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Like any other afternoon, the door to the bar lupin swings open on its hinges, and like any other afternoon, Ango walks through late to join odasaku and Dazai.
“Dazai, happy early birthday.”
Ango greets as he sits in one of the bars many stools.
“Ugh. Ango don’t remind me.”
Dazai frowns and spins around in his chair a few times before odasaku comments.
“I know you don’t like people celebrating your birthday…. But isn’t there anything you want to do? Or anything you want as a present..?”
Dazai pauses and his chair slowly stops spinning. He thinks for a moment before his eyes light up and he turns to odasaku.
“Can you help me tie a noose-!”
“- other than that.”
Ango interrupts and pushes his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
“I don’t know why you two have to make this so difficult. My answer’s not gonna change.”
Dazai sighs dramatically and plays with the ice in his drink.
“Because,” Odasaku starts, “Your birthday is something to celebrate, or- be happy about. Together .”
Dazai’s frown remains unchanged as he rests his chin in his hand, looking anywhere but at Ango and Odasaku.
“I don’t see it that way.”
Dazai mumbles quietly.
The group is quiet for a few moments.
“ Anything , dazai.”
Odasaku adds. And Ango silently agrees. Dazai looks at odasaku, then at Ango, reading their faces carefully. Then upon coming to the conclusion that they won’t let his stupid birthday go, he whines.
“Geez! I’m really not getting you two, ‘m not sure why we have to celebrate in the first place.. what a pain.”
“Dazai your birthday isn’t ‘a pain.’”
Ango retaliates, furrowing his brows accusingly.
Dazai sighs again, before mustering up an answer. “A cake.”
He says plainly. Ango exchanges an excited glance with odasaku, not expecting a real answer out of Dazai, and unsure of wether or not he’s being truthful.
Dazai takes a sip of his drink. “That’s it. If you insist . I’ll have a cake.” Dazai gripes.
“O-ok! I’ll pick up a cake then…”
Odasaku says, intent on making dazai’s birthday good.
“….but isn’t it kinda short notice?” Ango questions. “Bakeries usually don’t have orders done the next day, and they need some warning beforehand. Unless we find one that’ll take our order on such short notice, we’ll have to make it ourselves.”
The three exchange looks between one another.
“…..do any of us know how to make a cake…?” Ango asks carefully.
Odasaku shakes his head.
“Ango as much as I hate to admit it I’m not allowed within the vicinity of any kitchen within 500 feet of me.” Dazai states bluntly.
“…..Fantastic.”
Ango groans and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“……..not that it matters. But… I heard Nakahara Chuuya bakes pretty well.”
Odasaku pitches, sure that someone in the port mafia would bake them a cake as a favor. Dazai whips around to face odasaku at the mention of chuuyas name. Dumbfounded at the thought of asking chuuya to bake him a cake for his birthday. Dazai scoffs out a laugh.
“Good luck with getting that slug to make me a cake. I’m 200% sure he would rather burn his tacky hat before doing me a favor of any kind.”
Odasaku stops for a moment, thinking. Ango interrupts. “Well I’m not exactly sure what other choices we have I don’t personally know anyone else who cooks or bakes in the port mafia.”
Dazai stares at him. “Yknow we always have the choice to just give up and not celebrate my-“
“-alright we’ll ask Nakahara-san.”
Odasaku decides, not willing to give up yet.
“You’re joking . No way I’m going to go ask Chibi to make me a stupid cake, I bet he can’t even actually make something half as good as a bakery can- his stupid slimy slug hands would ruin everything. It would taste disgusting!”
Dazai half shouts, throwing his head back and dragging his hands down his face.
“I would rather die.”
Odasaku stares blankly at the melodramatic display.
“..okaaaay. What if we don’t tell him it’s for you? We say it’s for someone else. That way it saves you the embarrassment and he’ll be more likely to agree.”
Dazai blinks at the suggestion. Ango seems to mull it over in his head.
“That’s.. actually a really good point.”
Ango blurts out, making Odasaku furrow his eyebrows.
“You say that as if you’re surprised I was able to come up with something so good.”
Odasaku deadpans. Dazai let’s out a snort, then pushes himself up in his chair, seemingly coming to a decision.
“Ok! We’ll do your little plan. But if this cake isn’t worth it Odasaku you’ll feel my wrath.”
Odasaku smiles
“I’m so sure.”
————————————
“Are you sure this is going to work? Do you know what you’re gonna say??”
“Dazai I’m sure it’ll be ok, there’s no way he thinks you’ll ask him for a favor.”
Dazai stares down at his feet as they walk up the stairs leading to chuuya’s apartment. Once the two reach the door Odasaku gives Dazai a glance, watching him smooth his clothes and adjust his tie before reaching to knock on the door.
Just as oda’s hand moved towards the surface, the door flung open, revealing a red haired teenage boy that to Odasaku seemed around the same age as Dazai. Disregarding his height. Both oda and Dazai blinked at the sudden appearance.
“What.”
Chuuya demanded, before recognizing who it was at his door.
“Oh- Uhm. Hey.”
Chuuya backs up, glancing curiously at Dazai, trying to figure out the reasoning for his visit when he wasn’t needed at the headquarters today.
Odasaku clears his throat. “Hello. Err.. may we come in side for a minute? There’s something we’d like to ask you.”
Dazai messes with the buttons on his shirt, trying to look busy.
Chuuya looks back and forth between them, before deciding to let them inside.
“Alright, I s’pose”
Chuuya takes a step back into his apartment, gesturing them to come in. Oda takes a look around. It’s surprisingly well put together and organized for a kid, and the kitchen looks fully stocked with different ingredients and tools, giving oda a little reassurance in his recommendation to dazai.
After the three enter the kitchen, chuuya leans against the countertop and starts to question them.
“So….why exactly are you here?”
He asks, trying to stay respectful in front of Odasaku, but staring a hole into Dazai’s head accusingly.
“We-“ “uh-“
Both Dazai and Oda start at the same time, interrupting each other. It gets awkwardly silent and Odasaku could practically see dazai’s confidence wilting away. He decides it’s best to take over from there.
“we wanted to uh… ask a favor of you. If you don’t mind.”
Odasaku looks at chuuya to gauge his reaction. The smaller boy stays silent, motioning for him to continue.
“We have a….friend. Yeah, a mutual. friend whose birthday is tomorrow and we thought it’d be a good idea to get them a cake. However, we didn’t realize most bakeries needed a whiles notice to prepare anything…”
Odasaku begins, watching chuuya hopefully.
“So Dazai actually had this great idea to have someone in the mafia make one. He recommended you actually.”
Dazai looked like he wanted to die.
Chuuya raises his eyebrows and barely manages to hold back a laugh.
Chuuya grins and his eyes bore into Dazai, sparing him no mercy. “Is that so? Well, im certainly flattered.”
Chuuya scoffs. “What kinda cake d’ya want?”
Odasaku silently celebrates, ecstatic chuuya seems to be agreeing. Then he realizes… he has no idea what Dazai wants.
“Oh- Dazai what do y-….. what do they want. Err- what’s their favorite flavor?”
Dazai mentally facepalms before muttering a defeated “vanilla.”
Chuuya nods “ okaaayyy. And icing?”
Odasaku looks back to Dazai, urging him to tell chuuya what he wants. Chuuya’s eyes never left Dazai, expecting an answer. Overwhelmed by both pairs of eyes on him, Dazai forces out “chocolate”
Ugh. He hates chocolate icing. It’s getting worse by the minute. Dazai secretly vows to never speak of his birthday again. Chuuya interrupts his train of thought.
“Cool. Oh- and do you want anything written on the top? Like happy birthday or their name? Yeah actually what’s their name?”
Chuuya hurries around to get a pen and paper, then stops back at the counter, fully waiting for Dazai to tell him the name of his friend.
“…uh. K-.. Kosuke.”
Dazai quickly rattled off the name of one of the orphans Odasaku takes care of, making the man smile to himself a little. Chuuya scribbles down the name before turning to the two of them.
“That should be it then, ill have it done by tomorrow morning. -if that works ok for you.”
Odasaku nods. “Yeah, thanks a lot, do we.. need to pay you?”
Odasaku reached for his wallet, but chuuya stopped him halfway, laughing a little.
“No please, I feel bad about not knowing who it is despite them being in the mafia, so just consider it my gift to them.”
Dazai grimaces at the sickeningly sweet gesture and practically drags Odasaku out the front door to chuuyas apartment.
“Woah- Dazai.” “Hey- thanks again! I’ll see you tomorrow morning”
Oda calls out as Dazai hurries them down the stairs. Chuuya waves back at oda before heading back inside to get started on the mystery friend’s cake.
“I think that went well. I dont think he suspects anything.”
Odasaku chirps, following Dazai down the street. Dazai grumbles, wanting nothing more than to go home and forget about his birthday entirely.
—————————
The next morning, Odasaku wakes up early to head to chuuya’s apartment, picking up the cake and heading straight over to bar lupin to meet with Ango and Dazai. He even bought the cheap colorful party hats for the three of them to wear, and as oda pulled the door to the entrance aside, he smiled, excited to meet up with his friends.
Ango and dazai were already there, Ango making it a point to come on time today to celebrate properly. Dazai rested his head in his chin, not looking amused in the slightest.
“Happy birthday dazai.”
Odasaku places the bag of party favors on the counter as well and the box that contained the cake. The trio scooted closer together, laughing about the dumb things like noise makers and streamers Oda had bought. And after wrestling dazai into one of the party hats, they all stared at the the box containing the cake.
“Well…moment of truth? I guess. Go on, I wanna see the result of the genius plan the two of you cooked up, I’m pretty excited.”
Oda began to open the box.
Truthfully, dazai was not excited at all, he had even mistakingly chose chocolate as the flavor of frosting when what he really wanted was-……… vanilla ?
Dazai’s eyes widened. There, after Oda had pushed the lid aside, was a cake with vanilla frosting. And on it, was not Kosuke, but in neatly piped blue icing said ‘happy birthday mackerel.’ With a small outline of a fish in the corner.
The three stared at the cake for a second. Then Ango spoke.
“Odasaku… did you.. go back and tell chuuya to change the name???”
“No…..I never said anything.” Odasaku sounded just as confused as Ango was.
“Then chuuya….”
Dazai was red to the tips of his ears.