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Katai is in love with Kajii on a day that’s too good for that kind of nonsense. The sun is shining, the leaves rustling in the wind, the birds chirping, and Kajii’s smile is as bright as the aforementioned sunshine. He’s grasping Katai’s hand with his, their fingers intertwining so the recluse gestures with him.
He’s going on and on about quantum space, and Katai surprises even himself by how well he follows along. It’s to the extent that he doesn’t mind when Kajii’s yanking his arm all around, because how else would he explain?
–
The first time Katai met Kajii, Kajii had broken into his house, that same stupid grin on his face as he explained why he had come at all.
“You want me to blow up a bomb ?” Katai’s mouth hangs open.
“Well, of course! Your ability is perfect for dual testing!” Kajii holds out a hand. “So, whatcha say?”
Katai backs up, burying himself in his futon more then he usually does. “Aren’t you part of the Port Mafia?”
Kajii leans down, tilting his head, as if inspecting Katai. “And aren’t you currently not a part of the Agency? I mean, I’m well aware you’ve assisted them, I know of your friendship with Kunikida, but you’re not working for them currently!”
“Still doesn’t make me want to work with the Port Mafia…” Katai grumbles.
“Eh, you’ll have fun!” Kajii picks up Katai, throwing him over his shoulder.
“HEY-”
–
The ringing of explosives in his ears follows Katai home. Kajii had some assignment he forgot about that Kouyou called to yell at him about, so he had to leave Katai on his own with a box of bombs. He’s rather annoyed, but doesn’t think it worth it to waste energy on–
“Are those lemons?” Katai pauses, glancing down at… Oh god. Aya Koda. She’s staring up at him, leaning on her sticker-colored crutches as usual.
“Um.” He starts, awkwardly, brain going blank, because how do you talk to children he doesn’t know that someone help- “No they’re mangoes.”
He sprints the rest of the way home, ignoring her shouting at him, and locks his door, throws the box onto a pile of garbage he hasn’t yet cleaned out, then throws himself onto Yoshiko and ignores Kunikida calling him. He can’t explain this to him.
–
“Alright, look, it’s very much not what you think–” Katai starts nervously, staring at the Special Division agents in front of him, Kajii standing at his side. The sun is shining too brightly for such a disaster.
“Then what is it?” One’s gaze flickers to Kajii, then back to Katai.
“There were no casualties!” Kajii beams, wrapping an arm around Katai. “Just one or two collapsed buildings!”
Katai groans as they take out handcuffs. Aya seems unbothered.
The second agent looks at her. “Were you involved with this too?” They sound incredulous. Katai internally begs that she won’t say yes.
“I came up with the whole thing!” Aya says instead, and Katai regrets ever crossing paths with her that day.
–
“This is awful,” Katai starts, “of the both of us.”
“Is it?” Kajii grins at him. “I think it’s genius!” He’s in the midst of rigging a lemon bomb with more destructive power than most, eager to test it out.
“I don’t mean the bomb- well, I do but-” Katai groans. “I can’t be seen helping you make bombs for the Port Mafia, Kajii!”
“You were fine with working with a member of the Port Mafia.” Kajii points out, adjusting a wire. “Is this much different?”
“You’re using this for work, not just for experimenting…” Katai groans.
“That was always the plan! Lookk, we’re not using it on people–probably–just to send a message!” Kajii says this like it’s reassuring, which makes Katai wonder if he should just strangle him.
“I’m gonna get caught because you’re a showpony.” He huffs at him.
“You won’t!!”
–
Both sides of the cell burst open, one with the biting fury of Rashomon, the other being ripped open by a tiger’s claws. Katai shrieks, clinging to Kajii, who holds him as he grins. “Oh, look! We don’t have to pay a bail!”
“THIS IS WORSE,” Katai shakes him as Aya giggles, “SO MUCH WORSE.”
“Kajii, we’ve come to retrieve you.”
“Katai! And Aya, I’m so sorry another bomber got to you!”
Kouyou and Kunikida say at the same time, and there’s a pause that’s worse than death as the two organizations stare at each other. Katai kind of wishes he’d blown up too.
Kunikida, slowly, registers Katai on Kajii’s lap. “KATAI??”
–
“You,” Aya starts the day after Kajii and Katai get away with blowing some random drug trader’s ship sky high, “Are up to something .”
Katai doesn’t meet her gaze. He’s walking her home because Kunikida asked him to–a ploy to also get him out of the house, he’s sure, considering that Kunikida has not a hint about his recent escapades–even though it’s mortifying to meet her again after their last interaction. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes you do!!” Aya huffs. “Don’t lie to an eleven year old!”
He blinks, slowly. “Well.”
He wracks his brain for a lie.
“I part time at a grocery store,” He needs to lay down, “But nobody wanted those mangoes,” Or maybe scream into a pillow, “Because they looked like lemons. So I got them for free.”
Aya gives him a baffled look. “What.”
–
Kajii stops by in the morning, inviting himself in as he always does, and he doesn’t shake Katai awake so much as he flops down next to him. “Morning!”
Katai yelps. “KAJII–” He kicks him out of bed. Kajii sits up, laughing.
“I wanted to ask if youu wanted to go to the opera tonight?”
Katai pauses. “I- no? We are not going to blow up such a packed place–”
“No, no, no, not to blow it up!” Kajii climbs back onto Katai’s futon, grinning. “I enjoy the opera, silly. I want to share that joy with you too!!”
Katai pauses, feeling himself turn red. “Oh.”
–
Katai has no clue what Aya said to Kunikida for him to be relegated to be one of the regulars that picks her up. But he realizes very quickly–in fact, as soon as she climbs into shotgun, then sets her crutches down–that this is a plan on her part. A very devious one.
Aya starts by first glancing into the back as she buckles herself in, before looking over to Katai. He doesn’t look at her as the car starts to move.
“You really don’t know how to interact with kids.” She states after the silence hangs in the air for a bit too long.
She’s right, of course, but– “What makes you say that?”
“If you even knew the first thing about child care you wouldn’t have let me in the front seat.”
Katai pauses. “Then. Why are you doing this?”
“I’m onto you.” Aya grins. “I’m gonna figure out just what you’re up to.”
Katai tries not to go pale. “You can. Try?” He’s not sure he should be challenging her.
–
“This is kinda fun.” Aya admits, sitting on Kajii’s shoulders as he throws a lemon bomb into the abandoned apartment building.
“I know!” Kajii grins. He’s taking the “a child snuck into my car” news from Katai much better then Katai himself is. “You really should have tagged along sooner!!”
“She should not have.” Katai interrupts, not even picking up a bomb. He won’t be able to detonate it, he’s so anxious.
Aya fixes him with a grin. “No, no, he’s right!”
He looks back and slumps, not hearing the sound of cars over the roar of buildings starting to collapse.
–
“So let me get this straight,” Kunikida paces. Katai is in the agency’s office, rubbing his wrists, trying to rid himself of the ache of the handcuffs. “You were dating a Port Mafia terrorist, blowing up random shit with him,”
“We went to the opera sometimes,” Katai tries weakly, but is ignored.
“And we just had to get you out of jail because you blew up a building . And you involved Aya .”
“Two buildings,” Katai buries his head in his hands, trying to ignore everyone’s gazes on him.
“I mean, Kajii isn’t the worst he could have–”
“Dazai.” Kunikida’s head snaps over to face him instead.
Dazai grins innocently. “And it’s not like you have much room to judge.”
Kunikida’s cheeks go red. “It’s not like we’ve ever had to be bailed out of jail.”
“Because Chuuya can’t get stuck in jail.” Ranpo adds. Kunikida pauses, then scowls. Katai is let off the hook fairly quickly.. With one catch.
–
The restaurant is packed, and Katai finds himself wanting to curl up into a ball in the bathroom, except that he’d then have to push past a bunch of people, and that’d make him feel even worse.
Kajii’s in a nice suit for once. It’s brown and striped, and accidented by a lemon pin on the pocket, and a green tie. Katai feels horribly underdressed as he looks around for Chuuya and Kunikida.
They find the two waiting at an outside table. Chuuya has put their hair up in a style much like their ane-san’s, and Kunikida’s hair is braided. The mortification only grows when Katai registers that Chuuya and Kunikida are matching .
“Um,” Katai sits down, but Kajii interrupts him, thank goodness.
“So how long have you two been together?” Kajii grins.
Chuuya wraps an arm around Kunikida. “Prettyboy and I here are actually celebrating our first anniversary. There was this whole thing with a cruise ship, I’ll tell you the whole story after dinner.”
“Sorry if we’re intruding–”
“Pff, I don’t mind a double date.” Chuuya snorts. “Are you always this nervous?”
“No-!!” Katai huffs.
“Mhmm,” Chuuya holds up their menu, “Sure.”