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“I really needed this!” Yosano sighed happily as the members of the Armed Detective Agency clinked their glasses. “We’ve been so busy lately, I needed some fun. And a drink!” She finished her glass of wine and smiled widely as she poured another glass. “Two drinks!”
“It has been pretty intense lately,” acknowledged Junichiro. “It’s nice to have a break.”
He turned to Atsushi and Kyouka. “How are you two enjoying working for the Agency?”
“It’s very nice,” said Kyouka in her usual quiet, deliberate tone without raising her eyes from her food. “I am grateful to be given a second chance.”
Atsushi looked sideways at her. She always seemed so much more mature, despite being so much younger than him. But then, her life before the Agency had been - perhaps not harder than his, but it had certainly forced her to assume responsibilities well beyond her years. Feeling his gaze upon her, she looked up and met his eyes. He blushed at being caught staring, and looked away quickly enough that he didn’t see her blush in response.
“Atsushi?” asked Junichiro.
Atsushi started. “Oh! Yes. It’s been very different from the orphanage. Scary, too, sometimes. But I feel like I’m finally doing something that makes a difference.”
Kunikida weighed in ponderously. “As a member of the Armed Detective Agency, you have a great responsibility - “
“Oh, come on, Kunikida, lighten up!” Yosano interrupted. “Let the kids relax for once.”
As the two squabbled, Atsushi looked around him. Yosano was more than a little tipsy already, and Kunikida was reproving her. On his other side, Kyouka was serenely attending to her food. Junichiro was chatting with Kenji, while Ranpo was engrossed in the dessert that he had ordered in lieu of a meal. Across the table, Dazai met his eyes with a smile.
“You’ve worked hard and done well. Enjoy yourself tonight.”
The group’s table was around the corner from the front counter, so no one saw the slim, exquisitely dressed young redhead turn his head sharply in their direction at the sound of Dazai’s voice. He finished placing his takeaway order, and then stepped away from the counter, hands in his pockets.
Back at the table, the detectives were all laughing at a slightly risque joke from Yosano, when a sardonic voice cut lazily through their laughter. “Well, well, well, what have we here? The Armed Detective Agency, out in force.”
Startled, the group looked over to see Chuuya Nakahara of the Port Mafia sauntering confidently over, hands in his pockets and a sly smile on his face.
“And what business does the Armed Detective Agency have here, I wonder?” He stopped a few feet from their table, and his eyes locked with Dazai’s.
“No business at all,” replied Dazai, inclining his head and smiling wickedly. “We’re all just having a little social outing after work. Blowing off steam, completely on our own time.”
“Really.” Chuuya’s eyes glinted. “Isn’t that convenient. It just so happens that I’m off the clock right now, too.”
Everyone at the table stilled. Yosano instantly sobered. Junichiro looked concerned. Kenji’s mouth opened in surprise as he recognized Chuuya. Kyouka’s eyes narrowed as she placed her hand on the hilt of her knife. Atsushi wondered, would Chuuya truly start a fight here in the middle of the restaurant?
Alarmed, Kunikida spoke up authoritatively. “Nakahara. I would remind you that our organizations have a truce right now.”
Without breaking eye contact with Dazai, Chuuya drawled, “Stay out of this, Kunikida. This is none of your business. This is personal between me and Dazai.”
Dazai held Chuuya’s gaze with his own as he seconded this. “He’s right, Kunikida. You don’t want to get into the middle of this.” He spoke in an unusually serious tone.
Kunikida spoke more firmly. “Whatever personal issue you have doesn’t override the truce. I won’t allow you to-”
“I told you to shut up,” Chuuya interrupted, his words measured and his attention still focused on Dazai. “Mind your own damn business.”
Unexpectedly, Ranpo spoke up. “Kunikida. This is personal. You shouldn’t interfere.”
Chuuya, clearly dismissing Kunikida, stepped closer to Dazai. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” Alarmingly, his sly smile widened even further with anticipation.
“Not as much as I’ve been looking forward to it, I’d bet,” replied Dazai, leaning back casually, still with that wicked smile. His head tilted up a little as Chuuya stood over him.
“Well, we’ll just see about that.” Chuuya’s hands came out of his pockets as he reached Dazai. He leaned down and his left hand reached for Dazai’s throat. Dazai’s hands started to come up between them.
Alarmed, the remaining members of the Armed Detective Agency - with the exception of Ranpo, who had returned to his dessert - surged to their feet. Atsushi was clearly panicked, while the others were icy calm in preparation for combat. Kunikida’s mind raced. Nakahara wouldn’t be able to use his gravity ability on Dazai, but his martial prowess was infamous, and Dazai would be no match for him. While the detectives vastly outnumbered the Port Mafia executive, a fight would still cause considerable destruction, and the staff of the restaurant and other patrons could be at risk.
Chuuya’s hand closed on Dazai’s throat and then slid upward, tipping up Dazai’s chin as he leaned toward him. The other detectives burst into motion and then froze in shock as Chuuya’s mouth met Dazai’s hungrily. Dazai’s rising hands found Chuuya’s waist and he pulled Chuuya down onto his lap, returning the kiss and wrapping his arms around the smaller man possessively.
The group’s reactions were varied. Ranpo continued eating as though nothing was happening. Kyouka clearly assessed that there was no threat at this time and removed her hand from her knife, sitting back down and returning to her own meal. Yosano’s face went from startled to gleeful, and she resumed her seat, picked up her glass of wine, and sat back to enjoy the show. Kunikida’s brain visibly short-circuited, and Atsushi was torn between blushing at the public display of affection, and exasperation at Dazai for being - well, exasperating.
Junichiro resumed his seat, and in a conciliatory tone offered to Kunikida, “Well, he did say you didn’t want to get in the middle of it.”
Yosano grinned lasciviously and said, “I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind getting in the middle of that.”
Chuuya paused the kiss and trailed his gloved hand downward, resting his fingertips in the hollow at the base of Dazai’s throat. His heated eyes were riveted on Dazai’s face, and he was so close that when he spoke, his lips brushed Dazai’s. Without looking at her, he warned Yosano, “He’s mine, and I don’t share. Don’t make me kill you.”
Dazai tightened one arm around Chuuya. He reached up to toy with Chuuya’s hair. Wrapping a curl around his finger and touching it to his lips, he asked, “Would you care to join us?”
As Kunikida spluttered incoherently and Atsushi blushed beet red, Chuuya responded, “Nah. I can date you because if I get ordered to kill you, I can give it my all and be confident you’ll weasel out of it with some trick. If I get ordered to kill one of them,” he tilted his head toward the Agency members around the table, “I’ll succeed. Best not to get attached.”
“I see,” Dazai replied, releasing the curl of red hair and tucking it back behind Chuuya’s ear.
Chuuya leaned into the caress, his cheek rubbing against Dazai’s hand. “You going to be free later? I’m grabbing takeout and heading home. You’re welcome to swing by for a drink when you’re done with these losers.” Chuuya’s fingers brushed lightly along Dazai’s jawline and threaded up through his hair.
Dazai’s eyes half-lidded at the touch. “I expect we’ll only be here another hour or so. That’s not too late, is it?”
“Looking forward to it. See you then.” Chuuya leaned in for one last lingering kiss as if no one were there but the two of them, then stood and turned to leave. “Later, assholes.” He waved dismissively to the rest of the Agency as he walked away.
Dazai watched him leave, and then turned his attention to the irate Kunikida, who could restrain himself no longer.
“What the hell, Dazai?!? Are you seriously involved with a member of the Port Mafia?” Kunikida was fuming.
Ranpo butted in. “Come on, Kunikida, you had to know they were dating. It’s been obvious for some time.”
“What?” Kunikida yelped. “Are you telling me you knew about this, Ranpo?”
“Well, how could I not?” Ranpo asked in an annoyed tone. “Surely you knew. You had to have noticed that since he escaped from the Port Mafia after Kyouka captured him” - he nodded to Kyouka - “he hasn’t tried to commit suicide even once. Why on earth did you think he stopped?”
Atsushi’s eyes widened as he took this in. How had he not noticed?
“Come on, aren’t you supposed to be detectives?” asked Ranpo, annoyed.
Kunikida looked at Ranpo in shock for a moment, then turned to Dazai. “Is that true?”
“Yes, Ranpo is correct about the timing.” Dazai smiled. And then, his face growing more serious, he continued in a lower voice, “And yes, Chuuya gives me something to live for.”
Yosano leaned her chin on her hand and continued watching sympathetically. The others all took a moment to marvel at these revelations. Kunikida flushed slightly.
“Regardless, you know he might be using you to get information about the Agency,” Kunikida said sternly.
“No,” replied Dazai. “From the beginning, we made an agreement. Whenever either of us is on the clock, then this part of our life never happened - we are both rivals, completely loyal to our organizations and owing each other nothing. And we will always be truthful with one another about whether we’re working or not.”
Atsushi’s mind flashed back to Chuuya’s arrival. Yes, in retrospect, the very first exchange between the two tonight was to confirm that they were both off duty and not on official business.
Dazai continued, “Chuuya would never betray his sworn oath to the Port Mafia, so I knew he would never allow himself to get romantically involved with me without a guarantee that our relationship wouldn’t compromise his loyalty. And we are uniquely suited to be able to sustain such a relationship. If we end up fighting or working against each other professionally, or if Mori orders him to torture or kill me, we can accept that it’s nothing personal, and won’t hold it against each other. Most people wouldn’t be able to maintain that level of detachment in practice.”
“Kill you?!? Oh, so he’s fine with killing you as long as you don’t blame him?” Kunikida exploded.
“To be honest, it’s more that he trusts me to be able to prevent him from killing me. Not with combat skills, of course, but he trusts me to be devious enough to arrange circumstances to prevent him from ever doing so.”
Atsushi marveled inwardly. Dazai cared for Chuuya that much? That was even more surprising than the fact that Dazai was in love with a man, when he had spent so much time talking about committing suicide with a beautiful woman. Although, now that Atsushi thought about it, dying with a woman versus living for a man might not actually be a contradiction at all.
Kunikida was still dubious. “He could still be lying to you. He is, after all, in the Port Mafia.”
“No,” Dazai replied with conviction. “Chuuya doesn’t have a deceptive bone in his body. He may be a criminal, but he is the most honest person I know. Even more so than you.”
Unexpectedly, Kyouka spoke up confidently in her soft, expressionless voice. “It’s true. Chuuya Nakahara never lies, and he never breaks his word. This is well known by everyone at my former place of work.”
Atsushi looked at her in surprise, and then understanding. He still kept forgetting that she used to work for the Port Mafia. He turned to Dazai. There was a serenity and happiness to his face that Atsushi had never seen before. Impulsively Atsushi raised his glass and said with heartfelt sincerity, “Dazai, I’m glad you found someone that makes you happy. I wish the two of you the best.”
The rest of the Agency looked at Atsushi in surprise, then belatedly raised their glasses as well in support. “Congratulations, Dazai.”
Dazai looked startled and slightly vulnerable for a moment, and his face softened in genuine gratitude. “Thank you.” Then his expression turned mischievous. “And don’t get your hopes up, Kunikida. I don’t date all my partners. Chuuya is special.” With a theatrically arch expression, he raised his glass and drank.
The rest of the table burst into laughter as Kunikida started yelling at Dazai, and with the resumption of its original boisterousness, the party was back to normal for the rest of the evening.