Archive of Our Own ^beta

Of anniversaries and rabid dogs

Life was incredibly unfair, thought Dazai, poking idly at his Okonomiyaki with the chopsticks. Chuuya had made it especially for him, muttering about him needing something different from canned crab in his life. Dazai twisted his nose and scoffed a bit: like it made any difference at all what he was eating, when Chuuya wasn't there feeding it to him. Damn dog, leaving his owner alone for hours on end, like it was supposed to be fine and normal. Tch.

Dazai scoffed even louder, rolling off the table and laying down on the floor to stare at the ceiling. Chuuya was not going to be happy if he came home to find everything still untouched. He wouldn't be angry. Worse, he was going to be sad about it, and worried, and probably guilty about how he had left him for the umpteenth time that week for work.

Chuuya had always been very passionate about his job, and kind of a workaholic. But lately, Fukuzawa-san had assigned the Chibi so much solo work, Dazai had low-key started to suspect that the man didn't really approve of their new relationship, and was trying to keep them separated. Which he knew was simply ridiculous, but still. He wasn't even giving him detective work, which he could've joined in. No, he was trying to make some good use of Chuuya's degree and have him doing consultations after hours, which he couldn't join in because “Dazai, it's privileged”. Which the Chibi didn't seem to mind, but still: between those, their actual job and the classes that Chuuya taught at his gym on his spare time, they had barely spent any time together at all in two weeks. Tonight was supposed to be theirs: no fathers, no siblings, no work, no nothing, like every other Sunday. Dazai liked the routine they had managed to scramble together in the weeks and months before this started, the way they just fit into each others lives like nothing.

Granted, he knew he was being irrational, but he felt like he was being abandoned. For, and he couldn't stress it enough, work.

He pursed his lips, frowning. With a fluid, even if reluctant, push of his lower back, he went back to a sitting position and grabbed his chopsticks.

Chuuya better appreciate his efforts, when he came back. Dazai deserved a thousand kisses. At least.

When Chuuya came home later that night, Dazai was already sleeping peacefully over the sheets, a bony hipbone poking out of his boxers and the window open in hope of getting some fresh air in. Chuuya stopped a second at the bedroom's entrance and took him in, smiling tiredly. It had been a log day.

He shed his clothes silently, manipulating his gravity to float an inch from the floor and not make any noises. He should've know that it wouldn't be enough to trick Dazai's ears.

“It's late,” the mackerel said, burrowing his face more in Chuuya's pillow. “Chuuya is mean and a terrible, terrible pup.”

“And you're an idiot.” He rebutted, sitting on the mattress next to him, hand going automatically to pet his hair. Dazai sighed quietly, content. And Chuuya supposedly was the dog, uh? “It's not even ten.”

“Chuuya left me all alone,” he whined, nuzzling his palm. “Again.”

“A little bit dramatic, aren't we?”

Dazai shook his head, opening his eyes a slither: they were almost twinkling with mischief, and Chuuya couldn't avoid snorting a bit at that.

“How did it go?”

He shrugged.

“Nothing much happened. Glad to be back.”

That made Dazai smile a little. He shifted so he was directly facing Chuuya, fingers playing with his shirt's hem.

“I finished all my healthy dinner,” he said the word like it had personally offended him. “I didn't leave a single bite.”

“That, you did,” he convened, and the mackerel actually preened at that. “You were very, very good, Dazai.”

“Yes, I tend to be. Contrarily to a certain Pomeranian that's inconsiderate of his owner...”

“I take that back: you're a menace,” he said, bending down until they noses were almost touching. Dazai smirked, only visible thanks to the light coming in from the lamp post in the street. His hand found Chuuya's waist, and squeezed.

“I'm a darling. And I think I deserve a prize for behaving.”

Chuuya scrunched up his nose, pretending to think about it for a minute before mirroring the mackerel's expression and leaning in even further.

“That's a good point,” he said, mouth a hair away from the other's. “A very good point indeed, Dazai.” He shoved the other back against the bed, kissing him, the rustling of sheets and swallowed moans the only sounds in the dark bedroom.

It was good to be home.

The morning saw them in Chuuya's car, driving on a narrow mountain's road after the President had called in the early hours to assign them a new case. The informations they had on it were, for lack of a better term, idiocy. Pure, utter idiocy.

“I still can't believe we're actually going to a temple in the middle of nowhere in search for ghosts.” Dazai muttered, wondering not for the first time if this wasn't some very elaborate prank the President was pulling on them. “We both agree is ridiculous, right? I mean, ghosts, Chuuya. Ghosts.”

“Of course it's not that,” his boyfriend – his very pretty, very focused on driving, boyfriend, Dazai wasn't sure he'd ever get used to saying it – answered for the seventh time that day, voice full of disbelief. “It's probably an Ability, or something along those lines. But the priest is an old friend of Fukuzawa-san, and he's a nice person, so...”

“Of course, we'll investigate and will be diligent. It's just- Something is off. I can't put my finger on it, but it is.”

Chuuya's hand moved over the gearbox and grabbed his, squeezing reassuringly.

“Fukuzawa-san would never send us if he thought it might be fishy.” He said. “Relax. We're almost there anyway.”

Now, Dazai knew that. He knew that Fukuzawa-san would never knowingly put any of them in danger – least of all, one of his kids. Still. Fukuzawa-san's judgement wasn't foolproof.

He rolled the story the priest had given them in his head. Apparently, over the last week, some very weird things had started to happen at the temple: incense offerings were found flipped over, their ashes scattered everywhere; dead animals in their well, or hanged on the nearby trees; furniture destroyed, like-

It clicked.

“It's a movie.”

“What?”

“The story that Fukuzawa-san told us, it's from a movie.”

“Ah?”

“It is!” He insisted, shifting to look at Chuuya while the other turned the car on a path that was a little more than a trail. “We watched it together, like, six months ago! In the end, it was a vengeful spirit that killed off almost the entire cast, except for the very pretty, very untalented actress that played the priestess-”

“We have a priest. Totally different.”

“I'm being serious, Chuuya. It might be a trap, and-” He furrowed his brow, suspicious. “Why are you so dismissive? Usually, you'd be freaking out by now.”

“I would not!”

“You so, so would.”

“We're basically there anyway, might as well go all the way.”

“I don't think-”

“I have to admit though, it's really irritating how Ranpo-nii is always right.”

Dazai blinked a couple of times at him.

“What?”

Chuuya sniggered, shoulder raising in a shrug.

“I'd been trying to come up with a decent excuse for us to get out of Yokohama for weeks, one you wouldn't see right through straight away, and got nothing. Then he comes up, looks at me and goes, and I quote: 'Just tell him the plot of that terrible horror flick you watched last winter. It was so ridiculous he won't make the connection until you're basically there and it's too late.' And the fucker was right. Again.”

“Too late for what?”

Instead of answering, Chuuya stopped the car and nodded towards the building they had reached. Dazai, confused, pressed his face closer to the dashboard and took it in.

They definitely, definitely weren't in front of a temple. It looked like a very small, traditional style ryokan, all wood and pretty glazing on the fixtures, fitting in with the trees around it almost perfectly. A valet was waiting for them outside the main doors, and behind him Dazai could kind of make out a very warm, lovely entrance.

“I don't get it,” he said, staring at Chuuya with wide eyes. “Where are we? And why the secrecy?”

Snorting, Chuuya leaned in.

“Really? Nothing comes to mind?”

Dazai tilted his head, thought it over, and shook it. The other rolled his eyes and gently flickered his forehead.

“God, all this secrecy and you don't even remember it.” Before Dazai could panic, trying to remember what the hell he must've forgotten, Chuuya smiled at him. “What day is it today?”

“Monday?”

“The date.”

“July the seventeenth,” he answered, immediately. Chuuya nodded.

“Good. And tomorrow?”

“The- the eighteenth?” he tried.

“Yep. And what happened on the eighteenth, one year ago?”

It took Dazai a moment to do the math.

“I joined the Agency? But what-”

His eyes widened, mouth agape. Chuuya smile grew bigger.

“Yeah, that's it. Happy anniversary, mackerel.”

Dazai didn't say anything, just stared at him, and Chuuya laughed.

“What?”

“I'm- surprised, I suppose.”

“Yeah, that was the point.”

“It's just- I mean- You don't- and I haven't-”

“If it messes you up like this every time, I should surprise you more. It's entertaining.”

“Funny. But you-”

“I wanted to do something special, for once.” He interrupted, squeezing his hand in his lap. “You deserve it- Shut up.” Dazai, that had been about to deny such a thing, did indeed shut up. For the moment. “You do. Besides, we couldn't really do much for your birthday, so-” he shrugged.

That was the understatement of the year, thought Dazai. His birthday, almost a month before, had found him still gripping at straws trying to fight nightmares almost nightly. His experience with the Dream Master had messed him up badly: he had managed to go on almost normally during the day, but for weeks, afterwards, he'd woken up drenched in sweat, a silent scream stuck in his throat and still hooked to whatever was dreaming about that night – sometimes, his mother made an appearance, but it was usually some variation of Odasaku's demise or Chuuya's own brush with death, or both. And, invariably, he'd be too late to avoid either.

Chuuya's presence all around him – solid, warm, alive – squeezing him against his chest every single time, had helped. Not enough to make him go back to sleep, but at least he'd subdue the panic and made his sleepless hours more bearable. So, they had a nice, quiet dinner on the day of his birthday and Chuuya had gifted him a massage pillow, a nice aromatherapy diffuser and enough lavender oil to last him a year in hopes they might help. Dazai wasn't sure they actively would, but he had still kissed him senseless. His Chibi really was a thoughtful cookie.

And he had started doing better, lately: now, the nightmares were only coming two, three times a week, and usually he could fall back asleep afterwards. Which, progress.

He looked out the window again.

“Is this why you've been so weird lately?”

Chuuya twisted his nose at that.

“Well, you try to surprise a fucking genius of a detective. I can't even use sweets and junk food to keep you distracted like I do with Ranpo-nii, fucking hell.”

“I don't know. I think canned crab would've done the trick.”

“Tch, you'd have sniffed it out in seconds, if I had started offering you that shit after months of trying to get you on a healthy diet.”

“I am pretty smart...”

Chuuya rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

“Why an onsen, though?”

Chuuya shrugged.

“I figured some rest and quiet might do you some good. A friend at the gym told me about this place: she came here a couple of times in the last year and it's a really small, secluded place with very few rooms, so there are never many people around. Seemed a good choice for a break.”

“Eh, is this Chuuya telling me he has people being nice to him at the gym, too? Who is she? Your side piece?”

“Tch, she'd be so much bearable than you, that's for sure-”

Pouting, Dazai leaned in and bit the other's neck, making him yelp.

“Rude, Chibi.” He twisted his nose. “Mh, maybe I should start coming with you.”

“To do what? You and your lazy ass wouldn't be able to keep up.”

“Relishing in the view, of course: Chibi is very enjoyable when training, I saw it with me own eyes before and can attest to that.”

He pushed Dazai's face away, cheeks rosy and eyes deadly, Dazai's favourite combination.

“Don't you try being a pervert at my gym, idiot, or I'll let them throw you out on the spot.”

“Meanie~”

Chuuya did snort, then, making Dazai feel sort of fuzzy on the inside. Chibi probably had magical powers, he thought, it was the only logical explanation.

“Com'on, mackerel. Let's go inside.”

The owners, an elderly couple that had opened the inn as newly weds almost fifty years prior, welcomed them from behind the reception counter, and the husband promptly showed them around the property: the ryokan had only two floors in total, and a beautiful, Japanese style garden, complete with a willow elegantly descending on the side of a stream and a little, wooden bridge.

“You've chosen a very good week,” the old man told them, hand pointing out the bathing area. “We just have another couple of people coming this week, and they won't be here until late tonight, so you basically have the entire place for your enjoyment for the day.”

Their room, on the first floor, wasn't the most spacious ever, but they didn't need that much space anyway. It was divided in two areas: the first included a low table, a small couch and a tv set; the other, further away from the entrance, had a large futon and a wardrobe with sliding doors. The room's window, facing the garden, had a spacious sill that doubled has reading nook, soft cushions and a blanket making it cosy. On the left of the entrance was the toilet and, next to it, was the door that led to the room's private bathroom, that got its water directly from the onsen. Chuuya had been particular about finding a ryokan that offered that option, mostly to be sure that Dazai, with his bandages, wouldn't feel uncomfortable in the shared spaces. Maybe they would be using it when the other guests arrived.

All in all, not bad at all.

The owner had just left them alone, and Chuuya had dropped their bags in a corner, when Dazai draped himself over his shoulders.

“Chuuya didn't need to go out of his way like this,” he said, nuzzling his neck like a cat.

Chuuya rolled his eyes and flickered his forehead.

“I didn't do that much, really.”

The mackerel only hid his face more in the crook of his neck.

“It looks awfully expensive.”

Chuuya did his best to shrug without moving Dazai around too much.

“Not that much,” he said, again.

“Is this why you picked up more work, lately?”

Chuuya turned his nose up, but of course the mackerel had noticed. It wasn't like he had tried to hide the longer hours – it would've been useless, with Dazai involved, and would've just made him suspicious.

“It was just legal consultations. And if you're about to say that you're not worth the hassle, or some other shit, you're sleeping in the garden.”

“Cruel.”

“I don't hear you denying it.”

Instead of answering, Dazai bit him, like the mannerless menace he was.

“Chuuya didn't have to.”

“I still wanted to. Beside, it was time I put my degree to some use that's not getting Akiko-nee out of jail. It was fun.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Fukuzawa-san only gave me interesting cases. It wasn't bad, really.” He felt Dazai' smile against his skin and dropped a kiss on his hair. “Tell you what, why don't we go to the onsen? I think a bath would do you good.”

“Eeeh, but I wanted to properly thank Chuuya, first,” Dazai muttered, sliding one hand under Chuuya' shirt and popping his jeans open with the other.

Well. It wasn't like the baths were going anywhere.

Chuuya smirked and turned in his arms, pulling him in for a kiss.

“You know what? That's actually not a bad idea at all.”

Quickly, Dazai dropped on his knees, a sly light in his eyes, and proceeded to get to work on Chuuya's trousers.

This trip was up to a very good start, indeed.

When they finally emerged from their room, Dazai already felt happy and relaxed. Chuuya a little less so.

“What the hell, stupid mackerel, I'm going to kill you one day, I swear to-”

“My, my, Chuuya is so violent~”

“I'm covered in bite marks and hickeys, you idiot!”

“Chuuya didn't seem to mind when I left them~”

The smack was painful and expected.

“They're all over my fucking legs and we're in a fucking onsen-”

“It's okay, Chibi, you heard the old man: we're the only ones here~”

“But people are coming later-”

“Well, we'll have to put the lovely tub in our room to good use, then~”

“Maybe I'll just use up all your bandages instead.”

Dazai turned up his nose at that.

“Yeah, no. They wouldn't suit Chuuya at all...”

“Listen, you-”

“Chibi should never wrap himself up in anything, ever. He's too pretty for that shit. He should never have to hide anything, ever.”

He stopped and turned around when he realised Chuuya was not by his side anymore. The Chibi was staring at him in the middle of the corridor with a faint blush on his cheeks, and the look of somebody that was about to kick his ass out of principle written all over his face.

“You- You little-” He lowered his eyes and stomped forward grabbed Dazai's hand and pulled him towards the onsen. “You're so annoying, I swear to fuck...”

“Awww, Chibi is so shy~” Dazai laughed, letting him.

“Shut up!”

He was pretty cute, thought Dazai, but he wasn't stupid enough to actually say it out loud. As much as Chuuya could be bold, and honest, and shameless, at times, in the way he lived with his heart on his sleeves, he still sometimes did not do well with the more romantic side of his feelings, especially in public. Which was great, for Dazai, since it made fluster him so, so easy.

He squeezed Chuuya's hand and swung their linked arms around a bit and, by the time they reached the baths, Chuuya had started to shake his head with a very patient, loving smile back on his face. Feeling giddy, for once, he leaned down and kissed him. It didn't matter how many times he did it, kissing the Chibi randomly just because he could, it didn't take anything away from the thrill to have Chuuya respond with much enthusiasm, hand finding his hair (or his neck, or his clothes – anything it could reach, really) to pull Dazai even closer without fail.

Dazai didn't think he could ever get tired of it.

When Chuuya had called the ryokan up before booking their room, he had checked about the restriction for the use of the baths. He wasn't sure if Dazai would've felt comfortable to use them without his bandages on so, a part from making sure that their room had a private option, he had made a point to ask if he would be able to wear them in public, if he so chose.

The owners had been incredibly understanding and nice about it, especially after Chuuya had implied it definitely wasn't a fashion choice, and had assured him that they were going to find clean ones in their room, provided by the inn, and that he was welcome to wash himself in his room before wrapping himself up and use the outside facilities.

Really, more than Chuuya could've asked for. It was true that money could help with almost anything.

Since there was nobody around, though, Dazai had opted to just wash himself in the common area with Chuuya. He shed his yukata silently and then sat on a stool, waiting for Chuuya to take care of his back like a good puppy.

Chuuya took his time to clean him properly, hands massaging the tense muscles on the other's back, dropping the random, reassuring kiss every now and then, trying not to brood too much on the scars all over Dazai' skin.

The first time he had seen him without his bandages had been months before, when they were still friends and dancing around each other awkwardly. It had been a random Tuesday night, about a week after Chuuya's birthday, and they were getting ready for bed when Dazai had inhaled deeply and asked him to help unwrap his torso. It had taken Chuuya a second to realise what that actually meant, and his hands had been careful and gentle, worried he'd make the wrong movement and scare him off.

He had a moment, afterwards, when he had been done and Dazai had just stood there for a moment, taking in his reaction, where Chuuya had traced a particularly ugly scar under his ribcage – a knife? - with his fingertips and fought really hard to not kiss him or, worse, cry. Dazai's trust deserve better than Chuuya making it about himself. He had hugged him, though, afterwards, when they were already under the covers and Chuuya could pretend it was just their normal routine.

The fact that now Dazai could stay in a public space – where they were alone, but anyone could still potentially come in at any moment – made him insanely proud.

“Chibi is taking forever~” Dazai muttered, amused. “My back can't possibly be that dirty, can it?”

Chuuya snorted, kissing the wet skin one last time, and patted his side to let him know it was his turn now.

The onsen itself was lovely; the hot, sulphuric water a dream.

“This, Chibi, was your best idea,” Dazai sighed, letting his head lean onto the edge, submerging himself into the water until it was up to his chin. Chuuya hummed in agreement and closed his eyes to enjoy the peace, the only sound the birds in the forest all around them.

They had their dinner in their room, their main a tempura that had Dazai almost cry, it was that tasty.

“The seafood is really good,” Chuuya said, smiling happily as well. “This mountain not being too far from the seaside has its advantages, I suppose.”

“I love this,” Dazai said, digging into another prawn. “Chibi should get the name of their supplier.”

“You already eat too much seafood, damn it.” He thought about it while biting down on his portion. “I should ban it from my place altogether and only feed you vegetables for a month or two.”

Dazai shrudded.

“Chibi loves me too much,” he said after a moment, confidently, and Chuuya sighed but didn't deny it. Thankfully.

After dinner, they took a nice walk in the garden, and Chuuya didn't even roll his eyes when Dazai kissed him under the willow, commenting how it felt like they were star-crossed lovers meeting in secret from their families. He laughed, instead, and kissed him as well. There was a good chance that he was doing it to effectively shut Dazai up, but he wasn't going to complain for sure.

It was almost too perfect to last, in a way, so it shouldn't have been a surprise when it didn't.

“Chibi really is nice to me, today,” he said when they got back inside, circling the other's shoulders from behind and resting his entire body weight on Chuuya. The slug barely even seem to register to be supporting another entire human. He rubbed their cheeks together and then bit the Chibi's. “I could get used at being spoiled rotten.”

Chuuya flickered his forehead.

“You already are, idiot mackerel.” But he was smiling, so Dazai knew he was enjoying his good mood, too.

And it was, indeed, very good. So much, in fact, that he didn't stop even when Chuuya's attention strayed away, and he raised his hand to greet somebody, his voice surprised. Dazai just kept nuzzling his neck and completely wrote it off. Normally, he wouldn't have made such a silly, basic mistake.

“Nakahara-san! I didn't know your trip was this week!” A woman said, politely; the Chibi nodded.

“Yeah, the anniversary is tomorrow.”

“I feel like I'm barging in on you, now.” She laughed. It was a low, restrained one, that reminded Dazai of somebody else's, but he couldn't really put his finger on whose.

“Don't even say it. We wouldn't even be here without your suggestion.” He paused and patted Dazai's head. “I thought this place would help my idiot boyfriend relax, for once in his life, and it's actually working. Thank you, Gin-chan.”

Slowly, Dazai raised his head at the name, eyes widening.

He took the girl in: her hair was still the same jet black, her face still sweet, her grey eyes, usually clear, filled with shock.

“Dazai-san?”

Immediately, his body tensed and his senses perked up, making him hyperaware of his surroundings.

“... Hello, Gin-chan.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Chuuya frown in a silent question, but didn't dare move his line of sight from her.

Then, another person piped in, voice dripping with bewilderment.

“Dazai-san?”

Chuuya had absolutely no idea what the fuck was going on. He didn't know how Gin-chan could know Dazai, or who the fuck the guy in a black haori now standing next to her was. What he knew, though, was that Dazai had gone impossibly stiff against his back, face blank and pupils shrunk until they were almost needle points. He knew that look, he thought, and he didn't like to see it back.

Then, the boy took one step forward, eyes never leaving Dazai, almost like he was worried he could disappear into thin air. It was a very wrong move on his part: before the guy could even realise what was happening, Chuuya had sprung ahead and pinned him against the wall, one arm against his chest and one hand around his throat. Behind him, Gin-chan hadn't done what he expected her to do and go for Dazai. It was a very telling choice, since she knew he was his boyfriend and, in theory, the fastest way for her to level the field. To not get her hands on Dazai, she had to know how lethal he was, and there weren't many people around still alive that did.

His eyes went back to the kid's.

“Who the fuck are you?”

The boy glared at him, eyes filled with rage, but Chuuya only increased the pressure of his hold.

“Chuuya-san!”

Chuuya ignored Gin-chan's call and narrowed his eyes.

“I've asked who the hell you are.”

“Tch. Is none of your business.” The guy spat out, defiant.

“I think it is.”

He saw the bastard smirk. His hand came up and gripped at his wrist, not pushing him away but instead holding him in place.

“Rashōmon!”

“Chuuya!”

Dazai didn't need to shout, Chuuya thought. He should've known how good his reflexes were: like second nature, For the Tainted Sorrow activated, and he felt something ping at his neck from behind, like a mosquito bite. His eyes flickered back: a black shadow was there, jaws open around his neck, clearly about to bite it off. The bright, red glow of For the Tainted Sorrow was the only thing preventing it. The boy almost growled at the sight, clearly even more pissed off than before.

“Chuuya-san, please, he's my brother. He wasn't going to do anything to you or Dazai-san, I promise you.”

“He's Port Mafia.”

“I know. So am I. So was Dazai-san. Ryuu was just surprised to see him here, and alive.”

“A reason more to crush him where he stands,” he murmured. The moment he saw his boyfriend, the kid had become a liability: Dazai was a traitor, and Chuuya knew that meant that anyone in the Port Mafia had the duty to kill him on the spot or, at the very least, report him to the higher-ups.

“Chuuya-san, I'd really prefer not to hurt any of you. Let him go.”

Tch, like a little girl like her could do anything at all against them.

“Okay, that's enough!” Dazai spoke, almost tiredly. He took a few steps forward and touched the black beast: No Longer Human shone, and it disappeared. The kid didn't seem surprised, and didn't flinch.

He felt Dazai's fingers closing around his arm.

“Akutagawa-kun is not a threat to us, Chuuya. Let him go.” He didn't move. Dazai sighed. “Gin-chan doesn't deserve to lose her brother, Chuuya. She's too young to lose the only family she has left.”

Bastard, using something like that to pull at Chuuya' strings.

He hated that it was working.

He bit his lip: Dazai's risks assessments were usually spot on. And, while he was still reckless with himself, Chuuya knew he would never risk his life, too, nor put him in any danger.

“One wrong move,” he whispered to Akutagawa. “And I snap your neck.”

“Tch.” Was the kid's only reply. He had a very high opinion of his strength, that was for sure.

He let him go, jumping out of the way before his Ability could spring back and get one of his limbs.

He trusted Dazai's judgement, but better safe than sorry.

Dazai clapped his hands.

“That's nice. Let's all be friends here, shall we?” When none of them replied, he sighed, but didn't drop his cheery tone. “Tea?”

Saying that the atmosphere was tense would've been an euphemism, Dazai thought, blowing on his cup.

They had opted to take their tea in Akutagawa-kun's room, which was slightly bigger than his sister's and could accommodate all four of them better. Gin-chan's had a nicer view, though, apparently.

“So, how have things been in the Port Mafia?” he asked, trying to make small talks.

Gin-chan, who was still looking at him like he was a ghost but, at least, could manage to speak like a proper human, bit her lip.

“They have been... complicated.” She settled on. “Boss wasn't happy when you- left,” she shot a side glance to her brother, that was staring at Dazai like he was scared he'd vanish a second time, and was completely ignoring Chuuya's death-glare on him. “We had people look for you, but they more or less gave up after a few months. Officially, though, they're still on the lookout for you.”

“Yeah, I'd thought Mori-san might not appreciate my departure.” He shrugged. “I reckon Hirotsu-san was made Executive in my place?” She nodded. “Good for him, the old man deserved some recognition. Is he still teaching you?”

“Yes, he's still my mentor and the Black Lizard's commander.”

“Ugh, too many responsibilities. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. Is Ane-san well, still?”

“Yes, Dazai-san.”

“Has she said anything about me...?”

“I think her reaction at your defection was 'I'll slice him like sashimi, if I ever see him again'.”

Next to him, Chuuya snorted.

“Oi! Someone threatens me and you find it funny?”

“A scorned lover?”

He shivered, and not in a pleasant way.

“Oh god, no. Don't even say it. Ane-san is way too deadly to be anything but my older, wiser, scarier, honoured older sister. That actually cares for me and wouldn't really slice me up. I think.” He swallowed. “I hope.”

“She reminds me of Akiko-nee.”

“They would get along for sure, I thi-”

“Dazai-san!” Akutagawa-kun called, and Dazai finally looked back at the boy. “What- what happened to-”

He didn't finish his question when he intercepted Dazai's displeased look at being interrupted. He straightened his back and lowered his eyes to the table, like he had realised that demanding an explanation was a terrible move that could cost him dearly. Tch. Like Dazai owed anybody one.

Next to him, Chuuya found his wrist and squeezed it in a warning. Dazai squeezed back and sent him a smile, silently reassuring him that he wasn't going to commit murder after he had effectively stopped the other just half an hour before.

The shock in the siblings' eyes when they saw it felt kind of rude, somehow.

“So, Gin-chan,” he tried, again. “How did you two meet? Feels like there's a story behind it.”

“Oh,” she blinked a few times, getting a grip on herself. “I took Chuuya-san's Jujutsu course back in February, when I joined the gym.” Dazai nodded: Chuuya did teach a couple of martial arts courses there, a few months a year, mostly to avoid paying the fees, and to keep the use of one of the place's empty rooms for him and Fukuzawa-san's training. It wasn't a bad deal, all in all. “He was kind enough to show me around, and help me learn to use some of the machinery we didn't have back at the Port Mafia's facilities.”

“Must've been different from what you were used to.”

She blushed a little and nodded.

“The environment definitely was.”

“Eeeh, I see...”

“Yeah, a couple of assholes tried to give her a hard time at first,” Chuuya jumped in, glaring a little. “Leering at her while exercising. They're lucky their comments didn't cost them their kneecaps.”

“What?!”

Akutagawa-kun, for the first time, moved his attention back to his sister, who just raised her hands in a placating way.

“It's fine, Ryuu, I promise. It was the only time somebody even noticed me. And Chuuya-san helped: they got kicked out and haven't been back since.”

“Such a Prince Charming, my Chibi~”

“Shut up.” He pushed Dazai's face away from his, making him groan like a sad puppy, then turned back to Gin-chan. “Had I known you were a trained assassin, I would've let you handle it. I hope I didn't overstep.”

She vehemently shook her head.

“Oh, no, I was very grateful! Hirotsu-san wouldn't have been happy if I had killed them. It's a lot of paperwork for him.”

Chuuya blinked at her a couple of times, and laughed. Gin-chan – lovely, quiet Gin-chan – chuckled as well, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“So, yeah, that's kind of how it happened.”

“Interesting...” Dazai smiled again at her. He stretched his arms then, and cracked his neck. “Well, it was lovely to catch up, but I think it's time for us to go to our rooms. What do you say, Chibi?”

Chuuya shot him a very confused, kind of unimpressed look, but still slowly nodded.

“Yeah, maybe we should get going.”

“Marvellous.” Dazai turned back to the siblings. “It'd be lovely if you could not tell Mori-san about seeing me here, today. It'd only make him upset, you know how the old man gets.”

Gin-chan quickly glanced at her brother, who was still focusing on the table.

“Of course, Dazai-san.”

“Perfect! Also, I'd like a moment alone with Akutagawa-kun.”

That surprised everybody present, eyes big and questioning. Dazai kept silently smiling, like nothing had ever been wrong in the world, ever.

“Dazai-san, you-”

“What do you think, Akutagawa-kun? Can we talk?”

“Yes!” The boy nodded, almost jumping out of his seat to lean over the table towards him. “Of course, Dazai-san!”

“Great! Chuuya, I'll get to you in a minute. Goodnight, Gin-chan~”

Neither of them seemed like they were comfortable in leaving them alone but, slowly, they got up and left the room. Dazai waited a few moments after the door slid closed behind them to get up and stand beside Akutagawa-kun, that was looking at him with wonder.

“A-ku-ta-ga-wa-kun~”

He patted his head, smiling at the shock written all over the boy's face at the gesture.

“Dazai-san, I-”

Quick and sudden, the hand shifted and gripped at Akutagawa-kun's hair harshly until the boy whimpered in pain, sweet smile never leaving Dazai's face.

“If you try to pull some shit like that on Chuuya again,” he purred, voice soft and velvety. “I'm going to break all your bones, starting from your fingers. I'll pull off all your nails, and then your teeth, one by one, until your throat is so raw from screaming you won't be able to do it anymore. Then, and only then, I'll put a hole in your head. Are we clear, A-ku-ta-ga-wa-kun~?”

The boy swallowed thickly and tried his best to nod.

“Yes, Dazai-san.”

Dazai let him go and patted his cheek, almost affectionately.

“Good boy. Now, hop you go to sleep. Gin-chan is going to worry if you don't get enough rest.”

He left him there on the floor, feeling him staring at his back until he was out of sight, and didn't look back.

When Dazai entered their room, Chuuya had already finished getting ready for bed, and was enjoying the night sitting on the window seat. The sky was clear, the only sounds the gentle breeze in the trees around their inn and the singing of crickets. It felt completely different from the nights in the city, the buzz and the noise almost constant in Yokohama.

“Did you have a nice chat?”

“Yep,” Dazai said, leaving his slippers out of the door and entering the room. “I reminded him of the good, old times.”

Chuuya raised one of his eyebrows and looked him up and down; Dazai, to his credit, didn't budge and actually got closer, shedding his yukata to wear the one the inn provided them as sleepwear. Chuuya observed him while he loosely tied his belt and moved to sit on the windowsill with him, one leg bent over it to use it as an arm rest, the other shamelessly stretched out on Chuuya's lap. His smile was a little lopsided, his eyes kind of devious in a way that made a pleasant shiver run down his back.

Still.

“So you had a nice talk, uh?”

Dazai nodded.

“He likes to listen to me.”

“I can imagine... And did he like reminiscing about the good, old times?”

“He worships me,” he explained, and smirked, almost caressing the other's leg with his foot. “I'm basically his hero. No need to be jealous of that.”

“Tch, like I would. I pity the kid.” He pinched the mackerel's foot, making him whimper. “Poor fucker, he looked like he had just found his long, lost, deadbeat asshole of a father again.”

“Ow, Chibi, that's harsh.”

“You deny it?”

Very wisely, he didn't, but still twisted his mouth to pout a bit.

“So, what's the story there?”

Dazai's face turned sombre, eyes going blank for a moment, before he sighed and looked out of the window.

“Let's say not everybody finds a Fukuzawa-san when they get picked up by a stranger.” Seeing Chuuya's frown, he kept going. “Akutagawa-kun's power was very... raw. It would've destroyed him and everything around him, if left unchecked, but had potential. He needed guidance. I gave it to him.”

The Demon Prodigy's guidance. Only a fool would want that for himself, and Chuuya was not one. He blinked and leaned back against the window, eyes never leaving Dazai's.

“I don't imagine the Demon Prodigy was a soft teacher.”

“I was terrible,” he admitted. “A borderline monster. Wouldn't recommend the experience.” He offered Chuuya a very tired smile. “But it worked out, didn't it? His control over it is almost perfect, now, it seems.”

“And then you left.”

“And then I left,” he confirmed.

“And what, you abandoned him? Just like that?”

“What was I supposed to do, Chibi? Take him with me into hiding? Akutagawa-kun, his almost-assassin sister and his anger issues that made him destroy entire buildings every time he lost control? Nah,” he sighed. “I could barely take care of myself, back then. He was better off in the Mafia, where he had the space and the means to train properly, and Gin-chan as well. Hirotsu-san, her teacher, would've taken care of them and helped them. And let's be honest: if I had had them around, I would've never been able to move on like I had to. ”

“And the sucker still worships the ground you walk on.” He clicked his tongue. “Poor loser, he's clearly mad. Should've gone easier on his ass.”

“Chuuya was really, really hot back then. I felt very, very protected. I think I like the role of the damsel in distress~”

Chuuya rolled his eyes so hard, it made Dazai laugh.

“You don't have to, you know?”

“What?”

“Protect me. I'm more than capable to do it myself.”

“Tch, like I don't know?” He locked his eyes with his boyfriend and tilted his head: for a moment, when the Akutagawas had appeared, Chuuya had sensed the switch in Dazai, the way the other had almost automatically gone back to his Demon Prodigy persona, ready to get rid of the danger that had arrived. Really, Chuuya thought, the gloomy kid should've thanked him: he was almost positive he wouldn't have walked away with just a threat, if Chuuya hadn't been the one intervening.

Not that he would've shown restraint if he they ended up being a real problem, of course. But, still. He liked Gin-chan, he was glad he didn't have to kill them.

From Dazai' smile – tired, not reaching his eyes, almost resigned – he knew that, too.

“Oi,” he said, rubbing his foot gently. Dazai tilted his head in wait. “You know I love you, right?”

Dazai snorted a bit and poked his side with a toe.

“I know.” He sighed. “I'm being stupid: I know it was bound to happened, sooner or later – the Port Mafia finding out I'm still in Yokohama and all of that. Just- I would've preferred you hadn't gotten involved.”

Like it was possible, Chuuya thought. The moment Dazai and him became an item – hell, the moment they had met, staying away from each other pasts – and everything they involved – had become impossible. Their relationship was a liability, making them more vulnerable to people that wanted at least one of them dead. It also made them stronger, in a way, between their Abilities and the way the protected each other constantly and ruthlessly.

“Let Mori come,” he said, playing with the other's lapel. “I have waited for a chance to kill the bastard for years, now.”

“So you're only dating me to have a better chance to?”

“Of course. Didn't I tell you?”

“Ouch. And here I thought you cared, Chibi.”

“Eh, we all make mistakes.”

When Dazai chuckled, Chuuya smiled.

“If the bastard says anything, I'll take care of him.” He promised. Dazai pursed his lips in thought.

“Don't worry, Akutagawa-kun won't tell anybody,” he continued. “Gin-chan neither. They're loyal to the Mafia, but Akutagawa-kun idolizes me enough to not be a danger, and Gin-chan cares about her brother. Still, I'd prefer you'd never gotten closer to any of them.”

That was what Dazai believed for sure, but Chuuya would still prepare for the worst case scenario, as always.

He gave Dazai a small smile and leaned into his space to kiss him, hands cradling his face, half-lidded eyes not missing the moment Dazai started to melt into it with a sigh. His fingers slipped under Chuuya's lapel, pushing it off his shoulders, and he shifted to let it fall behind him, a small sound escaping him when Dazai's hands slid down his body and found the small of his back. He pulled him closer, until he was all but straddling him, holding on Dazai' shoulder for a moment before his hands went for his yukata, opening it easily, caressing his stomach, their lips growing more frantic. His back arched when Dazai moved to torment his neck and then his torso, a low groan leaving him while biting and sucking like Chuuya' skin was in the way, and all he wanted to crawl into his chest where it was warm, and quiet, and the Demon Prodigy and all he entailed had no space to exist.

For what was worth, Chuuya thought hazily, hips grinding down, making Dazai's breath stutter and their mouths hurriedly find each other again, he would've let him.

He was lying half-draped on Chuuya in their futon, the Chibi deeply asleep under him, legs tangled together and arms keeping Dazai snug against his chest. He moved his hand from the other's hip, trailing up and mapping the hickeys he had left on his stomach and chest, hearing him inhale loudly when he pressed his thumb down a particularly dark one. That only made Chuuya hug him tighter, one leg moving up until it was hooked around his waist. The Chibi liked to call him an octopus, but Dazai knew for experience that his hold had nothing on the slug's. He wasn't going to be able to move until morning, now. Which would usually work pretty well for him, but tonight was different: the Akutagawas needed to be dealt with. He couldn't afford to leave them this close to Chuuya without doing some damage control.

“You're thinking too loud,” Chuuya mumbled, still half-asleep. “Shut it up, I'm tired.”

He sighed, kissed the slug's collarbone and laid his head there, syncing their breathings until they both drifted off to sleep.

He'd take care of it tomorrow.

The morning after, Dazai was the first one to awaken. He sighed, hand automatically burrowing in Chuuya's hair where he was now resting on his chest. The Chibi was the one waking up first on a normal day, but he usually slept in as much as possible when he had the day off and no training, which was a rarity. Dazai really enjoyed those days, when he could poke and squish the Chibi's cheeks without him noticing, and just quietly enjoying the other's rare stillness.

Today, though, he had something to do.

He kissed Chuuya's forehead in stead of a proper goodbye, and slipped out of the futon. Chuuya frowned in his sleep and turned around, wrapping the covers around himself and muttering something intelligible in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Dazai grinned, quickly got dressed, wrote him a lovely note, and left the room as quietly as possible.

For how he saw it, Akutagawa-kun was not going to be particularly problematic in the long run. Yes, he had been very close to take care of the problem the old way, the first few moments he had seen him the day before. If Chuuya hadn't intervened, there was the chance he'd have just killed him and Gin-chan on the spot and then thought about it. But it hadn't happened, and as soon as the initial reaction had faded, he had been sure that he wasn't going to blab, and Gin-chan was not going to sell his mentor out.

The only problem was Chuuya.

He and Akutagawa-kun had not started out in the best way and, even if Dazai knew the boy wouldn't go out of his way to harm him, he still needed to iron out the situation and have them at least tolerate each other. And he might have a plan.

He knocked on Gin-chan's door, and waited for her to open it, her big, dark eyes still heavy with sleep.

“Gin-chan, good morning~” he told her, clapping his hands. “I need a favour~”

When Chuuya woke up, there was no dead weight on his stomach from Dazai's arm around his waist, which meant that the mackerel had snuck out.

Chuuya stared at the ceiling for a moment: either he had gone all Demon Prodigy on the Akutagawas, or he was plotting something that was going to be annoying. His gut told him the second option was the most likely, and it was almost never wrong when it came to Dazai.

He shuffled back under the covers, determined to not let the idiot involve him in another one of his shenanigans – he had said Akutagawa wasn't going to be a problem, he trusted him not to bullshit him on this. And Gin-chan was harmless, really. She probably wouldn't be to a normal person, but Chuuya and Dazai were anything but. He'd be fine.

His resolve lasted exactly twelve seconds before he scoffed loudly, tossed the cover off himself and got up. He quickly retrieved his yukata from were they had dropped it next the window, tied it around himself and stopped when he noticed a slip of paper on the windowsill:

'Chiiiibi~

I'm out preparing an amazing picnic for us. \^O^/

Don't make me wait too much, or I'll eat everything myself. ~O~

Your lovey-dovey,

Dazai <3'

He crumpled it up and took a deep, calming breath, before he strode towards the door, sliding it open just to find the gloomiest of the Akutagawa siblings on the other side, his fist raised and ready to knock.

“What?”

Akutagawa stared him down, his eyes lingering a second too long on the string of hickeys alongside Chuuya's collarbone, which made him frown even more than before. Chuuya only raised his eyebrows in reply, a little bored: if the little idiot had come over just to throw a tantrum, he was going to shut it down, and quickly.

Instead, the kid seemed to brace himself, and sighed.

“Gin has disappeared.”

Oh? Interesting.

Chuuya leaned on the door's frame and crossed his arms over his chest.

“And?”

Akutgawa's eye twitched, like he was struggling to keep himself in check, and offered Chuuya a folded piece of paper:

'Akutagawa-kuuuun ~

I kidnapped Gin-chan! ^-^ I'm leaving you a map to find us. Please, bring Chuuya along, I planned a nice lunch for us~ And remember, Akutagawa-kun: no Abilities. That would be cheating, and I don't like that~ >.<' Sure he didn't. When it was somebody else doing it, maybe. 'PS. Do not get to Chuuya before 10am. He gets grumpy when somebody wakes him up and you don't want to be in the way of that.'

He folded the paper again and handed it back to the kid.

“So?”

He didn't think it'd be possible for the sucker to frown even more than he already was.

“Dazai-san asked for the both of us to go together.” He said, like Chuuya was supposed to give a fuck.

He waited the other out, gaze not faltering even when Akutagawa lowered his and bit his lip.

“Dazai-san made it clear-”

“God, you're so annoying.” Akutagawa didn't retort. He must've really wanted to do exactly as the mackerel had told him, for him to try to control himself like that.

Chuuya sighed and tiredly rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands, promising himself to make Dazai pay for this bullshit.

He pushed himself off the frame.

“I'm getting changed. Wear some decent boots, the fucker will probably have us walk for hours and I'm not carrying your ass if you sprain your ankle or some other shit.”

He shut the door in his face and groaned: the mackerel better have a decent reason for all of this, bloody hell.

The silence was heavy.

Akutagawa, a dark jacket over his clothes in spite of the heath, led the way, clutching the map Dazai had left him with an intensity that Chuuya, admittedly, found a little scary. It wasn't even like the mackerel had put much work into this, honestly: the map was a little inn-issued one that he got from the reception the day before. He had used a red marker to highlight the way they were supposed to follow, and the mountain's belvedere spot was circled almost aggressively as the arrival point. All in all, clear an easy.

Chuuya would bet his ass the idiot had set some traps along their path for them. Probably not dangerous – certainly not for Chuuya, at least, but he wasn't so sure he wouldn't go harder on Akutagawa. Whatever he had in mind – and Chuuya had a very good idea of what it was by now – Dazai was still definitely pissed that he had to use their time away together for it, after all, and he wouldn't have to do anything if it wasn't for the two kids.

Chuuya really should've kept on sleeping that morning.

Autagawa took a left turn, and Chuuya's eyes caught a glare just in time to grab the boy's arm and pull him back behind himself: where Akutagawa's leg had been just a second before, was a sharp knife, lodged deep into the ground. The handle was dark blue, the blade slender, not the longest of his collection but the perfect size for the sheath he usually kept at his ankle.

“Tch,” he mumbled, bending to pick it up. “Why can't he give me back my stuff without being such an idiot, seriously, so fucking dramatic-”

“How did you notice that?” Chuuya turned to face Akutagawa, that was looking at him a little puzzled. “How did you know it was coming? I didn't see anything.”

“Tch, you had your nose in that map, of course you wouldn't have.” He couldn't avoid the judgement bleeding into his voice. “You've known the mackerel for longer than I have: how did you not expect something like this to happen? Pay better attention to your surrounding!”

Akutagawa didn't, apparently, appreciate his words: he scoffed, loudly, and stalked off like Chuuya had just insulted his entire life. That insolent bastard.

He still snorted, a little amused, secured his knife at his waist, and followed the kid, that now kept looking suspiciously at the branches around them. Like the next attack could come from them again. Like Dazai was that predictable. Tch.

“So, how did you meet the bastard?” he asked after a while.

Akutagawa spared him a glance out of the corner of his eye.

“Dazai-san didn't say?”

“We're not in the habit of making other people's business a topic of conversation.”

He chuckled at the way Akutagawa's entire face contorted a bit at his use of the word 'we'. Sucker.

“Then why would you ask me?”

“Because this is fucking boring.” He said, honestly, then smirked. “Also, why else would Dazai send us out together on this little stroll, if not to get to know each other better?”

The mere idea that this could actually be Dazai's point seemed to hit the boy with the force of a thousand black holes. He let Akutagawa mull that idea over and over in his head, sure that the ridiculous high esteem the boy kept Dazai in would work in his favour, for once.

It took less than five minutes for Akutagawa to cave.

“Gin and I- We lived in the slums. Our friends didn't make it out, we did. Dazai-san found us.”

Ah, there it was, he thought. One of the reasons why Dazai had orchestrated this little outing so they could speak. He studied Akutagawa closely, from the dip of his brow to the pinch of his mouth, and the way his fingers flexed nervously.

Chuuya wasn't sure how his life would've been, if he had ended up in the Port Mafia, or in some other criminal Organisations. He knew he had less anger in himself than this boy, that he wouldn't have turned out like this, desperate for the approval of somebody that had punished him for years, before leaving him, too. He knew that.

He sure as hell was glad he had been found by Ranpo-nii and Fukuzawa-san, though.

Dazai was playing dirty. Bastard.

“I don't need to ask you how you met Dazai-san.”

What?

“Ah?”

“I knew there must've been a reason why he left like that.” He continued. The way his voice dropped, it seemed like he was trying to suggest that Chuuya had-

What the hell.

Akutagawa had the nerve to smirk, then, the asshole.

“I have to say, I thought Dazai-san had better taste.”

This little-

Chuuya took a deep breath, and didn't punch the impertinent prick because he was better than that, okay?

He smirked as well and kept walking side by side with Akutagawa, that was looking at him a little confused. After the night before, he probably thought he was a brute, easy to rile up. If he had thought he could have Chuuya hit him before we got to Dazai and his sister – and for what, really? Cry to Dazai about how mean Chuuya was, like the man would give shit? Tch – he had another thing coming.

It only took a few more moments to see what he was waiting for: a minute gap in the ground a little further ahead, a couple of leaves where they weren't supposed to be. He didn't react, just kept walking, moving slightly to the side to lead Akutagawa in that direction. Then, before the boy could question him at all, he pushed him sideways, right over Dazai's trap: surprised, Akutagawa didn't react fast enough and a net closed around him, pulling him up until he was dangling from the tree above.

Good, he thought. The little shit deserved it.

He glanced up at Akutagawa, that was staring at him with anger. Which was way less threatening than he thought, with him swaying around like a trapped fish.

Chuuya smirked, and floated up until they were eye level, which seemed to upset him even more.

“You okay?” he sing-songed.

“Dazai-san said not to use our Abilities!” He said, disbelief that he dared violate the orders clear in his voice. He could've gone off Chuuya for a plethora of different reasons, and he chose this? Really? “That's not-”

“I don't give a shit. And, if you had any common sense, you wouldn't either.”

“Dazai-san-”

“- Is an asshole. Ignore what he told you and be logical.”

“How dare you-”

“I do, because is true. Just because I love the bastard doesn't mean I don't see his shitty side. It just makes him more interesting.”

“Dazai-san-”

Sensing the beginning of a long tirade, Chuuya tuned him out and unsheathed his knife, starting to work on the rope. Akutagawa stopped and watched at him working, his Ability surrounding the rest of the net to avoid the idiot falling down on his ass and breaking something as soon as he was done. Chuuya got tired of his staring rather quickly.

“What?”

“How did you know what to look for?”

Chuuya tilted his head, confused.

“Ah? Why else would the mackerel give us a knife? Of course he had a trap planted that we could get out of with it. It didn't take a genius to keep my eyes out for something on the ground near the tree line.”

“What if none of us had escaped it?”

“Oi, who do you think you're talking to? Like I'd ever fall for something this shitty.”

Akutagawa ignored the jab and kept going.

“But what if-”

“I'd still have sliced the net open and floated back to the ground. What the hell. Like Dazai would believe I'd listen to such idiot instructions as to not use my Ability. It's bullshit, and he knows it, too. That's why it wasn't in my note.”

Akutagawa didn't say anything back, which was starting to really annoy Chuuya.

“Dazai-san wouldn't want me to get help. I'm supposed to make it out on my own.”

“Are you, really?”

“How else would I get stronger?”

He sighed. This boy, really.

“Look, I don't know how Dazai trained you back then. I can guess, and I'm sure it was horrible – he wasn't in a good place, either, at the time. So, I can't be sure he ever told you to only count on yourself or not. But, if he did, you should know it's utter bullshit: there's strength in accepting help too, you know. Dazai does. It took him time, and effort, to learn to trust other people enough to do it, but he did. You should do the same, before it gets you killed. Or it turns you into a monster.”

The silence that welcomed his words was full of disbelief and judgement. Chuuya didn't roll his eyes, but that was just because he considered himself a decent person.

“Why would you care?”

“Gin-chan is a good kid. She deserves better. You're her brother, you should know.” He shrugged. “And you deserve more than this, too, you know. Everybody does.”

Akutagawa didn't reply, just kept silent while he finished on the rope, then he let the net fall and slowly lowered the both of them to the ground. The kid still looked like he had just committed treason and was about to pay the consequences.

“For fuck's- You know what? If Dazai gets mad, you can blame me.” He smirked. “He won't but, even if he does, I have better ways than you to distract him.”

The disgust written all over Akutagawa's face was priceless.

“Now, let's go: I'm starving, and the asshole owes me lunch.”

They walked in silence the rest of the way, and Chuuya let Akutagawa brood over whatever he needed to and enjoyed the quiet. They didn't meet any more traps, which made sense, since Dazai had barely had the time to put this thing together.

Then, something shifted in the air and Chuuya's attention focused in front of him, where the trees started to thin out and the path seemed to end.

He sprinted forward.

As soon as he was out of the tree line, he found himself at their destination. Dazai was close to the edge of the viewing point, and turned as soon as he heard Chuuya arriving: he had a smile on his face, eyes half-lidded and a soft, lovely breeze was ruffling his hair gently.

“Chibi~”

If he thought he'd lessen Chuuya's rage by trying too hard to look like he just got out of a painting, he was sorely mistaken.

Chuuya scoffed, For the Tainted Sorrow glowed and propelled him forward like a bullet. It took him a split-second to reach a suddenly very worried Dazai, almost smashing face-first into his chest, arms and legs wrapping around his body, hands clutching his lapel and bringing his face bare millimetres away from his.

“What the fuck were you thinking, leaving like that?!”

The mackerel dared to laugh. He smacked their lips together, circling Chuuya's shoulders and bringing him even closer.

“Hi~”

“Hi, my ass!”

“Eh, was Chibi worried?”

“You know I was, asshole!”

“Silly Chibi, I was perfectly safe this entire time~”

“And how was I supposed to know?!”

He looked at him amused, like Chuuya was the one being unreasonable. As if! It didn't matter how lethal Dazai was on his own, he was still a fucking trouble-magnet. Chuuya's concern was completely sensible!

Luckily for him, Dazai wasn't that much of an idiot to try to justify himself, and just chuckled and kissed him again. Feeling generous – and, somewhat, placated now that he was sure the fucker was okay – Chuuya let him and responded with much feeling.

When Dazai's moved away – and Chuuya definitely didn't groan in disappointment at that – he dropped another kiss on his neck before looking past his shoulder. Chuuya did as well, trying to see what was so interesting: Akutagawa had stopped right outside the line of trees, and was thoroughly checking if his sister was okay. For a moment, in Chuuya's mind flashed the memory of the countless times his family had done the same for him. Damn it.

“I see the both of you made it out in one piece.”

“Barely.”

“Did Chuuya consider murder?”

“A couple of times.”

“And yet, Akutagawa-kun still lives! Success!”

He rolled his eyes and gently massaged the mackerel's scalp, smirking a bit at the way Dazai immediately leaned into the touch. What a fucking dog, really.

“Tch, scheming bastard.”

“Now, let's not be rude, Chibi~”

“Like it's not rude to make us go on a idiotic quest together just so I could find out his tragic past and empathise with the little shit?”

“Mhmh, I just thought finding a common point might ease Chuuya's worries about him.”

“Tch, like having a sob story guarantees he won't mess with us.”

“He won't.” He reassured him, voice a little distorted by the way Chuuya had started to pull and squish his cheeks. “You might have noticed the lengths he'd go to follow my orders to the letter. Akutagawa-kun is not a danger to us.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I wouldn't have let him go yesterday, if I thought he might be. You know that.”

He did. What a stupid, overprotective idiot is boyfriend was.

“Yeah, I don't think he will,” he had to admit, tracing Dazai's brow with a finger. “He still considers me some sort of homewrecker, but his unhealthy level of respect he has for you is going to work in our favour.”

“He really does worship me, doesn't he?”

Chuuya could only roll his eyes. He still kissed the other, though, biting his lower lip for good measure and muffling Dazai's groan with his mouth.

“Com'on, mackerel.” He said, dodging Dazai's mouth when he tried to deepened the kiss. He jumped off his boyfriend and grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards the other two. “We have a lunch to eat and I'm starving.”

Later on, after they all had their bellies full, Chuuya fell asleep under a tree, his head pillowed on Dazai's lap. He was idly playing with his hair, twirling red strands around his fingers, when Akutagawa-kun cautiously approached them. Dazai only raised his eyes to him when he stopped a few steps away from them.

“Dazai-san.”

“Akutagawa-kun.”

The boy was quiet for a few more seconds, biting his lip like he was looking for the courage to be somehow direct with Dazai. Maybe he shouldn't have terrorised him the night before.

He waited him out, curious to where he was going to go with this.

“Dazai-san,” he tried, again. “Did you- Back then, why did you leave?”

Dazai tilted his head and his brow dipped slightly, which seemed to have quite an effect on Akutagawa-kun. For once, though, he pressed on:

“Did you- Was I the reason?” He asked, like he had to spit the words out before they corroded him from the inside. “Was I such a disappointment?”

Dazai studied Akutagawa-kun for a moment, taking in his tormented lip, his clenched teeth and the way he was flexing his fingers.

Dazai knew he wasn't a gentle soul. He had never been: there was too much darkness in him – too much sadness, too much cruelty. He was the perfect product of everybody that had raised him, from his bastard of a father, to that equally bastard of Mori-san, passing through his psychopathic grandfather. He didn't radiate warmth and light, like Chuuya, that covered everything he touched with his goodness. And that was okay, he had realised. It had taken him years, but he knew that much, now. He was still capable of good, somehow, like almost everybody else, and he was trying. Which had to count for something, he thought.

He looked at Akutagawa-kun, and he seemed painfully young in Dazai's eyes. He could see his raw pain, and fear, and sadness. It ate deep into his mind, and Dazai wondered if it had always been there and he had just never noticed – or just hadn't cared to. Probably the latter.

But he found himself caring more, these days, the Agency's influence taking its tool on him. He could be kinder to him, for once.

“There were a lot of reasons why I had to leave, Akutagawa-kun. You were not one of them.”

The absolute relief on Akutagawa-kun's face was somehow amusing, but he spared his feelings and didn't comment on it. The boy' stare moved to Chuuya' sleeping form.

“I didn't meet Chuuya until a year ago,” he added, turning back to watch his sleeping beauty softly snore on his lap. He smiled. “Which is good: had he known me back then, I'm sure he wouldn't have liked me at all. He didn't even like me when he met me, and I wasn't complete darkness anymore. But I grew on him.”

And he chuckled a bit, thinking of how far he had gotten with his Chibi in a very short year.

Next to them, Akutagawa-kun swallowed, probably overwhelmed by seeing Dazai actually showing a positive emotion for the umpteenth time in two days. His poor heart must've been on the verge of giving up.

“I'll try to keep the Mafia's business away from him,” he said, suddenly, commanding back Dazai's attention. “I'm- I'm not sure I can do much, at the moment, but I'll get stronger and better and climb the ladder, and keep it away from you both as much as I can.” His face was set. “I'll work hard, and you won't need to worry about the Port Mafia anymore. I promise, Dazai-san. I'll make you proud of me.”

Well, this was something not even Dazai had expected to hear from Akutagawa-kun, today.

A little puzzled, he nodded. Akutagawa-kun bowed his head a little, and turned to walk away and join his sister.

Dazai waited for a few minutes, well after they had both disappeared into the trees, to poke at Chuuya's cheek.

“You can stop pretending you're asleep now, slug.”

Chuuya stuck his tongue out, but didn't otherwise acknowledge him.

“You know, you must've made an impression on Akutagawa-kun: I didn't think I'd ever hear him offer his protection to anybody. Except his sister, I guess. And me, I suppose. Not that I'd need it.”

Chuuya's face scrunched up adorably, and he clicked his tongue.

“Like I'd ever need it either.” He opened one eye and scowled. “Kid needs to understand who's dealing with.”

“Eh, but now we know he won't try to kill you off.”

“Tch, I'd like to see him trying.”

“I'd rather not. Rashōmon is a bitch. You'd win, of course, but still. Not fun.”

“At least now he knows I wasn't the evil mistress that seduced his beloved father and took him away from his first family.”

“Now, that's not-”

“It's a very accurate description.”

“Dramaaaa~”

Chuuya lifted himself up, looking a little ticked off, cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk's. Dazai really wanted to bite them.

He circled Chuuya's waist with his arms and pulled him to his chest.

“Don't be mad now.”

“I'm not.”

“You are, a little.”

“I'm not.”

“Mmmh, then why don't we put our time to better use?”

“Ah?”

“Well, we are alone. Finally.” He kissed the other's neck, and Chuuya tilted his head back enough to leave him free reign over it. “And it is a special day. Wouldn't want it to go waste.”

“And whose fault was it?”

“Irrelevant,” he sneaked one of his hands under Chuuya' shirt, fingers skimming his stomach and making his breath catch. The other went to his face, shifting them until the Chibi was straddling him and their mouths were only a hair apart. “We have all the time we need to make up for it, anyway.”

And he finally kissed him, legs pulling up to bracket Chuuya's body and pull him even closer, hands moving down to work on the other's buttons-

He found himself clutching air, his mouth still opened and eyes blinking in confusion.

Chuuya stood in front of him, a sly smirk on his face.

“Yeah, no chance, mackerel. You made me waste the entire morning, and I want to enjoy what time we have left at the onsen.”

“But- Chuuya!”

“Don't 'Chuuya' me. Get up.” He grabbed his wrist and started dragging him towards the trees and the path to the ryokan, where there would be other people, and things to do, and not fair!

He was about to vehemently protest, when Chuuya turned his head, and a very interesting light twinkled in his irises.

“And we're having dinner in our room again, tonight. Feels like a waste to get dressed just to get naked again right after.”

Dazai almost ran back to the inn. By the way Chuuya laughed, he found it pretty funny indeed.

The night found them tipsy, naked, and enjoying their private tub thoroughly, tasting the wine they had been drinking the entire time on each other's lips, water sloshing around them.

All in all, a great way to celebrate, in Dazai's books.

The morning after, Chuuya woke up feeling pleasantly sore all over, one arm secured around Dazai's hips. He sighed, nuzzled the leg next to his face, and listened to the mackerel chuckle.

“'Morning,” his boyfriend said, turning a page of the book he was reading, hand then going back to play with Chuuya's hair.

“What time is it?” he asked, leaving a little kiss on the other's naked hip while raising up on his arm.

“Almost ten fifteen,” Dazai marked the page he was on and put the book down, bending over with a big smile. “Chuuya snored so much the entire time~”

“I didn't!” He squinted menacingly at Dazai, who kept on smiling like he was looking at a particularly adorable kitten. Annoying.

Chuuya pushed himself up until he could sit and stretch out his arms, blanket pooling around his waist. Dazai's eyes went from amused to heavy-lidded immediately, lingering over his lower back.

“Don't you even think about it.” He said, voice final, and Dazai's mouth twisted into a pout. The mackerel perched his chin on his shoulder, hand teasingly massaging his thigh and really, Chuuya thought, so shameless.

“But, Chuuyaaa~” his whine was loud, and useless. Chuuya knew him well enough, by now, to not fall for these cheap tricks.

“Nope,” he reiterated, getting up and retrieving some clean underwear from his bag. “We need to be out of here by eleven thirty, and I need a bath before we leave. I feel filthy.”

“I don't mind that~”

“I do.”

He heard Dazai huffing behind him, getting up and following him like a trained dog.

“Well, I could always join you in the tub,” he tried, draping himself over his back. “That way we enjoy the bath and get properly cleaned. Plus, we save time, since I'm pretty dirty, too~”

He pretended to think about it for a second, before turning to him and pulling him in for a kiss that was answer enough.

The bath was definitely more pleasant than he would've been alone, and they ended up being only a few minutes late. Which, when Dazai was involved, was definitely a success.

The Akutagawas were waiting for them at the inn's entrance.

“I'll take care of the check-out,” he said, standing on his toes to peck Dazai quickly. “Go throw the kid a bone and say goodbye.”

“Eh, Chuuya is so nice with Akutagawa-kun, now that they bonded~”

“Shut up.”

The bastard winked at him and left Chuuya to deal with the reception.

Checking-out was a quick affair, and after he had finished, he turned around to find Gin-chan only a few steps away from him.

“Chuuya-san, I-” she stopped, probably mulling over whatever speech she had prepared in her head, and then sighed. “I'm sorry.” She murmured, in the end.

“Uh? For what?”

“For ruining your days off, for starters.”

Ah, she really was a sweet kid. He was glad he didn't end up having to kill her brother. He wondered how it was possible that she was really related to that gloomy, disrespectful idiot.

“It's fine,” he smiled. “It's not like you knew about Dazai.”

She bit her lip, a little uncomfortable.

“Chuuya-san... Dazai-san seems- different.” She stopped, like she was gathering her courage, and he waited her out patiently. “He used to be- darker. I don't know how else to say it. Like you had to walk on eggshells around him all the time, and be sure to not get his attention on yourself. He didn't mind me too much, but Ryuu... He was very – strict with him.”

Well, that was a very polite way to put it, that's for sure.

“I can imagine.”

She seemed a little taken aback.

“Do you know much about his past in the Port Mafia?”

“I know enough.”

And, whatever he didn't know, he could easily guess. She seemed surprised by that, but nodded, probably more to herself than to him.

“Dazai-san feels really different,” she repeated. “But please, Chuuya-san, just- be careful.”

If almost anyone else had told him that, he would've probably retorted with something very, very rude. But Gin-chan had known Dazai when he was at his worst, and saw her brother going through his training. She was probably very worried and thought her duty to warn him, as much as she could. He smiled at her and patted her head.

“Thank you, Gin-chan. But you don't need to trouble yourself with me, I promise.”

She nodded, weakly, but looked relieved he hadn't gone off on her.

“I also wanted to say-”

“Yes?”

“I really, really didn't know you were with the Agency, when we met. You've always been very kind to me, Chuuya-san, and I wanted to be clear that I wasn't trying to spy on you for the Port Mafia, I promise.”

“I know. I mean, I didn't know you were Port Mafia, of course, but I know when somebody is trying to play me or fish for inside informations. I know you weren't.”

She smiled at that.

“So, is it still okay if we keep training together?”

Chuuya chuckled and ruffled her hair: he should probably dismiss her and not teach a potential enemy anything. But his training was mostly basic stuff, anyway, and he was quite sure Gin-chan kept coming just because she found it relaxing. Even without Dazai around, he couldn't imagine a training regime in the Port Mafia could be easy.

Kunikida-kun would still have a stoke, if he knew.

“Of course. I'll see you when you're back.”

“Thank you!”

They joined Dazai and Akutagawa outside. The boy nodded at him – almost politely – and immediately left, leaving his quite amused mentor behind. Gin-chan bowed to the both of them and waved, before she rushed to her brother' side.

It was only when they were in the car and Chuuya was busy choosing the music before starting up, that Dazai talked.

“So, very eventful trip, uh?”

“A constant surprise. Maybe let's aim to something quieter, next year.”

The prospect to having plans a year in advance seemed to put Dazai in a very good mood. If he didn't know that his boyfriend still had problems grasping the fact that he was stuck with him for good, Chuuya would've made a joke out of it.

“Oi, Dazai?” He called, instead. Dazai turned to him, smile still in place, and Chuuya couldn't avoid the way his eyes went impossibly softer at the sight. “I'm proud of you, you know?”

Dazai blinked, surprised, and laughed.

“Just for not killing two people? I don't know, it feels like a very low bar to clear-”

“Osamu,” he interrupted. Dazai's eyes widened when he heard his first name, and a faint blush covered his cheeks. “Don't put yourself down like that. You've come a long way, and it hasn't been easy on you. Change never is. I'm proud of you; you should be, too.”

It seemingly took Dazai a second to come back to reality. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, one hand clutching his shirt over his heart and the other closing in a fist on his thigh.

“You can't do this to me, Chibi. Not when we're right outside the inn and I can't do anything to you if I want us to be allowed back. And not get arrested.”

“Ah, so dramatic-”

Dazai grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in, smashing their lips together. Chuuya cradled his face and tilted it just right, breathing itching when the other bit his lip.

When they managed to come up for breath – and it wasn't easy – he leaned his forehead against Chuuya's and pecked him a few more times.

“I love you,” he murmured. Chuuya smiled, and rubbed his cheekbone gently.

“I do, too.” He sighed, happily, and pecked the other one last time before pulling back and starting the car.

Dazai didn't stop smiling the entire way back. Chuuya hoped he'd never do.