

Then there’s a moment, a shift. Where he goes from honesty to goofy in an instant. Chuuya doesn’t know how he does it. He liked to think he was a good actor, and Mersault did prove it, but he had nothing on Dazai, the consummate schemer.

“Doesn’t Chuuya believe in love? Are you a grinch?”

Chuuya kicks out and slams his foot into Dazai’s shin. He’s gets a yelp that’s more surprise than actual pain in response. “Shut the fuck up. Okay fine, mackerel. We can do your shitty plan. Let’s try and do this without leaving either of them further traumatized.”

Dazai’s eyes are shining as he sits up, even as he’s holding the shin Chuuya kicked to his chest. “Really? You’re on board?” His eyes are shining. It’s a side of Dazai that he hasn’t seen in quite a while. And now that he’s seeing it again, he realized he’d missed it. “This is going to be so much fun!”

Chuuya snorts. “Sure. This is going to go terribly, but I want to watch.” If that meant he had to join Dazai in his scheming to make sure this plan didn’t end with the boat sinking, then so be it.

“Yay!” Dazai throws his hands up and even though his wine glass is mostly empty at this point, the dregs splatter.

On Chuuya.

Chuuya looks at Dazai.

Dazai looks back.

Chuuya slowly sets down his glass.

Dazai scooches over to the other side of the bed.

Chuuya lunges.

Fifteen minutes later, Chuuya leaves the room. Atsushi is heading back into his cabin, which is next door to Dazai’s.

“Ah, hi Chuuya!” he says. The kid is smiling. He looks to be in a good mood, despite his earlier failed attempt. Atsushi looks from him to Dazai’s door. “Is … Dazai okay?” Chuuya shuts the door before Dazai can attempt to call for help.

“We were just discussing the mission,” Chuuya says, maybe a touch too quick.

“Of course. Well, good night,” he says as he disappears into his room. Chuuya shakes his head and heads down the hall to get to his own cabin.

As he does so, he passes by Aktuagawa’s door. There’s something in front of it, and he pauses to look.

It’s a bento.

Interesting.

Chapter Text

He emerges from his cabin and looks down the hall. Dazai’s door is still shut and he sees no sign of Chuuya or Akutagawa. Well, it’s a chance to explore the yacht. Atsushi is reminded of the party they had after the end of the guild incident, except rather than having the boat for a few hours, they’re now going to be on here for days. So many missions ended up with him getting shot, stabbed, or losing a limb. This was a nice change.

This level seemed to just be cabins, but he did a full loop to confirm. None of his companions had emerged in the time it took him to do the circle. Atsushi wasn’t surprised. He was more of a morning person than any of them.

He took the stairs to the next level. This was where the food was served. Most of it was cafeteria style, though the tables had white tablecloths and even the silverware was gold. He grabbed a muffin and ate it as he went up to the next level. This one had an outer ring that was exposed to the outside.

A few people were out there, enjoying the morning sun and playing a game that seemed to involve shoving a puck around with a stick.

Including Imai.

Atsushi watched him for a moment. He was in a silk suit today, comprised of blue fabric. It almost looked like pajamas, but he guessed it probably cost more than he made at the ADA in a month. He was watching another couple play the game, but he was alone as he leaned against the deck.

It was a perfect opportunity.

Atsushi was glad he’d still dressed up this morning. Today’s outfit was a little more casual, a black twill shirt that came down to his midthighs. The white stitching and clinched waist gave it interest. He wore shorts underneath, but they were short enough that the shirt extended further. Atsushi knew that the entire outfit was a thinly veiled excuse to show off his thighs, but he couldn’t be indignant. He worked hard for those thighs, what with his training with Kunikida and all the life and death fights.

“Hello, Imai, wasn’t it?” he said as he approached.

Imai definitely recognized him from last night, but he also took a moment to look Atsushi up and down. Sure enough, his gaze lingered on his thighs for just a beat too long, then he gave Atsushi a lazy grin.

“Ah, you again. Should I be glad you don’t have any wine in hand today?”

Atsushi can feel his cheeks flush. “Well, no, I mean, it’s like eight in the morning and I am so sorry about that and -”

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Imai is chuckling and holds up his hands in defense. “My apologies, I’m just teasing. Atsushi, you said it was?”

Oh, so he did remember his name from last night. That was good.

“Yes, Nakajima Atsushi. Nice to see you again.”

“Nice to see you as well,” he says with another look to Atsushi’s thighs. Then his attention is back on him. “Are you enjoying yourself? I take a lot of pride in providing my guests with a world class experience.”

“Your guests?” Atsushi asks, though he already knows Imai owns the yacht. He allows his eyes to grow wide, as though he’s impressed. Okay, maybe he is actually a little impressed. That part he doesn’t need to fake.

“Yes, I own this ship. I know a lot of people just throw money at things, but I like to make sure my guests get a personal touch. I decide on the decorations and the food, all of that myself. I rather like pretty things,” he says.

He’s flirting. Atsushi can see the look on Kyouka’s face when he tells her they’re going to Disney. Maybe they can bring Kenji as well.

Atsushi brushes a bang behind his ear and leans against the rail. “Well, everything I’ve seen thus far has been gorgeous,” he says. What to say next? He needs to get Imai to talk about the things he’s smuggling, but he can’t just ask about it. Atsushi hesitates and it’s a moment too long because the people playing the game finish.

“Imai, you were going to take down the winner, right?” he asks. He hands the pole out and Imai takes it.

“My apologies, Atsushi, my record is on the line. I’ll see you around though?”

Atsushi nods. He should be upset that this opportunity is over, but he is quite okay with a chance to back out of this conversation. He goes back inside, then to the dining room. He’s still hungry.

“Atsushi, there you are!” Dazai drapes an arm around Atsushi’s shoulder as soon as he steps through the doors.

“Ah, Dazai! I was just speaking with Imai, I think I made some prog -”

Dazai waves his hand, silencing Atsushi. “We can talk about that later. Look over there, doesn’t Akutagawa look lovely?”

He motions across the room where Akutagawa is sitting against the window. He does look lovely. He’s in an outfit not dissimilar from what Atsushi wore last night, but on Akutagawa the look is ethereal. His white shirt is loose and flows, but in contrast, the pants are very tight. They’re high waisted and as Atsushi looks at him, Akutagawa crosses his legs and Atsushi has to look away before he gets even more red.

Dazai is watching Atsushi and Atsushi backtracks mentally to what he said. “Are you … I wouldn’t let Akutagawa know you were checking him out. I don’t think he’ll like that.”

Dazai jolts as if shocked. “What? No - I - I’m not interested. I just thought you should notice. I mean, I bet he’d appreciate a compliment. As his partner.”

Dazai turns. Flees. That’s really the only word Atsushi can think to describe what Dazai does as he leaves the room.

Atsushi shakes his head and grabs some food before going to take the seat next to Akutagawa.

“You look nice,” he says. “I like the buttons.”

Akutagawa looks up from his breakfast. “Thank you.” He looks around the room. “Where did Dazai go? I thought I saw him earlier.”

“He ran away after being super weird.”

“Should we be concerned?”

“I don’t think so? Oh! I spoke with Imai. He hit on me,” Atsushi says very smugly.

Akutagawa looks up with narrowed eyes. Once upon a time that look would have made Atsushi balk. It does not any longer. “He what?”

“We were interrupted, but at least now I’m more than just the guy that spilled wine all over him!”

Akutagawa narrows his eyes. “Great. Lovely.”

“You’re just jealous because I’m going to Disney.”

“... Sure.”

Atsushi grins at his partner and receives nothing but a surly look in response.

Chapter Text

Dazai goes to find Chuuya. His former partner is outside, enjoying the fresh sea breeze. Or maybe not so much enjoying it, judging from disgruntled expression on his face.

“Did Chuuya have too much wine last night?” he teases as he gets close. Chuuya, who has his back to him as he leans over the rail, flicks him off. “Oh,” Dazai says. “Seasick?”

Chuuya doesn’t give him an answer, but he doesn’t need to. Dazai goes to his side and grabs his arm. Chuuya watches and there is suspicion in his gaze, but he allows it. He measures out three fingers from the wrist to the middle of his forearm and presses. Sky blue eyes watch and track the motion, but he still does not pull back. When did they get to this point? Their relationship had been all over the map from when they were fifteen up until today. Enemies, friends, partners, rivals. There wasn’t an emotion on this earth that Dazai hadn’t felt for Chuuya at some point or another.

But now?

Not enemies.

Friends?

He couldn’t - wouldn’t - ask.

Dazai does not care to ask questions when he doesn’t already know the answer.

So he does not ask.

“Is that better?” he asks after a moment.

“Hm? Oh - yeah, it is.” Chuuya looks surprised. His gaze flicks from Dazai to his arm, as Dazai slowly lets go, almost as if he’s reluctant to remove his hand from Chuuya’s skin. At least Chuuya looks slightly less green around the edges now.

“Pressure point. Helps with nausea.”

“Huh. I thought I knew all the pressure points,” Chuuya remarks as he looks at his arm. He presses on the same spot where Dazai’s hand just was, as though marking the spot to memory.

“You probably know all the ones for killing someone. This one doesn’t do that,” Dazai says. It’s true. He’s seen Chuuya knock someone out with just a thumb and the knowledge of where to strike. It’s apparently something he taught to Akutagawa, judging from Atsushi’s wide eyed recollection of telling Dazai how Akutagawa was now knocking people out with Rashomon, instead of killing them.

“That’s fair!” Chuuya laughs and Dazai just … watches. He can’t remember the last time he saw Chuuya laugh. It’s a full body laugh, head tilted back and little fang like teeth on full display. Dazai is staring and he has to make himself look away before Chuuya catches him.

“I think Atsushi made some progress on the mission today,” he says when Chuuya turns away and leans with his back to the railing. Dazai copies his pose, standing next to him. They’re arm to arm.

“You think?” Chuuya asks.

“Yeah. He said something about it, but I was trying to give him a hint to go to Akutagawa. He thought I was hitting on him.”

“On Atsushi? Or Akutagawa? Either way, I bet you freaked him out.”

“On Akutagawa. He did tell me not to, so maybe that’s good?”

Chuuya is staring at him and Dazai is beginning to suspect he said something wrong.

“You… you don’t get romance do you?”

“Chuuya is so mean! I get romance. I’m the king of romance.” Dazai grins, effortless and charming. It’s a look he’s got down pat.

“When was the last time you had a relationship last more than hmm… say, a week?”

Dazai gasps indignantly, but does not say anything in response. Chuuya smirks.

Dazai crosses his arms across his chest and says, “Okay, maybe chibi has a point. Maybe I’m not so good at the … actual romance stuff. Not the flattery part or the seduction, but actual romance?” He shrugs. “Beats me.” It was a confession he’d never made out loud before. He knew how to get a woman to go home with him at a bar. The right mix of endearing and attractive and a smile, wink, and nod. But actual love? If it actually existed, it’d been eluding him thus far.

There’s a pause. He does not dare look at Chuuya. He cannot bear to see his face right now. He does not know how this information that he’d shared will land. He is content in the not knowing.

It’s then that Atsushi and Akutagawa come up the stairs. They’re walking side by side and too absorbed in a conversation for either to even notice Dazai or Chuuya as they walk past.

He hears, “-I think it might work.”

“Weretiger, if you even think about trying to wear bandages on your nose like Tachihara I will refuse to be seen in public with you-”

And then the conversation fades as they round the corner, still bickering. Despite the fact that they’re apparently arguing, they’re leaning into each other, as though no one else on the boat exists. Dazai remembers what that felt like. When he and Chuuya really got into it, bantering back and forth and nothing else mattered. It was just him and Chuuya and they might disagree, but it was always so fun.

As they go Dazai comments, “Okay, what if we get them kidnapped together?”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Dazai. No.”

Chapter Text

It was one thing to be going head to head with Atsushi in a contest to get information, but another thing entirely for Tachihara to be thrown into the mix. He will not lose to Tachihara, especially if Tachihara doesn’t even know they’re competing.

“It’d be humiliating,” he tells Gin.

She hums and doesn’t even pretend to stop reading her book. She’s been reading it the entire time he’s been complaining.

The two of them are in Gin’s cabin. It’s a lot nicer than his, with a double bed and even a balcony. This is the ADA’s mission technically, so they came on the ADA’s budget. Next time he’ll just pay the extra cost because his cabin is a shoebox. The entire thing was made even more infuriating because Atsushi kept bringing up how nice everything is, from the decor, to the room, to the food. As if anything on this tacky boat was ‘nice’.

“Then why don’t you go and win the bet instead of complaining to me?” Gin finally responds when she finishes their chapter. She closes the book and sets it on the end table.

Akutagawa rolls onto his side and props up his head with his elbow. “The last thing I want to do is go try and flirt with Imai.”

“Not when there’s Atsushi on board?” she teases.

He grabs a pillow and throws it at her face. “Not the point. This is solely a matter of pride.”

“Then why are you here when it sounds like Atsushi is winning?”

“Can’t I want to spend time with my favorite sibling?”

“I’m your only sibling,” Gin retorts. “And I think you’re just sulking and not wanting to admit that other people find Atsushi attractive.”

Akutagawa grabs the pillow he’d just thrown, presses it to his face, and groans.

They continue, “Go. Shoo. Go win your stupid bet so we can just enjoy the rest of this cruise. Or rather, so you can enjoy it. I’m already having a great time. I’m on vacation, leave me alone.”

Akutagawa is still grumbling, but he flicks her off and gets off her bed. He leaves the room and goes to find Imai. He does not.

Instead he finds Atsushi on the top deck. He’s playing a game by himself, chucking a beanbag through a hole and then fetching it before doing it all over again. Akutagawa watches from the stairwell for a moment. His partner is like a dog chasing his own tail, yet he seems to be having the time of his life.

When he spots Akutagawa, he beams. “Hey! Want to play with me?”

“Aren’t we supposed to be working?” Work was the last thing Akutagawa wanted right now. He approaches and takes one of the bags that Atsushi offers.

“I couldn’t find him so I figured I’d check out what’s what on the ship. I found this. It’s really fun.” Akutagawa couldn’t see how any part of this was enjoyable, but he could appease the weretiger. He stands by one board and chucks the beanbag. It goes wide.

Atsushi throws one as well and his lands directly in the hole. “My point!”

He trots over to Akutagawa’s side of the game to fetch it. As he reaches through the hole to grab the bag he says casually, “I think Dazai is trying to set us up.”

Akutagawa chokes on air.

“He’s what?”

“Trying to set us up,” Atsushi says as he goes over to his side of the board. “Either that or he’s trying to hit on us both and I don’t think that’s what’s happening. It’s your turn by the way.”

Akutagawa shakes his head, though he’s still reeling. This time when he throws the bag, it at least lands near the hole.

“What do you want to do about it?” he asks. There’s a million other questions running through his mind, but he looks to Atsushi. The weretiger has his next beanbag in hand and he’s lining up his shot. As he concentrates he’s licking his lips and narrowing his eyes. It almost reminds Akutagawa of a tiger stalking its prey.

When he throws, he makes it again.

Akutagawa groans. He’s losing left and right nowadays. At least he feels like he’s winning something, as Atsushi eyes his current outfit when he goes to pick up his bag. The tight pants don’t give him the greatest mobility, but people certainly seemed to notice.

“I mean… we could - hm,” Atsushi says. He shifts from foot to foot as he thinks. Always in motion. “We could try what we discussed earlier?” he suggests.

Akutagawa feels a grin slowly creep across his face. “We could. Set them up, you mean? Yes. Yes, I think this is a great opportunity.”

Atsushi crinkles his nose in delight. Those stunning gold and purple eyes are dancing in his face as he gives a small fist pump. “This is going to be so much fun!”

“What’s going to be fun?” Chuuya asks. He’s coming up the stairs and looking between the two of them. Dazai is behind him, brown hair ruffling in the sea breeze.

Atsushi stops his moving around and places both hands behind his back. At some point Akutagawa is going to have to teach him a thing or two about being subtle. The weretiger does not have a subtle bone in his body. “Uh - playing this game. Two on two! C’mon, play with us.”

“You’re on!” Chuuya grins. Atsushi bounds to collect their bags. He hands a few over to Dazai and goes over the rules of the game. As he returns back to Akutagawa’s side their eyes meet and they share a smile, just between the two of them.

Dazai and Chuuya won’t know what hit them.

Chapter Text

Chuuya straightened his cuff and took another look at his reflection in the mirror. He generally didn’t consider himself a vain man, but he had his moments. That he was generally regarded as attractive wasn’t something he could avoid. It wasn’t the goal for tonight, he was just supposed to help Dazai keep an eye on Atsushi and Akutagawa, but he couldn’t miss a chance to dress up. Kouyou had been delighted when he’d asked for some outfit suggestions and she had delivered.

The top he wore now was a Chinese style hanfu. The deep red silk had bamboo embroidered down the front. The collar was high and fit snugly against his neck. If he wasn’t already very familiar with wearing a collar, it might be claustrophobic, but Chuuya shrugged it off.

He adjusted the cuffs and turned so he could look at his back. This was where the tradition of the garment fell away. The back was open, exposed to show his spine. A silver chain extended from his shoulders, down his spine, then separated to hold up the back, but then separated again to hook in near his hips. He wasn’t the honeypot for this mission, but he very well could be. He didn’t though. Tonight was just for fun. This entire mission was just for fun. A stupid bet, no real stakes. He supposed he could care for this man having the audacity to run goods through Yokohama, but he didn’t really care.

Perhaps if he tries to tell himself again that tonight held no meaning and he didn’t care at all what happened, it might stop his heart from beating so rabbit fast.

You don’t care.

This mission doesn’t matter.

There’s a knock at the door.

“Chuuya, let’s gooooo,” Dazai whines. He hates the whine, needy and high pitched. And relaxed. Not a care in the world. Dazai had played at aloof back when they’d been in the Port Mafia together, but he had never let his guard down. It was funny. Chuuya knew Dazai. He knew him like the back of his hand. When he saw him chained up in the Port Mafia’s basement a year ago, they still knew each other’s attack patterns, their movements, their capabilities. He still does. Yet this Dazai, a detective, trying to do good, wanting the best for other people - he was an enigma.

“Right, give me a moment!” Chuuya takes a final look in the mirror. Only when he was sure every thread was in place did he open the door to look at Dazai. His partner. The man he knew better than himself. A complete mystery.

“Woah,” he said before he could stop himself. Dazai deserved that reaction though. Chuuya wasn’t the only one who’d gone over the top for tonight.

He’s in a dark blouse, tight over the chest but voluminous at the sleeves. It’s patterned with blue roses and intricate dark lace. In contrast to the flowing top, his dark slacks are tight and simple.

“You look amazing Chuuya,” Dazai says. Unlike Chuuya, he does not balk after giving the compliment. Chuuya blinks a few times as though coming out of his trance, then he smiles.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you dressed up in a while. It’s a good look Dazai.”

Oh and Dazai beams at his words as though a compliment from Chuuya meant the world to him.

“Thank you! Now let’s go, our little mentees are already heading up to dinner. I’ve got some plans for the … thing we discussed earlier.”

“Oh, now you’re being coy about trying to get them to hook up?”

“Chuuya is so crass!” Dazai says. “I’m talking about getting them to - huh, well not fall in love. But realize it?”

“Yeah, crazy that they’re so close and don’t realize what they’re feeling.”

“Right?” Dazai says. They keep talking as they head up the stairs and to the main dining hall. The buffett area from earlier has turned into what looks more like a nice steakhouse. The seating is open, and Atsushi and Akutagawa have already grabbed a table next to Imai’s. As they watch, Imai leans over to their table and seems to share a joke with Atsushi.

Akutagawa’s eyes narrow.

“Perfect,” Dazai says.

“You know, maybe inciting Akutagawa to be jealous isn’t the most healthy way to get them together,” Chuuya points out.

Dazai pauses, as though processing the information, then shrugs. “No, this is more fun.”

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Chuuya rolls his eyes but grabs a seat and Dazai joins him. They make sure they have a good angle on the other pair. Not that either of them really need protection. For Akutagawa to need someone to step in, he’d have to disrobe and Chuuya knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that’d happen. For Atsushi to need help, he’d … actually, he seemed to have a pretty good grip on the weretiger’s power. Without an ability, Imai would be demolished instantly.

Which of course lead to the question of why he and Dazai were here in the first place.

Yet as Dazai started to talk, recounting the story of his last ADA job to Chuuya, Chuuya found he didn’t really mind. Dazai was bragging of course, talking about how his astute observations lead to the criminal’s apprehension, but it was cute.

Cute?

Chuuya flushes and grabs a glass of wine as Dazai says, “-so of course I knew that the soil on his shoes couldn’t have come from a graveyard in Yokohama and -”

He’s still draining the glass when a waiter steps to their table. Chuuya’s eyes flick to the menu he hasn’t looked at yet, but that doesn’t seem to be what the waiter is there for. Instead he puts down a bottle of red wine and a matching ruby rose.

“I don’t think we ordered this,” Chuuya says.

“It’s from a secret admirer,” the waiter says. “I’m to deliver the message that ‘it’s for the gorgeous redhead’.” He smiles, opens the cork, then leaves them. Chuuya raises an eyebrow, then looks to Dazai. His eyes are narrowed and lips are pursed into a frown. The displeasure is clear on his face, but Chuuya isn’t quite sure what he’s upset about. Probably that his story was interrupted.

“What?” he asks.

“Nothing,” Dazai says. “Are you sure that’s safe to drink?”

“It’s fine.” Dazai is still glowering, and Chuuya doesn’t know what has made him so uptight. Things had been going okay, or at least that’s what it had seemed like.

Chuuya pours the wine into his glass, then Dazai’s.

“Cheers?”

Dazai blinks as though Chuuya has interrupted a train of thought. For a moment he thought Dazai might refuse, but he picks up his glass and clinks it against Chuuya’s.

“Cheers,” he says.

Then he smiles and they both drink.

It’s not a bad wine, but younger than he usually drinks. Dazai drinks as well, and that smile is still on his face.

Chapter Text

“Did he get it? Atsushi asks. He tries to look out of the corner of his eye, but he can’t quite manage to get a good view and he doesn’t want to risk turning around entirely. He fiddles with his fork as he waits for an answer.

“Yes,” Akutagawa says. He starts to take another bite of his steak and then kicks Atsushi under the table. “Stop twisting around, you’re going to make it obvious!”

Atsushi pouts and Akutagawa rolls his eyes. “Does Dazai at least look jealous?” Atsushi asks.

“... Yes. Hm, that part does seem to have worked.” Akutagawa looks begrudgingly impressed.

“Told you so,” Atsushi crows. “You said Dazai would see right through it, but he’s got the biggest blind spot in the world when it comes to Chuuya.”

Atutagawa kicks him under the table again.

“What was that for?”

“For being an insufferable weretiger. Now focus.” Akutagawa shifts his gaze over to the side, in the direction of Imai’s table. He’d spoken to Atsushi when they first got here, but the weretiger had brushed him off in favor of orchestrating a bottle being sent. Now that his task was complete, he could refocus on the actual reason he was here.

Atsushi nods, then looks at Imai's table. They immediately make eye contact. Atsushi jolts a little, then looks at his meal, at the wall, at anywhere but Imai because he was definitely making eyes at Atsushi and he’s not quite sure how to deal with that. Akutagawa snorts.

Right, the bet. He should… should he flirt?

He catches Akutagawa’s eye, and his partner is doing his best not to laugh at him. He covers his mouth with a hand and tries to hide a smile, but Atsushi sees through him. ‘Not funny’ he mouths to him.

Oh, but then Akutagawa is openly smiling now, and sure it’s cruel and evil and vindictive, but he’s stunning. His outfit for tonight is just as gorgeous as he is, silken white pants and lace and black beading and a long white jacket with the same beading. He looks good in white. He’s even put on some eyeliner and a pale pink glass adorns his lips.

His own outfit is also white - or would it be considered more cream? His shirt is a sheer mesh that Yosano gave him and said he could thank her later for. Atsushi still isn’t quite sure what that means. His pants are white as well, so he added a little red eyeshadow for some color. Kenji had been the one to suggest he do so, back during a new years party a few months back and he’d liked the look.

“How’s it going?”

Atsushi jumps out of his thoughts and into the present when Chuuya slides into the seat between Atsushi and Akutagawa.

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Akutagawa asks. His voice is dry, but Chuuya doesn’t seem to notice. He’s even brought his own plate along, as though he plans to spend the rest of the meal with them.

“I’m coming over here to enjoy my wine. Dazai is being a pill.”

Now Atsushi does look over to Dazai, who is frowning. Atsushi has never seen Dazai look so displeased, at least without being actively stabbed or something.

“Maybe you could try and -”

“-I’m not trying anything when he’s being all pissy,” Chuuya says. He’s speaking slightly too loud and a few people are looking in their direction. Chuuya does not notice and he pours himself another glass of wine. He has brought the bottle with him.

Atsushi and Akutagawa do not dare look at each other.

“Chuuya,” Akutagawa starts.

“Don’t ‘Chuuya’, me in that tone,” the ginger snaps.

Atsushi looks at the bottle of wine. It’s half gone. He knows he can be considered a lightweight, but just half a bottle and Chuuya’s tipsy? He shakes his head and looks around for Dazai.

“Is there a problem?” Imai has turned in his chair to look at them, given Chuuya’s loud tone.

Atsushi gives him the brightest smile he can manage and says, “Oh, no, we’re-”

“Mind your own business,” Chuuya says.

Atsushi sees it then. That double look Imai gave. He’s not a subtle man and he’s very clearly checking Chuuya out.

“Pardon,” Dazai drawls. He’s finally joined the scene.

Now Atsushi does share a look with Akutagawa, but the other man seems just as floundering as Atsushi feels right now.

“Chuuya, look,” Dazai starts. He is not paying attention to anyone but Chuuya. “I wasn’t saying that you’re not pretty enough to get a secret admirer. I’m just saying there are no obvious culprits, therefore the bottle of wine is likely coming from someone with ill intentions and you shouldn’t drink it.”

Chuuya looks him in the eye and takes another sip.

“Maybe you two could discuss this elsewhere?” Atsushi tries to suggest. “Right Akutagawa?”

“No, I think this is the best place to have this conversation.” This time it’s Atsushi’s turn to kick him under the table.

“Are these friends of yours Atsushi?” Imai asks.

“Never met them,” Atsushi says.

At the same time, Dazai says, “Yep!”

Atsushi buries his head in his hands. “I wish I didn’t know you. On a daily basis, but especially right now.”

“Yeah, well unfortunately we ALL have to deal with Dazai’s bullshit.”

“Chibi is so mean when he’s drunk!”

“Well shitty mackerel, if you weren’t so goddamn insufferable, maybe I wouldn’t need to drink!”

Atsushi got the impression he was at a tennis match, watching two star players go toe to toe.

Imai does not seem to feel the same, and Dazai and Chuuya were kindly asked to leave. By security. They go, but without missing a beat of hurling insults at each other.

Atsushi and Akutagwa take their time to finish their food, but then duck out after them to make sure neither murdered the other during their spat.

As they leave the dining hall, Akutagawa says, “Did you see the way he looked at Chuuya? Maybe he likes people who are a little mean to him.”

“I wouldn’t know what that’s like,” Atsushi comments dryly.

“Shut up, weretiger.”

Chapter Text

Dazai was used to not being understood. That wasn’t anything new. He’d say something and then realize he had to backtrack to explain in a way someone else could follow his train of thought. His intelligence was a weapon he’d trained, thinking in circles around his enemies. It was a game and he always came out on top.

He just… didn’t expect it from Chuuya. Chuuya was one of the few exceptions, one of the few people who could see where he was going with a thought or plan before he got there. So how come he was being so pissy now? All Dazai had done was point out that the bottle of wine was possibly from an assassin. It wasn’t likely but it was possible. Trying to get past Chuuya’s defenses with flattery would be how he’d make an attempt on his life, so by pointing that out he was just helping.

It had quickly become apparently Chuuya didn’t see it that way. They’d argued over dinner, then at Atsushi and Akutagawa’s table, then in the hall, then outside their rooms until Chuuya had finally stormed off.

It was only then that Dazai realized he might have misjudged the situation.

Knock, knock.

He sits straight up. “Come in, slug! Ready to apologize?”

The door opens, but it is not Chuuya who enters. Instead it’s Atsushi who stands in his door frame. He’s dressed as he did during dinner, with the sheer white shirt and red eyeshadow.

“Hey, Dazai.”

He moves to sit on the edge of the bed, next to Dazai. “I wanted to check in on you.”

Dazai crosses his arm across his chest. “I’m fine. Chuuya is the one being unreasonable.”

He observes as Atsushi’s eye twitches. “Right. Of course. But did you maybe think that you insulted him a little?”

“I’m just saying if I was going to assassinate Chuuya, appealing to his vanity and then poisoning him would be my likely method.”

Atsushi blinks. Then with all the patience he can muster says, “Okay and can you think about why telling Chuuya that might have been insulting? Especially given his rank and skills?”

“It’s fine, Atsushi. We have these fights all the time. They’re harmless.”

“Do you really think so? Look, you said you were able to come out on top against Fyodor because you trusted your friends. Maybe you can try doing that when it’s not just a case of life and death?”

Dazai is quiet. He pulls up his legs and crosses them before setting his arms on his hands. Atsushi is right. This doesn’t feel… well, he doesn’t like sitting with this feeling. He doesn’t like knowing that Chuuya is mad at him. They’ve argued before, sure, there was hardly a topic they couldn’t hold a spirited debate about, but this felt different.

It felt like he’d actually hurt Chuuya’s feelings.

That was an odd thought. Chuuya knew better than to allow Dazai to do that. He knows that Dazai leaves nothing but destruction in his wake. Chuuya of all people knows that best of all.

“No, I suppose not.”

Atsushi reaches out and wraps one arm around him in a sideways hug. Dazai startles for a second, then just allows it. He doesn’t quite return it, but he allows Atsushi to hold him for a moment before letting go. He's a good hugger.

“When did you get so good at all this?” Dazai asks, half as a distraction from how his cheeks flush. He’s not normally a person people hug, and most ability users stay far away from contact with him once they know what he can do. Atsushi was an exception though. The boy swallowed affection like he was starving.

“Well, you are the one who paired me with the most ill tempered man in Yokohama. Literally talking to anyone else is a walk in the park.” Atsushi smiles fondly as he speaks.

Dazai laughs at that. “I guess you’re right. I don’t know how you manage.”

Atsushi grins. “I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. Now shoo. Go apologize to Chuuya,” he says. He reaches out and nudges Dazai’s knee.

“Fine!” Dazai sniffs and stands imperially. He pauses for a moment. “Thank you.” There’s a million different things he could and probably should say, but he doesn’t have the words. Dazai is not frequently in a position where he doesn’t have the words. When it does happen, it’s usually in reference to Chuuya.

“Of course. Now, go!”

Dazai laughs and goes to leave as Atsushi follows behind. Before they split he says, “Oh, by the way, your … uh, is that lip gloss? It’s very pretty, but doesn’t match the eyeshadow”

Atsushi looks taken aback, then touches his lips. A pink gloss clings to the tip of his fingers and he blinks before giving Dazai a smile. “Right, thanks. I’ll take it off.”

Dazai tilts his head. There’s something odd in Atsushi’s tone, but he can’t place it. Maybe he can talk about it with Chuuya. Things are more fun when Chuuya’s involved.

Chapter Text

“-and another thing! You know, when we were sixteen, he-”

Akutagawa looks from Chuuya’s back to over his shoulder. No one is coming to save him from this conversation. They split so Atsushi could speak with Dazai alone. At the time he’d been glad for it, because he sure as hell wasn’t going to console Dazai about his feelings or make hearts out of paper plates or whatever else it was that happened when Atsushi tried to get someone to speak about their feelings.

However, he was regretting agreeing to check on Chuuya. It had been five minutes since he had said hello, and he had yet to get another word in.

“- do you know what he said to me? He said ‘Chuuya’ - well, he probably called me slug or chibi or something stupid like that, but anyways -

Akutagawa is saved by the sight of Atsushi coming up the stairs. It almost makes up for the fact that Dazai is behind him. He doesn’t even notice Akutagawa as he steps onto the balcony.

Akutagawa is used to that.

Dazai’s eyes are on Chuuya. “Hey, slug,” he says. It sounds entirely too chipper. Akutagawa can easily tell it’s an act, so obviously Chuuya can as well. He turns away from where he’d been, leaning on the railing and ranting towards the open ocean.

“Hello, mackerel,” he says. His voice is stiff and unguarded. Akutagawa looks at Atsushi. Unlike the other two men, his partner’s apprehension is easy to see. Atsushi shifts from foot to foot and his gaze darts between the two of them. Then he makes eye contact with Akutagawa. He points to his own face, then dramatically rolls his eyes, both indicating that he finds soukoku exhausting and Atsushi’s nerves draining.

Atsushi sticks his tongue out at him.

They are in agreement that they should leave though. At first their ability to read what the other was thinking came from the number of times they’d fought each other. He wasn’t sure when the scales had tipped. When he could read a battle plan in a raised eyebrow, or a request in a glance. Somewhere they’d fought alongside each other for more battles than they’d fought on opposing sides.

Which is why when Atsushi gave him a look, he knew they both needed to get out of here and let Dazai and Chuuya either talk, or try to throw each other overboard.

At this point, Akutagawa isn’t sure which he’d prefer.

He turns and flees while Atsushi does the same. He did pause at the door on their way out and Akutagawa hissed, “If you try to lock them out there, they really will kill each other.” Atsushi nods agreement and follows him.

They find themselves on one of the public decks, with some slot machines and private booths. Music blares out of tinny speakers. It’s loud and gaudy and this late at night the entire atmosphere is like a cheap club.

Akutagawa does not care for cheap clubs. He does not like the deluge of sensations, the flashing lights, the inability to be sure no one was too close behind him.

“Ah, boys!”

He jumps. Atsushi reaches out and places a hand on his lower back while Akutagawa looks over his shoulder. He knows that touch from Atsushi. It means he’s safe, that he needs to reel back in his reaction.

Akutagawa swallows and straightens out so he can face Imai. Charming. He needed to be charming. Akutagawa just barely keeps his lip from curling at the thought.

“Imai, lovely to see you. How are you doing?”

At this rate Atsushi was going to win the bet by being the only one who’d give Imai the time of day. Already Akutagawa is eyeing the exits. The speakers have switched to a pop song that he has never heard before and never wants to hear again. Even with Atsushi’s hand on his back, a physical reminder that he should not be so tense, Akutagawa’s shoulders are still almost near his ears. It helps none that Imai’s eyes are on him, on his collar, his chest. He wears the white jacket draped across his shoulders. He can summon Rashomon through it, if he needs.

“I’m so sorry, we have to go,” Atsushi says. His voice cuts through the din. Akutagawa realizes the two of them had just finished a full conversation and he’d missed all of it.

Apparently Atsushi had made up some excuse though, because he had his hand in Akutagawa’s and was steering him upstairs, to the open top deck. The night sky greets them, and no one else. Out here, the pop music does not reach. The open ocean roils around them and there’s a crisp wind tousling their hair.

“What was that about?” Akutagawa asks, as they stroll and find an alcove where they can not be heard.

Atsushi shrugs. “You weren’t having a good time.”

“We have a mission.”

Atsushi snorts and then blinks. He looks up.

“Did you see that?”

“What?” Akutagawa asks.

“There!” he jumps up and points, as though his leaping would make it easier to see.

Perhaps it works, because Akutagawa catches the tail end of a shooting star. “It’s just -”

Whatever it ‘just’ was, dies on his tongue when he sees how excited the weretiger is. Atsushi is bouncing on the balls of his feet and looking straight up, trying to spot the next one. His pupils are blown, giving him the impression of a cat looking at a Christmas tree. With the sight, Akutagawa finds himself no longer so inclined to scoff at the stars.

Instead, he looks up too. It’s true that out here the stars are drastically more visible than they are at home. To someone who grew up in the orphanage, he can see the appeal.

“Did you see it?” Atsushi asked as another darted across the horizon.

“I did, weretiger,” Akutagawa replies. He isn't lying, but his gaze does shift to Atsushi. He’s still bouncing, but his arms have come up around himself. For a moment Akutagawa thinks it a further indication of his excitement, then he sees a shiver. Right, he just has that sheer top on. It’s impossible to forget, since it shows off his lean and toned muscles.

Without a second thought, he takes off the white coat and drapes it across Atsushi’s shoulders.

“You’ll get cold,” Atsushi says.

Akutagawa shakes his head. He does not trust himself to speak without his teeth shivering.

“You’re ridiculous,” Atsushi says with a smile. He looks up again, then leans back, settling against Akutagawa. He’s a little space heater. Akutagawa takes the gift with no further arguing. Instead he just wraps his arms around the younger man, enjoys the warmth, and watches the stars.

Chapter Text

The door closes behind Akutagawa and Atsushi, leaving Dazai and Chuuya alone on this part of the deck. It’s technically public, but as it's the top level, no one else is out here due to the bloviating wind. Night has fallen since he first came out alone. Dazai is illuminated only by the bright stars, made more visible by the lack of light pollution.

Chuuya turns away. He does not need to see Dazai illuminated in moonlight. Does not need to see him with half lidded eyes and sorrow on his face. He does not want to forgive him.

Not about the comments on the wine. They’re annoying, that Dazai thinks he would drink poison and that would be that. As if he could leave this world in such an undignified way. When Chuuya dies, it will most likely be due to Arahabaki, he knows. If not his own power, then Dazai.

It seems like it’s going to be Dazai, the way he’s feeling tonight. Frustration, annoyance, betrayal. It wasn’t about the wine. A snippy, jealous comment from Dazai? That he could take.

The lack of faith?

It left Chuuya seething.

How many times had he covered for Dazai? How many times had Dazai - no offense but a gun Dazai - strolled onto a battlefield with only Chuuya as a shield. How many times had they executed plan after plan without a hitch, conversations held and plans made with just the expressions on their faces. Yet with all that, Dazai didn’t think he could be trusted with a bottle of wine.

So, he turns his back. Leans over the railing.

For long seconds, nothing happens. Chuuya is many things, but he is not a patient man, not where Dazai is concerned.

“Nothing to say?” he snaps. He looks over his shoulder and finds Dazai’s gaze is on him. Well, on his back. Dazai swallows and his gaze flits up to Chuuya’s face. Chuuya’s now smirking face. “Like what you see?”

He intends to throw Dazai off kilter, if such a thing can even be done. He does not expect Dazai to flush and nod.

For a moment the two of them just look at each other. Nothing between them but the night.

Then Dazai steps forward to he’s leaning on the railing too, though he keeps his back to the sea. Chuuya does consider just tossing him over and being done with this conversation before it really begins. But the rat bastard would probably find some way to get back to the boat and then Chuuya will have to deal with his bitching.

That still might be easier than hearing whatever comes next.

He’s expecting something diminishing. ‘Chuuya is always worked up over nothing’ As if Dazai doesn’t know how to play Chuuya’s nerves like a fiddle. Or ‘Chuuya should really know better than to let me under his skin’ Like he doesn’t know that. Like he doesn’t tell himself not to pay any attention to Dazai’s words - and then finds himself doing exactly that, over and over again.

“I’m sorry,” Dazai says. “About what I said. Regarding the wine.”

Chuuya’s train of thought derails.

“You’re what?”

Dazai pouts. “You heard me.”

“I did not, because that sounded like you just apologized without any pretense.”

Chuuya only realizes then that he did hear correctly because while Dazai is sulking, shrinking down glumly, he is not denying the words.

“I - you - ugh!” Chuuya rubs his face with his hand. “You don’t even know what I’m mad about. It’s not about the wine.”

“That I doubted you. That I implied you’re dumb muscle. You’re anything but.” Dazai brings up his arms to fold them. He’s still slouching down. It’s entirely too vulnerable a pose for him. Chuuya would never say it, but he’s been coming to like this new ADA Dazai. Someone goofy and caring. Someone who is still calculating and cruel, but trying to do better. Someone who is trying to treat Atsushi with a gentler hand than he did Akutagawa. Someone who still annoys the shit out of his partner, but still treats Kunikida with respect.

A respect Chuuya is now realizing he also gets, just not in an easily recognizable way.

Dazai is watching him out of the corner of his eye, waiting for a response.

Chuuya does not know what is going to come out of his mouth next, but he speaks anyways. “If you know that, then why do you say such cruel shit? I can take care of myself. I became an executive without you. I have fought and won and killed without you. I don’t need you treating me like I’m still a fucking kid. Actually, scratch that. I was never a kid and you know that.”

Dazai is frozen. Chuuya looks at him for a moment. A mistake. He does not need to see real grief on Dazai’s face. It’s almost funny, how the two of them can be such a symbiotic pair on the battlefield. The trade off seems to be the unique way they can hurt each other.

He waits for the snap back. The bickering that’s so rhythmic it’s a dance.

Instead, the silence stretches.

Chuuya says nothing more. His angry panting is the only sound.

“Fine. Fine, if that’s how it’s going to be.”

He pries himself off of the railing and goes to leave.

“I was jealous,” Dazai says. It’s so soft it’s almost lost in the wind, but Chuuya is so attuned that he catches every word.

“Fuck you. You couldn’t stand not being in the spotlight for one moment?” Chuuya is almost shaking in his rage now. He’s halfway out the door, ready to bolt.

“Not that.”

Dazai swallows. Chuuya stares at him. Dazai’s teasing is always easy to read in his body language, loose languid movements. He does not know why he’s tense now. Every limb coiled. If they were fighting, Chuuya would say it looks like Dazai has given up and is just waiting for the next blow to land.

It gets him to relax, just a little. This ‘victory’ if it can even be called that, feels hollow.

Dazai speaks up again, “I didn’t - this wasn’t because it was sent to you and not me. I was jealous that someone else was looking at Chuuya.”

Chuuya’s breath hitches. He hears the words and they’re already a revelation. He also hears what’s not being said.

“I know it’s hypocritical of me. To be upset when someone else pays attention to Chuuya. When that’s all I want to do too.” Dazai rubs at his cheek. Nervous. He’s nervous. He’s talking with Chuuya and he’s nervous.

Chuuya looks at him. Just… looks.

Then he looks up, at a shooting star overhead. You were supposed to make a wish, right? He utters one silently, a wish, a prayer. Then he looks back at Dazai who had been looking up as well. Chuuya gets the impression he was doing the exact same thing.

“Did we make the same wish?” he asks. He does not have to verbalize it.

Dazai understands.

Nods.

Chuuya steps forward.

Chapter Text

He’s humming to himself as he walks down the hall. Atsushi can’t remember the last time he was in such a good mood. The stars had been gorgeous, Akutagawa was in a good mood and they’d had some drinks at the bar after the shooting stars finally abated. It’d been a long day and he had been so worried about Dazai and Chuuya’s fight he’d inadvertently instigated, but he had a feeling that would be okay in the end.

All in all, a good day.

Atsushi was still humming as he searched his pockets for his room key. These billowy pants had so much fabric things kept getting lost.

“Ah, Atsushi, nice to see you.”

He jumped a little to hear Imai’s voice behind him.

“Ah - oh, hello.” Atsushi tried to recover. “Nice to see you as well.” He smiled and reached into his pocket again. Nothing. Fuck.

“I don’t think I got a chance to tell you earlier. That shirt looks very nice on you.” There’s a lilt to his voice. His eyes are on Atsushi as he steps forward. The sheer top had been fun, but now as Imai’s eyes travel over him, Atsushi wishes he wasn’t so blatantly visible.

“Thanks. I - uh -”

“Looking for this?” Imai holds up a key card. He presses it to the lock and the door beeps green. Atsushi stares dumbly at it. He does not open the door.

“Oh, thank you.”

“You must have dropped it. Here,” Imai hands it back to him. His touch lingers on Atsushi’s hand. Atsushi puts his hand on the knob, but again doesn’t turn it.

Imai is still watching. He’s leaning forward slightly. Atsushi isn’t an idiot. He knows he wants to be invited inside.

He won’t. Atsushi knows a bad idea when he sees one and he does not want Imai in his room. He’s pretty sure that if he refuses, he won’t be scolded. Dazai was very clear on expectations due to the nature of this mission. Atsushi does not have to be alone with him.

But Imai is obviously interested. He doesn’t want to fully rebuke him, not if there’s a chance he can he can get the information they need later. There has to be something he can say or do to indicate he’s still interested without letting him in the room.

The moment stretches. Atsushi needs to say something. He opens his mouth.

“Atsushi! There you are.”

It takes him a moment to place the voice. Gin joins the two of them, coming behind Atsushi and putting her hand on his shoulder. She’s dressed in just a simple white dress.

She gives them both a kind smile. “We’ve been looking for you. Are you coming?”

He did not have any plans with Gin. He catches on.

“Ah- yes. Gin, this is Imai. He helped me find my keycard,” he says. “Let me just - uh, change my shirt and then we can head out.”

He gives Imai a smile. “Thanks again for returning it. I’ll see you around.”

“See you around,” Imai says. He looks between the two of them, at Atsushi’s blithe smile, and Gin’s placid, disinterested expression. Then he leaves.

Atsushi opens the door and he and Gin step inside.

“Thank you,” he tells her.

She snorts and he’s struck with just how much her disdain sounds like her brother’s. “You looked like you wanted to be anywhere but there.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Don’t worry, we’re friends. I’ve got you.”

While he’d been spending more time with her, Atsushi had never heard Gin refer to herself as his friend before. He smiles. She smiles. Then she pulls out a knife.

“I can stab him for you.”

“Please don’t. We need information from him.”

She shrugs. The knife disappears. He has no idea where it went. That’s a terrifying thought.

She’s still smiling.

“Right - uh, well,” he starts. “Thanks again. I do really appreciate it.”

“No problem. Do you want to join me? We’re playing poker.”

Atsushi scratches at his neck as he considers. He’d been getting ready for bed, but after that awkward interaction it’d be kinda nice to have a distraction. Plus he hasn’t really had a chance to hang out with Black Lizard in a while. Getting to know Akutagawa’s coworkers could be nice.

“Sure, that’d be great.”

He follows Gin to a much nicer suite. Tachihara and Hirotsu are already sitting around a card table and have a beer in hand. Gin offers one to Atsushi, which he takes as he sits.

She explains the house rules and starts to cut the deck.

“Oh, and of course. Losers take off one item of clothing.”

Atsushi looks at her. At her dress. And gloves. And jewelry. At Tachihara and his coat and earrings and bangles. Hirotsu also wears layers and a monocle and gloves. Atsushi has an already skimpy top, pants, and that’s it.

“Is that why everyone at the Port Mafia has so many accessories?” he asks as Gin laughs. He thinks Akutagawa’s jabot makes a lot more sense now.

Chapter Text

He waits. He is not a patient man. He can wait when he needs to, when it’s part of a plan, but he has no idea what is going to happen next. Chuuya could offer him salvation or damnation and he doesn’t know what his partner is thinking. Either seem likely. He knows which he deserves, which would be fitting, given the shit he’s put Chuuya through time and time again.

Yet still he wants.

He wants.

He dares to hope.

Chuuya’s face is blank. Here under the vast sky, he is the only thing that matters. Stars streak across the night, the earth spins, the moon gleams, and Chuuya approaches.

Only when he touches Dazai, does Dazai realize he’s shaking.

Chuuya stands on his tip toes and wraps his arms around him. Holding him.

No one holds Dazai.

Those who know about his ability shy away. They avoid his touch without realizing it, even when they’re not actively trying to use it. When he puts a hand on their shoulder, they shy away. If he opens a door for them, they step away. They know what he can do and that he carries the power to make them powerless. Others look at his bandages, the lack of light in his eyes and still know to avoid him without being able to say exactly why.

Chuuya does not.

Chuuya never has.

Chuuya is the only one who relishes his touch, because Dazai can be Chuuya’s tether with the same power that scares everyone else.

He wraps his arms around his back and comes in contact with bare skin. Right, his outfit. It feels nice. Right. To hold and be held and bury his face in Chuuya’s beautiful hair. He smells like leather and wine and home. Not that Dazai has much of a reference for what a home smells like, but if he does, he imagines it smells like Chuuya.

“Fucking idiot,” Chuuya says as he threads his fingers through the short hairs at the nape of Dazai’s neck. There’s too much affection in the words for them to hold any real venom, but Dazai’s breath hitches regardless.

“You can’t - Dazai, you can’t really be so insulting and then cry about it. That’s just not fair.”

Is he crying? Dazai supposes now that he thinks about it that his face feels wet. It’s buried into Chuuya’s shoulder at this point and he just rests it there. He’s both held and holding and that feels right too. Maybe he should say something but he doesn’t know what to say. He deserves none of this kindness from Chuuya, but then again, he never deserved Chuuya in the first place. At a fundamental level, he has never been someone who understood people, nor was ever understood. However, Chuuya is the exception. He’s always the exception.

He does not know how long they stay like this. Long enough that when Chuuya finally pulls away, Dazai’s arms are stiff and back aches from leaning into the hug. Finally he sees Chuuya’s face. It’s entirely too soft an expression given how much harm Dazai has done, but he’ll take it.

Chuuya cups his cheek. “Pathetic,” he says. The word rings like an insult bandied between them, but there’s still no malice in his insults. In that word, Dazai knows Chuuya feels the same as he does. They’re standing in uncharted waters and neither of them has a map. Whatever is between them has shifted, but in a way neither of them understand.

So Dazai brings his hand up to fold it over Chuuya’s. Chuuya has not let go of him. There’s still a wariness between them. A fear that if either of them make the wrong move, they drown.

“Did you get what you wished for?” Chuuya asks.

“Silly slug.” Dazai wrinkles his nose in amusement. “If I tell you then it doesn't come true.”

Chuuya huffs in annoyance. As if he doesn’t know what Dazai wished for. Connection. As if Chuuya wasn’t hoping for the same thing. Dazai just hopes that he is a man who can both give and receive the affection, the care, the sentiment that Chuuya both needs and wants.

If past performance is indicative of the future, the answer is no.

He will not fall into past patterns though.

“I’m so sorry,” he says.

“You already apologized.”

“I don’t - I want - I need you to know. I didn’t mean it. I was jealous.”

“Because someone else was looking at me?” Chuuya is both fishing for information he already suspects and incredulous.

Dazai nods. He will not run from this.

Chuuya scans his face for the answer to a question he has not asked out loud.

Whatever answer he finds on Dazai’s face, it’s enough.

He stands on his tip toes again and brings Dazai in for a kiss.

He says nothing more. There is nothing else to say. Dazai closes his eyes and revels in this moment. Chuuya’s lips are soft. He takes care of himself in a way Dazai doesn’t. They are so similar and so utterly different at the same time. Dazai wraps his arm around him again, settling his hand onto the small of Chuuya’s back. He’s warm. Chuuya seems to appreciate the contact, given the way he more fully leans in. He kisses like a man starved. The kiss breaks, but then their lips find each other’s again, and again, and again.

Chapter Text

This trip hadn’t been quite the wreck he had anticipated. Dazai and Chuuya were… frustrating, but they would have been frustrating back in Yokohama, so that was a moot point.

At least there was Atsushi.

Atsushi, Atsushi, Atsushi.

In joining the mafia, Akutagawa had gotten accustomed to finer things. To having the money to decorate home as he wants, to spend on good food, to enjoy nice cars and expensive wine. They were never anything he cared too much about, at least not at the time. Not when his whole world had been trying to prove himself to Dazai. But then, Atsushi. He’d changed both because of and for the silly weretiger and could now slow down, appreciate things. Material things still didn’t mean much to him, but he could appreciate seeing them through Atsushi’s eyes. The weretiger’s wonder was infectious.

Sometimes he wonders what happened to him. How the rabid dog of the mafia turned into this, a man who watches the stars and agrees to trying to set his former mentor up. A fond smile darts across his lips as he considers.

“Akutagawa, right?”

A voice snaps him out of his fond recollections, and any joy he was feeling disappears when he sees Imai at the end of the hall. He only just keeps himself from making his displeasure show on his face.

“It’s Akutagawa, right?”

He turns away from his door and leaves it unopened.

“Yes.” He’s supposed to be charming, he knows. He does not feel like being charming right now. He hasn’t for any part of this mission. There are no stakes for him.

“Are you and Atsushi together?”

His back straightens.

“Atsushi?” He is normally more with it than this, but the question has thrown him off balance. It’s all he can do to blink owlishly at Imai. The older man is just giving him a smooth, disarming smile but Akutagawa feels like spiders are crawling up his spine.

“Yes. I’ve seen you together a lot. I was just wondering.”

“No.” His eyes dart over Imai’s face, but there’s nothing there but a blithe smile.

“Ah. Well, if you’re interested, you might want to lock that down soon. Though, if you’re looking for some fun before then…”

Well, that was certainly an angle. It sounded like Imai wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Akutagawa’s hands clench. He shouldn’t be upset. He wasn’t going to be having any ‘fun’ with Imai. Neither would Atsushi, he knew the weretiger better than that.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. Akutagawa was pretty sure he kept his voice even but something of his thoughts must have shown on his face because Imai’s smile cracked.

“Right. Well, I’ll see you around.” Akutagawa does not respond. He also does not take his eyes off Imai until he rounds the corner. He looks back at his door, swears at it, then goes to check Atsushi’s cabin. He’s not there. He knocks on Dazai’s door as well, but gets no response there either. He goes to find Gin, either to get her to help him look or to just calm him down.

When he knocks on the door he can hear there are other voices inside the room. Akutagawa tenses, but it’s Gin who opens the door. He scans her quickly and sees she’s not in trouble.

“Hey! Guys, we have company.”

She opens the door fully and Akutagawa steps into a scene he would never have expected.

Atsushi, Tachihara, and Hirotsu around a table where they’re obviously playing cards. Hirotsu has removed his scarf. Tachihara and Atsushi are both bare chested. Tachihara is reveling in it, with his hands tucked behind his head as he gloats.

Atsushi slouches in his seat. His eyes brighten and he sits up when he sees Akutagawa at the door. “Ryuunosuke!” He smiles.

Akutagawa pauses. “What’s going on?” He takes in the scene again. He can make a few assumptions.

“They’re not playing fair!” Atsushi says. He glowers at Gin as she takes her seat again. “They all have so much more clothing on than I do.”

“You have even less now,” Akutagawa points out. “Don’t tell me you’re losing, weretiger!”

“I’m not doing that bad! I just have on … like three things. Gin tells me each earring counts as one.”

Akutagawa snorts. “Gin, you know that’s not fair.” She shrugs, unperturbed. “Anyways, weretiger, we have some … business to discuss,if you don’t mind stepping away.”

“Yeah! But first, royal flush, eat it!” He sets his cards down, grabs his discarded shirt and joins Akutagawa in the hallway. Sushi grins and walks out with him.

They head to Atsushi’s room to speak in private.

“Weretiger, I was approached by Imai and -”

“You too?”

He stops and then looks at the cabin door. It’s closed. It’s just the two of them here. Akutagawa sits on the edge of the bed. “What did he say to you?”

Atsushi looks entirely too smug as he says, “He wanted to come in. I didn’t let him of course, but I am so going to win this bet.”

He looks at Akutagawa, who is silent as he stands and approaches.

As he leaves Atsushi’s room, Dazai is there. Of course, he should have guessed. He’d already used up all of his luck for the evening.

Dazai looks at Akutagawa.

Akutagawa looks at Dazai.

“Are you -” Dazai starts.

“Strip poker. I was playing strip poker.”

“.... with Atsushi?”

“Yes.” Akutagawa turns sharply on his heel and heads to his cabin, hoping the entire time Dazai does not notice he’s limping slightly.

Chapter Text

He’d missed this.

Not that he’d ever really had this before, not with Dazai, yet the feeling of missing this was still there.

Perhaps it was the casual intimacy of their teenage years he missed. The way they’d crowd next to each other to beat a particularly difficult level on a handheld game, or the way Dazai would crawl into his bed when nightmares were too much. Maybe it was just having Dazai nearby that he missed. They’d had flashes of who they used to be over the past few months, defeating Lovecraft, fooling Fyodor.

That’s what he missed. Being a team. Not that he didn’t have that in the mafia. He trusted Kouyou, and his relationship with Akutagawa had never been better. He liked going for drinks with Black Lizard. But he’d missed being soukoku. Nothing else compared.

Nothing else came close.

That wasn’t to say it was easy.

He forgot how much Dazai could talk.

He talked that night, once he’d gotten over the initial hurdle of his apology. Sweet praises for Chuuya, words about how much he missed him and how glad he was to be here. In the morning, more compliments. He asked about the mission, though it was obvious it wasn’t the first thing on his mind. Chuuya had to remind him they needed to keep an eye out for the kid’s safety, given the nature of this job. They checked in with Atsushi and Akutagawa who did confirm Imai had approached them both, but they’d declined his advances so as not to be alone with him. He wasn’t really worried about the kids, given they both had prodigal powers, but he didn’t trust either of them not to do something stupid for the sake of this mission.

Dazai pointed out after that neither of them were showing that particular tendency on this job.

“Don’t you think it’s suspicious?” he asks. His eyes gleam.

“That neither of them want to be alone with a creep?” Chuuya responds.

Dazai rolls his eyes. “No. That they’re blowing off this mission. It’s sooo unlike them. They used to be so cute, ‘Dazai, Dazai, Dazai’ like little chirping birds.”

Chuuya kicks his leg where it hangs off the edge of his bed. “Don’t joke about that, not after your history with Akutagawa.”

That earns him a sigh. “You’re right, sorry.” He has apologized to Akutagawa, after the Decay of Angels incident, but that relationship is still fraught. Despite his glee at whatever this was between him and Dazai, Chuuya will still stick up for his subordinate.

“But seriously,” Dazai continues. “They’ve been acting weird.”

Despite his intent to stick up for them, Chuuya still says, “They always act weird.”

“It’s because they’re in love but don’t know it yet!” Dazai says. “Just like us.”

Chuuya stops. He blinks down at Dazai who just blinks back at him.

“What did you just say?” Chuuya asks.

It’s then that it sinks in for both of them. What Dazai just… well, not so much as implied as directly stated. To his credit, he does not shrink away from the sentiment. “That I love you.”

“Huh. That’s what I thought you said.”

Chuuya pauses, as Dazai watches him. He’s waiting for a reaction. Much as Chuuya wants to tease, he cannot resist grabbing him by the tie and pulling him up for a kiss.

That evening was another party. Of course it was, it seemed Imai had one way to spend his evening. Chuuya got dressed in his own room, though that meant having to kick Dazai out. He couldn’t be shy about needing some space. He’d learned at fifteen that Dazai had no concept of personal space and recharging time.

Besides, it gave him the opportunity to see Dazai’s face when they met at the bottom of the stairs. Chuuya’s outfit was relatively basic, tight black pants tucked into tall boots. No, the look of wonder on Dazai’s face was from the basic white poofy shirt (one he’d stolen from Akutagawa) that was left unbuttoned and tucked into the pants. His chest was out and he wore no adornment but the collar Dazai had given him years ago.

Dazai didn’t look half bad either. The waist on his black pants were high and he wore a waist cincher in the same color. His button down shirt was gray and a black coat over the outfit gave it all a dashing air.

Chuuya greeted him with a kiss. They should probably talk about where they landed on public affection, especially given Atsushi and several members of the Port Mafia were on board, but that could be a conversation for later.

So for now he just allows Dazai to take his hand and he relishes the simple contact. They head upstairs, to dinner and a party.

The room is bustling already. They’re some of the last ones to arrive. It’s warm and Chuuya lets go of Dazai’s hand so he can take his coat.

When he comes back, Dazai hands him a red. “Cab sav,” he says. He knows what Chuuya likes. He takes the glass and clinks it with Dazai’s own.

“Have you seen Atsushi or Akutagawa? I thought they might beat us here,” Dazai comments as he looks around the room. They spot Tachihara as he chats with Gin as they move across the dancefloor. Both are rather graceful and he notices Imai watching Tachihara, clearly jealous. Chuuya snorts. He’s not sure if the younger members of Black Lizard are interested in each other, but if they are, Imai pales in comparison.

“I think they’re occupied. Not sure if we’ll see them tonight.”

“Aww, we’re almost to port. Two days, right? We’re in a time crunch to get them together.”

“You mean succeed on this mission,” Chuuya reminds him.

“No, this is far more important. They deserve to be as happy as I am right now.”

The way he says that, so casual, so simple. It makes Chuuya smile. Happy. Now there wasn’t a word he ever thought would apply to Dazai Osamu. Happy.

“That’s very sweet. But - eh, come here.” He motions for Dazai to follow him. Chuuya leads him to the coat closet and opens the door.

Both members of shin soukoku fall to the floor.

Atsushi on top of Akutagawa, indicting the taller man had been the one against the door. Both are disheveled, and not from the fall. Atsushi yelps, but wraps an arm around Akutagawa to help cover him. He’s not actually indecent, but his shirt hangs off one shoulder and both of their clothes are rumpled.

From underneath Atsushi, he just hears Akutagawa say, “Fuck!”

Chapter Text

“I can explain,” he says as he tries to get off of Akutagawa. Akutagawa helps none. In fact, he wraps an arm around Atsushi and keeps him hovering over the older man, even though they’re both sprawled out on the floor and in twin states of disarray.

“I think the jig is up, weretiger,” he says.

“You sure?” Atsushi asks.

Akutagawa nods and as if they didn’t have a private conversation at Dazai and Chuuya’s feet, they both stand. Atsushi brushes off his knees and then turns his attention to Akutagawa. He straightens the chains that drape across his sheer undershirt and then they turn their attention to the other men.

“Traitor,” Akutagawa says to Chuuya.

Dazai looks at him. “Did you know Chuuya?”

“I caught them on a date a few weeks ago.”

Atsushi says, “I told you I thought I smelled Chuuya.”

“Hush, weretiger.” Akutagawa folds his arms across his chest. “So you knew? And yet you said nothing.”

Chuuya just shrugs. “I’m not a narc.”

“You weren’t,” Akutagawa points out. He glares at Dazai. “But you’ve ratted us out now.”

“Well you can hardly blame chibi for that. You two really need to be more discreet.”

Atsushi laughs. “I think we managed pretty well up until now.” Akutagawa looks smug at his partner’s words. He reaches out and takes Atsushi’s hand in his. It’s a familiar gesture and spoke to the ease of something that has been happening for a while now.

“How long?” Dazai asks.

“... you don’t want to know,” says Atsushi. Dazai pouts. Atsushi shakes his head. “But uh- how about you two?” he asks as he looks between Dazai and Chuuya. They’re standing close together. That in and of itself wasn’t unusual, neither of them had much of a concept of personal space when it came to the other.

But Atsushi cocks his head and looks them over. Dazai knows they’ve been seen through. He reaches out for Chuuya’s hand. It’s granted.

Atsushi pumps his fist.

“I told you so!” he crows to Akutagawa.

Akutagawa rolls his eyes. “I didn’t disagree, I just said it was only a matter of time and you didn’t need to interfere.”

“I did so!”

“Atsushi,” Dazai starts. “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” he says, entirely too quick to be believed.

Dazai sighs. He’ll get the information from his mentee later. “Okay, okay, fine.” He winks at Atsushi, who smiles in return. “So you two are dating.”

“Not dating,” they both say at the same time.

Dazai and Chuuya share a look. Then at the very obviously just making out in a closet couple. It’s then that Akutagawa removes the gloves from his hand. On it is a silver band. Atsushi pulls his out from a necklace. His is golden.

“Shut the fuck up,” Chuuya says. He slugs Akutagawa in the shoulder that only Atsushi putting up a hand keeps him from falling over.

“Sorry!”

“Please don’t hit my fiance.”

Dazai’s eyes sparkle. “Fiance!” Then he gasps in indignation. “You weren’t even going to tell me you two were dating! Fiances! Let me see the rings!”

They show them off as Atsushi laughs and says, “I’m sorry. It - it started as a thing that just kinda felt… Well, with everything going on we wanted to keep it a secret. So we could just enjoy us, together. The engagement kinda happened fast but, well, I’m not changing my mind. And he’s stuck with me.”

Dazai is still scowling as he checks the rings, but he’s not actually irritated. He can understand. The world has asked so much of them, they were allowed to keep something from the world.

Akutagawa settles his hand on Atsushi’s lower back. He doesn’t look ‘stuck’. He looks like he’s exactly where he wants to be.

“Do not blame the weretiger. It was my request that we keep this between the two of us.”

“I don’t. I’m happy for the two of you.”

Dazai gives Atsushi a hug, but does not offer one to Akutagawa. He knows Akutagawa does not need, nor want that from him.

“I’m happy for you two as well,” Akutagawa says. His lips twitch into something that almost looks like a smile. “It’s about time.”

Chuuya laughs. “That’s fair!” His grin fades. “Oh man, this mission had to be something else for you two, didn’t it?”

Akutagawa grins, wolfish and predatory. “We had a deal worked out amongst ourselves. We would both try our best, but we had our own boundaries in place. I thought for sure the weretiger would win, given his more … alluring qualities.”

Dazai makes a fake gagging noise. Atsushi rolls his eyes and says, “Don’t say that. You’re very alluring too.” Dazai makes the noise again, but Atsushi adds, “You know, until you open your mouth.”

Rashomon emerges and stabs into Atsushi’s side. Except it’s less of a stab and more of a mouthing like an annoyed puppy because all it does is make Atsushi giggle.

“Ugh, speaking of,” Chuuya says. “We are running out of time. Any ideas on how to wrap this up? I don’t feel like we’ve actually done any work.”

“That’s because you’ve been doing nothing but flirting and fighting the entire time,” Akutagawa points out dryly. He shares a look with Atsushi. “But we do have a plan to maybe get the information…”

Chapter Text

“I don’t like this plan,” he tells Chuuya as he paces around his cabin. Chuuya lounges on the bed and watches him. Dazai flops onto the bed with him and rolls over so he’s facing the chibi.

Chuuya looks less than impressed. That wasn’t anything new for Dazai, but he still scowls back.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Chuuya says. “The plan is fine. Besides, I can sink this boat in five seconds. Atsushi and Akutagawa could probably tear anyone here into pieces if they wanted, us included. We’re not in danger.”

“If this mission ends with everyone on board dead, something has gone terribly wrong.” Dazai sighs and rolls onto his back. Then he rolls around again just because the motion is distracting and he doesn’t want to think right now.

“Though, I guess we’re not putting this mission in shin soukoku’s hands,” Chuuya muses.

Dazai stops.

Chuuya continues, “What do you think Tachihara’s odds are?”

Atsushi and Akutagawa try to focus on the card game, but their minds are elsewhere.

Gin and Hirotsu at least seem more confident. They are absolutely trouncing both of them in poker, though this time clothes are staying on. The cards are more for something to do, rather than actually playing. Gin and Hirotsu aren’t worried though. Atsushi supposes that makes sense. They have faith in Tachihara. They trust him. It’s not that he doesn’t, but he doesn’t know the other man nearly as well.

“So,” Gin says as she shows another winning hand. Atsushi looks at her suspiciously. He’s pretty sure she’s cheating, but he’s not sure if he wants to call her out. Gin smiles at him and he knows that she knows he suspects her. She doesn’t address it though. Instead she continues, “You’re sending my boyfriend out to get information from that creep that’s been hitting on you both?”

“Boyfriend?” Akutagawa says. He starts to get out of his chair as though he’s going to go find Tachihara right now.

“Yes,” Gin says with a steely glare. “Boyfriend. Is there a problem with that?”

Akutagawa hovers over his seat for a moment, then sits down. “No,” he says sullenly. “And yes.”

“Hm,” they say.

“So, how long have you two been dating?” Atsushi asks to try and change the subject. Gin deals a new hand, then looks at her cards.

“He joined us a few months ago,” they said.

“Joined?” Akutagawa said. Atsushi looks over at him. He looks like he’s not sure what to make of any of this information.

“Joined. Hirotsu’s our third.”

Akutagawa chokes.

Gin laughs.

Hirotsu does as well.

“I’m just kidding,” she says. Akutagawa, who has gotten up out of his seat again, starts to sit down. Then Gin says, “Higuchi is actually our third.”

Akutagawa misses the chair entirely and falls to the ground.

Chuuya is a little distracted when someone knocks on the door. Dazai’s eyes slide to the door, but he does not get off of Chuuya, or remove his hands as they are tangled in his hair. Chuuya would be disinclined to remove them, but they were waiting on Tachihara’s return.

He could wait a moment though.

Dazai dipped down and kissed him and Chuuya raked his hands across his ribs in response. The hiss of delight from Dazai was delicious but he couldn’t hear it over the fucking knocking.

Dazai pulled back.

They both sighed.

Chuuya got out from under him and straightened out his suit as Dazai did the same. When he answered the door, it was indeed Tachihara there. He scowled when he saw him. “Took you long enough, old man.”

“Did you get the information?” Chuuya asked. He had no intention of engaging in this back and forth. Not when he was eager to get back to who - what he’d been doing before.

Tachihara handed him a recording device.

“Of course. It was ridiculously easy. Everything is on there. Enough to get him locked up and the information for the warehouse he was using. This took you days to do?”

Chuuya’s eyes slid over to Dazai, who had come up to stand behind him.

“We… were distracted.”

Akutagawa holds Atsushi’s hand as they walk behind Kyouka.

“This isn’t so bad,” Atsushi says.

“Yes it is.”

He scowls at a child who totters next to him, holding an ice cream cone that looks like it might spill at any second. The child stumbles and a tendril of Rashomon hoists him upright while another keeps the ice cream from falling as well.

Atsushi watches with amusement and holds out his hand for Akutagawa to take as they head to the next ride. Their fingers intertwine and squeeze together. This, this is nice. Being able to hold hands in public. To be together without worrying about running into someone they know. Loving each other. Enjoying their engagement.

“No,” Akutagawa says when Kyouka turns to him with a serious expression on her face. For a moment, Atsushi is afraid they’re going to get into a fight. Again. But then he sees the Mickey Mouse ears in her hands. She approaches Akutagawa with them. He takes a step back. She takes a step forward. He takes a step back.

“If you really want to atone for what you’ve done,” she starts. It’s a familiar refrain. Since Atsushi confessed to her that they’d started dating and Akutagawa wanted to make amends, Kyouka has taken the opportunity to bully him at every possible moment.

And it worked every time.

Akutagawa’s shoulders slump and he leans forward as she approaches with the ears and slides the headband on his head. Atsushi laughs and bats his hand away when he reaches for him.

“No, I can’t be seen in public with you like that,” he says, still laughing. Akutagawa lunges for his hand and Atsushi and Kyouka start running ahead, dodging tourists and giggling the entire time.

“Open up.”

“No.”

“So help me Dazai, open up.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why are you being such a brat?”

“I’m always a brat.”

“Truer words have never been spoken.”

“Chuuya is being so mean!”

“You deserve it.”

When Dazai opens his mouth to protect, Chuuya uses his fork as a fling and lands a piece of broccoli inside. Dazai chokes and it slides down his throat as Chuuya cheers.